Jaran

under the special protection of the gods.'

'On that count I have no fears.'

A high voice broke into their circle. Little Katerina ran up to Bakhtiian, laughing, wanting to tell him something. He crouched beside her, whispered in her ear, and she looked wide-eyed up at Tess and ran away again. The music wound to a close and there was much laughter and a round of singing as the musicians broke off to rest.

'We shall see.' Bakhtiian stood up. 'It is against my instinct and all my better judgment, but this is the priest's choice, not mine.' A single gold necklace shone at his throat, winking in the inconstant firelight as he turned to regard Yuri. 'Yurinya. You will see that Terese Soerensen takes proper care of her horse, that she eats, is warm, and is always ready to ride. Do you understand?' It sounded more like a threat than a request.

'Yes, Ilya. Of course, Ilya.'

'Terese Soerensen, until such time as we arrive at a port and can put you on a ship, you will abide by my decisions and my orders. You don't know this land. I do. You will ride with me and at other times will stay with Yurinya. If for some reason you can't ride with me, you'll ride with Nikolai Sibirin. Do you understand?'

'Yes. I know I'm inexperienced, but I'll learn.'

'You'll have to. Yuri, come with me. Excuse us.' He took Yuri by the wrist, as if he was a child, and dragged him away so fast that Yuri stumbled over his own feet and could only manage a brief, despairing glance at Tess before he vanished with Ilya into the darkness of the camp.

Tess had a sudden premonition that Yuri was in for a bad time. She circled the crowd, seeking Sonia, and found her talking easily with one of the men who had ridden in that day. Sonia had laid a hand on the man's arm as casually as if he were her husband, and their heads were close enough together as they spoke that it gave them an intimate appearance. When Tess hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt, Sonia glanced up, saw her, and excused herself immediately.

'What is it?'

Tess told her.

'Ah. You were right to come to me. Ilya will be furious at being outmaneuvered. You wait here.'

'No, I ought to come with you.'

'As you wish, but stay in the shadows. It will be better for Yuri if Ilya does not know you fetched me.'

Tess followed Sonia into camp. Tents surrounded them, cutting off the distant glow of the great fire. There was no sound, no movement, except for the wailing of a child that faltered and stilled. Tess had to move slowly, hands out to either side, fingers occasionally brushing the coarse fabric of a tent wall. Sonia had lost her, but as the music started up again behind, she heard voices ahead, a quiet counterpoint to the distant melody of celebration. She stumbled over a guy-rope and froze, stopped by the voices coming from right around the edge of the tent.

'You deliberately used my aunt's authority to undercut mine.' Bakhtiian's tone was so cutting that Tess instantly regretted ever asking Yuri for help. 'Of course I would not object, since I did not suspect what you and she were planning.'

'I didn't think-'

'Obviously you didn't think, Yuri. Women don't ride with the jahar. Her inexperience will slow us down and could be dangerous.'

'But that's why I gave her the lessons.'

'If she couldn't ride, there would be no question of her traveling with us, would there?'

'But you just said yourself that-'

'Have you ever bothered to ask yourself why she is here? Or wonder why the priest says she is a spy-'

'You don't really believe-'

'Had I finished speaking?'

The pause that followed was both heavy and uncomfortable. Into it, the distant music metamorphosed from a slow, pacing number into a frantic tune.

'Well, Ilya,' said Sonia, walking into their silence with all the aplomb of an angry and protective older sister. When Sonia spoke, clear and carrying, Tess abruptly realized that they were all speaking in Rhuian, a family quarrel that no one else could understand. ' 'Have you finished bullying Yuri now? Or shall I leave until you are done?''

'This is men's business, Sonia.'

'Is it, indeed? When two men meet in the dark to discuss a woman, I call that women's business. Yuri, you may go.'

'I haven't given him permission-'

'Ilya. Must I speak to Mama about your manners?'

'Go on, Yuri,' he said curtly.

Tess, standing frozen behind the dark wall of a tent, did not see in which direction Yuri fled.

'You have made your point, Sonia,' said Bakhtiian coldly. 'Have I your permission to leave?'

'Certainly, Ilyakoria. But I am curious as to why you were so insistent that Nadine and I travel the long path to Jeds, alone, need I add, where we might have encountered any danger, and in lands where you know very well how they treat women. We cannot even be sure we will ever see Dina again.'

'Knowing Dina, we will undoubtedly receive an envoy from the Prince of Jeds himself requesting that we remove her before she destroys the entire city.''

Sonia chuckled, despite herself. 'That is very probably true. Don't distract me. What I mean to say is, if you risked us, then whatever excuse you give Yuri about Tess not going because she is a woman is the most ridiculous nonsense I have ever heard.'

'Do you suppose she can use a saber?'

'I suppose she can learn, well enough to defend herself, at least. I do not expect her to become such a paragon of saber fighting as Vladimir, or yourself, dear cousin. And I will give her my own bow and arrows, since a woman can use them to protect herself without any shame. What is your real reason?'

'I don't trust her. There are great things in front of us, in front of our massed armies, if we can get so far. I must rid myself of those last few riders who don't understand that we must unite, that the old ways no longer protect us. And I need those horses. What if she acts to harm the priest, to disrupt this journey, to ruin all the work I've done so far?'

'Why should she care? She is a merchant's sister, traveling home to Jeds. She says herself that it was a foolish impulse that led her to follow the priest off the ship, that she only meant to protect her brother's trading rights.'

'Do you believe this story?'

'I trust Tess.'

He did not reply immediately. 'She lied to us once. She is not their interpreter. She's still lying, Sonia.'

'How can you know?'

'I feel it in my gut.'

'And you're never wrong.' Sonia's voice came cold and flat and sarcastic. 'Never you. Never Bakhtiian. You never listen to anyone else.'

'I would listen to others if they had anything worthwhile to say.'

'If you'd listened to others, Natalia and Timofey and your parents would still be alive.'

The tension was so palpable that Tess felt it as loudly as any words. Bakhtiian made a sound, like the beginning of speech, and then fell silent, as if he were so furious that he could not even talk. She took a step back, suddenly sure that her presence here would do Sonia no good if it were discovered.

'Come out,' said Bakhtiian, as if her thoughts alone had alerted him.

'Ilya-' Sonia began, protesting.

'Whom are you protecting?' he snapped.

Tess knew that however much she did not want to walk around the tent and see either of them, in such a mood, she could not leave Sonia to end this conversation alone.

So she joined them. Sonia stood, hands drawn up into fists on either side of her waist, pale, facing Bakhtiian. He had heard the scuff on the grass and he turned; instantaneously took a step back away from Tess, surprised to see her. He froze, as though touched by some stilling hand.

'Excuse me,' she said, and heard the betraying quaver in her voice. 'I was looking for Sonia.'

His gaze had the cutting edge of a knife. Tess tensed, knowing for that instant that he was about to say