From the sheikh's sharp tone, Ruha guessed that home was exactly where he and Utaiba had intended to send Lander. She was impressed by the Harper's diplomacy, for he had neatly turned what was to be a pronouncement of doom into a discussion of strategy. The widow did not think that his plan would work, of course, but she admired him for trying.
'I want the desert tribes to fight,' Lander said, pausing to gaze into the eyes of several nearby warriors. 'But more than that, I want the Bedine to win!'
Several of the men murmured their agreement. As a man who had carried himself well in battle, Lander was entitled to a certain amount of respect, and he was making the most of it.
The warrior's support was not lost on the sheikhs, who gave each other concerned glances before turning back to the Harper. Sa'ar said, 'We have no intention of losing-'
'You may lose no matter what your intentions are,' Lander interrupted, laying a hand on Ruha's shoulder, 'unless you accept the magic that this woman can provide.'
Ruha saw the Harper's influence slipping away as the jaw of warrior after warrior went slack in shock.
'You can't win this argument,' she hissed. 'Don't even try.'
Lander ignored her and continued to address the assembly. 'With their magic, the Zhentarim have an overpowering advantage.'
Ruha angrily shrugged his hand off her shoulder, then angrily shook her head. 'What makes you think I want to help these tribes?' Her words were sharp, for she did not like being ignored-especially when it was her life that being discussed.
Lander faced her, not fazed. 'Your people need magic, all they can get.'
'They are not my people,' Ruha retorted, glaring at Sa'ar and Utaiba. 'They wouldn't have me and I wouldn't have them!'
'That is unfortunate-' the Harper began.
'And it is irrelevant,' interrupted Sa'ar, trying to retake control of the conversation. 'Utaiba and I have a plan for defeating the Zhentarim that will not offend the gods. You may take Ruha and leave.' The sheikh glanced at Kadumi, then added, 'This fine young warrior will be welcome in either of our tribes.'
'I go with Ruha,' Kadumi declared, starting to rise.
Without looking away from Sa'ar, Lander caught the youth's wrist and gently restrained him. 'As you know, I have come far and risked my life to warn the Bedine of their danger,' he said in a reasonable tone. 'Would it be too much to ask in return to know the nature of your plan?'
Sa'ar looked uncomfortable, but Utaiba nodded. When the wiry sheikh spoke, however, he looked at his warriors instead of the Harper. 'We have seen that the Raz'hadi and the Mahwa are stronger together than they are alone, have we not?'
Several warriors voiced their agreement.
'Then does it not stand to reason that ten tribes will have ten times the strength of one?'
'It does,' affirmed a burly warrior. 'But even between our two tribes, do we have ten allies?'
Sa'ar shook his head. 'Not yet, Kabina. Remember, though, that the enemy of our enemy is our friend.'
Before Kabina could respond, Utaiba continued Sa'ar's explanation. 'The Zhentarim are enemies of all our people. So, at least where the Black Robes are concerned, all Bedine are friends.'
'We have sent messengers to all the tribes within riding distance,' Sa'ar concluded, waving his hand at the horizon. 'We will tell their sheikhs what the Zhentarim have done and ask them to meet us at Elah'zad. There, we will shape a grand alliance to drive the invaders from Anauroch.'
'A worthy plan,' Lander said, nodding eagerly.
The warriors looked pleased by the Harper's approval, but Sa'ar and Utaiba each raised suspicious brows.
'Yet, in the time it takes you to assemble, the Zhentarim will not be idle. They will discover what you are doing and move to prevent it.'
Utaiba smirked, then said, 'I doubt they can stop us in ten days. Even if they knew our intentions, they would have to find Elah'zad-and travel to it.'
Ruha approved of this portion of the sheikhs' plan, at least. Located one hundred and fifty miles to the north, Elah'zad was an out-of-the-way oasis protected by a formidable mix of salt flats and rocky hills. It would not be an easy place for the Zhentarim to reach or attack.
Lander conceded the point by inclining his head, then turned the subject back to his earlier argument. 'Even with ten tribes, you will still need Ruha to counter the magic of the Zhentarim. What would have happened had she not been in the canyon last night?'
The sheikhs and their men all frowned, but they knew the answer to Lander's question. Still, being correct did not mean the Harper had won the argument. The warriors scowled at him stubbornly for several moments.
Finally Kabina spoke again. 'We did not know about the witch last night, so the gods will not blame us for what she did.' The burly warrior fixed an icy glare on Ruha. 'If we ride with her now, they will surely deliver us into defeat and slavery.'
'It is not the gods who will deliver you into slavery,' Lander countered patiently, still speaking in a reasonable but unyielding voice. 'It is the Zhentarim, and your only hope of victory lies with Ruha's magic. Instead of banishing her, you should be begging her to help you.'
'You do not understand the gods of the Bedine,' Sa'ar declared.
'Perhaps I don't,' the Harper responded, fixing his one-eyed gaze on the sheikh. 'But you don't understand the Zhentarim. They won't hesitate to use their magic. Unless you fight back with magic, you are doomed.'
A grisled, gray-eyed warrior said, 'If we need magic, our gods will provide it for us, as Kozah provided the dust storm last night.'
Lander turned toward the warrior and shook his head. 'Kozah had nothing to do with that storm.'
Ruha grabbed the Harper's arm. In his muscles, she felt a tension that did not show in his face, though she could not say whether it was caused by anger or fear. 'Lander, talk no more,' she whispered. 'Nothing you say can change their minds.' The widow did not add that his argument was also hardening their hearts.
The Harper did not heed her warning. 'The dust storm was Ruha's doing.'
A burst of astounded cries ran round the circle, and warriors glanced at one another with disheartened and angry expressions. They had taken the dust curtain to be a sign that Kozah favored them and were not happy to hear that a sorceress had caused the storm instead of their god.
Sa'ar studied Ruha for several moments, then asked, 'Is this true, witch?'
The widow hesitated before replying. If Lander was arguing just because he was stubborn, it might be wiser to deny casting the spell and avoid upsetting the warriors any further. On the other hand, if the Harper actually believed he could convince the Bedine to accept her magic, she did not want him to think she was unsupportive.
'Speak the truth,' the Harper urged.
Ruha swallowed once, then made her decision. 'I created the dust storm,' she said. 'Not Kozah.'
A few stubborn warriors muttered half-hearted denials, but most of the Bedine received the news in dumbfounded silence.
Lander seized the opportunity to continue his argument.
'In my land, N'asr is called Cyric, and Kozah is known as Talos,' the Harper began. 'But by whatever name they are called, the gods watch over all of Toril, not just Anauroch.'
The Bedine greeted his statement with a mixture of blank stares and suspicious curiosity, but they did not interrupt. Ruha began to suspect that there was, indeed, a method to Lander's argument.
'In my land, magic is common,' the Harper continued. 'So my question is this: if magic is so terrible, why do the gods permit it in one part of the world and not in the other? Could it be possible that in all the centuries since the Scattering, they have entrusted it to mankind again? Is it possible that Kozah did not help us last night because Ruha was there to work his will instead?'
Utaiba raised his brow thoughtfully, and Sa'ar pursed his lips and rubbed his chin. Even the warriors appeared to be considering the matter, and a flutter developed in the widow's stomach as she realized the Harper actually had a chance to win over the Bedine. Ruha found herself wondering how it would feel to be a fully accepted member of a tribe.
Her contemplation was short-lived. A few moments later, Sa'ar found a weakness in the Harper's argument.
