eat.'
'But we have supplies,' protested Mika, gesturing toward Lotus Blossom, who had just taken a strip of dried meat out of her pouch and was gnawing on it with her big, white teeth.
'A wise man lives off the land and saves his supplies for when he really needs them,' Hornsbuck said, glowering at Mika, his back to Lotus Blossom.
'All right, all right,' said Mika, holding up his hands and backing off. Taking his bow and arrows from the back of his roan, he whisded for Tam, who had traveled all day without complaint, and walked out onto the darkening plain.
The night closed around them as soon as they left the circle of the tiny fire. Mika stood for a moment and let his eyes adjust. Tam lifted his muzzle and inhaled deeply, allowing the cool, night air to linger on his tongue and nostrils, divining the messages that u carried. He turned briefly and gave Mika a look that said 'follow,' and then he was off.
Mika trotted effortlessly in Tarn's footsteps, the wolf always within sight, his tail held high and curved above his back. Tam followed the thread of scent on the air for a time and then put his nose to the ground. Snuffling loudly, he followed the invisible trail.
Must be a stag, thought Mika, who had seen no game that day other than a herd of antelope too far distant to chase, and numerous rabbits who were careful to stay out of bow range. His mouth watered at the thought of fresh meat sizzling over the fire.
Then he heard it, a soft call, endearing and yet plaintive, sweet and utterly melancholy. It was impossible to resist. Mika could not imagine what had made the sound; he had never heard anything like it in his life. He turned in the direction from which it had come, toward the stream.
Tam stood in his path, blocking the way and growling. His ears were pasted flat against his head, and his dewlaps were raised, exposing black gums. His incisors gleamed bright in the darkness, and his eyes were mere slits of reflective black light.
Mika took note of Tarn's actions, and at any other time he would have been warned, fearful of some imminent danger. But somehow it didn't matter this time-the seductive beckoning drew him on. He was powerless to resist. Tam blocked his way, but Mika rebuked him sharply and pushed past him.
Before him, on the edge of the stream, stood an immense dead tree. Perched on one of the lower branches was a dark figure, its features impossible to determine in the dim light.
The thing uttered its mournful cry again. Mika put one foot in front of the other until he stood at the base of the tree. Tam barked and barked again, warning Mika, yet Mika paid him no heed.
Mika looked up into the branches of the tree. A foul stench filled his nostrils, and his bemused eyes saw a large figure squatting above him. The creature clung to the branch with four long, wicked talons. Its lower half was feathered, but its upper torso had the form of a woman. The creature's eyes gleamed down at Mika, filled with hatred and black, demonic evil.
A harpy! Mika's mind struggled to free itself from the hypnotic grip of the horrible creature, knowing that harpies lured men in with their song and then killed them, feasting on the flesh and feeding it to their young. Mika knew that he must fight or die, but the harpy sang on and he stood transfixed, unable to break the spell.
The harpy opened her broad wings and jumped down to the lowest branch, which swayed beneath her weight. The putrid smell of decayed carrion washed over Mika, gagging him, but still he did not move. The harpy leaned forward, her two human arms reaching for him, her milk-gorged, pendulous breasts swaying in front of his face.
Spitde drooled from the harpy's mouth, and her brittle, black hair stood up around her head in an awful aura, framing the hideous face and the long, sharp teeth that would soon be feasting on his flesh.
Mika stared upward, his fog-filled mind taking in each dreadful feature. Tam gave up barking; seizing the end of Mika's cloak in his teeth, the wolf pulled backward. But Mika was unmoving, and the cloak came free. Tam tumbled backward, caught in its folds.
The harpy's fingers caressed Mika's face as she crooned her sad song. Even in his bemusement, Mika noticed that the harpy's cheeks were stained with tears and he realized that her grief-stricken song had not been for his benefit. But accident or not, it would not prevent him from being killed.
Mika was wondering if she would rip his face off or just throttle him, when suddenly, a great force slammed against the back of his knees and he plunged forward, striking his head on the tree.
'Great Mother!' he cursed as his head banged painfully into the dense wood. He covered his ears, shutting out the din that broke out beside him. He turned and saw the princess standing next to Tam, her blue and green eyes glittering in the dim light. Both of them were barking shrilly and flinging their front paws against the tree trunk as though they meant to climb it.
Mika looked up and saw the harpy. The life- threatening danger of his situation truly sank in for the first time; he quickly ripped off an edge of his tunic and stuffed it in his ears, preventing himself from hearing the hypnotic song. He glanced at the princess. She had saved him, and he wondered why.
He drew his sword, thinking to kill the harpy before she could attack. To his great surprise, she made no attempt to do so, but merely sat looking down at him with empty eyes, her arms hanging limp at her sides. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped slowly onto her swollen breasts.
Mika cocked his head to one side, wondering if this was some trick. But the harpy made no move, as though she did not care about her fate. Grief seemed to emanate from her in waves.
Almost without meaning to, Mika performed a mind-melding spell, adding a charm spell for good measure, and he merged his subconscious with the harpy, whom he knew could speak no language other than her own.
There was the familiar dizziness, and then his mind was filled with grief, a heavy, overwhelming sense of sadness and loss such as he had experienced upon the death of his family. He all but staggered beneath the weight of it.
What had caused this terrible feeling? he wondered… and then he knew. A picture formed in his mind's eye of a small, prickly creature, scarcely more than an infant, its feathers barely beginning to emerge. Naked and helpless. Warm waves of love bathed his mind and washed over the mental picture of the small one. But they were abruptly replaced by an aching sense of loss and desolation.
Mika saw an empty aerie, broken eggshells, and a trampled nest. He felt rage rise in his breast and hatred choke his breathing. He had the vague remembrance of a long, futile search which led to the emptiness and depression that now filled the harpy's mind.
Mika sensed that death was near and felt that the harpy welcomed it. With a shock, he realized that he had been chosen to end her pain.
Almost unbidden, another picture flashed into his mind of a small, almost featherless creature, though this one was in a cage in the marketplace of Eru- Tovar. A lightning bolt seared his mind, and conflicting emotions-rage, hope, hatred, joy, and a mindless desire to kill-beat back and forth in his skull. Mika put his hands to his head to still the rampaging thoughts. He staggered back, buffeted by powerful winds, and then slowly his mind cleared.
The wolves still clamored at his side, barking at the dark sky, almost ravening with frustration. Mika looked into the tree. The harpy was gone. He spotted her in the sky, her powerful wings bearing her to Eru- Tovar. He thought about the animal seller briefly, then erased the man from his mind, knowing without the slightest feeling of guilt, that he would soon be dead.
Harpies were universally hated and despised. Never had he heard a good word spoken in their behalf, but even now, as he trudged back to camp empty- handed, he found no need to apologize for his actions. The harpy's grief had touched him deeply, and he entertained the thought briefly that perhaps the harpy had as much right to life as he did. Mika glanced around him as though fearing that somehow, someone might have heard the thought. Seeing only Tam and the princess, he realized that he owed Julia his life.
More than a little uncomfortable, he dropped to one knee before her. 'Thanks,' he said in a low voice. She stared at him for a brief moment, her green and blue eyes glittering coldly, and then she strode past him, leaving him kneeling on the ground, feeling foolish. Cursing her, he rose and strode angrily back to camp.
'What luck?' asked Hornsbuck as Mika entered camp.
'None,' said Mika, carefully putting his bow and arrows away, his gaze fixed on three stakes of skew- ercd meat that were browning at the edge of the embers. 'Nothing at all.'
'No matter,' grunted Hornsbuck. 'Lotus Blossom shot two rabbits down at the stream when we went for water, and I flushed a partridge on my way back to camp. They'll be ready soon.'
