system for feeding air into a small clay dome placed under the trunk.
‘What’s wrong with me?’ she asked.
‘Nothing that won’t fix,’ said Katyett. ‘You’ve been through a lot. Just take your time. Feeling cold?’
‘No.’ Pelyn looked out into the darkening sky. ‘Just not very clean. And why is everyone looking at me?’
‘Probably because your face is a bit of a mess. We’ll see to it,’ said Katyett. ‘And what do you mean, everyone?’
‘All the TaiGethen for a start.’
‘You’re imagining things,’ said Katyett, who wouldn’t catch her eye.
‘I’m shaking; I haven’t gone blind,’ said Pelyn. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Later. Let’s get you straight first. Let’s talk about something else and try and bring this shock out.’
‘So there is something going on.’
‘Pelyn!’
‘All right, all right. What do you want to know?’
‘Well, we could start with the state of Ysundeneth.’
‘All right, but you can start by telling me why you didn’t mention you were going to hide here? It would have been useful information.’
‘For Llyron too,’ said Katyett. ‘Anyway, we didn’t know who we could trust.’
‘Well you could trust me,’ said Pelyn, knowing she was whining.
‘Come on, Pelyn. You’re smarter than this. You, I would trust with my life. Others in your organisation-’ Katyett nodded at Tulan and Ephran, apart from everyone else and under guard ‘-were not so worthy. Besides, we needed to leak the information deliberately to some Ynissul we knew had to be plants.’
‘How did you know?’
‘Not enough bruising. Not enough trauma. Too calm and too measured. There were five of them that we took to the Ultan. All of them have reported back on our apparent direction.’
‘And you’re sure there are no more?’
Katyett shrugged. ‘We can never be completely sure. We’ve a couple of suspects but they aren’t going anywhere. This place is easy to defend from absconders and we’ve let it slip that anyone who leaves without permission will be in front of Shorth to explain themselves, not me. So, the city?’
‘You know almost as much as me. Merrat and Graf will have told you how many men are on the streets. They’ve set the place up brilliantly, you have to hand it to Sildaan and her ilk. There is no concerted defence. They knew the Al-Arynaar would be torn every which way. They probably thought we’d run with you. I wish we had. How many did we get out? A hundred and three? Pathetic. That means there are three hundred lost in there. Dead, captured or deserted. So many friends.’
‘How long before the city is under Llyron’s control.’
‘They’re moving very fast. The men are brutal and they have a coherent plan. They’re going from ghetto to ghetto, as far as we could make out. We think most elves are being confined in their homes or taken somewhere near the docks to makeshift prisons. I’ve no doubt the city’s prisons will be similarly employed when they’re captured. They’ll be in control by tonight. Tomorrow dawn at most.’
Pelyn took a long draught of the guarana and clove infusion. She understood why Methian enjoyed it so. It smelled wonderful. Each swallow brought her renewed energy.
‘Llyron,’ said Katyett through a sigh. ‘Do you really believe it?’
Pelyn laughed and shook her head. ‘Well I do now. Seriously, it gives you a lot of problems after this is over. The Ynissul are split from top to bottom. Who knows which other priests out there are of the same mind as the high priest of Shorth. Who are you going to appoint to the seat at Aryndeneth?’
Katyett blew out her cheeks. ‘There’s no point wondering about that right now. If they win, we’ll find Hithuur or Sildaan in the chair, I’ve no doubt.’
‘How can we win? There are so few of us. How many TaiGethen and Silent do you think will come?’
‘I don’t know. A hundred if everyone reads the call to muster. We’ll know in about eight days.’
‘Eight days?’ Pelyn’s shakes had gone completely now only to be replaced by a gnawing desperation in her gut. ‘By that time, Llyron will have the city sewn up completely. What chance will there be for a small force with none of this magic to call on and no defence against it? Tual’s tongue, they can even fly.’
‘Eight days will seem a long time to them too. Every night we’ll be mounting raids. We’ll kill men and leave their bodies laid out in their most secure places as warnings. We’ll undermine their moves to subdue the population. We’ll make sure there is no security for anyone in that city.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ said Pelyn. ‘I hope there is the will in the people to follow you, to go back to peace knowing their neighbours would have killed them the day before.’
‘But there is reason to hope. Or I think there is. And it isn’t me we want them to follow. I have to tell you something. It’ll come as another shock. It did me.’
And Pelyn knew. With total certainty she knew, and the shudders came back so strongly she dropped the rough wooden cup onto the ground. A return to the past. To the pain and the confusion. That was why the TaiGethen were staring at her with all that sympathy. Her and Katyett both. Old wounds to be opened. Old memories to be scraped raw. And she had only just finished waking up without the pain of rejection in her heart.
‘It’s Takaar, isn’t it? He’s coming back, isn’t he?’
Chapter 28
Keep your enemy turning. That way, when you come to strike, he will not know from where you have come. ‘Would he have killed you?’ Serrin had returned to his gruff-voiced terse self. Auum found that most comforting. ‘His mind is not strong.’
‘That, my priest, is a major understatement. He moves from lucid teacher to muttering introspection to this new thing of allying with the voice in his head. He hates himself and then there are flashes of the sort of ridiculous pride he never ever fell prey to when he was at his height on Hausolis. What sort of good can he possibly do? And yes, I have no doubt he would have killed me. You should have seen him. He is so fast.’
Serrin frowned. ‘I did see him.’
‘Watching the show, were you?’
Serrin smiled.
‘How long were you tracking us?’
‘From Verendii Tual.’
‘Good. And how is the muster?’
‘Most know. All who know are travelling.’
‘We need to move on,’ said Auum. ‘The boat is up on the beach.’
Serrin looked at Takaar. He was sitting on a rock at the side of the stream. Serrin’s appearance seemed to have knocked him back into introspection. He had been conversing with his tormentor for an hour, only looking at them to unleash another stream of expletives in their direction.
‘Takaar is less dangerous on foot.’
Auum nodded. ‘I know, but we could be horribly slow. I don’t understand this. When I met him, he hated this other voice. Did everything he could to antagonise it.’
‘Ten years is a long time to live with such guilt alone.’
‘We’re giving him the chance to redeem himself.’
‘He may not see it that way.’
Takaar was staring at them. His face was pale. He was chewing at his top lip and frowning as if trying to recall something. He pointed at Auum.
‘Your left guard is fractionally low. It leaves your temple vulnerable. ’
Auum opened his mouth to protest. ‘Thank you,’ he said instead.
Takaar nodded at Serrin. ‘Your stance was in error. Though you may have killed me with the knife, it is possible I could have jabbed back with an elbow and burst a testicle. Your left foot was in too close, your stance was too open. Your neck grip was sound but approach sideways. Don’t give me a target next time.’
