The woman’s hair was naturally white, not graying with age, yet Teray knew she was old. He could not have explained how he knew. Her age did not show in any definable way. Either she or her healer had stopped all physical signs of its progress, to leave her looking about thirty-five. Yet Teray had no doubt that the woman had lived more than twice her apparent thirty-five years. Which was unusual for a Housemaster?as this woman seemed by her manner to be. Most Housemasters were killed for their Houses long before they reached this woman’s age.
“There are seventeen of us,” the woman said quietly. “Ten that I don’t think you’ve noticed yet. We’re all linked. Attack one of us, and you attack us all.”
Immediately Teray and Amber became aware of the ten others approaching from the opposite direction, only now corning within range of the quick scan that they dared to make. Teray looked at Amber. Amber shrugged, then relaxed into a posture of apparent submission. What could they do against seventeen linked Patternists?
“What do you want of us?” asked Teray.
“To pay a debt,” said the woman.
Teray frowned. “A debt to whom?”
“Unfortunately for you, young one, to your brother. To Coransee.”
“You mean to hold us for him?”
“Yes.”
Teray relaxed as Amber had, aware of the tension in the link between them. It was not the tension of a thing on the verge of breaking, but of a thing held in check, ready to spring into action.
“No,” said Teray quietly.
The ten approaching Patternists came into view from among the trees. Teray ignored them, and felt Amber turn her attention to them, as he had expected her to. She was fast enough to sense any attack from their direction before it could do damage. Teray spoke again.
“If Coransee catches me, he’ll kill me. So I don’t have anything to lose in defying you.”
“You have the life of your woman to lose. I can see that you and she are linked.”
And Amber spoke up: “I’m not eager to have Coransee catch me either. And I’m my own woman, Lady Darah. Now as before.”
For the first time, the woman took her eyes off Teray. “I was afraid you might be. Hello, Amber.”
Amber lowered her head slightly in greeting. “You’re right, Lady. We are linked. We’re going to stay linked. And you should be able to guess where we’re going to direct all our power the moment you attack us.”
Teray picked it up at once, suppressing his surprise that Amber knew the woman. “You know Coransee is my brother, Lady. That should give you some idea of my strength. Unless you’re willing to sacrifice your own life as well as the lives of several of your people, let us go.”
“I know you’re strong,” she said. “But I don’t believe you could kill me. Not linked as I am with so many. If you think about it, you won’t believe it either.” She signaled the ten riders now waiting a short distance behind Amber and Teray. The ten began to move forward, clearly intending to herd Teray and Amber before them.
But neither Amber nor Teray moved. Through the link, Teray felt Amber’s slight expenditure of strength an instant before he realized what she had done. Then he understood.
Six of the horses approaching them?the six closest? collapsed. Shouting with surprise, some of the riders jumped clear. Some fell. All seventeen Patternists had been expecting an attack on themselves, or at least on Darah. This attack on their horses caught them completely by surprise. Amber finished it quickly, giving them no chance to take advantage of the momentary opening in her shield. Teray was instantly on guard to stop any who tried.
But there was no movement other than that of the fallen riders and their horses picking themselves up from the ground. None of them seemed to be hurt. And as the Patternists remounted, none of them seemed eager to close with Teray and Amber again.
“Lady,” said Amber softly, “you may have forgotten my skill, but I haven’t. I can kill you here and now, no matter who you’re linked with. I can kill you as easily as I’d kill a Clayark. I’m fast enough to do it to at least one person before anyone reaches me.”
The woman held Amber’s gaze steadily. “You’d die for it. My people would kill you.”
“No doubt. But what good would that do you?”
“You’re not under any death sentence from Coransee.”
“No.”
“And … in view of the favor you once did me, I might be willing to let you go. If you go alone.”
“Might you?”
“Do you want to die, Amber?” The woman’s voice had become hard.
“No, Lady.”
“Then go!”
“No … Lady.”
“I don’t believe you’re willing to sacrifice your life for him.”
Amber smiled. “Yes, you do.”
“And,” the woman continued over Amber’s words, speaking to Teray again, “I don’t believe you’re the kind to let someone else do your fighting for you.”
“Do you think I’d be foolish enough to refuse her help against you and sixteen other people?”
“I just wanted to give you a chance to save her life? since you can’t save your own.”
“Lady, you choose any three of your people. Keep linked with them and sever with the others. I’ll take the four of you on alone. That’s the kind of chance I’d like.”
