Teray.
Coransee smiled. “She’s less likely to do anything foolish if you send her to me.”
“You’re the one who’s doing something foolish. You’re pushing her even though you know that if she attacks you out here, miles from anywhere, you might kill her, but not before she’s mortally injured you.”
“I’m pushing her all right. I’m pushing you, too, brother.”
Teray glared at him, hearing the challenge, ignoring it.
“You stood beside her today and tried to talk her into attacking me. You offered to help her. Do you expect me to thank you for that? If you were anyone else, you’d already be dead. Now go and convince the woman to come to me quietly?unless you want to find out just how badly I can hurt her without being hurt myself.”
Teray completely surprised both liimself and Coransee. He smashed his fist hard into the Housemaster’s face.
Caught off guard, Coransee stumbled and fell to the ground.
Teray turned and, without hurrying, walked back to the group. He was tensed and ready to defend himself if Coransee attacked, but surprisingly the Housemaster let him go.
Amber was not beside the fire. He looked around and saw her preparing their pallet a short distance away from the others against the ledge. He went over to her and she turned to look at him apprehensively.
“I couldn’t help feeling some of that through the link,” she said. “From the emotions on both sides, I thought you two were going to have it out now.”
“He wants you,” said Teray tonelessly.
She was on her knees on the blankets, looking
up at him. Now, after a moment of surprise, she rose and walked a few steps away and stood with her back to him. The contained fury he sensed in her alarmed him. He went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She turned and was in his arms.
“I’d like to break his legs and leave him here alive for the Clayarks,” she muttered. “I’m sorry, Teray.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Sorry to be of use to him against you.” Her voice grew bitter. “He doesn’t give a damn about me now except to break me. He’s doing this to humiliate you.”
“I know.”
“And that’s not all he’s doing. I finally realize how he was lying to you. I should have seen it from the first.”
“Yes?”
“He’s not taking you to Forsyth to be judged by Rayal. He’s already judged you himself. He’s taking you to Forsyth to kill you. He’s as wary of you as he is of me, and he wants someone around to heal any damage you might do to him. Meanwhile, he’ll make do with just humiliating you.”
“You interpret the little you got from his mind to mean all that?”
“Yes. And it fell right into place. I know him, Teray. I know how he lies. You should, too, by
now.”
“But he could have killed me back at Redhill.”
“Why should he have? You were still being a good, respectful outsider. Still doing as you were told. There was always the chance that you might come to your senses and submit. But then you had to go and run away?to Forsyth, yet, and with me.” She took a deep breath, slowed down. “Well, think about it. I admit it’s guesswork, but I couldn’t be more positive that I’m right. If you decide you agree with me, you’d better start thinking about what you’re going to do.”
She bent to pick up a blanket. He caught her arm. They straightened, facing each other.
“You haven’t said it all,” he told her. “There’s enough anxiety coming through the link to tell me you’ve left out something important.”
Without speaking, she severed the link.
Solitude came to him jarringly. “Why did you do that? What’s the matter with you?”
“You want me to stay linked to you while I’m with him?”
Understanding, Teray grimaced. For the second time that day, their extreme closeness made the link a handicap. “All right,” he said. “You had reason to break the link. But you didn’t break it soon enough. I know something else is bothering you.”
“It’s personal,” she said. “My business.”
From anyone else, that would have been enough to stop him. But he knew her better than he had ever known anyone else. He did not believe she really wanted him to stop.
“Tell me,” he said quietly. He was still holding her arm and she wrenched away from him.
“You’re as big a fool as I am,” she said. “Looking for more trouble when you’ve already got plenty.”
“What have you done that you consider foolish?”
She gave a short, mirthless laugh. “It’s only my timing that’s foolish, Teray. I decided that I wanted a child by you. And since I didn’t know how long we’d be together, I didn’t want to wait.”
For a moment Teray’s surprise left him without words. Finally, “You mean you’re pregnant now?”
“Oh yes. And believe me, I wouldn’t have told you if Coransee hadn’t already found out. He realized it when he made me open.”
“But you’ve opened to me and I haven’t seen
