and black, flying across the clearing, then it was gone. They heard it squalling, well to the north, then nothing.
6
Eddis’ legs folded under her. Her skin went chill and damp.M’Baddah dropped down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Everything is fine now, my Eddis,” he murmured. “The beastis gone and so are the orcs-the two who were able to flee.”
Behind them, someone was building up the fire, and she could hear Jerdren calling out sharp orders.
“We’ll search those brutes before we drag the bodies out ofcamp. Any gold or gems they might have on ’em-well, I’d say we’ve earned those,all of us. Eddis?”
“I’m here!” she called back, and for a wonder her voice wassteady.
“Just checking! M’Baddah, we need some of that salve of yoursover here. Got a couple nasty cuts.”
“I will tend the wounded,” Mead said as he came back into thelight. “Orc blades are sometimes poisoned.” He murmured something to Willow, whoset an arrow to his string and stayed by the oak, gazing out northward. The mage hesitated as M’Baddah helped Eddis to her feet.
“Are you all right, Eddis?” he asked. “You look pale.”
“I
Mead smiled briefly and squeezed Eddis’ fingers.
“I had forgotten that about you.” The smile was gone as heglanced back toward the tree. “But there are worse ways to die. That man-henever knew what struck him.”
She merely nodded, and the mage went on to deal with the wounded. Four men down, Eddis thought, and their provisioner was limping.
Get control of yourself, she thought. Jerdren would find it amusing, and she wouldn’t enjoy being the butt of his heavy-handed humor.
Sure enough, there he was when she turned around, grinning across the fire at her.
“Buck up, Eddis,” he said cheerfully. “We held our ownagainst orcs, and the big cat ran off, didn’t it?”
She glared at him.
“It may not have run as far as we would like,” Mead said ashe knelt to pour water over bloody fingers.
“It
“Ah look, Mead. The animal wasn’t sick, was it? Stubborn,maybe, or just simply hungry, but it did finally run!”
Mead shook his head. “It is not sick. It was startled, butonly when fire actually touched it. The one who controls it may send it back against us. If I am right about why I was not aware of it until it killed, why it came into the firelight, and why it did not flee the noise or my light spell…”
He shrugged and fell silent.
Jerdren laughed. “Control? Someone out here in the midst of thisgods-forsaken wilderness controls a mountain lion?” He held up a hand,forestalling comment. “Look, we have plenty to do between now and daybreak. Ifthere’s no immediate threat, tell us about this control later, when we re on themove.”
“I cannot tell, any more than I could sense the cat earlier,”Mead said. “What I felt earlier was the sense of cold, human purpose in thebeast. That is gone now, but I am no longer sure that I will even be able to detect that much, if it should return. The spell is human, I think, but turned. Evil.”
“A black sorcerer?” M’Whan asked.
“Perhaps,” the mage replied. “But I think the man is not somuch evil as mad.”
Jerdren stared at the elf in visible disbelief.
“Uh, mage?” One of the Keep men came forward. “It’s saidthere’s a madman out here in the wilds. Some have it that he was one of the oldLord’s priests, and others that it’s only a tale. No one’s ever seen him, or ifthey did, they didn’t survive it. But I know men who’ve come hunting out here,and they’ve heard wild laughter.”
“You didn’t tell us that!” Jerdren said. He soundedexasperated. “I asked for any information that any of you might have, and hereyou hold out on me…?”
“It’s fable,” one of the spearmen said defensively. “Justanother of those tales that everyone hears but only children believe.”
Mead shook his head. “The cat was real, and so is the spell.”
“Well, never mind,” Jerdren said finally. Another of theirguards brought over two heavy leather purses that clinked when he handed them over. Jerdren poured the contents into his hand and grinned.
“There’s something like-seventeen gold pieces and two redstones in all.” He slid the whole into one bag, tossed the other aside, andsnugged down the ties. “I’ll hold this, but we’ll share equally.”
Eddis stowed her arrows and knelt to roll up her blankets as two of the Keep men went to deal with the body of the man the cat had killed. In the end, there wasn’t much they could do but cover him with fallen oak leavesand take his spear and daggers.
“Look, Jerdren,” Eddis started, “I see no point in stayinghere until daylight. Especially after what Mead’s told us. I say we break campnow and move south again.”
“What if there’s more orcs out there?” he asked.
“We fight them, what else?”
“I agree with Eddis,” Blorys said, one hand coming down hardon his brother’s shoulder. “With a mountain lion prowling around here, you canwager there’s no robbers’ camp. Especially if the cat’s under someone’s control.Don’t look at me like that, Jers. We’ve done what you wanted, which was toeliminate this part of the forest first. No one’s going to get any more sleep,and it’s nearly dawn anyway.”
Jerdren’s lips tightened and his color was high.
“Look, Brother,” Blorys continued. “Eddis is right, and so’sMead. You’re just being stubborn, and this isn’t the time or place for it Youdidn’t know what was going to happen tonight, and no one’s blaming you forpicking this hill for our camp. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s pack up.”
Jerdren turned to Mead. “What chance you’d be aware of thatanimal if it came sneaking up on us?”
The mage shrugged. “I cannot be certain, but the creaturesare territorial. It fled north, so the farther south we go, the less likely it is to follow us.”
“But if it’s under some madman’s control…”
“It is still a territorial animal, and the farther the lionmoves from its master, the weaker the spell becomes, until it loses its power entirely.”
“Oh.” Jerdren scratched his head. “Didn’t think of that.”
“So, we should go now, and with lights,” Mead went on.“Because Willow and I can see well enough to avoid trees and pitfalls, but youcannot. I have a spell that should turn aside any small band of orcs or robbers, if we stay close together.”
Jerdren looked at Eddis inquiringly, his lips still tight. For a moment, she thought he was going to argue again, but he finally shrugged and turned to stuff the orc’s purse in his pack.
“We’ll do it then.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “M’Baddah, you and M’Whan keep watch,and the rest of you pack up. Leave those orcs where they are and break out a couple of lanterns. You men, we’ll need the light. Move it!” She cast a sourglance at Jerdren’s back. Stubborn, difficult man. She should have known he’d belike this. Just now she was sorely tempted to thump him one. She turned away and caught Blorys’ rueful smile. Poor Blor, how did he manage?
M’Baddah had finished sorting his arrows and slung thered-and-black-painted case over his shoulder. Eddis left her bow strung as well, hooking it onto her quiver and freeing up her short sword. Their cook poured sand around the edges of the burning wood, leaving only one thick branch aflame for light. All around, men worked quickly, gathering up their belongings and settling their packs.
