“Done.”
Harik flung me back into my body, which convulsed. It convulsed again when my guts spasmed. I might have fallen, but Halla was holding me up like an awkward sack of turnips. Halla unleashed another juicy roar at me.
I smiled at her and tasted blood. “You can drown me later, darling, once we’re away from this awful place. Set me down, and I’ll lead us out of here.”
Halla set me on my feet with a disgusted frown. “Lead, then.”
Whistler and Leddie had cleared out the doorway. I held my belly with one hand and limped past them toward the sounds of barking. “Don’t stop for anything!”
I reached the building’s main door and found pandemonium in the street. I did not find true violence, however. Thirty or forty soldiers struggled to remain upright and effective, and more came running from within the city.
Also, seventy or so healthy goat-herding dogs bounded about, ears and tails up, convinced that the soldiers were the most vigorous playmates in creation. Chests were jumped upon and the insides of mouths were licked. Crotches were well sniffed. Jaws clamped sleeves with unending grips and plenty of fake snarling. I saw a furry black-and-white mountain bowl down two men and then stand on one of them, licking his face.
The soldiers appeared stunned. I imagined most of them had played with dogs before and wouldn’t see this behavior as threatening. That couldn’t last, though. At some point, a solider would fight, so I hustled around the side of Babardi’s home at a fast stagger. The boy was still holding our horses. I grabbed the last silver coin from my pouch and flipped it to him as we mounted. I followed Leddie northwest at a gallop, with razors in my gut and tears running down my face.
Once we cleared the city, I let the dogs pause their play and follow me. They loped after us, anticipating the fun they’d have frolicking with the horses of any pursuing soldiers.
THIRTY-TWO
I thought I knew every way a man might go from horseback to the ground, on purpose or otherwise. That included flying over the horse’s head, as well as getting smacked off the saddle sideways by an angry woman leaping off a rock. I thought I knew every way, but I did not.
We had slowed to a trot, and Babardi’s men had left off chasing us to go home. Their pursuit had been shattered by seventy ecstatic dogs barking, nipping at their horses’ hooves, and clamping onto the soldiers’ ankles with the intention of dragging the men down to play.
Also, the soldiers may not have been chasing us with much diligence. Babardi had not seemed like a man who inspired loyalty or love.
I must have passed out as we trotted along. I awoke sliding off the saddle to my right. I pushed against the stirrup, but it was slippery from all my blood that had been running down the saddle and beyond, so my foot slipped out. Then I grabbed the pommel with both hands and held myself up, screaming about Harik’s private parts and all their deficiencies.
I pulled my left foot free of the stirrup, hiked the leg, and pulled with it to bring myself up. That leg slipped. I strained, lying along the side of my mount, clinging to the pommel while I tried to run backward up the side of the horse, both feet slipping on the saddle. I finally let go of the damn creature, but too late realized my wrists were tangled in the reins. The horse dragged me for a few strides until I got my feet under me and bounced alongside it.
That annoyed my horse, which decided to rear. The last thing I remembered was dangling by my wrists from my horse’s head like a seed pod ready to blow away.
Sometime later, I opened my eyes.
“He’s awake,” Halla said.
Leddie started applauding, and Whistler joined in.
Halla glanced at my belly. “I hope you can heal yourself. This looks bad.”
“Why are we waiting for him?” Bea said from someplace I couldn’t see.
Fifteen minutes later, I had repaired the damage to my gut. It still hurt as if a weasel were chewing in there, but that was an improvement. Earlier, it had hurt as if a lion were chewing, or six weasels. Or two weasels and an angry wolf. I sighed and admitted I was thinking ridiculous thoughts so I wouldn’t have to ask Bea what she meant by not waiting for me.
I rolled to my feet and glanced around. “I guess you have questions.”
Leddie said, “Questions? I have one. Why do you go around doing stupid things almost sure to get you killed? My gods, I feel like killing you right now, and I’m not the only one.” Leddie pointed at Bea. “She wants to bite your throat out! I had to hold her back. Look, we all have reasons for killing Memweck. Your reason must not be too damn important, since instead of slaying him, you want to kill random people every day and murder the head of a city while we’re right in the big middle of it! The rest of us don’t want to be slaughtered for whatever your inane reason is. We’re better off without you!”
I squinted one eye at her. “What was your question?”
“Smartass. Here it is: Why don’t we just murder you and take your body to Memweck? Maybe he’ll trade.”
I didn’t think they’d try to kill me, but I edged back so I could see them all.
Bea hadn’t stopped glowering at me since I stood up. “No, we shouldn’t kill Bib. We should tie him up and take him with us. That way, Memweck can do whatever he wants with him.”
I put my hand on my sword. Leddie and Whistler stiffened. Halla relaxed, her breath slowed, and her eyes seemed brighter. I said, “If Memweck decides not to be
