fingers. Two digits came loose, but then Tarch's second hand caught him by the ankle.
A strange tingling stung Atreus's flesh. His leg grew numb and weak, and his whole body started to quiver. An unreasoning fear welled up inside him, chasing from his mind all he had ever learned about fighting. He dropped his club and clawed at the deck. He could think only of escaping the terror that had him, of freeing himself of this inhuman thing and hurling himself into the icy river and swimming for the shore. Any shore.
Tarch's pointy head peered over the side, his grasp still firm on Atreus's ankle. 'Leatherhead! Now you've driven me berkers,' the slave master swore. 'Gold or no gold, I'll make bloodmeal of you and your-'
A whip cracked, coiling itself around Tarch's throat and cutting short his threat. As the slave master choked out his rage, Atreus looked across the deck and was astonished to find Rishi standing at the other end, feet braced and pulling hard to keep the line taut.
'Good sir, you m-must take up your club and hit him!'
In his mindless panic, Atreus came near to not understanding. He turned away and clawed at the deck, still trying to kick his leg free. He felt shamed by his behavior but could not help himself. This fear was unlike anything he had ever known. It was the overwhelming terror of indestructible evil.
A strangled chortle rose from Tarch's throat, and Atreus realized, dimly, that the devil was laughing at him. The slave master let go of the deck and grabbed the whip. A stream of flame shot up the strand, moving so fast that Rishi barely had time to drop the weapon before a brilliant flash consumed the handle and arced down to touch off a small deck fire.
As all this occurred, Tarch started to sink back into the river, dragging Atreus with him. This was too much. Clutching for anything he could grab, Atreus found only the club, which would do nothing to keep his captor from dragging him down into a watery hell. He grasped the weapon in both hands and twisted around, slamming the shaft into the slave master's skull.
The impact rocked Tarch's head sideways but did not cause him to open his hand. The slave master sank to his neck in the river, continuing to drag his captive with him. Atreus brought the club around again, this time connecting just behind the devil's pointed ear.
Tarch's beady eyes rolled back in their hollow sockets. His hand came free of Atreus's ankle, and he splashed into the river. His legs and torso bobbed up beside him, so that he was floating spread-eagled beside the barge. Atreus used the club to shove the slave master away, then kneeled on the edge of the deck watching him twitch and tremble. When the devil had finally drifted a safe distance off, Atreus rose and turned forward.
Seema and Rishi were busy smothering the deck fire with blankets, while the slaves were craning their necks to see what was happening on the rear deck. Still suffering the strange effects of Tarch's grasp, Atreus pointed at the rowing platform in the center of the boat.
'What's wrong with you?' he screamed. 'Start rowing!'
The slaves only cowered and looked as though they feared he would kill them. Atreus glanced over the side and saw Tarch still drifting back toward the boat, his chest rising and falling with shallow breath.
Atreus turned back to the slaves and screamed again, 'I said row, damn you!'
Seema dropped her blanket over the smoldering fire and came over to him. 'Breathe deeply, Atreus. Compose yourself,' she said, touching his arm. He immediately began to feel more calm. 'Tarch has used his power on you. If you think, you will recall that the slaves are chained. You will know they cannot do what you ask.'
Atreus's terror began to subside. After a moment, he nodded. 'You are right, of course.' Now that his panic was fading, he was beginning to feel embarrassed by his behavior. 'Forgive me. I promised to protect you from Tarch, and now here I am, so terrified that I cannot even think clearly.'
Atreus selected a cloak and a pair of trousers from the dingy pile of clothes still lying on the deck, then turned toward the rowing station. 'I'll start us upstream,' he told her. 'See if you can unchain someone and get him to take my place.'
'Whatever you wish.'
Seema surprised him with a bow, then turned toward the cabin, leaving a shivering and staggering Rishi to put out the remains of the deck fire. Atreus pulled on his new clothes and went forward to the rowing station. All that remained of the day's light was a gray glow in the western sky, and he could barely see the willows stretching away into the vast-ness. Yago was out there somewhere, either lost or dead, and Atreus had no idea how he would find out which.
He started to call out for his friend, then looked downstream and thought better of it. The last two dugouts were just rounding the bend below, about two hundred paces distant
Calling for Yago would only alert them to his presence and place him in more danger. It would be better to trust the ogre to figure things out on his own. He was a capable hunter and would know how to read the signs when he came to the shore where they had battled Naraka.
Atreus grabbed the monstrous oars and swung the boat around, and soon he was working too hard to notice the growing chill. Seema emerged from the cabin with a hammer and cold chisel that she tried to give to one of the larger slaves. At first, the astonished fellow kept looking in Atreus's direction and refused to take the tools, but when Seema pointed at the empty rowing station, he finally seemed to understand and began pounding at his shackles.
By the time the slave freed himself, dusk had fallen completely, leaving the boat illuminated only by the light of the full moon. The man approached Atreus warily and carefully laid the hammer and chisel at his feet, then grabbed the second set of oars and began to row.
Too exhausted to puzzle over the peculiar behavior, Atreus gave the tools to the nearest slave and instructed him to free everyone. This occasioned a great deal of confused murmuring, but eventually Atreus managed to communicate what he wanted and went aft to join Seema and Rishi. He pulled a spare blanket over his shoulders and sank down on the deck beside them.
'What's wrong with them?' he asked. 'They don't seem very eager to escape.'
'They are afraid,' said Seema. She was working by the light of a small oil lamp, poking and prodding at the lance in Rishi's leg. 'They think you will kill them if they try.'
'Me?' Atreus exclaimed. 'We're all in this together!'
Seema looked up. 'What do you mean, together?' 'They do not understand you, Atreus,' Rishi laughed. 'They think you are one thieving devil stealing from another.'
Atreus sighed and looked at Seema. 'Is that what you think?'
'I think being a thief is only a small wickedness,' Seema said, avoiding Atreus's gaze as she continued to examine Rishi's leg. 'There are greater evils in this world.'
'I am no thief,' Atreus declared, 'and I am no devil. When we reach the head of the river, they are free to return to their homes. Tell them.'
Seema looked up. 'Truly?'
It was Rishi who answered, 'Oh yes, truly. The good sir is a silly fool who cares nothing for wealth.' The Mar cast a wistful glance downriver, toward Atreus's sunken gold. 'He will throw it away on the merest pretext.'
'Human beings are not wealth,' Atreus said. He nodded to Seema. 'Tell them. They will row faster knowing they are free men.'
'Oh, I see.' Seema's eyes grew sad, but she rose and spoke rapidly in Maran.
The slaves began to murmur even louder and cast wary glances at the aft deck. Atreus huddled in his blanket and tried not to look quite so much like a blood-smeared devil.
'Rishi, how do I say she is telling the truth?'
'Ekc'kta reeto.'
Atreus repeated the phrase, though he did not come even close to imitating the Mar's strange throat click.
The slaves gasped and looked confused, until someone began jabbering in Maran. The others began to laugh, and suddenly the boat broke into a swirl of frenzied activity, with men rushing forward to serve as pilots while others jumped up to help at the oars.
'What did I say?' Atreus asked.
'That yaks are very honest,' said Rishi, 'but I think they understand what you meant.'
'It would have been simpler to say it in Realmspeak,' Seema added. 'Mountain Mar are not ignorant
