19

Ella’s circ lay beside her, neatly folded. On top of her white dress she wore the travelling wrap local women favored. She wore it in the usual fashion: slung around the shoulders. It could also be lifted to cover the head during rain, or wrapped about the torso for warmth, but Danjin hadn’t seen her try either yet. They’d had only dry summer days since leaving Chon.

Sitting opposite Ella in the platten was Yem, the eldest son of the Dregger clan leader. The young man was as lean and muscular as most warriors were, and he was intelligent and politically astute. Danjin had also noticed that Yem was unusually sympathetic toward servants and for that reason he was a strange choice of guide for them.

Dunwayan warriors expected loyalty from their servants. There was no law preventing a servant leaving a household; he or she could even try to find employment elsewhere, though doing so was difficult since most clans had plenty of servants and few warriors would accept a servant who had already proven disloyal by leaving the service of another.

What the Pentadrians had done by arranging the “escape” of servants could rouse a general rebellion of servants against the warriors. Danjin had expected I-Portak to choose someone less sympathetic to the servants to be Ella’s guide. Someone more like Gim, their last dinner host.

The other occupant of the covered platten was Gillen Shieldarm, the Hanian ambassador. During the long hours that Danjin and Ella had spent waiting in Chon, Gillen had visited at least once a day, keeping them entertained with stories or games of counters. Now, on the road, he did the same using the small set that Silava had packed for Danjin. Sometimes it seemed the only conversation in the platten was between Danjin and Gillen, and about counters.

Danjin suspected Gillen had offered to accompany them because he was bored in Chon. Ella had accepted Gillen’s offer because he had a deeper understanding of Dunwayan customs and recent politics than Danjin. Ella spent most of her time staring into the distance, listening to the minds of the men they were tracking. Yem remained quiet, only speaking when addressed. Danjin was sure Yem’s silence had nothing to do with snobbery, but was either a sign the young man was unsure of himself, intimidated by Ella, or was simply the sort who preferred to listen rather than talk.

Yem and Gillen didn’t know as much as Danjin did about the reason for this journey. During the dinner at Gim’s household, Ella had caught the nervous thoughts of Ton, a servant planning to leave his master’s service. For some time now the man had been meeting a Sennonian spice seller. The seller had told him that Dunwayan servants were little more than slaves, and spoke of a place where all people were equal and all work was shared. A place in the south of Dunway.

A visit to the market confirmed Ella’s suspicions. One of the spice sellers was a Sennonian Pentadrian with orders to send potential Dunwayan converts out of Chon. He did not know where he was sending them, unfortunately, but through him Ella found the mind of the escaping servant, Ton.

As she’d hoped, Ton had just begun the journey to the haven for servants. From that day he passed in and out of the care of various men and women—none of whom knew where this haven was or more than one other guide. It was a carefully planned system designed to make tracing the Pentadrians difficult.

Difficult, but not impossible, Ella had said. All she had to do was follow the servant. Though he did not know where he was most of the time, she was able to learn his location from the people around him.

Looking out of the open door flap, Danjin found himself looking into the tops of tall trees. The road had been hewn out of the steep sides of the mountains south of Chon. If he looked down, which he preferred not to do, he would see the edge of the road and a slope that was too close to vertical for comfort.

Ella made a small, frustrated sound, drawing his attention away. She was shaking her head.

“What is it?” he asked.

“They’ve sent him on alone. He has no idea where he’s going.” She frowned and looked at Yem. “Let’s consult the map.”

The young man drew out a wooden cylinder and unstoppered it. From it he took a roll of thin leather covered in tattooed pictures and lines. He had told them it was human skin. The warrior who had created it had travelled around Dunway for years, carefully etching his map into the back of his most devoted servant. Since hearing the tale, Danjin had done all he could to avoid touching the map.

Small blurred pictures of fortresses were spread evenly across the country. The roads were inaccurately straight, showing none of the winding turns the platten had taken. Lines in a faded red showed the boundaries of land owned by different clans.

“He’s here,” Ella said, pointing to a group of symbols that indicated the houses of land servants. “His instructions are to walk along this road until he sees a big rock shaped like an arem, then take the next left turn. Then he’s to look for a large tree and cut across fields.”

Danjin suddenly understood her frustration. These instructions couldn’t be followed on a map. The man had no idea where he was, or where he was going, and had no companions or guides who did.

These Pentadrians are clever, Danjin thought. But they won’t evade us. It’s just a matter of time.

“Eventually he will see a landmark I know,” Yem assured her.

“And by then we will have fallen behind,” Ella said, clearly not happy.

“We could travel to the place he just left,” Gillen suggested. “Then follow the instructions.” Their platten was taking a parallel route to the servant’s along roads to his east, in case the Pentadrians and helpers on the route saw them and suspected pursuit.

“No,” she said. “It is better we wait than take the risk they will discover us.”

Yem rolled up the map and slid it back in its case. As Ella’s gaze shifted to the distance again, Gillen raised his eyebrows at Danjin. Smiling, Danjin brought out his counters set. It was a finely crafted set for travellers. Each piece had a peg at the base which slotted into holes in the board—but the drawer in which the pieces were stored had warped and would no longer open fully.

“Care for a game?”

Gillen nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The town of the bird breeders was nestled high in a steep-sided valley and was surrounded by caves. It was called Klaff. Auraya had read the name from the mind of an inhabitant, but she couldn’t tell the Siyee without risking the gods guessing how she had learned it.

It was getting close to the hottest part of the day and the Siyee scouts that had watched the town yesterday had noticed that the inhabitants were quietest at this time. Locals were inclined to retreat inside their houses or nap in a shady place. The birds were safely caged. Hours had passed since their morning flight and more would pass before their late afternoon one.

Mischief was huddled in the shade of a boulder, panting. Auraya’s pack was not a pleasant place to be in the heat of the day. She poured water into a small depression in a rock and he lapped it up thirstily.

The Siyee were waiting just over the ridge on one side of the valley. A few were keeping watch on the town while Sreil addressed the others.

“The birds are kept inside caves,” Sreil told them, “with only iron bars holding them there, so we can shoot them with arrows and darts without even going inside or letting them out. There’s an empty space in front, surrounded by buildings, where we’ll land. There weren’t any guards there yesterday, but they may have been inside. If we are quiet we may get out of there without anyone noticing, though I doubt the birds will stay silent.

“I want six warriors to land in a half-circle and ready their bows. They will deal with any landwalkers that emerge.” He paused, looking expectantly around until six hands rose. “The rest of us will land between them and the wall. We’ll go to the cages and kill all of the birds. If there are eggs, smash them too.”

Auraya had suggested she provide some sort of distraction for the townsfolk, but Sreil had decided against it. He wanted to take advantage of the inhabitants’ sleepiness; any distraction she arranged would make them more alert.

Sreil straightened and looked around at his force of Siyee warriors. “We must work fast. Don’t stay any longer than you must. We are not landwalker fighters. If we meet any resistance we must leave. We’ll meet back here.”

The Siyee whistled an acknowledgment. Auraya bade them good hunting, bringing a few grins to otherwise grim faces. Then Sreil flexed his arms, sprang into a run down the steep slope and leapt into the air, and the rest of the Siyee went surging after him.

Auraya watched them swoop away and then wheel toward the town. She climbed to the top of the ridge, finding a boulder to crouch next to that would prevent her silhouette being visible against the sky. Her heart was beating quickly and as the Siyee began their descent she felt her stomach clench with anxiety.

Looking around the town, she searched for anyone who might have noticed their approach. The streets were empty.

Heat radiated from the boulder. She hoped the citizens of Klaff were soundly asleep.

The Siyee were a swarm of distant figures just above the town now. They abruptly dived downward into a courtyard. Buildings surrounded three sides and on the other was a rock wall dotted with dark holes, just as Sreil had described. Auraya held her breath as they landed, but no figures rushed out to attack them.

…must still be asleep, she heard Sreil think smugly. She felt his pride in his warriors as they took their places as he’d ordered. Then from all the Siyee came a jolt of surprise and fear.

From her vantage point, Auraya saw something dark spray out of one of the holes to cover the Siyee. She leapt to her feet as she sensed the Siyee’s surprise and confusion. Their thoughts were an incoherent jumble of terror and dismay. She could not work out what was happening.

Looking down, she realized the ground was far below her. She had lifted herself into the sky without intending to. Now she deliberately flew out over the town until she was above the courtyard. Understanding finally came as she made out Siyee struggling to free themselves from under a heavy net.

A net?

Cold rushed through her as she realized the Pentadrians must have known the Siyee were coming.

How? Did someone betray us? Who?

Some of the Siyee were thrashing about out of sheer panic but others had brought out knives and were sawing at the thick cords. Auraya felt her stomach sink as she saw men and women in black robes hurrying out of the buildings to stand on the edges of the net, preventing Siyee escaping. A couple of Siyee scrambled clear. The escapees darted toward the cages, leapt up onto the rock wall and used their momentum to help them scramble higher. Springing out into the air and flapping hard, they managed to pass over the tops of the buildings and swoop away across the town.

At the same time, other Siyee had given up the struggle and Auraya felt a surge of pride as they used their pipes and harnesses to shoot poisoned darts at the landwalkers. A few of the Servants slowly collapsed onto the net, but their weight only served to hold the Siyee more firmly. The rest were unaffected.

They’re shielding themselves with magic, Auraya realized, her heart sinking. The Siyee can’t hope to fight off Servants.

:Auraya!

Her heart skipped as she recognized Juran.

:Yes?

:What is going on? I can’t make any sense out of what Teel is showing me.

:The Siyee attack failed. The Pentadrians knew they were coming, and have captured them.

Auraya felt a pang of hope from someone below and realized that one Siyee, held down by the net, was staring up at her.

Help me, he thought at her.

She felt guilt, frustration and then anger. I can’t, she thought at the trapped Siyee. She clenched her fists. The gods had forbidden her to fight. There was no way she could help the Siyee without fighting.

:What do you want me to do? she asked Juran.

:The Pentadrians aren’t killing the Siyee?

:No.

He fell silent—probably deliberating. At his question an idea had come to Auraya. If the Pentadrians had known about the attack and intended to kill the Siyee, they wouldn’t have used the net. They intended to capture them.

And a captive could always be freed. Perhaps I won’t have to fight the Pentadrians in order to free the Siyee.

Looking into the minds of the Pentadrians, she saw both triumph and surprise. Yesterday she had seen nothing in the thoughts of the townsfolk to suggest they were expecting an attack or planning an ambush. Now she saw that they had been ignorant of the ambush until moments ago, when they had been called here for a meeting only to witness First Voice Nekaun net the flying people.

First Voice Nekaun? Auraya felt her heart sink even further as she saw that one of the Pentadrians was looking up at her. She searched for his thoughts and sensed nothing.

Memories rose of Kuar, the former First Voice, holding her imprisoned with magic. She pushed them aside. Kuar is dead, she reminded herself. Still, this new First Voice may be as powerful as he was.

He could probably blast her out of the sky if he wanted to.

She drew back hastily, but he made no move to stop her.

:Juran.

:Yes?

:The enemy leader is here. I have to leave. But I will stay close. I’ll take any opportunity to free the Siyee, without fighting.

:Yes. Do that. I will discuss the situation with the others and let you know what we decide.

As she moved further and further away from the scene she felt the despair of the Siyee. They were running out of darts and the enemy were now tackling them one by one, extracting weapons and binding wrists together. Auraya reached the ridge she had begun watching from and set herself down.

She felt awful, as if she had abandoned them. But I can’t do anything yet. I have to think of a way to free them.

“Owaya?”

A relieved and frightened Mischief bounded up to her. He climbed onto her shoulders and sat quietly, trembling slightly. As she scratched his head she realized her hands were shaking.

“They’re alive,” she told him. “At least they’re alive.”

The sound of air on wings drew her attention away. The two Siyee who had escaped landed beside her. Their expressions were terrible.

“Are they dead?” one asked.

She shook her head and their relief washed over her.

“Prisoners, then?” the other asked.

“Yes.”

“What will you do now?”

Auraya sighed. “Whatever I can do without disobeying the gods. They said I must not fight. They did not say I couldn’t sneak up to a prison and set anyone free.”

They fell silent, staring down at the village. The magic around her roiled and she almost hissed out loud as two strong presences suddenly shot out of the town and into the two Siyee beside her. Her skin crawled as she recognized Huan, then she relaxed a little as she realized the other was Chaia.

:So what will your pet sorceress do next? Huan asked.

:Make a choice, Chaia replied. That is what you mean to accomplish, isn’t it?

:From this? No, this was merely retribution for the murders in Jarime and the attempts to convert Circlians, Huan said.

:For the murders of Dreamweavers? I didn’t think you liked them that much.

:I don’t dislike them as much as you do, she retorted. Besides, the White have decided to encourage tolerance of Dreamweavers for now. It makes sense to avenge Dreamweaver deaths.

:Yet you arranged for the Siyee to fail. How does that avenge anyone?

:It doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Pentadrians know the White are upset with them.

:You’re taking unnecessary risks, Huan. Juran considered this attack a gamble. He’s not surprised it failed. Now he’ll wonder why you ordered it. He will doubt the wisdom of following your orders.

:A small test of his loyalty.

:Was it really? And why didn’t you consult the rest of us before you arranged it?

:I consulted. I didn’t need to consult you since all the others agreed.

:Lore would not have agreed to this.

:He did. You forget his fondness for war games.

:So why did you have the Siyee captured, not killed? That would stir the world into war more effectively.

:It is more interesting this way.

:Interesting? You’re not interested in war, Chaia said. You’re only interested in getting rid of Auraya. If this ambush of yours leads to Auraya turning from us, you will regret it.

:Is that a threat? Huan laughed. You can harm me no more than I can harm you.

With that she moved away, speeding toward the town. Auraya sighed with relief.

:That’s where she’s wrong, Chaia said to himself. He chuckled. Did you hear all that, Auraya? I hope so.

And then he too was gone, leaving her blinking in surprise. He knew she could hear the gods talking. Had he encouraged Huan to discuss the ambush with him?

Perhaps only to show me he wasn’t responsible…and that Huan was.

She felt her stomach turn over as she realized what that meant. Huan had betrayed the Siyee. She had not just arranged this mission as a test of Auraya’s loyalty, but she had ensured the failure of it as well.

Then she remembered Chaia’s warning. Huan would seek to hurt her by hurting those she loved. It seemed that Huan was willing to harm the people she had created.

She felt a hand on her arm.

“How can we help?”

Auraya turned to blink at the Siyee in surprise, then dragged her mind back to the dilemma she faced. At once she realized that if Huan wanted to harm the Siyee in order to hurt her, then it was better to get them as far away from here as possible.

“Go back to our last camp,” she told them. “I will meet you shortly. I’m going to get some food and water for you. You should leave some at the camp, and in the places we stopped on our way here, for any of the others that manage to escape.”

“You want us to go home?” one of the Siyee asked doubtfully.

“Yes.” She met the Siyee’s eyes. “This was a trap. They were expecting you. I will do what I can to free the others. You must ensure they survive the journey home.”

The two Siyee nodded. They knew she was right, but they were reluctant to leave their companions behind.

“Go,” Auraya told them. “Get yourselves home, at least. Speaker Sirri and your fellow warriors’ families should know what happened here.”

At that they bowed their heads in agreement. She watched them fly away, then turned her attention back to Klaff. There were quite a few public wells, and she had noted a small market on the edge of town. Even if Nekaun had been reading the Siyee’s minds as she had told them her intentions, she doubted he would get to the market in time to catch her.

Lifting Mischief off her shoulders, she put him on the ground.

“Stay,” she ordered.

His head drooped, but he obediently walked to a patch of shade and curled up to wait.

Satisfied, she stepped out into the air and propelled herself back to the town.