"I"m ready to go if you are," Deirdre announced, scrambling to her feet.
Baris smiled at her. "Good. But let me carry the packs." He took them from her, slung them both over his shoulders and they set off, although Baris had no clear idea which way to go. He tried to seek the scent of iron, sure that it would still be strong on Anika, and was puzzled when he could sense nothing. He hadn"t taken enough of her blood the previous morning to dampen the iron scent, yet there was absolutely no evidence of it on the morning air.
They walked slowly, calling out Anika"s name frequently, listening for any sounds, however feeble, that she might make. There were plenty of animal noises, but no answering call from Anika. Nor could Baris find any traces that she had even pa.s.sed this direction. Finally, just past noon, he stopped.
"I don"t know," he murmured. "Maybe we should have gone the other direction." He looked down at Deirdre. "Can you do anything? Scry for her? Use any of your magic to at least give us a direction?"
The woman frowned. "I don"t think so. I told you, I"m not that gifted."
"But you saw Vail and Baul," Baris pointed out. "Why can"t you do it again?"
"That was by a large source of water, Baris. I don"t have that here."
Baris studied her a moment. "Then we need to find water. There has to be a stream somewhere nearby." He closed his eyes, trying to remember if he had seen anything in his earlier search. But it had been dark and he couldn"t recall seeing anything like a lake or a river. Not close by, anyway. With a sigh, he opened his eyes. "Well, we"ll just keep on a downhill walk. I guess that"s the best we can do for now."
Deirdre didn"t argue but followed along silently. They stopped only briefly for a quick lunch before once more setting off. The pair walked at a rapid pace for the remainder of the day. Baris was too lost in his own despair to remember that he far outdistanced Deirdre in both stamina and length of stride. The daylight went quickly, and Baris chastised himself for wasting a good portion of it in his morning nap. Finally, Deirdre tugged at his sleeve, forcing him to stop.
He turned to her in question, then caught his breath. Her face was flushed, her breathing fast. A fine sheen of sweat stood on her brow and she wiped at her face with a kerchief. She lifted her heavy braid off her neck and fanned her skin.
"I"m so sorry," Baris said. "You need to rest."
She nodded, sinking down on a fallen tree. "Just for a bit. I promise. I"m exhausted. You must be as well."
"No, not yet. But I have pushed you long enough." He pulled the packs from his shoulders and handed them to her. "If you will kindle a fire, I"ll see what I can do about dinner."
"I have food," she said. "You don"t need to hunt."
Baris watched as she took out several wrapped bundles. He glanced at the skies. They were clear, no clouds marring their expanse. Already the air was cool. It was destined to get colder. And Anika had nothing...no pack, no blankets, no wrap. Just her thin cloak to stand between her and the night"s approaching chill. Baris couldn"t stand the thought of her being out in the dark, alone, cold and scared.
"Baris." Deirdre"s voice was soft, empathetic.
He looked down at her.
"Baris, there"s nothing more you can do tonight," she said. "We"ll have to wait until it gets light."
He shook his head. "No. After we get a fire going and have something to eat, I"m going to shift. I can keep looking, even in total darkness. I have to find her. She has no protection against the cold."
"I understand." Deirdre began to gather kindling for the fire.
Baris hurried to help her and not much later they had a respectable campfire going. They ate in silence, a meager meal of hard bread, bacon and cheese. Deirdre had brought several small bottles of wine, much to Baris" amus.e.m.e.nt, and he sipped on the drink, welcoming the warmth it brought to his gut. Finally, he stood up, though his head swirled with the movement. He shook off the dizziness, grimacing. He should have known better than to drink alcohol and then attempt magic. Still, he felt he had no choice in the latter. It was the former he should have avoided.
"Do you have to go?" Deirdre drew a blanket tight about her shoulders as her gaze traveled over the surrounding woods. "I--I"m a little frightened. I"ve never been out in the forest at night--alone."
"And what of Anika?" he countered. "She doesn"t even have the comfort of a fire." He smiled at her to soften the words. "I won"t be gone long. I"m very tired. I don"t know how long I can even maintain my shift." He reached out, touched her cheek gently.
She clasped his hand in hers, pressing it against her face. "Hurry back then. And good luck. I hope you find her soon."
He was slow pulling away, confused at the warm emotions of tenderness that raced through him. He quickly shifted again to an owl and took flight. Still, as he flew, his thoughts continually returned to Deirdre. He felt uneasy leaving her alone. He was torn between the need to continue to search for Anika and a desire to return to protect Deirdre. At last, it was no longer his choice.
Dizziness claimed him and he spiraled toward the ground. He had barely enough time to land before he shifted back to Vector form. At that the landing was clumsy and ill-timed. He hit the ground hard, sending shock waves of dull pain through his fatigued body. For a moment, he could do little more than sit and rest, allowing his head to clear, his body to stop shaking. Finally, he rose and slowly made his way back to camp.
Deirdre was sitting close to the fire, her legs pulled up, her blanket wrapped about her like a coc.o.o.n. She started at his sudden appearance from the darkness. "You scared me!" she gasped, then frowned. "Are you all right? What happened? Did you see her anywhere?"
"No." He sank down beside the fire, staring forlornly into the flames.
Deirdre hesitated a moment, then moved behind him and began to ma.s.sage his shoulders. At first, he stiffened in surprise, but soon found himself relaxing into her experienced hands. She worked the taut muscles in his neck, moving her hands in small circles, working her way out to his shoulders, then back. Baris" eyes drooped and he let out a sigh, his thoughts on Anika. Where could she be? Why had she run? Why was she hiding? Or was she hurt, unable to answer?
"While you were gone," Deirdre said softly, "I was thinking what I might do if I was Anika."
"And?"
"I would go to the nearest village, try to find another Vector who could get me inside the Lair. Then I would go in, get Thale and disappear."
The idea startled Baris. "She wouldn"t do that," he protested.
"Why not? You said yourself that she wanted you to leave. And she didn"t want you to take Thale. So, why wouldn"t she decide to leave you instead and take her child with her?"
Baris drew a quick breath. "But she doesn"t even know he"s there."
"She"s not stupid, Baris. She"ll figure it out. I mean, where else would you have taken him?"
Baris shook his head, trying to deny the disturbing thoughts her words created. The more he tried, the louder they screamed. He glanced at Deirdre.
"Then tomorrow we, too, will go to the nearest village," he said. "I do not intend to lose my son, Deirdre, not even to Anika."
CHAPTER 4.
Baris woke early, just as the sun was cresting the horizon. Deirdre was already awake. She smiled at him.
"Good morning. I"ve made some tea," she said.
"Tea?"
"I brought a small pot, remember? It"s not going to taste the best, but it"ll be welcome. It"s rather chilly this morning." She poured some of the amber liquid into a cup and handed it to him.
He wrapped his hands about the mug, savoring the warmth. His gaze went to the campfire and he sighed. He wondered how Anika had fared through the cold night. He wondered if Thale was better. He wondered what the day would hold. Would he find his wife? Would he find out what plagued her? Would Thale recover? Too many questions. He shook them aside and sipped at his tea, letting it warm him inside.
He thought again about Deirdre"s words of the previous night. He couldn"t imagine Anika seeking out another Vector. She knew the dangers. She knew that being both a witch and a bleeder made her highly sought-after by Vectors. Away from the village, from him, another Vector might choose to lay claim to her. Just the chance of that happening sent daggers of jealousy and alarm through Baris. He couldn"t stand the thought of another Vector manipulating her, forcing her to use her magic to supplement his. But more than that, he couldn"t stand the thought of another man touching her.
"Baris?"
He started, realizing that Deirdre had been trying to get his attention. She held out a chunk of bread. He shook his head.
"I"m not hungry." He took another sip of his tea. Truthfully, he wasn"t thirsty either. But he didn"t want to hurt Deirdre"s feelings. She had prepared the tea for him. He felt almost duty bound to drink it.
She watched him for a moment. "While you were sleeping, I tried to scry for Anika."
"You did? How?"
"I used some water in a cup. But I wasn"t able to conjure an image. I"m sorry."
Baris managed a small smile, touched by her attempt to help. She fidgeted, as if she had more to tell. He waited.
"I didn"t get an image," she finally went on. "But I did get a general idea, a sense of a village. I think there"s one almost due north of here. Just over these hills. If I could sense it, I"m sure Anika could. She"s far more talented."
Hope soared through Baris. He drained his teacup, ignoring the burn of the hot liquid in his throat. "I"ll investigate it." He started to stand, intending to shapeshift into a bird.
Deirdre gripped his arm. "No! Don"t leave me again. Can"t we walk together? I"ll keep up, I promise."
Baris hesitated only briefly, then nodded. "Yes, we can walk together." He paused, regarding her carefully, noticing her pallor. "Are you feeling ill?"
She shook her head, then grimaced. "No, not really. But, I think that--well, maybe tonight, I..." She broke off, flushing.
Baris brushed her hair from her face, understanding what she was trying to say. She needed to be bled. She had used magic, and even though Baris couldn"t really sense the iron on her, he didn"t doubt her own self-a.n.a.lysis.
"Tonight then, Deirdre," he said softly. "I don"t want you to get ill as well. And you are ill because of me."
She flashed him a smile of grat.i.tude then swiftly broke camp. They were on the trail within the quarter-hour. Deirdre linked her arm through his in an effort to keep stride with him. Baris slowed his pace, guilt over the previous day fresh in his mind. Still, two hours later, Deirdre was panting.
"Shall we stop?" he asked.
"No, that"s all right. I promised I would keep up."
He smiled. "And fall over in a faint trying to. Let"s try something different." He stepped back away from her, used his Vector magic and shapeshifted into a stallion.
Deirdre gasped, her eyes brightening. "Oh, my," was all she could manage.
Baris tossed his head and huffed out a small breath, encouraging her to climb onto his back. He was a little surprised at how the shift had affected him. Usually it went easily, but this time he felt drained, as if he had already used a great deal of his magic.
Deirdre took up the pack and climbed onto his back. She twisted one hand into his mane. With the other, she stroked his neck. The touch sent pleasant shivers through him. He snorted softly and started out at a smooth walk. He didn"t have the energy for much else.
It was nearing dusk when his keen hearing picked up the sound of running water. He turned toward it at once, not only to slake his thirst but hoping that Deirdre could use it for her magic. They found a wide, rushing river not long after. Deirdre slid from Baris" back and hurried to the bank while Baris shifted back to Vector form. He swayed dizzily and grabbed at a nearby tree to support himself. For a moment, darkness hovered before his eyes. Worry began to gnaw at his gut. For the first time, he began to wonder if what Anika had was contagious. Was he now starting to show symptoms of some human ailment? And more importantly, would Thale become ill as well? Should Baris return to the Lair to check on the boy? Or would such a visit only serve to infect Thale if he wasn"t already sick? And what of the other Vectors? It was rare for a Vector to become ill. If he was experiencing a human illness, it meant there might be no protection from it. He could well destroy the entire Lair. No, better to wait it out, see what happened to him first. When the dizziness pa.s.sed, he sought out Deirdre.
She was on her knees, leaning over the water, staring intently into its swirling depths. Baris" heart did an unexpected twist. Her eagerness to help warmed him. No wonder Holt was so enamored with her. With a sigh, Baris knelt behind her, peering over her shoulder into the water.
He was surprised to see a faint image floating on the river"s surface. "That"s Vail!" he gasped. "Isn"t it?"
Deirdre nodded, though she said nothing.
"Can you talk to him? Can you find out where he is?"
"I"m trying," she murmured.
Baris fell silent, not wanting to break her concentration. Only when the image faded did he speak again. "Well? Did you find out where he is?"
Deirdre sat back, a weary sigh escaping her. "I think so. If I understood him right, he"s in a village by the name of Erster. Have you ever heard of it?"
Baris frowned. "No, I don"t think so. Did it seem far away from here? Farther than Nowles?"
"I can"t judge distance through a vision," Deirdre told him.
"The village that you sensed earlier, are we close? Do you know the name of it?"
She shook her head. "I"m sorry."
Baris took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. "You keep saying that. You have nothing to be sorry for, Deirdre. I appreciate your help." He stroked her hair gently, as he might a child in his care who sought rea.s.surance. "And your companionship." He glanced through the forest canopy at the darkening skies. "We can probably walk another few hours, if you"re up to it."
She nodded and rose. "I would like to find this village. Sleeping on the ground isn"t my favorite pastime."
Baris chuckled. "Oh, so, you wish to see the world, but in style?"
Deirdre giggled. "All right. I"m no woods-woman, I admit it. I do like my comfort."
"So do I," Baris admitted, straightening. "I"ll bet if we follow the river, it"ll take us right into town."
"Sounds reasonable," she agreed. "But you won"t shift again?"
He shook his head, not comfortable with explaining his sudden weakness. "I"ll just walk for a bit. I thought you might like conversation, something I can"t do in animal shape."
She smiled at him. "Yes, that would be nice. Although, you make a fine stallion."
He flushed at the gentle teasing, took up the pack and once more led the way. And although he had intended on conversation during the walk, he found himself too exhausted to do so. Still, Deirdre didn"t seem to mind, and they traveled in an easy silence, reaching the village long after dark. Baris took a moment to shape-shift, this time to an older man that might be taken for Deirdre"s father at a quick glance. Together, he and she wearily climbed the stairs of the only inn. Baris went to the counter while Deirdre sank down on a bench near the fire.
The innkeeper approached with a broad smile on his jowled face. "What can I do you for?"
"A room, please," Baris said, then added, "one for each of us."
The man glanced over at Deirdre, and a frown crinkled his face. "Two rooms?" he murmured. The innkeeper paused, his gaze still on Deirdre. "I--only have one room left," he mumbled. "The others are all full." He gave a slight shiver as if a chill had caught at him, then brought his gaze back to Baris. "I can send up a cot if you like, but that"s the best I can do for tonight. Perhaps by tomorrow night, some of the other guests will have left and I can move you into a separate room."
Baris grimaced, but not because he was unwilling to share a room. He trusted himself, his morals, his bond to Anika. Still, he certainly didn"t want to give Anika any support for her ideas about his "relationship" with Deirdre. On the other hand, sleeping in the barn just didn"t sound like a pleasant way to end an exhausting day. He nodded. "Very well. A cot will suffice. Thank you."
"Pay on your way out, then." The innkeeper slid a key to Baris. "You look like a trustworthy fellow." He turned and disappeared into the back.
Baris glanced at the room number engraved on the key and beckoned Deirdre to follow. "He only had one room. I hope you don"t mind. I did ask him to send up a cot. You may have the bed."
She smiled. "I don"t mind sharing. I"m glad you didn"t think you had to sleep in the barn."
Baris started, then chuckled. "Those were my thoughts exactly." He led the way up the wide, wooden staircase and down a narrow hallway to the room.
It was cold and dark inside, and Baris quickly put a flame to a lantern from the wall sconces in the hallway. It took a bit more work to get a respectable fire going, but at last he succeeded. He stood warming his hands before the flame.
Deirdre collapsed onto the wide bed with a sign of relief. "It feels good to have a real bed again," she sighed.