She looked at him, frowning. She looked at him, frowning. "Lay down," he told her. "Rest. No sense in making yourself more tired." "Lay down," he told her. "Rest. No sense in making yourself more tired." "What about you?" "What about you?" He shrugged. "I"ll be fine." His hand pushed gently on her shoulder. "Rest. We"ll go as soon as the storm breaks." He shrugged. "I"ll be fine." His hand pushed gently on her shoulder. "Rest. We"ll go as soon as the storm breaks."
Amara stopped struggling against the warmth easing into her with a sigh of relief and let his hand push her down. His fingers tightened slightly, and she felt the strength of them through her skin. She shivered, feeling at once a sense of rea.s.surance and a sudden spasm of raw, physical need that curled in her belly and lingered there, making her heart speed up again, her breathing quicken.
She looked up and saw in his face that he"d seen her reaction. She felt her cheeks color again, but she didn"t look away.
"You"re shivering," he said, quiet. His hand didn"t move.
She swallowed and said, "I"m cold." She became acutely aware of her bare legs, brazenly on display, and curled them up toward the shirt (his shirt) that he had draped over her.
He moved then, his hand sliding from her shoulder. He stretched out on his side, his chest against her shoulders, so that she lay between him and the fire. "Lay back against me," he said, quiet. "Just until you get warm."
She shivered again and did, feeling the strength of him, the warmth of him. She had an urge to roll onto her other side, to press her face into the hollow of his shoulder and throat, to feel his skin against hers, to share that closeness, that warmth, and the thought of it made her shiver again. She licked her lips.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Are you all right?" he asked. "I"m..." She swallowed. "Still cold." "I"m..." She swallowed. "Still cold." He moved. His arm lifted, then draped across her, careful, strong, drawing her back a bit more firmly against him. "Better?" He moved. His arm lifted, then draped across her, careful, strong, drawing her back a bit more firmly against him. "Better?"
"Better," she whispered. She turned, hips and shoulders, so that she could see his face. Her mouth lay a breath from his. "Thank you. For saving me."
Whatever he"d been about to say died on his lips, and his eyes focused on hers, then on her mouth. After a moment of aching silence, he said, "You should go to sleep."
She swallowed, her eyes on his, and shook her head. She leaned toward him then, and her mouth touched on his, his lips just a little rough, soft, warm. She could smell him, his scent like leather and fresh wind, and she felt herself arch into the kiss, slow and sweet. He kissed her back, gently, but she could feel the faint traces of heat in it, feel the way his mouth pushed hungrily at hers, and it made her heart race even more swiftly.
He ended the kiss, lifting his mouth away from hers, his eyes closed. He swallowed, throat working, and she felt his arm tighten on her for a moment. Then he opened his eyes and said, "You need to sleep." But- "You"re half frozen, and you"re afraid," Bernard said, quiet. "I"m not going to take advantage of that."
Her face colored, and she looked away from him. "No. I mean-"
He laid his hand on her head and pressed gently down. His other arm shifted, moved beneath her head, so that her cheek rested against it instead of her own. "Just rest," he said, quietly. "Sleep."
"Are you sure?" she asked. Despite herself, her eyes blinked closed and refused to open again. "Are you sure?" she asked. Despite herself, her eyes blinked closed and refused to open again. "I"m sure, Amara," he said, voice a low rumble she felt against him as much as heard. "Sleep. I"ll watch." "I"m sure, Amara," he said, voice a low rumble she felt against him as much as heard. "Sleep. I"ll watch." "I"m sorry," she said. "I didn"t mean to-" "I"m sorry," she said. "I didn"t mean to-"
She felt him lean down to her and press his mouth against her damp hair. "Hush. We can talk about it later, if you want to. Rest."
Her cheeks still warm, Amara leaned back against his warmth and sighed. Sleep took her before she remembered drawing that breath in again.
The light woke her. She still lay by the fire, but the cloaks that had been drying now lay over her, keeping her warm, but for her back, which felt as though it had just begun to cool. Bernard wasn"t in sight, and the fire had burned low, but grey light shone from one side of the small cave.
Amara rose, wrapping the cloaks about herself, and walked toward the mouth of the cave. She found Bernard there, still shirtless, staring out at a landscape shining in the predawn light, ice coating every surface, every branch of every tree. Sleet-ice mixed with snow lay over the ground, softening everything with white, making sounds seem closer, granting the land the strange half-glowing light of winter. Amara stopped for a moment, just to stare at the land and then at Bernard. His expression was hard, alarmed.
"Stead-holder?" she asked.
He lifted a finger to his lips, eyes focused elsewhere, head tilted to one side, as though listening. Then his eyes snapped abruptly to the south, at the still-shadowed trees that stood in silent, glinting stillness.
"There," he said.
Amara frowned at him, but stepped closer, wrapping the cloaks a little more tightly about herself against the cold outside. Winter had come in force, with the storm. She glanced at Bernard and then at the trees he stared at so intently.
She heard it before she saw anything, a low swelling sound that began to gather, to grow closer. It took her a moment to identify the sound, to sort it out into something she could recognize.
Crows. The cawing of crows. The cawing of thousands of crows.
Even as she started to shiver, they appeared, black shapes against the predawn sky, from the direction Bernard faced, flying low over the trees. Hundreds of them, thousands, flooded through the air like a living shadow, blackening the sky, flying north and east over the Calderon Valley, moving with an uncanny certainty, with a purpose.
"Crows," she whispered. "Crows," she whispered. "They know," Bernard said. "Oh, furies. They always know." "They know," Bernard said. "Oh, furies. They always know." "Know what?" Amara breathed. "Know what?" Amara breathed. "Where to find the dead." He let out an unsteady breath. "They smell a battle." "Where to find the dead." He let out an unsteady breath. "They smell a battle." Amara felt her eyes widen. "They"re flying toward Garrison?" Amara felt her eyes widen. "They"re flying toward Garrison?" "I have to find Tavi and Isana. Get back to the stead-holt," Bernard said. "I have to find Tavi and Isana. Get back to the stead-holt," Bernard said. She turned to him and took his arm. "No," she said. "I need your help." She turned to him and took his arm. "No," she said. "I need your help." He shook his head. "My responsibility is for my holders. I have to get back to them." He shook his head. "My responsibility is for my holders. I have to get back to them."
"Listen to me," she said. "Bernard, I need your help. I don"t know this valley. I don"t know the dangers. I"m afraid to take to the air in daylight, and even if I got to your Count alone, he might not listen to me. I need someone he knows with me. I have to get him to react to this as strongly as possible if there"s to be any chance of protecting the Valley."
Bernard shook his head. "This has nothing to do with me."
"Is it going to have anything to do with you when a Marat horde comes down on Bernard-holt?" Amara demanded. "Do you think you and the people there will be able to fight them?"
He looked at her, uncertain.
She pressed him. "Bernard. Stead-holder Bernard. Your duty is to your people. And the only way to protect them is to warn Garrison, to rouse the Legions. You can help me do that."
"I don"t know," Bernard said. "Gram"s a stubborn old goat. I can"t tell him I"ve seen the Marat in the Valley. I don"t remember it. His water-crafter will tell him that."
"But you can tell him what you have have seen," Amara said. "You can tell him that you support me. If I have your support, he"ll have to take my credentials as a Cursor seriously. He has the authority to bring Legion strength to Garrison, to protect the Valley." seen," Amara said. "You can tell him that you support me. If I have your support, he"ll have to take my credentials as a Cursor seriously. He has the authority to bring Legion strength to Garrison, to protect the Valley."
Bernard swallowed. "But Tavi. He doesn"t have anyone else to look after him. And my sister. I"m not sure she came through last night all right."
"Are either of them going to be all right if the Marat exterminate everyone in the Calderon Valley?"
Bernard looked away, back to the crows that still streamed overhead. He growled, "You think someone"s watching the air?"
"There"s a full century of Knights stationed at Garrison," Amara said. "With a pair of infantry cohorts to cover them, they could stand off a dozen hordes. I think whoever has arranged this has a plan to a.s.sault them and destroy them before the Marat come."
"The mercenaries," Bernard said. "The mercenaries," Bernard said. "Yes." "Yes." "Then there might be more people trying to stop us from reaching Garrison. Professional killers." "Then there might be more people trying to stop us from reaching Garrison. Professional killers." Amara nodded, silent, watching his face. Amara nodded, silent, watching his face.
Bernard closed his eyes. "Tavi." He was quiet for a moment before he opened them. "Isana. I"ll be leaving them alone in this mess."
She said, quietly, "I know. What I"m asking you is terrible." She said, quietly, "I know. What I"m asking you is terrible." "No," he said. "No. It"s duty. I"ll help you." "No," he said. "No. It"s duty. I"ll help you." She squeezed his arm. "Thank you." She squeezed his arm. "Thank you." He looked at her and said, "Don"t thank me. I"m not doing it for you." But he covered her hand with his and squeezed quietly. He looked at her and said, "Don"t thank me. I"m not doing it for you." But he covered her hand with his and squeezed quietly. She swallowed and said, "Bernard. Last night. What you said. You were right. I"m afraid." She swallowed and said, "Bernard. Last night. What you said. You were right. I"m afraid."
"So am I," he said. He released her hand and turned to go into the cave. "Let"s get dressed, get moving. We"ve got a long way to go."
Chapter 24
Isana heard a woman"s voice say, "Wake up. Wake up." Someone slapped her face, sudden and sharp. Isana let out a surprised sound and lifted her arms in an effort to protect her face. That same voice continued, just as before, "Wake up. Wake up," and slapped her at measured intervals until Isana curled away from the blows, rolling to get her hands and knees beneath her, and to lift her head.
Isana felt hot. Sweltering. Her skin had soaked with sweat, and her clothes clung to her, likewise damp. Light was in her eyes, and it took her a moment to realize that she was on a dirt floor, that there was fire all around her, fire in a circle perhaps twenty feet across, a ring of coals and tinder that smoldered and smoked. Her throat and lungs burned with thirst, with the smoke, and she coughed until she almost retched.
She covered her mouth with her shaking hand, tried to filter out some of the smoke and dust in the air as she breathed. Someone helped her sit up, hands brisk, strong.
"Thank you," she rasped. Isana looked up to see the woman she"d seen in the Rillwater, strangling Tavi. She was beautiful, dark of hair and eye, curved as sweetly as any man could desire. Her hair hung in damp, sweaty curls, though, and her face had been smudged with soot. The skin, in rows that reached across her eyes, was bright pink, shiny and new. A small smile curved her full mouth.
Isana hissed out a breath in surprise, backing away from the woman, looking around her, at the fires, a low ceiling, smooth, round stone walls not far beyond the ring of coals. There was a door leading out, and Isana tried to stand and move toward it, only to find that her legs would not obey her properly. She stumbled and fell heavily onto her side, near enough to the coals that her skin heated painfully. She pushed herself back from the fire.
The woman helped, dragging Isana back with a cool efficiency.
"Nasty, nasty," the woman said. "You must be careful, or you"ll burn."
She sat back from Isana, tilting her head to one side and studying her. "My name is Odiana," she said then. "And you and I are prisoners together."
"Prisoners," Isana whispered. Her voice came out in a croak, and she had to cough painfully. "Prisoners where? What"s wrong with my legs?"
"Kord-holt, I think they called it," Odiana said. "You"re experiencing crafting sickness. When Kord found you by the banks of the flood, your head was broken. They made me mend it."
"You?" Isana asked. "But you were trying to hurt Tavi."
"The pretty boy?" Odiana asked. "I wasn"t hurting him. I was killing him. There"s a difference." She sniffed and said, "It wasn"t anything personal."
"Tavi," Isana said, coughing again. "Is Tavi all right?"
"How should I know?" Odiana said, her tone faintly impatient. "You tore my eyes out, woman. The next thing I saw was that ugly brute."
"Then you"re not-" Isana shook her head. "Kord took you prisoner?"
She nodded, once. "He found me after the flood. I had just put my eyes back together." Odiana smiled. "I"ve never managed my nails like that before. You"ll have to show me how it"s done."
Isana stared at the woman for a moment, then said, "We have to get out of here." Isana stared at the woman for a moment, then said, "We have to get out of here." "Yes," Odiana agreed, looking at the door. "But that seems unlikely for the moment. He"s a slaver, isn"t he, this Kord?" "Yes," Odiana agreed, looking at the door. "But that seems unlikely for the moment. He"s a slaver, isn"t he, this Kord?" "He is." "He is." The dark haired woman"s eyes glinted. "I thought as much." The dark haired woman"s eyes glinted. "I thought as much." The thirst in her throat abruptly became too much for Isana to ignore, and she murmured, "Rill, I need water." The thirst in her throat abruptly became too much for Isana to ignore, and she murmured, "Rill, I need water."
Odiana let out an impatient sigh. "No," she said. "Don"t be an idiot. He"s ringed us in fire. Dried us out. Your fury cannot hear you, and even if it could, you"d not be able to dampen a washcloth."
Isana shivered, and for the first time since she"d found Rill, she felt no quivering response to her call, no rea.s.suring presence of the water fury. Isana swallowed, eyes shifting around the interior of the building. Meat hung from hooks on some of the walls, and smoke lingered in the air. A smokehouse then, at Kord"s stead-holt.
She was a prisoner at Kord"s stead-holt.
The thought chilled her, sent a quiver creeping along her scalp, to the roots of her hair.
Odiana watched her in silence and then nodded, slowly. "He doesn"t intend for us to ever leave this place, you know. I felt that in him before he brought us here."
"I"m thirsty," Isana said. "Hot enough to kill us in here. I have to get a drink."
"They left us two tiny cups of water," Odiana said, nodding to the far side of the circle.
Isana looked until she saw the pair of wooden cups and pulled herself to them. The first she picked up was light, empty. She dropped it to one side, her throat on fire, and tried the second.
It was empty as well. It was empty as well. "You were asleep," Odiana said, calmly. "So I drank it." "You were asleep," Odiana said, calmly. "So I drank it." Isana stared at the woman in disbelief. "This heat could kill us," she told her, struggling to keep an even tone. Isana stared at the woman in disbelief. "This heat could kill us," she told her, struggling to keep an even tone. The woman smiled at her, a lazy, languid smile. "Well it won"t kill me. I"ve drunk enough for two." The woman smiled at her, a lazy, languid smile. "Well it won"t kill me. I"ve drunk enough for two." Isana clenched her teeth together. "It makes the most sense anyway. Use it. Call your fury and send for help." Isana clenched her teeth together. "It makes the most sense anyway. Use it. Call your fury and send for help." "We"re far from any help, hold-girl." "We"re far from any help, hold-girl." Isana pressed her lips together. "Then when one of them comes in-" Isana pressed her lips together. "Then when one of them comes in-"
Odiana shook her head slowly and spoke in a cool, pa.s.sionless, practical tone. "Do you think they"ve never done this before? This is what slavers do do, hold-girl. They left enough to keep us alive. Not enough to allow one of us full use of her fury. I"d try, it wouldn"t work, and they"d punish both of us."
"So that"s it?" Isana said. "We don"t even try?" "So that"s it?" Isana said. "We don"t even try?" Odiana closed her eyes for a moment, looking down. Then she said, very quietly, "We"re only going to get one chance, hold-girl." Odiana closed her eyes for a moment, looking down. Then she said, very quietly, "We"re only going to get one chance, hold-girl." "I"m not a gi-" "I"m not a gi-"
"You"re a child child," Odiana hissed. "Do you know how many slaves are raped within a day or so of capture?"
The thought made Isana feel cold again. "No." The thought made Isana feel cold again. "No." "Do you know what happens to the ones who resist?" "Do you know what happens to the ones who resist?" Isana shook her head. Isana shook her head.
Odiana smiled. "Take it from me. You only get to resist once. And after that, they make sure that you never want to try it again."
Isana stared at the woman for a long moment. Then she said, "How long were you a slave?"
Odiana brushed her hair back away from her face with one hand and said, voice cool, "When I was eleven, our Stead-holder sold my father"s debt to a group of slavers. They took all of us. They killed my father and my oldest brother, and the baby. They took my mother, my sisters, me. And my youngest brother. He was pretty." Her eyes grew distant, and she focused them on the far wall. Fire glowed in them, reflection. "I was too young. I hadn"t begun my cycle, or come into my fury-crafting. But I did that night. When they took me. Pa.s.sed me around the fire like a flask of wine. It woke up, and I could feel everything everything they felt, hold-girl. All of their l.u.s.t and their hate and fear and hunger. It washed through me. they felt, hold-girl. All of their l.u.s.t and their hate and fear and hunger. It washed through me. Into Into me." She began to rock back and forth on her heels. "I don"t know how you came into yours, water-crafter. When you first started feeling other folk. But you must thank all the furies of Carna that it wasn"t like my awakening." The smile crept back to her lips. "It"s enough to drive one mad." me." She began to rock back and forth on her heels. "I don"t know how you came into yours, water-crafter. When you first started feeling other folk. But you must thank all the furies of Carna that it wasn"t like my awakening." The smile crept back to her lips. "It"s enough to drive one mad."
Isana swallowed and said, "I"m sorry. But Odiana, if we can work together-"
"We can get killed together," Odiana said, her voice becoming edged again. "Listen to me, hold-girl, and I"ll tell you what happens. I"ve done it before."
"All right," Isana said, quietly.
"There are two kinds of slavers," Odiana said. "The ones in it for professional reasons, and the ones who take it personally. Professionals work for the Consortium. They don"t allow anyone to damage or use their merchandise, unless it"s as discipline. If they like you, they"ll invite you to their tent and give you nice food and talk and charm you. It"s the same as a rape, only it takes longer and you get a good meal and a soft bed afterward."
"That"s not Kord."
"No, it isn"t. He"s the other kind. Like the ones who took my family. For him, it"s knowing he"s beating someone. Knowing he"s breaking someone. He doesn"t want to deliver a high-quality product, ready to work or pleasure. He wants us broken into pieces. He wants us to be animals." She smiled and said, "When he takes us, that"s just part of the process that he enjoys a bit more than the others."
Isana"s stomach quailed. "Takes us," she whispered. "He"s-"
The other woman nodded. "If he wanted to kill you you"d already be dead. He has other plans for you." She sneered. "And I saw some of the other women he keeps at this place. Rabbits. Sheep. He likes them helpless. Not fighting back." She shivered and stretched, her back arching sinuously, her eyes closing for a moment. She moved one hand to the throat of her blouse, tugging at it, pulling b.u.t.tons open, the sweaty cloth clinging to her.
"Are you all right?" Isana asked.
Odiana licked her lips and said, "I don"t have much time. Listen to me. For him, the game is breaking you, and to do that he has to make you afraid. If you aren"t afraid, he has no power over you. If you"re quiet and reserved, you aren"t what he wants. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes," Isana said. "But we can"t just stay here-"
"We survive for as long as you don"t break," Odiana said. "To him I"m nothing but a pretty wh.o.r.e to be used. You he wants broken. As long as you remain in control of yourself, he doesn"t get what he wants."
"What happens if I do break?" "What happens if I do break?" "He kills you," she said. "And he kills me because I saw you, and he hides the bodies. But it won"t be an issue." "He kills you," she said. "And he kills me because I saw you, and he hides the bodies. But it won"t be an issue." "Why not?" "Why not?"
"It won"t," Odiana says. "One way or another. Hold out for a day. That"s all. Because I promise neither of us will draw breath for half an hour if you break. That"s why I drank both cups."
Isana fought to take a breath, and her head spun. "Why you drank both cups?" Isana fought to take a breath, and her head spun. "Why you drank both cups?" "Have you ever tasted aphrodin, hold-girl?" "Have you ever tasted aphrodin, hold-girl?" She stared at Odiana. "No," she said. "Never." She stared at Odiana. "No," she said. "Never."
Odiana licked her lips, smiling. "Then it would have unnerved you. Wanting when you knew you shouldn"t want. At least I know what it"s like." She stretched again, unb.u.t.toning her blouse lower, showing the soft curves of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She adjusted the fall of her skirt so that it bared one strong, smooth thigh, and ran a fingertip along it. "Let"s review our stratagem. I"m going to make them happy. And you"re going to not care. There, that"s simple."
Isana felt her insides twist, felt sickened as she stared at the other woman. "You"re going to-" She couldn"t finish. It was too horrible.
Odiana let her lips curve into a smile. "The act isn"t unpleasant you know. In and of itself. It"s rather nice. And I won"t be thinking about them." The smile grew a bit wider, and the whites showed around her eyes. "I"ll be thinking of the pieces. The pieces left when my lord catches up to them. He will see to his duty, and then he will come for me. And there will be pieces." She shivered and let out a soft gasp. "And there. I"m happy already."
Isana stared at the woman, revolted, and shook her head. This could not be happening. It simply could not be happening. She, with her brother, had worked the whole of their adult lives to make the Calderon Valley a place safe for families, for civilization-for Tavi to grow up. This wasn"t a part of the world she had worked to build. This wasn"t a part of what she dreamed.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she fought to restrain them, to hold back the precious moisture before it fell. Without thinking, she reached for Rill"s help and did not find it. Tears trickled over her cheeks.