She turned back into the room and smiled when she saw Mar and Gun eyeing herself, and the window, in disbelief.
"If you"re ready," she said, attaching ropes to the front and rear of Gun"s and Mar"s harnesses, until they were strung out, herself to Gundaron, Gundaron to Mar. "The ledge is wider than it looks. Follow me out, then Parno will lead us all."
As if hearing his cue, Parno swung himself back into the room and, seeing they were ready, linked himself to Mar with the rope he"d used to haul up the packs. He looked up with a nod as he finished checking the knot.
"Ready?" Instead of just stepping out onto the ledge as she would have done if she were alone, Dhulyn sat on the edge of the window cas.e.m.e.nt, swung her legs out, turned to face into the room, and, gripping the edge of the cas.e.m.e.nt tightly, lowered her legs until her toes felt the ledge.
"You see?" she said. "Just like that. I"ll be out here to steady you."
Gundaron followed her out, trying his best to ape her actions exactly. He had a shaky moment when his toe couldn"t find the ledge, but once Dhulyn had guided his foot down, he managed well enough.
"Move over here, Gun, and mind the ropes," she said, allowing him to pa.s.s between her and the wall. "Let Mar out."
Anyone would have thought that Mar had been climbing out of fifth-story windows all her life-as, indeed she may have been, for all Dhulyn knew to the contrary. The little Dove slid out of the window onto the ledge and over next to Gun without hesitation or sign of nerves. Parno followed her out, drew the cas.e.m.e.nts shut behind him and, using a bit of wire tied onto the end of a string, pulled the latch over as he did so. From the inside, at least, there"d be no sign that they"d left via the windows.
"Eyes on me," Parno said. His tone was even and calm, the same tone, Dhulyn thought, that he"d used to coach Mar in table etiquette when they were on their way to Gotterang. "Watch where I put my hands and feet, and you put yours the same. Don"t start up until you see me wave at you. I"ll be anch.o.r.ed, so you can"t fall, but be careful all the same."
As Dhulyn knew from her own reconnaissance, there were no windows directly above theirs, so Parno could climb straight up until he"d cleared the two stories above them, and reached the battlements at the top of the tower. These were decorative only, intended to match the style of an older tower, with no place for guards or archers to stand behind them, Dhulyn knew, only the shallow-pitched peaked roof of the tower itself. Parno swung himself over the edge of the stone, and after a few moments, they could see his hand waving.
"Up you get, children, fingers and toes now." Dhulyn had tested the route herself only the day before, and knew that there were many finger- and toeholds in the rough stone wall, and more than a few places where the whole foot could be placed to take the weight off the hands.
This time Mar went first, scrambling up the wall like one of the monkeys Dhulyn had seen in the jungles of the northwest. Gun lifted his arms to start up almost as soon as he had room to do so.
"Wait." Dhulyn said, her hand on his shoulder. "Let her reach the top; you would pull her down as well if you fell." And me with the two of you, And me with the two of you, she didn"t say aloud. No point in frightening the boy any more than he was already. she didn"t say aloud. No point in frightening the boy any more than he was already.
Still, his fear didn"t stop him from starting up as soon as Mar had cleared the top, and Dhulyn found herself nodding in approval for the first time. He"d learned somewhere not to let his fear stop him. He might make a worthwhile human yet.
Halfway up, he froze, and Dhulyn bit back her thought. "Don"t look down," she told him. "I"ll be right there." She pulled herself up until she was nearly on top of him, covering his legs with her body, careful not to tangle the ropes. "Take a deep breath and move up. Parno"s there, see him? He"s got the slack of the rope. You can"t fall, just help him bring you up, don"t let him do all the work." When he still didn"t move, she added, "Look within, Find your courage."
Dhulyn"s fingers were just beginning to feel the strain when the boy nodded as though his neck were made of oak, and began to move, first his right hand, then his left, his right foot, his left. Dhulyn held herself back a moment, checking the rope, keeping out of the way of his lower limbs, but not letting Gun get so far ahead that he couldn"t feel her presence between him and the long fall.
"Keep breathing," she said. "Let the air move in and out, in and out."
It could not have been more than minutes later that Parno was helping Gun roll over the battlement onto the roof, but Dhulyn was sure that it felt much longer to the boy.
"Not to worry," Parno was saying. "We"re only going to walk along this wall to that other tower you see there. No more climbing." Mar had hold of the boy"s hand, and his grip on hers was so tight her fingers looked white.
Gun swallowed, but whatever he wanted to say didn"t make it out of his lips.
"We"ll still have the ropes," Dhulyn said, in her most matter-of-fact tones. "There"s still no way for any of us to fall. You keep your eyes on the spot where your rope attaches to Mar, and you"ll be fine."
Gun pressed his lips together into a thin line and nodded. When she saw that he intended to stand, Mar helped him to his feet. He looked to Dhulyn, then to Parno, and nodded again. Parno picked up the two heaviest packs, one in each hand to balance himself, and set off. Dhulyn picked up the two remaining packs and watched as Mar and Gun followed her Partner.
They were a little more than halfway across when the boy spoke.
"I thought the Carnelian Dome was impregnable from this side," he said, in a voice that was a tight parody of nonchalance.
"Oh, you can"t get in in this way." Parno answered as if he hadn"t heard the tightness. this way." Parno answered as if he hadn"t heard the tightness.
"But you can get out, out," Dhulyn said.
Parno led them only a few spans farther, until the section of wall that led off from their tower met the ruined corner that was all that remained of a tower that no longer existed. There was room enough-just-for them to stand together.
Parno began unhooking the ropes that tied them together, coiling them neatly at their feet.
"Use these cords to tie your packs to your wrists, my Doves. Mar, check Gun"s knots. Use the ones we showed you on the trail."
When her own pack was ready, Dhulyn retied the rope that had attached her to Gun, making it much shorter. When Parno had done the same with the rope between him and Mar, Dhulyn leaned over the edge of the most exposed corner of wall, looked back at them and grinned. "I forgot to ask, can you swim?"
Gun shot a quick look over the edge. "You can"t be serious."
"Never more so, my Scholar. The cliff"s undercut, and there are no rocks in the river, which is deep enough. I checked. We"ll go first," she added, to Parno.
"Got him?" Parno said, as he took Mar"s hands in his, moving her away from the edge.
"Got him," Dhulyn said. With her right hand, she gripped Gun"s right wrist, and was gripped by him in return. Parno caught her eye above the youngsters" heads.
"In Battle," he mouthed.
Mindful that Gun and Mar could see her face, Dhulyn merely smiled and bowed her head, touching her fingertips to her lips.
"Let"s go."
As she and Gun stepped out into s.p.a.ce and began to fall, Dhulyn wished she"d really had a chance to check that the river was deep enough. She"d worked it out in her head, but . . .
The coughing seemed as though it would last forever, and by the time it had stopped and Gun was able to loosen his grip on the Wolfshead and look about him, the current of the river had taken them away from the Carnelian Dome, and downstream, toward the summer homes of the very rich.
"I can swim," he said.
"Not just yet," she said. "Let the current take us for now. Turn over on your back."
With the Wolfshead to brace against, turning over was easy. Gun had a difficult moment when he thought he"d begin coughing again, but it pa.s.sed. The Wolfshead slipped her own arm under his and across his chest, holding him against her but with his head well above the water. He forced himself to relax, breathing steadily and slowly, as she used a lazy sidestroke to give them steerage as they floated downstream. The water still felt icily cold, and Gun knew that luck was with them. It was too early in the year for water sports, and the wrong time of day for fishing. It wasn"t long before piers and jetties were replaced by boathouses, water pavilions, and long stretches of terraced gardens leading away from the water. Gun"s teeth began to chatter and he almost didn"t feel it when Dhulyn Wolfshead nudged him on the shoulder.
"Look up," she said, a murmur in his ear.
Gun tried, but could make out nothing beyond the shadowy shapes of clouds partially obscuring the darkening sky.
"What is it," he said, keeping his own voice low.
"A Racha bird," she said. "Time to swim."
It didn"t surprise him that it was Karlyn-Tan who greeted them, directing the bustle of the servants as they stoked braziers, fetched hot water and food, and led Gun and Mar off for warm baths, hot drinks, and dry clothing. It made sense that Dal would have sent one of the few others who knew exactly what was at stake.
With a nod of thanks Parno accepted a steaming mug from an older man with a Steward"s badge in the Tenebro colors.
Dhulyn pulled her wet shirt over her head and handed it to a waiting page, accepting a large towel in exchange. She must have felt Parno"s eye on her, for she looked over at him, lifting one blood-red brow.
"I saw a Racha bird," she said.
Karlyn nodded, caught the Steward"s attention, and waited as the man gathered up his helpers with a gesture of his hand and left the room. "I"ve much to tell you, the chief of which is that Cullen is here, with us."
"Why?" Parno said, just as Dhulyn said, "Where?"
Karlyn held up his hands. "He regained his senses, and as the Racha accepted him, and his eyes were normal, we felt he must be clean. Even so, Zelianora Tarkina felt he would be safest with us. If there is any chance the Shadow is is with him, we are the only people equipped to both recognize and deal with it." with him, we are the only people equipped to both recognize and deal with it."
Dhulyn looked up from toweling her hair as dry as it would get while still in braids. "There"s merit in that idea, much as I wish she hadn"t thought of it," she said. "Now we"ll have to spend precious time watching to make sure he isn"t trying to escape." She exchanged a look with Parno. In it was the knowledge that so long as they did not know for certain where the Green Shadow was, they would all be at risk, and they could trust no one.
Parno set his cup down. "What else is there to tell us?"
Karlyn had been leaning against the edge of the table near Parno, arms crossed. Now he looked down at the floor, chewing his upper lip.
"Out with it, man," Parno told him. "What could be worse than knowing we might have the Shadow with us?"
"We had not time, before, to wonder how it was the Shadow returned to the Tarkin."
Parno stopped in the act of pulling off his own tunic. "And now?"
Karlyn looked at Parno without raising his head. He shot a glance at Dhulyn, but his eyes did not linger. "The Mesticha Stone came."
Dhulyn finished pulling on the dry breeches she"d taken from her saddlebag, secured the waist, and strode toward Karlyn-Tan. The towel she"d been using was slung over her shoulders like a cloak, not out of modesty, Parno knew, but out of the habit that made her cover the marks of the whip on her back, when they might be seen by strangers.
"The orders to bring it directly to the Tarkin upon its arrival had never been changed," Karlyn said, looking directly at Dhulyn. "And so it was brought to him."
"And Cullen?"
"Saw the Tarkin in the hallway, heading for the gates, he thought, and chased him into the throne room."
"Or so he says," Parno said.
"Or so he says," Karlyn agreed. "Either way, the Mesticha Stone was not found in the bedchamber when it was looked for afterward."
Dhulyn turned aside, tossed her towel across the back of a chair near the brazier, and took a vest made of dozens of strips of supple leather out of her saddlebag, shrugged it on, and began fastening it shut. "The Shadow was in the Tarkin," she said. "It must have been "visiting" him, as we suspected it might. When the Stone arrived, it seized its opportunity."
"It was the last piece," Parno said. "It"s at its full strength now."
Dhulyn looked up from her laces. "And the Racha seems content?"
"As far as any of us can tell," Karlyn said. "Nor does the Cloudman object to riding bound, if we prefer it."
"Well, he wouldn"t, would he?"
"What is it you"re thinking, my heart?"
Parno looked from Dhulyn to Karlyn and back again. "He"d want to come with us, don"t you think?" He held up one finger. "We"ve got the only Seer he knows of, and," he held up a second finger, "we"ve got a Finder." A third finger. "We"re going to the only place we can be sure there are other Marks. What more does he want? He can let us do his work for him."
Dhulyn had taken breath to answer him when Karlyn spoke.
"So we"re safe enough on the journey," he said. "If the Shadow"s with us, it won"t do any harm until we arrive."
"Us?"
"Under the circ.u.mstances, I"d better come with you, don"t you think?"
Twenty-six.
"THERE IS A SHADOW hanging over us all, a Shadow with green eyes."
Koba the Racha bird eyed Dhulyn from his perch near the fire as Yaro of Trevel gestured her into a seat, hooked the heavy kettle of water on the andiron, and swung it into the fireplace until it rested closer to the flames. As Dhulyn took up her tale, telling what they knew, what they thought, and what they hoped, Yaro watched the kettle, waiting for the water to come to a boil.
When Dhulyn had been silent a moment or two, the woman who was once Yaro Hawkwing the Cloud, Mercenary Brother, tossed a handful of leaves into the now boiling water and, pulling the kettle away from the fire with a heavy cloth, set it on a small iron stand to one side of the hearth. The room began to smell of bee balm.
"I know why you"ve come to me," Yaro said. She stood a few moments longer, looking into the flames, before turning to face Dhulyn. When their eyes met, the older woman reached up and touched the feathers tattooed on her face. "You would ask of Cullen."
Yaro turned away to take two thick earthenware mugs from a small shelf to the left of the fireplace and set them down on the table between them. She picked up the cloth she"d used to shield her hand from the kettle"s handle, but, instead of turning to the fire, stood still, the cloth hanging from her hand, her eyes staring into a distance of time and s.p.a.ce.
"If Cullen is not in his body, then Disha would not fly." And as if the words released her, she was able to turn to the hearth, pick up the kettle, and pour out the strong-smelling brew into the mugs on the table. When she had set the kettle down once again on the hearth, she took the stool across from Dhulyn, wrapped her hands around the mug in front of her, and studied the surface of the tea.
"But if the Shadow is in Cullen"s body, would it not be in Disha"s as well? Could Disha not fly then?"
Yaro opened her mouth, closed it, and shook her head once more. "I do not know if I can make you see. You told me that Tek-aKet Tarkin was gone from his body until the Scholar Found him?"
"In his own words," Dhulyn said, remembering, "he said that at first he had been pushed out, then allowed to return, but as a pa.s.senger. Later, when I struck the Shadow, Tek-aKet was lost. As though the body lived, but he was not in it."
Yaro tapped the tabletop with her index finger. "Without Healer or Mender, in the moment, however short, that the Shadow pushed Cullen from his body, Disha would fall."
"But you-"
"Had a two-month bond, no more, and as it was, only one of us survived. Cullen and Disha have been more than half their lives one being. If they were severed, even for an instant, even for a time so short that the mind cannot conceive of it, they would die." Yaro placed both hands palm down on the table, one to each side of her empty mug. "It is as I say, Dhulyn Wolfshead, my Brother. If Disha still flies, Cullen is free of the Shadow." She breathed deeply in through her nose and, blinking, raised her mug to her lips.
Dhulyn nodded, slowly. There must be such a moment, however short, in which the Shadow did did move. What Yaro said made sense-but Dhulyn was aware that it was also what she wanted to hear, and therefore suspect. It was clear that Yaro spoke what she thought to be the truth, and Dhulyn believed her. But was that enough? It seemed a small thread from which to hang the fate of the world. Dhulyn rose to her feet, touched her forehead with her fingertips. move. What Yaro said made sense-but Dhulyn was aware that it was also what she wanted to hear, and therefore suspect. It was clear that Yaro spoke what she thought to be the truth, and Dhulyn believed her. But was that enough? It seemed a small thread from which to hang the fate of the world. Dhulyn rose to her feet, touched her forehead with her fingertips.
"It is good to have seen you, Brother," the older woman said.
"You will see me again," Dhulyn said. Yaro raised her eyes. "In Battle."