Part 29 (1/2)

”No kiss?”

Fabbis tried to struggle away, but Talen found he could hold him.

He couldn't explain it. This shouldn't be happening. Da forced Talen to wrestle Fabbis in the musters. He said the best practice for fighting someone bent on your death was to fight someone bent on your death. And since they didn't have a large supply of young Bone Faces about, he found the next best thing-a Fir-Noy. Fabbis always beat him. Once he'd broken Talen's nose just to spite him. But perhaps Talen had finally begun to get his speed and size. He glanced over at Sabin to make sure he didn't get blindsided, but Sabin just stood there with his mouth hanging open like some great fish.

Cat had not moved. He still stood in the same spot, his hands out in front of him.

Nettle stood just beyond Cat, a look of surprise on his face.

”Oh, now you show up,” said Talen. ”Grab the boy.”

The beggar boy looked at Talen with fright.

Nettle moved to help the boy up, but the boy scrambled back, then turned and fled down the lane.

Talen looked down at Fabbis. ”Looks like your bounty just took heels.” He got up, making sure to push down extra hard on Fabbis' gut with his knee.

The snake tried to coil itself around Talen's arm, but Talen simply changed his grip, grabbed the tail, and let it hang loose.

Fabbis scrabbled to his feet and backed away, weeds clinging to his clothes and hair. He had a strange look in his eyes. ”n.o.body moves like that,” he said.

”I just did,” said Talen. Then he swung the snake at Fabbis. ”Don't be scared.”

Sabin and Cat backed away as well.

”Oh, come,” said Talen to Sabin. ”You were willing enough to tangle with me yesterday.”

”Stay away,” said Fabbis. He backed up, Sabin and Cat not a pace behind him.

Talen couldn't believe it. Da had always told him that the meanest bullies were always the biggest cowards. He had never believed that, but maybe it was true.

”Cowards,” said Talen.

Fabbis pointed at him. ”You're a dead man.”

”Ya!” Talen shouted and lunged at them.

The three of them startled, turned, and ran.

Ha! Who knew it would be so easy? Except Talen was certain Fabbis wasn't running away. Fabbis wasn't one of those who could be satisfied knowing he'd been beaten. He'd be back, and he'd bring others with him.

”That was,” Nettle said in astonishment, ”unexpected.”

”You were right,” said Talen. ”I didn't need to spook.” Then he gently let the snake to the ground, and the creature slithered away toward the cover of the trees.

”No,” said Nettle. ”I meant you.”

What was his cousin talking about?

”You plucked the snake right out of the air.”

”So?”

”So,” said Nettle, ”I came around the corner and saw Cat holding the rope and Fabbis coming at you. But before I took another step you were on him. It was . . . too fast.”

”Too fast? Maybe, at last, my speed has come upon me.”

”Yeah,” said Nettle, but Talen could see he wasn't convinced.

”Is it impossible that Hogan's runt suddenly got some of his old man's growth?”

”No,” said Nettle. ”But I can tell you this: Fabbis won't see it that way.”

”What do you mean?”

”That was dreadman quick, Talen.”

”I just grabbed the snake . . .” he said and trailed off. It was luck. He'd just been lucky. He'd been a little extra lively with alarm and fear.

Nettle said nothing.

But he was right about one thing: Fabbis would twist what had happened; then Sabin would add his own version of what happened yesterday. They would be back. And if they ran into that group of men by the baker's, they'd bring back a pretty mob.

”We need to get out of here,” Talen said.

”Act normal,” said Nettle.

”Normal? We're way past normal.”

21.

The Divine THE SEVERED HAND of the creature lay upon a table in the center of the Mokaddian Council chamber. Two-dozen Council members crowded about Argoth as he probed the hand. They had heard almost two hours of testimony about the hunt at the village of Plum, the taking of Barg's family, and the battle at the fortress. It was now Argoth's turn to relate his portion of the tale. He wondered where Hogan was. He should have arrived an hour ago.

Argoth picked up one of the fingers they'd managed to cut and flaked away small pieces of dirt and gra.s.s with his knife. ”You can see,” he said, ”what appears to have been bone and sinew. But look”-he sc.r.a.ped at the finger innards with his knife-”It crumbles like common dirt.”

s.h.i.+m stood next to Argoth, his bright eyes s.h.i.+ning in his leathern face. ”As if it were nothing more than a child's mud doll.”

The men crowded in. One near-sighted lord leaned over close.

Another of the lords cursed. ”Who can fight dirt?”

All knew the answer to that question. But Argoth wondered. Matiga kept the weaves of the Grove. One of those weaves was an ancient crown which gave its wearer incredible might. The powers it bestowed were not just those of the flesh as were the powers given to dreadmen. It was power from the very earth itself. Victors is what the wearers of such crowns had been called. And, though the records were spa.r.s.e, it appears these Victors had put armies to flight. They had toppled fortress walls. Surely, such a one could overcome this beast.

Of course, much had been lost. The Grove knew how to quicken the crown. But could they wield it like those of old? Abilities ran in bloodlines. Some men could multiply themselves. Others who couldn't might be able to do other things. Hogan and Ke could control some of the crown's power, but they had been waiting to see what Talen might do. He had not yet been awakened, and so whatever gifts he might have still lay dormant. But he was full of peculiarities. Full of possibilities. It seems all were given some gift, and so there was always much antic.i.p.ation seeing what gift a new member of the Grove would bring.

The Crab caught Argoth's gaze. He was not looking at the hand like the other men. He was looking directly at Argoth as if he had something to do with this; as if Argoth was involved with the magic.