Part 46 (1/2)

35.

Crossroad TALEN SQUATTED WITH Legs behind a tangle of blackberry brambles that grew at the wood's edge. In front of them a small orchard of pear trees glistened in the moonlight. At the end of one of the rows and across a path stood Uncle Argoth's home, and patrolling the grounds about the house were three Lions of Mokad, dreadmen all.

Talen had his bow and more than twenty arrows. He might be able to pin three regular soldiers down for a minute or two, might even be able to take out one of these Lions if his aim was true and the arrow took the man in a vital part, but the others would not stay put. And once they entered the woods, his arrows would be worth nothing.

So Talen sat and waited, and while he waited he practiced what River had taught him. He opened himself. He closed himself. He opened. He closed. Over and over. It still wasn't easy, but he figured it would become as natural as swimming soon enough, which wasn't a hopeful thought. He still couldn't believe what she'd told him. Rotted sleth-that's what his family was! And here he was himself most a.s.suredly practicing some form of the abomination.

”He's not coming,” whispered Legs. ”It's past time.”

What did this boy do-count the seconds? ”Since when do the blind know what time it is?” asked Talen.

”The mosquitoes have begun to rise. The mice and deer are moving. Morning's coming.”

Mice and mosquitoes? Then Talen realized he had indeed just shooed away a mosquito. He looked to the eastern horizon and saw the faintest lightening of the sky over the peaks of the mountains. The boy was right.

”So you're not blind?” asked Talen.

”I'm blind. I just pay attention.”

Talen grunted. What had happened to Nettle? Was he sleeping peacefully, knowing that coming out would only reveal them, or was he on some table being put to the question?

Talen whispered, ”What else have you been paying attention to besides deer and mice?”

”Nothing,” said Legs. ”If the dreadmen know we're here, then they don't care.”

”Or they're waiting for daylight to get a good look at us. Give me your hand,” said Talen. ”It's time for us to go.”

”You're just going to leave him?”

”I don't see that we have much choice,” said Talen. ”Besides, Uncle Argoth's with him.”

”Maybe they have him too,” whispered Legs.

”Then our only hope is to muster the rest of this . . . Order.”

”Nest” is what he had wanted to say, but he just could not apply that term to Da, River, and Ke. He didn't know what terms to use. Sleth, good soul-eaters, bad Divines-it was all a bewildering mess.

Legs held his hand out. Talen took it, and then they picked their way carefully down the line of brambles. The forest canopy here was thick, and as a result, squelched almost all growth on the forest floor. Still, he had to keep an eye out for branches that would crack under foot and give them away.

They pa.s.sed a fat chestnut, and Legs yanked on Talen's hand.

”What?”

”There's something dead here.”

Talen paused and smelled the air. Some carca.s.s was indeed rotting nearby. The leaves off to their left suddenly rustled.

Talen froze. His heart began to palpitate. The last thing he wanted was to stumble upon some bear's or wildcat's kill. But then, Argoth had dogs, and they would have smelled this out long ago. They would have chased off any cat or bear.

The leaves rustled again.

Whatever made the noise, it was something smaller than a bear or wildcat: a weasel or badger perhaps. Talen's heart calmed.

He realized he hadn't seen Nettle's dogs. Nor had he seen Blue or Queen back at home. They'd often go hunting in the evenings, but they never stayed away. They always came home before it got too late. He wondered if the beast gotten them?

He thought of River running out to draw that thing and a gloom descended upon him. Da had fought it to no avail. It had eluded the cohorts of the fortress. Surely, one girl, even with River's talents, could not best it. He wanted more than ever to get to the Creek Widow's to see if River had arrived. They needed to move faster.

”This way,” he whispered to Legs and pulled on his hand. ”We're going to take the roads.”

”Won't that be risky?” asked Legs.

”Yes, but I don't know the woods in these parts like I do at home. We'll be stumbling about. If we're going to sneak, I want to do it quickly.”

They left the line of bramble and, as carefully as they could, took a direct route to the road. Not too much later he saw the road cutting like a pale ribbon through the dark woods. When they came to the road's edge, they stood in the darkness of the forest for some time watching and listening. When Talen was satisfied they were alone, he led Legs out onto the moonlit road, and hand-in-hand they went, Legs keeping his other hand out in front of him so something didn't smack him in the face. Down the hill they walked, to the first crossroads, took a left over a muddy brook, then made their way around the bend where a woodikin had been spotted last year, and along the Misty Falls trail.

Their grip became wet with sweat. ”Change hands,” said Talen. He released his grip and switched his bow to the other hand.

”We'll go faster if you just give me a stick,” said Legs.

”I don't doubt it,” said Talen. ”But the last thing we need is for someone to hear you rattling along. Change hands.”

And it wasn't just hunters he was worried about. What if that beast was out here? The whole incident with that thing back at the house was unreal. But River's comments about him were more disturbing. So he could handle astonis.h.i.+ng amounts of Fire, so what? She'd made it sound like he'd been put together by some carpenter. And the whole business about Mother pouring out her life into him and her odd comment about him needing a flaw. What did it all mean? A hundred questions coursed through his mind. But all of them came back to the fact that he was walking a lonely road in the middle of the night, holding hands with this hatchling like a lover.

”So did your mother teach you anything about the black arts?”

”They're not black,” said Legs.

”No, of course not. There's just that ragged dirt and gra.s.s monster killing people left and right and chasing down our women. But other than that, I'm sure the whole business is as pure as the morning's dew. So, did she teach you anything?”

”She taught me that some people are idiots,” said Legs.

Talen looked down at the boy and his wild hair. ”You've got a lot of squeak for a little man. Look, you and I are in the same boat, heading down the same river toward the same rapids. Besides, having been worked on by not only my father and my mother, but now also my loving sister, I suppose I'm more hatchling than you.”

And it was true. Lords and lice, what would the Bailiff say now?

They took another few steps in silence.

”Do you trust your sister and father?” Legs asked.

”Do you trust yours?”

”I'm blind,” he said. ”I've had to trust them all my life.”

”So it doesn't bother you that your mother is sleth?”

”Sleth isn't the word we use,” said Legs. ”Weren't you listening?”