Part 7 (1/2)
”No offense,” the Guilds back several paces ”I ht not have had a little too ate the contents of the wagon Hedetection, invented this ridiculous story of an old est that yon noic-user who has rowled Hornsbuck, looking at Mika for words of hot denial But Mika could barely keep his eyes fro much less speak eloquently in his own defense
Hornsbuck looked at Mika with disgust, Mika's very silence daround at Mika's feet, then turned and shoved his way back through the crowd, flinging drivers froave Mika a shahter frohty nomads revealed to be no less human than themselves
”Wait!” muttered Mika, but nobody paid him any attention
”Tryin' to steal a little so driver with only one eye ”I alius said them stuck-up sons of a she-eren't nothin' special”
”Wonder if he found anything?” co at Mika to see if there were any suspicious lumps concealed on his body
Finally, Mika was left alone Sinking to the ground, he cradled his aching head on his arhts in order, but it was iht, it splintered into hundreds of others trailing confusion in their wake
Mika sat there for a long time At last, just as thelifted fro against the side of the wagon, ar hion,” he said, his anger building rapidly
”There was an old on, I saw him do it And I've seen him before It was at the River Fler He put a spell on me there that paralyzed me He tried to kill me this time and would have succeeded had I not protectedthe truth Call the driver The ic-user's spell seemed to affect him, too Get Cob up here, if he canthe truth!”
”That's not necessary,” said the Guildsman, with a wave of his hand ”I've no doubt that you're telling the truth”
”Then why did you rily
”Because it would doover their shoulders for the re their pants at every shadow,” the Guilds us is your job, Master Wolf Whether against bandits or ic-users So do it! That is e hired you for, to protect us Or have you forgotten that? And how do I know that this on? After all, you are the only one who's seen him and the only one he's hurt
”It seeh that they hired this ic-user and instructed him to turn you into a rock I wish hie you to count your enemies and try not to cause any more trouble between here and Eru-Tovar or I shall keepMika with one last cold gaze, the Guildsman turned on his heel and stalked away
Mika was shaking with fury, and he held his tongue with difficulty, wondering for the first tiet Perhaps the wife of the baker back in Yecha had followed through with her tearful threats to tell her husbandNohe had kissed her and she had quite forgotten her co over a list of all who had grievances against hied slowly back to his own bedroll
”Co for the first time that the as not at his side But Tam did not appear
Memory flooded back, and Mika remembered with a rush, the ind sequence of events of his encounter with the ust of wind had struck Tam in mid-air, while he was outside of Mika's aura of protection It had tumbled him head over tail out of the direct area of confrontation Yet Mika had heard hi bolt struck
Mika was overcoan to pound as he looked around hi for the wolf It was dark, yet Mika persisted and found the wolf at last
Ta down, his s and tail stretched out behind hi
”Ta to the wolf's side He placed a tre, albeit erratically, against his palm Mika ith relief Ta to sreat wolf, knowing from his own experience that the wolf could probably hear hi that it didn't kill you Probably just gave you one hell of a good, stiff jolt Stiff enough to stand your fur on end Then he ood measure My spell of invulnerability protected ht that one, too And you were probably as confused as I was
”Don't worry, Ta coently over onto his side, slipped an arround
Tam was nearly as tall as Mika from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, and he was now as hard as a rock and equally as heavy He was hard to hold on to, and he kept slipping out of Mika's arround and lay there on his back until Mika was able to heave hi, with one hand on the stiffened tip of his tail, the ani out on the opposite side He carried hi for the fire
Mika had almost reached his own ca hion The trickle faltered and then stopped coape
Mika glared at hi the driver to speak as he strode past ”What's thea wolf before?”
Chapter 8
FALLING INTO A DEEP SLEEP after tucking his cloak around the stricken wolf, Mika had wakened to chaos and Hornsbuck's rough hand on his shoulder
”Wake up! Mischiefs afoot,” he said gruffly
Mika leaped to his feet, sword in his hand, ready for anything from bandits to kobolds But all he saas sand
He blinked his eyes, hoping, wondering if it were so affect of the spell But when he opened his eyes the vieas the saone, as was the lush carpet of grass In their place was a barren hill sprinkled with a thin covering of grease bushes and rocks The htened eyes, swords drawn uselessly against an unseen eneic Illusion,” Mika said Thirst already clawed at his throat even though he had drunk his fill of the sater only a few short hours before
”Oh, no,” he groaned as a thought hit him and he ran to the nearest pile of harnesses and packs and stared in disone,” hethat it was by his order that the men had emptied the skins and filled them ater fro tactic, nothingworse? Who was putting obstacles in their path?
The sun was rising fast over the edge of the horizon and already thedrink The horses, while quieter, were restless and shaking their heads fro in low tones and casting black glances at Mika
The no their horses Their years of training and self-discipline enabled them to exhibit a calm front, but Mika knew that they were surely filled with the sas of fear and uncertainty
”WeHornsbuck to the far edge of the wagons ”No matter what the Guildsman says, we cannot continue without water Even he will be forced to agree”
”I do agree,” said the Guilds up at Mika's back ”But look yonder-stor this way fast I warrant they will be here no later than midday I say that we continue on We should be able to fill our waterskins with ease, and the rain will bring on the grass The horses and ood time”
”What do you think, Hornsbuck?” asked Mika, unwilling to do the rowled Hornsbuck as he stroked his beard and squinted at the rapidly approaching front ”Black, heavy Full of rain, no doubt Be hell to pay if they catch us in the open Never get back to the forest before they hit Lose tiree Though he was anxious to have the trip over and done with, it ht up in a foul storm So they saddled the horses, loaded the pack aniainst the advance of the o black clouds that stretched across the entire northern horizon
The animals were nervous and allowed the humans to do as they wished Theand loud, each outburst setting off others until the whole camp echoed with their cries Even the wolves were affected and lifted their muzzles and howled forlornly till everyone, even the nomads, were half-crazed
”I've never seen nuthin' like this 'afore,” cursed the one-eyed driver ”Stupid animals”
But Mika had his doubts and eyed the stor if it were truly an act of nature or another apparition
Yet the storm was real and hit theht have been better had they reons into a circle before the curtain of wind and rain smashed into them