Part 19 (1/2)

Andrea walked over and stretched out on her side on the ankle-high gra.s.s. ”Nice.” She unslung a small waterbag, took a sip, then offered it to Ahira, ”I don't guess that it'll be this easy from here on in.”

He took a sip and recorked the bag. ”Thanks.” He gestured at the long slope below them. Perhaps ten miles away, the lush gra.s.sland gave way to the Waste, the line of demarcation between dark, water-rich greenery and brown, sun-baked earth as sharp as a knife. Why hadn't the Waste claimed part of the gra.s.sland, or vice versa? Or had ita”no, that couldn't be: The boundary between Waste and gra.s.s curved smoothly away in the distance; a curve as even as that had to be artificial, not natural. It could be involved with the aftereffects of the wizards' battle that had created the Waste of Elrood, buta”

a”but there's no way of knowing. And it really doesn't matter.

”No, it probably won't be this easy.” He handed her the water-bag. ”And we'd better start going easy on this; I'm a bit nervous about the water supply.”

Her brow wrinkled. ”But we bought the two extra barrels in Aeryk. That should be enough, even at the rate Karl and the horses swill it, no?”

He gave her a nod. ”It should be. But should isn't always enough.” Ahira chuckled, dismissing the subject with a wave of his hand. ”Don't pay any attention; I'm just getting cynical.” For the thousandth time, he took a mental inventory of their supplies. Twelve healing draughts, sealed in gray metal bottles. Karl had wanted to use one, back in Pandathaway, to fix his sprained knee. But Ahira had overruled him; best to save the potions for emergencies, and rely on natural healing whenever possible. A sprain wasn't like a cut; it couldn't be a path for infection.

There was a score of white woolen blankets, along with the makings of an iron framework, so that they could rig a canopy over the bed of the wagon for travel in the heat of the Waste. The blankets would keep them cool during the day, and warm at night.

And then the food: dried meat and fruit, sweets for variety and quick energy, oats for the animals, a head-sized cube of gritty salta”plenty, surely, for both people and animals. No problems there.

Miscellany: a sewing kit, seven oil lanterns with twenty forearm-sized flasks of evil-smelling green oil, a flint-and-steel kit for every member of the party. A spare crossbow, with a lighter pull than Ahira's; fourscore extra quarrels for thata”if Ahira didn't need it, Hakim could handle it without much difficulty. And without much accuracy, for that matter.

And then there was the one magical implement he'd bought: a clump of dragonbane, packed carefully in a soft leather pouch. If they couldn't sneak by The Dragon, perhaps the creature's allergy to the mossy stuff would give them time enough to use the Gate.

What else? Spare knives for everyone; several hundred yards of deceptively light ropea”a knife could barely cut it; a few pounds of charcoal cubes, just in case they needed a fire when there was no wood available; hammers and spikes to use as pitons, if necessary. And thinking of wood... he raised his head. ”Karl, Hakima”we're a bit short of firewood, and we're not going to find any in the Waste. Go cut some.”

Hakim nodded, getting slowly to his feet; Karl stood quickly and spun around to face Ahira.

”What do we need more wood for?” There was only a trace of challenge in his tone.

Ahira cursed himself silently. Karl wouldn't have raised any objection if Andrea hadn't been nearby. Something had to be done about the relations.h.i.+pa”whatever it wasa”between those two.

But now wasn't the time. Ahira forced a smile and started to raise himself painfully to his feet. ”Finea”if you don't think we need it, I'll cut it myself.” He unstrapped his axe and propped it carefully against the root he'd just vacated. The battleaxe was a weapon, not a tool. ”Who saw where the woodaxe is?”

Doria trotted over, her robes flapping. ”Some problem?”

Ahira shrugged. ”It's nothinga”don't worry about it.”

Karl looked sheepish as he raised his palms, shaking his head. ”I'm sorry. My faulta”I forgot that you and your pony don't get along. I'll cut the wood.” He retrieved the woodaxe from the bed of the wagon and followed Hakim out into the woods, away from the road.

Ahira rubbed gently at his thighs. Nice of Karl to remind him. Dammit, dwarves weren't built for riding horses, and that alleged pony was a dappled demon, camouflaged. Just barely camouflaged.

On the other hand, Cullinane had been getting more considerate, ever since that first day in Pandathaway. Which reminds mea” ”Doria, why don't you and Aristobulus take a waterbag and go see if there's a spring around here. You do the walking through the brush, and let hima””

Doria's brow furrowed, ”I doubt that there's a spring. And why me?”

Because I think I'd better have a private talk with Andrea, and this is a convenient excuse to get you out of the way for a minute, and do I have to be argued with about every d.a.m.n thing? No, he sighed, that wouldn't do. ”Because of your robes.” He picked up a pebble and fingerflicked it at her sleeve; it bounced off as though it had struck a solid wall. ”We don't have to worry about you getting scratched by brush.”

She gave him a nod and a half-shrug, then walked away.

Ahira turned back to Andrea.

She smiled knowingly, brus.h.i.+ng hair away from her face, ”Alone at last, eh? Although”a”she reached out and patted him on the shouldera””I think you're a touch too short for me. No offense.”

The way she put it, it was impossible to be offended. ”None taken. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.” He hesitated. The personal relations among the group really weren't any of his concern, not unless they affected their chances of surviving, of reaching the Gate.

Then again, anything could affect their chances. ”What's the problem between you and Karl? He isn't too short for you, is he?”

She gave him a clearly pro forma grin. ”No.”

”Well, you don't blame him for our being here, do you? If wanting this has anything to do with that transfer's working, it's my fault, not Karl's.” To Cullinane, it had always been a game, no more. And from the way Karl's demeanor kept improving, as they got closer to Bremon, it was likely he'd be happier when it was just a game once again.

”No.” She looked away. ”I'm not that stupid.”

Ahira snorted. ”You're not stupid at all. You've been treating him like a leper. I'm sure you've got your reasons; I'd like to know what they are.” Andrea, I don't care who you sleep with, or who you don't sleep with. But Cullinane's all bent out of shape over you, and that could blunt him as a warrior. I want him thinking about our survival, not about you. ”Maybe there's something I could do?”

”No.” She shook her head slowly. ”There's not a whole lot that can be done about it.” Her fingers grasped the air clumsily. ”He's kind of... I don't knowa”how well did you know him, back on the other side?”

”Not all that well. I don't think I saw him more than three, four times outside of the games.” Ahira smiled. ”And we didn't take any of the same cla.s.sesa”I don't think Karl's gotten around to majoring in computer sciences, yet.”

”Not yet.” She sighed, ”But give him time. He keeps getting involved in different things.”

”A dilettante. Can't stick to one interest.”

”No. Well, yes, but it's more than that. He's... sort of a monomaniac, gets completely, intensely into whatever he's interested in....” She rubbed at her temples with stiffened fingers. ”And he kind of extracts whatever he got into it for, then drops it and goes on to something else.” She let her hands drop into her lap, then raised her eyes to meet his. ”I know I'm not expressing myself well, but do you understand?”

”It sounds like you're scared of being, err, seduced and abandoned. No?”

”I knew I wasn't explaining it wella”it's not like that at all.” Her pursed lips spread into a broad, self-a.s.sured smile, ”Do you think I'm the sort of woman who gets seduced and abandoned, Ahira?” Extending a finger, she waved it under his nose. ”Do you?''

Her tone was light and playful, but he sensed a serious undercurrent. ”No, I don't. I think you can handle any sort of relations.h.i.+p, whether it's whatever you've got going with Hakim or”a”he chuckleda””something a bit more distant with a neurotic dwarf.”

She laughed. ”Thank you. But you and Walter aren't the problem. It's Karl and his G.o.ddama””

”Ahira!” Doria ran toward them, her robes flapping, breathlessly waving a dripping sc.r.a.p of cloth, anda”

Dripping? He jumped to his feet. ”What is thaa””

”We found it!” She stopped in front of him, taking a few moments to catch her breath. ”Aristobulus and Ia”we found the spring, back in the brush.” She shook her head. ”It's amazinga”it just burbles out of a crack in the rock, and then drains back into another one. We couldn't even see it until we were practically on top of it. How in the world did you know that there'd be one?”

Andrea hid a chuckle behind her hand. Sending Doria and Aristobulus off to find a spring had been a distraction.

Ahira looked at her and shrugged. ”Serendipity, Doria.” Well, there'd be a chance to try to straighten out Andrea later. ”Simple serendipity.”

”What?”

”It's when you dig for worms, and strike gold.” He raised his voice. ”Hakim, Karla”they found a spring. It's water this morning, soup for lunch, and baths for dessert.” No need to worry about the water supply, not anymore. With seven full barrels, all people and animals well watered, the week-long trek across the Waste should be easy.

Well, relatively easy.

Doria shook his head. ”I don't understand.”

”Don't worry about it.” He looked at Andrea, spreading his hands as though to say that they'd finish the discussion later, when they again had a little privacy; she nodded. Ahira turned back to Doria and pulled a trick from Hakim's repertoire: He breathed on his fingernails and buffed them lightly across his chest. ''Sometimes I'm so clever I don't even understand myself.”

Karl and his horse were the first to reach the Waste; Ahira had let him range ahead a bit, and he liked that. He was relaxed, even comfortable on his large, reddish-brown mare; the fore-and-aft peaked saddle supported him well. But it wasn't just the saddle. Karl was taking full advantage of having his Barak persona to draw on: His thigh muscles held him firmly to the seat, his hips s.h.i.+fted automatically to keep him firmly astride, instead of bouncing on his tailbone, the way that the rest had been for most of the trip, until they gradually learned how to ride.