Adversaries Together (31 page)

“
I’ll be heading off
today.” Kira was startled by Reg’s voice, as he seemed to come out
of nowhere standing next to his horse behind her.

“
What? What do you mean?”
She pulled her tunic tighter and stood.

“
I need to head to my home;
I’ve got a boy to take care of.”

“
He’s alone?”

“
He’s with his aunt in
Arderra. But she rather hates me so I donna want to leave little
Colm with her too long.” Reg harnessed his horse and tossed a few
saddlebags over it, “last thing I need is that boy made soft or
poisoned against me.” He winked at Kira. She couldn’t help but
smile. Reg was a kind, rough soul, and she’d miss his levity around
the fire.

“
Will it be safe for
you?”

“
For me? I don’t see why
not. Safer than staying, I’d say.” He snorted a bit as he walked
over to another horse, the one that Roth had been riding, “Not to
say you’re in danger, girlie. But I gave up free ranging a long
time ago; I need to get back to my damn fence and
sheps.”

Kira wandered over absentmindedly patting
Reg’s horse, “You’re a shepherd then?”

“
Kinda fitting, yeah?” He
laughed and gave Roth’s horse an apple from his pocket.

Kira smiled, “A steady hand you are Reg.
We’ll miss you.”

“
Oh, I hardly think so.
Roth’ll mind you well and those two,” Reg nodded to Fery and Wynne
who were just now rising, “It’s clear, they care about you. And
they believe in you.”

“
They seem to. Roth,” she
shook her head, “I don’t know… At times, he seems like he hates me,
he hates the Light. I can’t seem to get him…”

“
He hates The Cathedral,
faith is different.” Reg stopped what he was doing and pointed at
her.

“
The Cathedral is the
faith.” Kira said by rote.

“
Your faith wouldn’t have
thrown you away as an alm, your clergy did that.”

Kira nodded slightly, “That’s true. It’s
just.” She shook her head, “Things are getting muddled.”

“
It’ll get worse before it
gets better, girlie.” Reg patted the horse satisfied and came back
over to her and his horse, “I’ve seen your devotions, you don’t do
them for comfort, you don’t do them out of habit; you’re
sincere.”

“
Of course I
am.”

“
Many and most aren’t. The
faithful aren’t so much.”

“
But they
believe.”

“
They do because it’s what
they’ve been told, they do because it’s ordinary to do it, they do
because to not makes ya stick out.”

“
Like the
Athingani.”

“
Yeah, and
others”

“
Heatheners.”

“
Just the surface,
girlie.”

“
But the Light isn’t about
that.”

“
You needn’t convince
me.”

Kira was taken aback, “You’re one of the
faithful? I just thought…you never…”

“
I don’t sway with The
Cathedral. Neither does Roth. I suspect that the Rikonenese don’t
either. But know we all have our creeds.”

“
I know that.” Kira
whispered.

“
Do ya?” Reg pressed,
“Well, then, you also know there’s less distance between us than
between your faith and your clergy.”

“
I’m going to miss
you.”

“
You’ll be down at the
homestead for Imbolc; Colm will fall in love with you.” Reg assured
her.

He swung himself on his horse and leaned down
to tussle her hair. Kira laughed and slapped his hand away, “You’re
leaving soon?”

“
Roth’ll be back with game
soon, you’ll eat, an’ then you’ll head out.” He pulled his horse
around and began to trot on leading his other stead behind him,
then pulled up short for a moment, “You tell Roth, I expect to see
you all again soon.”

“
Will do.” Kira said trying
to sound as much like the burly Novosar as possible. She watched
him ride off and then turned to back to camp. As she came up on the
others, she saw that Fery had just arisen and was wrapping up her
pack. She smiled as Kira approached, “Up with the sun
again?”

“
Yes.” Kira felt a
lightness she hadn’t felt in a long while.

Eastern Novostos Coast

Goshen stood on the shore staring at the
karve as Declan scuttled it. They had made it out of the city with
only the minimal amount of difficulty, due more to his lack of
fitness than to anything else. Whatever was in the gruel they had
feed him it was wreaking havoc with his body. A combination of dry
heaving that only produced a mouth full of acid and a burning bowel
that left him shaking and unable to go average distances without
finding a privy. Finding one was rarity. Being free again was
something, but he was still wretched, shitting himself when he
slept, and having to vomit in the streets (and too often the other
way around), feeling hollow in all ways.

Declan viewed him with a combination of
amusement and annoyance. There was a kind of patience to him; he
never reproached Goshen for this ailment. To the citizens of
Bandra, he was a beggar. The baju that Declan had him dress in was
black, rough spun hemp so it kept his stains to a noticeable
minimum and let everyone around him know he was a slummer. Declan
was disguised in a standard vigils uniform, so the game they had
played through the streets of Bandra was of a beggar being herded
away from decent folk. It worked quite well and the reality of this
farce only deepened Goshen’s depression.

Once out of the city they hugged the tree
line south along the coast. Declan had only said that Jena would be
waiting for them. Two days later, here they were at a surprisingly
bright beach of…not even a cove, he thought, more just an inlet. He
turned away from the boat he and Declan had taken to get there to
the ship that was apparently going to take them the rest of the
way. The trimaran looked flimsy but even he had heard stories of
their speed up in the landlocked Lakes. Goshen suspected they’d
have to drag it out even once the tide came in. Jena was attending
to it when they came upon came up into the cove. Declan had called
loud enough to be heard, but she had registered no recognition. Yet
Declan didn’t seem care as he came to the boat and tossed in his
pack and sword.

“
So he didn’t shit himself
to death.” Jena said as Goshen approached. Declan sat on the edge
of the trimaran grinning like a fool at him.

“
Naw, it weren’t so rough.
Though he did make for a convincing slummer.” He pointed to some
gear near Goshen and gestured for him to hand them to him. Goshen
picked it up slowly since he was still a bit shaky.

“
Let’s hope so. Let’s also
hope he can manage.”

Handing a large coil of rope to Declan,
Goshen said plainly, “If not, he’ll paddle well enough. What about
you?”

Jena raised her head and stared at him
incredulous, “You two are going to sit on this sad craft like two
hull snails, while I’m going to guide us. When I tell you to handle
the tack, you better do it quick and do it right. Though I doubt
you have any fucking idea how to sail.”

“
These husks tied together
hardly make a ship.” Declan said snidely.

“
You can fucking swim to
Arderra then.” Jena threw back.

Declan raised his hands in appeasement,
“You’re the captain.”

She turned back to Goshen, “And when I tell
you to paddle, you paddle hard.”

Goshen grabbed the side of the boat and
looked it up and down. It was a small ship, maybe twelve spans
long, not more than five wide with two masts only slightly smaller.
There wasn’t much room; it looked like there’d barely be enough
room for the three of them and the gear. Goshen studied the oars he
had just given Declan. They were longer than paddles but much
shorter than the oars he had seen on standard triremes and biremes.
The boat was a bit odd to Goshen’s eyes; he couldn’t quite make out
how the rigging and sail would work. How Jena was going to pilot
this boat he had no idea, and he hardly cared. He just wanted to be
away and the idea of being in the middle of the sea and even dying
there, swept out to The Deep seemed fitting.

“
He’s a got a point
though,” Goshen said to Jena, “This doesn’t look like it’ll handle
the open sea.”

“
We won’t be out that long
or that far.” Jena looked at him from under her brown as she was
winding some cord, “Besides, what does a lakelander
know?”

“
Going coasting once we’re
beyond Bandra.” Declan said plainly as he lifted two small barrels
into the stern.

“
This is barely bigger than
a faering.” Goshen tapped his hands on the boat.

“
Oh, so you do know
something about sailing?” Declan grinned

“
Shut your mouths and start
pulling us out.” Jena pointed to the inlet starting to fill with
tidewater.

“
We’re pulling it and
rowing it,” Declan jumped down and picked up a line, tossed another
at Goshen, “She’s the brains and we’re the muscle.”

“
I’m both,” Jena sneered,
“and you two imbeciles are my burdens.”

“
Which is why she treats us
like beasts.” Declan laughed and began to tug the line.

“
I don’t see why we can’t
discuss what’s going on.” Goshen stood still and Declan paused,
turned, and gave him a testy, pleading look.

Jena leapt down out of the boat and strode to
Goshen; he began to say something when the next thing he knew he
was on his back in the water. Jena was on his chest; she pulled him
up out of the pool, and then punched him in the face. He felt a
tear just under his eye, she dropped him back into the water, and
he felt a foot stomp on his chest. It all happened in just a few
moments, when Goshen got himself up and righted himself he saw her
climbing back into the boat.

“
Put us into the fucking
sea.” Jena barked.

The Cathedral of Sulecin

Sinclar tugged at a string and the blinds
turned open, he then pulled harder and they went up bathing the
small stone room in golden light. His eyes closed, the light poured
over him. He could feel the heat on his naked chest, his skin
tightening at the cool touch of air. In a low monotone, Sinclar
began the First Prayer of the Living Sun in the First Tongue:

Obi adia sec mor

Obi iura, venic

Obi dous, fait

Obi erat, herc

Obi lieglas, glas

Not even halfway through the incantation,
there was a pounding on the door. It torn him from his trance’s
early stage. He opened his eyes, his pupils narrowed as the light
flared his vision and his brow furrowed.

The pounding came again, “Damn it!” he
roared. Standing, he spun around taking two bounding steps to the
door and flinging it open to see Vander and Ebon. The two were
obviously distressed but seemed to cower even more before Sinclar.
Naked but for a waistcloth, he shot out an arm and grasped Vander
by the throat, the pushed him back against the wall. Sinclar’s face
was twisted and sour, his rage acute.

“
By the Light, what do you
think you are doing?” Sinclar’s grip tightened as Vander’s eyes
bulged.

“
Vicegerent! Please! This
is urgent. We wouldn’t have interrupted your devotions if it hadn’t
been.” Ebon grabbed ahold of Sinclar’s arm and tried in vain to
pull him off Vander. Sinclar’s arm was like steel, Ebon like a
child. Vander was gurgling about to pass out, Sinclar threw him
back into the solar then turned to Ebon.

“
Speak!”

Ebon winced and cowered, “We have news of
Ambrose and Staad.”

Sinclar struck him with the back of his hand
sending him spinning around. He let out a whimper and coughed,
blood coming from his mouth.

Vander was in the doorway now, his face still
flushed, “He’s gone, sire. He’s gone.”

“
What?” Sinclar was still
furious but his temper was lowering.

“
The paladin, sire, he was
taken from Bandra.”

He grabbed Vander by the collar, “Taken? How?
I had him sentenced as a Hopeless.”

“
He was…was…rescued. We
don’t know who but we sus…spect the wom…”

“
Where are they now!”
Sinclar’s voice was jagged with fury. He threw Vander to the ground
again.

“
We don’t know!” Ebon was
weeping still on hands and knees, he held up a hand pleading, “We
don’t know where they went. But we know…”

“
We know where the girl was
taken.” Vander said in tearful rasp.

Sinclar froze, a wicked grin crept onto his
face, “And where is that?” As neither priest answered immediately,
he let his anger disappear from his face. It was only an instant
but Sinclar’s entire demeanor changed. He reached down firmly
grabbing ahold of Ebon but lifting him to his feet gently. Although
he didn’t smile, he took great care into setting the friar upright.
He nodded at Ebon, and then reached his hand out to Vander who
clutched it thankfully and came to his feet next to Ebon.

“
I’ll ask again,” Sinclar’s
voice was clear and calm. It was the voice familiar to everyone
from his sermons, “Where has Kira been?”

“
She was not killed on the
road or at the incident in Bandra.” Ebon said.

“
The alm was taken to the
Rikonenese.” Vander added.

“
So, they have her?”
Sinclar didn’t seem surprised but curious.