Exile's Gate (57 page)

"You can see the city," Hesiyyn said, looking over his shoulder.

"Goodbye to it," Chei said and seemed lost already in the Gate's spell.

They
had reached the last of the road. After this it was the barren, rocky
slope leading to the Gate itself, tracked and scarred with hundreds of
feet, with the hooves of horses, the wheels of wagons; and here
Morgaine drew rein.

"Go
through," she bade Chei and Hesiyyn with a wave of her arm. "I have yet
something to see to from this side. I will overtake you, have no fear
of it."

Chei
drew up on his reins and used his heels, for the red roan fought to
turn away, and Hesiyyn circled his horse to distract it from full
flight.

"Rhanin," Chei said.

"The gate will give no warning when it seals. There is no time! If he comes, he comes. We cannot wait for him. Go through!"

Chei
reined hard over and about again, holding the roan as it fought to get
the bit. There was a frown on his face. He looked at Vanye then, full
at him, and Vanye held his breath as Chei turned the horse yet again.

And back again, hard-reining it. This time as he came about, it was a wary look, a more and more misgiving look.

"Like the horses, is it? Send us through—
first?"

"That
you go at all is my lady's gift!" Vanye shouted at him. Gate-force
oppressed the air, like impending storm. Hair crackled and metal stung
when the hand brushed it, as he felt after his sword-hilt. "Go through!"

Chei's
hand went to his own hilt; and in the same instant he cast a sudden and
wide-eyed look toward Morgaine, toward a threat far more substantial
than steel.

"My lord," Hesiyyn said anxiously, fighting his horse steady. "My lord, likely it is safe. The lady has—"

"—set
the gate herself," Chei said; and looked her direction; and Vanye's,
slowly, with a hard hand on the reins. "Is that it? Is it a trap, eh?"

"She set no trap," Vanye said.

"No?" There was long silence. "Then it is his you suspect. Is it
not?
Is it not?"

Vanye said nothing at all. He could think of nothing to say.

"Oh, my friend," Chei said quietly. "What are you prepared to do? Threaten us with death—to make us risk that?"

"Death is not a risk here," Morgaine said. "It is a certainty.
There,
in the gate, is the only doubt. Take it."

"Or
you will kill us. What good are we then?" Again Chei turned the horse
about, and drew it in with a hard hand. "How will you know? How will
you ever know that it is safe?"

"The
risk is to one," Morgaine said. "That is the truth. And it will not be
myself; and it will not be Vanye. I promise you that." She lifted her
hand.
"This
need not kill."

Chei stared at her, very long. Then he looked, slowly, toward Vanye.

"Forgive her," Vanye said. "She has no choice."

"Not forgive
you?"

"She has no choice. I have. And for her sake—I cannot take it. I cannot even offer you fair fight."

"It is not any grudge. Is it?"

"No,
my lord. Not in this. Skarrin is waiting—within the gate. We could not
dislodge him. That is the truth. That is the trap. One of us—will host
our enemy."

Chei
laughed—laughed, shortly and silently; and laughed a second time,
reining the red horse about yet again. "He would. He would, the
bastard.
That
was what he meant."

"That was what he meant."

A
third laugh, shortest of all. "The boy urges me there is a logic in
this. He has had his revenge. He confuses me. He urges me—we are best
suited to this fight. It is his revenge on me. Or mine on him.
Damn you to hell, boy!
Damn you and all your choices!—Hesiyyn." He took up on the reins, turning aside. "Hesiyyn!"

"No, my lord!" Hesiyyn cried, and rode his horse across Chei's path.

"I
will race you for it," Chei said, and cracked the rein ends down on the
roan and drove with his heels. The red horse went, as Hesiyyn fought
the bay about and into a run. "Let
him
choose!"

The gate took them. One—and the other. Hesiyyn did not slow at all.

Vanye
shut his eyes, and rested so, a long, long moment, till he heard
Morgaine ride up beside him, until living warmth brushed against him.
He looked then, at the vacant gate that loomed above them, with blue
sky shimmering again where dark had showed for an instant.

"It is safe now," she said, and reached and rested her hand on his arm.

"It
was Chei and Qhiverin," he said then. He was trembling, as if the
gate-cold had gotten to his bones. "Skarrin—is their enemy. And
Hesiyyn's. But Chei is overmatched. Both of them—are overmatched."

"Skarrin has had only one body," Morgaine said.

He looked toward her then.

"Chei
was right," Morgaine said, "altogether right. They are peculiarly apt
for that fight. And Skarrin is their enemy." Her fingers tightened. "We
have given them such as we could. It is all the charity we have. Nhi
Vanye—"

There
were tears in her voice finally. He was glad of that. Her burden was
absolute, and older; and that she still could weep—gave him hope for
himself, in such a time, after so many journeys.

He
took her hand in his and held it till the horses moved apart, fingertip
parting from fingertip. Siptah was bound for the gate. Arrhan followed,
of her own accord.

Gray horse and white. Dark rider and light. There was no knowing where they were bound, except they went together.