The Warrior Returns - Anteros 04 (48 page)

I could smell it. Taste its metallic edge. Hear the bully winds blow just beyond.

"Let's go home, Emilie," I said.

I felt her stir in my arms and suddenly we were back in the temple.

"Thank you for showing me the snow, Emilie," I said. "I couldn't have found it on my own."

Emilie shrugged, unimpressed with her own powers. "That's okay," she said. "It was easy."

"The snowstorm doesn't seem many weeks away," I said.

"I told you," Emilie replied. 'The first snow of winter. Just in time for my birthday.

"I'll be stronger then. That's what the pretty lady said, anyway. But I don't know. I'm kind of little, Aunt
Rali
. I don't think I can get that strong all at once, do you?"

"I can't answer that, dear," I said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Even if I'm not," she said, "you can use the leaf. Just like Janela and Uncle Amalric. Because soon as it snows, that leafs going to be ready. And it'll fall off and I'll make up this—this—great big spell. And then the war will be all over. And maybe the pretty lady will let my mother and father come back and live with me again."

I looked up at the statue of the goddess. Her back was to me. And I thought, How like you. Turn around, O Great Goddess. Whom we all worship like fools. Turn around and answer the child. You explain why her mother and father can't come back. You explain why every member of her family has been slain. And while you're at it, maybe you can explain it to me.

Thankfully, Emilie became restless and squirmed out of my lap. She went over to the potted tree.

"I can make it snow without a storm, Aunt Rali," she said. "Do you want to see?"

I nodded, and she wriggled her fingers above the tree, piping:
"Emiliesays!"

Suddenly flakes of snow fluttered from beneath her hand and drifted down on the tree.

Emilie giggled, wriggling her fingers harder, making more snow fall. Some fell on the leaf, causing it to shake and jingle like the market bells on a horse-drawn sleigh. The flakes didn't melt but fell to the floor quite whole. I swept them up with my mortal hand and they crumbled like dust.

I started to blow the snow dust into Emilie's grinning face, then stopped.

"Could you make a little more of this, Emilie?" I asked. I pointed to the cup. "Enough to fill that?"

"Are you going to make a spell, Aunt Rali?" she asked.

"Yes, dear," I said. "And I'll need some
Emiliesays
dust to make it."

She laughed at that and wriggled her fingers to make more snow, chanting
Emiliesays
over and over again.

And later, when Quatervals led the scouting party out of the gates, I had the cup and her kiss to arm me against what lay ahead.

the rain had
been replaced by a heavy mist that swirled around us like a watery cloak as we moved across the muddy swamp of the battleground. The mud and mist made it difficult going. There were sodden timbers of wrecked war machines to trip us up and stab us with pike-length splinters of wood. Abandoned fighting pits and trenches were invisible pools of muck to trap us and suck us down. In one place corpses floated out of their graves, rotted arms outstretched to embrace us.

Quatervals took the lead, displaying his vaunted talents as a scout by steering us past all danger. We must've looked like a giant centipede as we scuttled across the muck, weaving this way and that, blindly following Quatervals' signals. Sometimes he'd pause, tapping my hand to wait. I'd tap Pip, who in turn would signal Derlina. And we'd all stop as if we were a single creature. When whatever danger had existed passed by,

Quatervals would tap and move forward, and off we'd go again.

We traveled like that for a time, then we came on the firmer ground of trampled grass. I felt greater weight on my legs and knew we were moving up an incline. Then the mist lightened and I could see the piled logs and boulders of a barricade. Beyond that was enemy territory.

One of our patrols was waiting for us there. It'd been their job to find and clear any ambushes that might've been set up. Now that we'd arrived at the jumpoff point, they'd hurry back and report to Palmeras so the flare clock could be started and the first diversion launched.

Hasty hand signals were flashed. No one had been seen behind us. No enemy patrols were immediately ahead.

Then they pressed our palms to wish us luck and hurried
back to Galana.
¹

While we waited, I crept up on the barricade and peered up the hillside with my ethereye. I saw the shimmer of Novari's first shield and searched along its edges for a flaw. The shield was meant both to block any magical attack and to give the alarm if anyone broke through. But it had to protect so much ground that I knew it'd make an imperfect fit There'd be small hollows and dips big enough for us to get under.

I found a possible spot not too far distant. I jabbed a golden finger at that point, held it steady, then slipped a sniffer through. Knowing Novari, I did so quite cautiously. I snaked the tendril about, probing for the alarm net. I felt a familiar tingle as I touched the first strand and snatched the tendril back.

Nothing happened. My touch had been too light to trigger the alarm.

I took courage and probed about again, locating the strand. I felt out from there, nerves popping as I found a second and a third and then so many that my spiritself was a continuous buzz of discovery. No matter where I probed, I found an alarm strand. And in no place was there space enough to slip through. Pride kept me going, but I finally gave up and flopped over on my back to rest. I cleared my mind and setded into a soldier's cold comfort. It was someone else's job now. It was Palmeras' turn.

The first flare went off, a hot burst of sorcerous fire that shot up from the valley and hovered over us for long moments, spitting sparks into the night.

We all rose to our feet. My comrades looked at me, waiting for the signal. I shook my head and held out a finger, telling them to wait. I pointed up, then forward, meaning we'd go with the diversion.

Just then I heard a great horn blare from above. We looked up. Above Galana we saw the moon glowing dimly through the haze. The horn blew again and the moon seemed to burn hotter and then a wide fiery road rolled out across the sky, sweeping the mist aside, plowing it into big boiling hills and banks.

We heard the drum of giant hooves and armor rattling like thunder. A spectral cavalry burst forth, Palmeras at the lead, and charged along the Otherworld highway. They were huge ghostly figures, formed of mist and magic. Their armor and weapons shone like the Gods Hearth itself. Their bellowed war cries slammed against the enemy hillsides like the Gods Hearth hammer.

Palmeras' roar sounded above all the others and he waved his sword, crying out for his enemy to come meet him.

My heart leaped at his cry and I thought then that nothing could beat us. But no sooner had that thought formed then I heard the twang of a lyre string, sounding the alarm. Then there was a whole stream of golden harp notes forming around the enemy encampment. Out of that stream boiled a second spectral cavalry. Black armor and golden swords and mailed horses with spiked hooves. Emblazoned on their shields was the symbol of the Lyre Bird.

A huge wizard in armor of silver and black led the charge. His great beard and streaming hair were tied up in flaming ribbons and he made an awesome sight as he rushed to meet Palmeras' challenge, screaming:

"For Novari!"

And his wizard warriors roared back: "For Novari!"

Pip tugged my sleeve and whispered in my ear: "That be Kato, Cap'n."

Then the two ghostly armies clashed, horses rearing and screaming, wizard warriors flailing about with their swords.

As the ghostly battle raged above us, I leaped off the barricade and raced up the hill, the others at my heels. I led them to the large hollow beneath the first shield. I stopped there, indicated how to go, then slithered through. Twenty paces beyond, my senses brought up short at the second shield—more like an immense magical close-woven fishnet. I wasn't worried about setting off an alarm now. Palmeras had covered that. However, any rent I made would have to be immediately repaired. Otherwise the gap would be noticed as soon as the diversion ended. I carefully picked the magical fence apart, making space enough for the largest of us—Derlina. After we'd gone through, I quickly put everything back the way it was. And I powdered the area with
Emiliedust
to eliminate my spoor.

Derlina took us to the top of the first hill. Any opposition we met at this point would have to be overwhelmed immediately. She had her axe up and chin set, long legs eating the distance at a furious rate. I pitied any mere mortal who got in her way.

Just before we reached the top, the thunder and hghtning of the battle stopped. The abrupt silence that followed was so sudden that the sound of my running boot heels seemed shockingly loud.

Then we were at the top, crouching among low boulders, catching our breath and getting our bearings. All of us, I noticed, sneaked peeks overhead. Marveling at the empty sky. Wondering if we'd only imagined Palmeras' grand diversion.

Then the second flare lit the sky, to remind us how real this was. We had two hours to go.

The haze Palmeras had promised was closing, and I had little time to study our surroundings before we were blinded.

Beyond our perch was a dark rolling landscape dotted with hundreds of campfires.

Novari was erecting her secret weapon somewhere in that wide wing of hills. I had no doubt that's what she was doing. After seeing all the sorcerous machines in Galana, it was a logical conclusion. I knew Novari's preference for such machines. I'd slaved in her mines to feed one.

As I looked out at the hills and myriad fires, the problem looked enormous. Where could it be? Which way should we search first?

Then the mist enveloped us and all vanished from view.

I got out Emilie's cup of magical dust and, shaking it like a baker shaking flour, coiled the white powder along the ground in the shape of a snake. I made the head a bit broader than the body.

Then I unwrapped the silver splinter I'd kept from my ship. I kissed it, whispered an apology, and pierced the snake's head to make an eye.

I held my golden etherhand over the snake head and chanted:

"Fang and venom.

Venom and song.

The Lyre Bird sings

And the serpent stings

But serpent and bird are one.

Sister find your nest.

Brother find your mate.

Fang and venom.

Venom and song."

The
Emiliedust
snake stirred on the ground, white powdery scales sparkling all along its sides. Then the silver eye glowed into life and I heard Derlina gasp as the sparkling head suddenly lifted up. It weaved back and forth, inches above the ground, its single eye probing the mist, its glittering ether-tongue flickering to taste the air.

Then it caught Novari's scent and froze, tongue flicking in and out. Slowly it rose higher, still facing the same direction, coming up until one-third of its glowing white body was off the ground.

"Get ready," I warned the others.

'Too friggin' right!" came Pip's blurted whisper.

As if his blurt were a signal,
the ethersnake shot forward, sli
thering through an astonished Pip's legs and disappearing around a boulder.

"Let's go," I hissed, and we all hurried after the small hunter.

It took me a few minutes to get some control over the snake, making it move slowly enough so we could maintain a safe pace or stop and hide if we encountered the enemy. At any other time it might've been an amusing chase. The glittering little creature would pause on mental command, then turn and impatiently bob its head up and down at me, flicking out that silvery tongue in protest at the delay. Much like Emilie herself, I suspected, when she got caught up in play.

The scent of the Lyre Bird's nest drew the ethersnake along misty trails that wound past hills and crept through gullies. The deeper we went into»the enemy's stronghold, the more times we had to dive for cover—flattening ourselves on the ground as soldiers wandered past, calling greetings to some and cursing others under their breaths. Then a breeze stirred the air, clearing the mist, and it became easier to follow the spectral hunter. But it also became easier to be discovered, so our progress remained painfully slow.

Finally we came to a low hill, wide and round as a dome. A road heavily rutted by cartwheels intersected with the hill and climbed its face to the top. At the base was a ramshackle tent camp. Men moved about the tents and campfires. Some wore uniforms and carried weapons. Some wore rugged workman's costumes with heavy boots and belts to carry hammers and hand axes. All were groaning and stretching and cracking joints as if they'd just ended many hours of hard work. A few oxcarts loaded with materials were being driven up the hill, and I could hear the thud of hammers and the screech of worked metal echoing from the top.

The ethersnake had gone very still, staring at the hilltop with its silver eye. Only its tongue moved, flickering eagerly as it tasted Novari's spoor.