Wolf Hunting (35 page)

“I must think,” the raven said.

Without further comment, Bitter spread his wings and with a few hard, fast beats launched into the greenish gold sky. He was a black dot against it for a moment, then nothing.

“Did he go back?” Truth asked.

“I don’t think so,” the Meddler replied. “Distances here are not the same as elsewhere. When a spirit is sufficiently strong-willed, a wish to be away is as good as any other effort..”

“Ah … Are you going to teach me more now?”

“The next part will be most difficult,” the Meddler replied, “and it would be best if you were away from the others when we attempt it. Rest now, the true rest of deep sleep, and I will return to you tomorrow night”

“Will I never get a quiet night’s sleep?” Truth grumbled

“Quiet,” the Meddler replied, “is not all it’s made out to be. Death is said to be quiet: a very quiet very long night’s sleep.”

ALTHOUGH HE HAD BEEN UP part of the night Derian asked to be awakened early for the simple reason that none of the beasts could boil water. Harjeedian. might have done so, but the aridisdu had experienced an even more interrupted night than Derian’s own, waking every hour except during Derian’s watch to dribble some liquid or other down Bitter’s throat.

Derian knew Harjeedian despaired of saving the raven’s life, though he said nothing—especially where Lovable would hear. To lose a comrade would be horrible for any of them. They were not soldiers trained to accept such as part of the course of duty. Derian thought it would be particularly terrible for Harjeedian, for he had grown to manhood as part of a religious hierarchy that considered the Wise Beasts as direct links to the divine forces to which the disdum had dedicated their lives.

Derian was scaling some fish Truth had brought back to the camp—the heads had already been chomped off—when soundlessly as ever Firekeeper emerged into the camp, Plik a few steps behind her, Blind Seer coming in last.

“We have finded things,” Firekeeper announced happily.

“Found,” Derian said, grinning.

“Does Bitter …” Plik asked. The raccoon-man looked very tired. He took a seat on the ground near the fire and started rubbing his feet.

“Bitter’s alive,” Derian replied. “But no better than when you left.” He lowered his voice, “And maybe worse.”

“I will bring hot blood for him,” Firekeeper said, “if Truth has not.”

Harjeedian came from where he had just finished feeding the ravens. With a silent nod of thanks he accepted the mug of rose hip tea Derian poured for him.

“Truth has hunted well,” the aridisdu said. “But Bitter will only swallow so much, and his body needs not only to sustain itself but to grow stronger. We started this race behind, and are falling further back.”

The jaguar uncurled slightly from where she had been sleeping, her coat admirably blending in so that until she moved she had seemed just another bit of shadow-dappled sunlight. She raised her head, blinked at Firekeeper. Firekeeper shrugged and moved to the fireside.

Without asking, she took the fish from Derian and finished cleaning it. He didn’t protest. His mother had rarely served fish, not trusting the cleanness of the River Flin where it ran near the city, and not trusting the fish vendors—all of whom claimed their fish came from upstream. Firekeeper was far better at scaling and gutting than he was.

While her hands moved, without preamble, Firekeeper began her report.

“We goed first to the place where the fire was, but there we find nothing. Blind Seer have a memory though, and this proves good.”

She went on, hands moving rhythmically as she told of their investigations. When she moved to start frying the fish, Plik took over the narration. Derian had become so accustomed to thinking of the maimalodalu as a sort of hairy human that he was startled when Plik not only accepted but ate with enthusiasm a share of the raw fish guts.

“And that’s where we left our explorations,” Plik concluded. “Firekeeper showed what Blind Seer assures me was uncommon restraint in coming back here to report rather than probing further on her own.”

The wolf raised his head from his paws, laughter obvious in his openmouthed pant. Derian found himself grinning in return.

“Ask Blind Seer to tell you about the time Firekeeper went into a sewer alone at midnight.”

Firekeeper said nothing, but concentrated on her portion of fish. Her dark gaze periodically strayed to where Bitter was, and Derian didn’t need to know her as well as he did to know she was thinking that she did not wish to risk another companion. She might not have been so cautious if Plik had not been with her and Blind Seer.

Harjeedian set down his own plate, and added honey to his mug before pouring more tea.

“So what should our next move be?” he asked. “If seems evident that the copse is not what it seems to be. I would even hazard that it somehow conceals the location of the twins’ refuge, but dare we enter? What if it also conceals a tangle of those blood-drinking briars? I have too much respect for the damage they can do to send anyone in to them lightly.”

“I agree,” Plik said. “We could scout elsewhere, see what else we find. I remain troubled by the absence of yarimaimalom. Surely if we go farther afield we may find them.” He rubbed his feet again. “I do not recommend myself for this, but Eshinarvash would move quickly out on the plains, and so would Blind Seer.”

Derian was trying to decide whether he should volunteer to go with Eshinarvash, or whether he would look like one of the stable boys, eager to make any excuse to exercise some noble’s horse, when Truth padded over to join the group around the fire. She sat up straight, in a position more like that of a house cat than her normal sprawl.

She’s letting Harjeedian and me know she has something to say,
Derian thought.

In a moment, Plik started translating.

“I have had-that is Truth has had, not me—some odd experiences of late. You all know that the Meddler has troubled my dreams, and that he is the Voice who guided me, the one who aided Firekeeper. He has some interest in the twins, some interest that goes deeper than anything he has claimed to this point—even to me. Of this I am certain.”

There was a pause, and Plik said softly, “Blind Seer wants to know what proof. Truth admits it’s more of a hunch than anything else, but states that she’s a diviner and knows how to read omens. Wait, she’s getting back to her points

“Truth says that the Meddler is teaching her something that he says will enable us to reach the twins, but that her lessons are not yet complete. She suggests that we wait in patience for her to be ready.” Plik’s tone changed. “Ohho, that was a mistake. Firekeeper wants to know who made Truth the One of this pack.”

“Great,” Derian groaned. “Firekeeper, don’t you dare go rushing off just to prove that Truth can’t boss you.”

Firekeeper looked at him, brown eyes all innocence. “I not rush off, Derian, but I think we have more to do than wait for Truth to get enough sleep.”

Plik raised a paw. “Are you going to insist on rushing that copse then?”

Firekeeper frowned. “No, but maybe as was said, we go and look more, for yarimaimalom, for other things. I think you is right, Plik. More scouting, especially on those plains where Harjeedian’s maps say these twins’ family once have this Setting Sun.”

Eshinarvash snorted, and Plik translated.

“Eshinarvash says he would run with Blind Seer, but perhaps it would be wisest to send two groups. He thinks that he could carry me. Firekeeper and Blind Seer could check in another direction. No one would stay out longer than during the daylight hours.”

Plik made a gesture that indicated he was now speaking for himself. “I appreciate the suggestion—and I know Eshinarvash was thinking my sensitivity to magic would be useful—but I do not think I can stay astride his back for a long stretch. I can barely manage a pony. My legs, quite honestly, are not long enough. I had trouble during our walk through the forest yesterday.”

Eshinarvash snorted, shook his mane, and stomped. Plik’s eyes widened slightly.

“Eshinarvash just suggested that he could carry both Derian and myself. This would strip the camp, but if Truth would remain with Harjeedian to guard the ravens …”

Truth licked her paw and Derian was not surprised when Plik said, “Truth says, of course she would stay here and guard. Tearing around the landscape does not suit her either.”

Derian tried to keep an excited tremor from his voice. “Do we go today? It’s not even midday yet.”

“Tomorrow, please,” Plik said. “My legs ache from walking all yesterday—walking when I didn’t ride. Remember, I am far older than you. Although they would never say so, I bet Firekeeper and Blind Seer would like a rest and a chance to eat something larger than a rabbit.”

Firekeeper didn’t say anything, but Blind Seer rose and stretched, his languid motions making words unnecessary.

“Tomorrow, then,” Firekeeper said. “If Truth is not ready to find the twins yet.”

Truth looked at the wolf-woman, yawned, and with insulting deliberateness strolled into the sunlight and became as sunlight and shadows once more.

“YOU SHOWED ME BITTER ON PURPOSE, didn’t you?” Truth asked.

They were in the green-gold spaces. The Meddler was no longer just a voice, but was a completely visible human. Truth thought about asking why, then decided it wasn’t important.

“You always think the worst of me,” the Meddler replied.

“But I notice you don’t deny it Why don’t you ever give a straight answer?”

“Why didn’t you tell your companions as soon as you began to suspect that your ‘Voice’ was also the Meddler?”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“Humor me.”

Truth licked between two front toes. “I wasn’t precisely certain, and also … You speak of them as my ‘companions,’ but actually I don’t know them very well.”

“And?”

“And I am unaccustomed to venturing into something as volatile as that revelation would be without being able to check the omens as to what the response would be.”

“So it is for me,” the Meddler said. “I have been a prisoner for a long time. You people are new to me. Sometimes I ask a question to try and find out what you are really asking.”

Truth rose. “And sometimes asking a question of your own permits you to avoid answering my question. I think you showed me Bitter in order to tempt me back here.”

“Did you need tempting?”

“I might have done so.”

The Meddler sighed. “I wish you could think well of me. Maybe I wanted to encourage Bitter to return to his body, and I knew that he would be suspicious of a stranger but trust a friend.”

“So you admit that you manipulated the situation!”

“I arranged that you should meet, yes.”

Truth yawned, showing every one of her teeth. “The night is growing no younger. I now know how to get here without your guidance. What is next?”

“Next you must learn to travel through this space. It is not quite the same as traveling in those spaces into which you were born:”

Truth bent her ears to listening. She could already tell it was going to be a long night, and she was doubly glad that she had suggested the others do some further scout ing.

She might be able to catch up on her sleep during the day.

ACHING MUSCLES MADE PLIK’S SLEEP that night less than restful. He had never thought himself a sedentary creature, but he had been forced to adapt his assessment. The walk back from the copse had been taken at what the wolves clearly felt was a leisurely pace. Blind Seer had even wandered off to do a bit of hunting. Even so, by the end, Plik was wondering just how much scorn he would garner if he asked one of the others to call Eshinarvash.

Now the two wolves slept close to each other, almost unmoving, and Plik found himself resenting the ease of their relaxation. He was aware of other things, too, of the time close to dawn that Truth returned to the camp, evidently weary to the point of exhaustion, yet bearing no signs or scents of exertion.

He was aware how during his turn at night watch Derian spent hours going over his tack, polishing the leather to satin shine and increased suppleness. He was aware how Harjeedian rose time after time, forcing liquid food and water into Bitter, and how each time Lovable awoke as well and hovered anxiously, crooning almost musically over her mate.

The camp started stirring at dawn, and by the time the first clear sunlight had penetrated the forest canopy, they were ready to go. Eshinarvash had insisted he would permit a saddle. Part of Derian’s handiwork over the night had been rigging a sort of sidesaddle pad for Plik.

“It’s not that I don’t like you,” the young man grinned, “but you’re awfully big and hairy to sit all day on my lap”

Plik found the seat remarkably comfortable and secure. The day ahead—during which he had envisioned that tortured muscles would be further stretched—no longer seemed so impossible.

It was an oversimplification to say that the plains ran east-west. They filled a river valley and probably had their origin in long-ago flooding from the river that emerged from the mountains to the west. Using the copse as a center point, Firekeeper and Blind Seer volunteered to go to the west—thereby passing the copse (although they promised this would be from a distance). The group carried by Eshinarvash settled for the eastern route.

“After all,” Eshinarvash said, “who wants to play games of precedence with a pair of wolves? Young wolves at that?”

Plik agreed, but he was willing to credit Firekeeper and Blind Seer with a certain amount of protectiveness as well. The thick grass meant the wolves should be able to pass below the line of sight from the copse. There was no way that Eshinarvash could manage to hide.

To further permit them to pass without being noticed, Eshinarvash kept to the forest for the first part of their journey, emerging from the trees only when the natural rise and fall of the land blocked direct line of sight from the problematic copse.

“Of course,” Plik said, “if whatever is mere—if anything is there—has the ability to scout from above, then we’ve gone to a great deal of trouble for nothing.”