Darksong Rising (71 page)

Nubara blots his pale face, damp despite the chill wind that has strengthened, almost as if in

response to Rabyn’s angry tone, and now whips across the camp, fluttering the silk walls that

surround the two. “I cannot order the Defalkans to meet you where you will, Lord Rabyn. What

you do to me will not affect their commander. Nor will it hinder nor hurry the sorceress. You

have told me of how mighty your Darksong is, and displayed to all the world how you can bring

down great forests to speed our way across gorge and stream and marsh. The sorceress will come

to you, because only she can face you.” Nubara forces a shrug. "Arrange your forces where your

Darksong will be the mightiest. Then use it to destroy her. When she is gone, nothing can stand

before you, o mighty Prophet.”

Rabyn raises the vial as if to throw it. “You will not mock me, Nubara.”

“I am not mocking you, honored Prophet.” The voice of the Mansuuran officer is thick, ragged,

and tired. “You are the mightiest darksinger of the ages, but your sorcery cannot reach beyond

the sound of your drums. So the sorceress must come to your drums. I cannot change that. You

cannot change that. You can watch me die, and it will change nothing.”

Rabyn lowers the vial, not quite pouting. “You will address me with respect. You will, or nothing

will save you.”

“Yes, honored Prophet."

“You will send scouts to determine if the sorceress will soon arrive, and from where.”

“Yes, most honored Prophet.”

“And you will find another small blonde girl for my enjoyment.

Nubara bows deeply. “As you command."

“I want one who will do exactly as I wish."

“I will endeavor to find such, lord Prophet." Nubara shivers, drawing the cloak tighter about

himself.

“I knew you would, Nubara. You may go.” Rabyn smiles, and his white teeth shimmer like the

icebergs of the far south. “Do not keep me waiting.”

“I will do as I can, lord Prophet.” Nubara moves slowly from the tent, shivering more violently

as he steps into the cool twilight wind.

77

Anna finished the vocalise and glanced around the hilltop clearing that lay less than fifty yards to

the south of the road they had traveled from Falcor. To the east, the morning’s white puffy

clouds had turned darker and begun to climb into thunderheads. To the west, the skies still

appeared clear, and the midafternoon sun was pleasantly warm, if with a hint of chill in the

breeze out of the west. Before her, propped against a fallen tree, was her traveling mirror.

Absently, she adjusted and tuned the lutar once more.

Himar, Liende, Jimbob, and Kinor stood slightly behind the line of her shoulders, waiting for her

to begin. Anna cleared her throat a last time, then began the scrying spell.

Mirror, mirror, on the ground,

 
show me lancers to be found,

 
those of Rabyn whom I seek....

The glass of the traveling mirror silvered over. The shimmering surface slowly evaporated to

reveal a narrow stream that had cut a gorge perhaps three yards deep and ten yards wide. Yellow-

and red-leafed bushes were scattered along the sides of the streambed at the bottom of the gorge.

On the left side of the stream two companies of lancers had reined up. As Anna and the others

watched, arrows arched over both the stream and gorge. Yet, after the sprinkling of arrows, only

a single lancer in maroon clutched his arm. Another flock of arrows followed, but Anna could

not see any but the single casualty among the Mansuurans. Hanfor told you that his bowmen

weren’t that good without your spells.

The maroon-clad lancers wheeled away from the gorge by the stream, leaving a score or so of

riders in blue. Abruptly, a large pile of planks appeared beside the gorge, raising gouts of dust.

Anna, Himar, and the others continued to watch. A stack of wide planks appeared. She blinked.

Had the stand of pines behind the lancers vanished?

“Darksong...." murmured Liende. “He is using Darksong’

“Darksong," Kinor repeated in a lower whisper.

Jimbob looked from Kinor to Liende, and then to Anna, but the heir did not speak.

Anna nodded to herself. Of course, to make planks from trees meant handling living things, and

that was Darksong. How long can he use Darksong? The answer came quickly enough. Long

enough to use it against you, and anyone strong enough to level forests, young as he may be, is

someone to worry about.

She sang the release spell, then lowered the lutar, leaving the mirror propped against the tree

stump.

Himar cleared his throat, firmly, if quietly.

“Yes, Himar?”

“Might there be any way to determine exactly where the Nesereans are?”

“Of course.” Of course. . . how else will you figure out what you need to do? She was tired and

not thinking as clearly as she should have been, despite her efforts to eat and drink regularly.

“Let me think about how to phrase that."

“I will get my sketching board.” The overcaptain turned and began to extract the rough brown

paper, the grease marker, and a polished oak board from his overlarge saddlebags.

Anna slowly figured out how to change the spell, but slow as she felt, she was finished and

waiting for Himar to nod before she tried again.

Mirror, mirror on the ground,

 
show us where might be found

the lancers in maroon and in blue

 
with a map that’s fair and true....

A map that shows our men as well,

and how to reach the enemy we must fell.

The mirror obligingly offered what appeared to be a detailed topographical map, almost like the

ones she’d studied so many years ago in geography. The Defalkan forces appeared to be

represented by a pulsing purple dot on the left side of the depiction. Those of Rabyn appeared in

maroon and blue, with a larger blue-and-maroon dot closer to her forces, and a smaller blue dot

to the north.

Himar began to sketch, and Anna tried to figure out the geography. While she couldn’t determine

from her crude maps exact locations, Rabyn’s forces were in three locales—some around

Denguic, providing Jearle the excuse not to take any action some to the north of Fussen, as if

holding the main road between Falcor and Denguic; and a larger maroon-and-blue dot pulsed to

the southwest of Fussen—probably about due west of the small town where Ustal’s brother had

established himself— Sudborte, was it? Except that Anna had to guess about that because the

mirror “map” didn’t show holds or towns. Then her spell hadn’t mentioned holds or towns. Or

Hanfor’s forces, and she hadn’t mentally concentrated on thinking about them either.

“The Nesereans are to the southwest, my lady Anna, and I would say he is near-on a day away.”

Himar continued to sketch with rapid strokes of the grease marker.

Anna’s head was splitting by the time Himar finished sketching and looked up. The overcaptain

opened his mouth.

Anna spoke first. “I know,” she said tiredly. “We have to find Hanfor and his forces. I need some

water, and some time to come up with a better spell." No wonder fantasy novels on Earth talked

about books of spells—and those fictional characters didn’t have to juggle words and match the

music. She straightened. But they weren’t real singers, either.

It took several wedges of cheese, a half a loaf of bread, and half a water bottle before the worst

of the headache subsided. Then it was nearly another half-glass and well into twilight before she

had a spell she thought would do.

When she lifted the lutar and began her voice cracked. Dryness, dust... something was

aggravating her allergies and asthma, and those were one thing Brill’s youth spell hadn’t helped,

probably because she’d had the allergies when she’d been young the first time, and youth spells

didn’t take way what had been there before.

She cleared her throat and started again.

The mirror image was on a larger scale, less detailed, and showed not only Hanfor’s forces, but a

blue dot near what Anna felt was Denguic—the twentyscore Nesereans with their nominal siege

of Jearle’s hold. Twentyscore for a nominal siege, and you’re bringing a third of that against

what—two hundred fifty—score?

She forced her eyes back to the map image. Hanfor was southeast of Fussen, positioned in a way

to move to harry either group of Rabyn’s forces. But to join up with the arms commander’s

forces would entail at least a half day’s ride on the part of either Anna or Hanfor.

Anna almost shrugged. Did it matter now? She and Hanfor were well positioned to block any

eastward advance by the Nesereans. That’s assuming that Rabyn’s forces and his Darksong don’t

flatten you.

She rubbed her forehead, concentrating on holding the last map image, and waiting for Himar to

finish sketching out his maps—or adding to the ones he’d already drawn. She motioned to

Liende, Kinor, and Jimbob.

“We might as well make camp here. There’s a stream below, and there’s no point in pushing on

today.”

“I will tell the players,” Liende responded in a low voice, nodding. “You should not be traveling

farther if you do such laborious scrying."

That had occurred to Anna. Had Jecks accompanied her, he certainly would have let her know

that. As well as a few other things.

She forced herself to take another deep swallow of water.

78

ENCORA, RANUAK

 
You summoned me, Matriarch?” The tall and thin woman stands in the doorway of the formal

receiving room, a room empty except for the round-faced Matriarch, who yet wears black, rather