Moons' Dreaming (Children of the Rock) (60 page)

“
Not an idiot.
”

“
Aage!
”

“
Dael, captain of Hion
’
s guard. He agrees with me that you shouldn
’
t have come to Rhenlan.
”

Sounds like an
“
I told you so
”
to me.
“
What
’
s happened?
”

“
Phantom cat.
”

The shriek came again, answered by panicked neighs. Chasa scrambled out of the ruined house, sword ready in his hand.

“
Where?
”

“
In the gully.
”
Aage pointed across the camp, then vanished.

Chasa ran down the hill. A few scattered Abstainers fought sword-wielding guards, but most had already disappeared into the night, following their horses in mindless stampede. The rest of the troop was already at the gully, weapons in hand. Chasa shouldered his way into the ragged line, but the guards on either side hardly noticed his arrival. They were too busy witnessing a guard
’
s nightmare made real.

Chasa paused at the top of the short slope, slack-jawed with disbelief. The captain of Rhenlan
’
s guard was holding the phantom cat at bay with a demonstration of the finest swordsmanship in three kingdoms. The cat shrieked its frustration and sprang to the right. Dael moved with it, blocking its path. Virulent yellow light sparkled unnaturally in its fur, flashed in the depths of glowing eyes attuned to the pale glimmer of moonshine.

Why didn
’
t the creature disappear? A large part of what made phantom cats deadly was their tendency to transport magically from one place to another. They typically materialized in the midst of a flock of animals
—
or gathering of people
—
grabbed their victim, and vanished, all in the space of a few heartbeats. Chasa couldn
’
t understand why this one hadn
’
t moved behind Dael and finished him off. For that matter, the watching guards or fleeing horses should have attracted the monster. They were easier prey than Dael. Dael couldn
’
t have accidentally wounded it, however admirable his skill and reflexes. He lacked the specialized training
,
and he lacked the proper sort of blade.

White teeth gleamed in the shimmering, fur-tufted face as the cat took the offensive and leapt forward. Dael
’
s sword hissed through the air. The flurry of blows was daunting in its speed and savagery, a defense and counterattack that would have slaughtered three or four mortal assailants. The phantom cat merely paused, enraged at being delayed but completely uninjured. The Keeper
’
s sword slid off its fur without effect.

Chasa skidded down the slope. Dust and pebbles flew from beneath his boots. At the sound, the cat whirled. Chasa tossed his belt and empty scabbard aside. Dael shouted defiance at the back of the monster, and, undeterred by his previous failures, slashed at its hindquarters.

The cat
’
s shriek held a new note of fury as the first stroke of Chasa
’
s specially forged blade traced a narrow gash down its shoulder.

He yelled,
“
I
’
ll take care of it!
”
to the oncoming guard captain.

Dael hesitated, then circled wide around the cat, which had begun sputtering and snarling. The onlookers at the edge of the gully called encouragement. Somehow the captain made his words carry through the noise.

“
How do you do that?
”
he demanded as another cut darkened the gleaming fur.

“
Magic sword,
”
Chasa panted. He dodged a claw and aimed again for the special spot behind the cat
’
s head.
“
Dragon powder in the steel.
”

He thrust forward and down. The point of the sword entered between the two correct vertebrae, penetrating deeply under the force he put behind it. The cat died in mid-howl. The guards cheered. Dael, sword still raised, said conversationally,
“
This is your chance. Aage is waiting across the border. Go through me.
”

Chasa stopped in the act of jerking his sword free of the fading corpse to gape at the captain. Lightning flashed from the floor of the gully behind Dael up into the black, cloudless sky. Chasa staggered under the crack of sound. The captain sprawled forward. Another bolt, and another, shook the gully. Half blinded by the flashes, ears ringing, Chasa wrenched his sword loose and ran.

* * *

By the time Ivey returned on foot, leading the two white-eyed and trembling horses, Sene had removed the only valuable part of the rapidly decomposing corpse. He coiled the detached tail, its shimmer undimmed, into his belt pouch, then retrieved a cloth from his saddlebag and wiped the blood from his sword.

Ivey peered at the messy, gray-brown fur on the ground, then at Sene.

“
You
’
re fast,
”
the minstrel said.

“
Plenty of practice.
”

“
Now I am ashamed of my fear.
”

Sene finished cleaning his blade.
“
Stones, man, why?
”

“
I was afraid because I doubted you,
”
the minstrel said simply.
“
I apologize, Majesty. It won
’
t happen again.
”

Sene made an impatient noise.
“
Don
’
t exaggerate. Monsters deserve a certain respect. So do I. Though I hope not for the same reasons.
”
He took his horse
’
s reins and replaced his sword in its scabbard.
“
Besides, we lost one of them.
”

The younger man grimaced. There was still more admiration in his eyes than Sene liked to see, but at least the momentary blind devotion was gone. Sene couldn
’
t abide blind devotion.
“
What do we do now, Your Majesty?
”

Sene swung into the saddle.
“
I
’
m hungry. Let
’
s find someplace to make camp.
”

“
What about the other cat?
”

Sene had been considering that.
“
We
’
ll go home and wait for another sighting.
”
And he would have a conversation with his wizard.
“
But first we eat.
”

* * *

Grasses brushed against his trouser legs as Chasa climbed out of the narrow ravine. The wizard did not react to his arrival. Aage stood quiet
ly, arms at his side, Keyn
light lending his light hair a silvery cast. His closed eyes and a tiny frown gave the only hint that he was concentrating. Another crack and rumble of thunder rolled over them from the direction of the Abstainer camp.

Chasa stopped beside the oblivious wizard.
“
You won
’
t hear me, but thank you.
”

“
I hear you.
”
Aage blinked and turned his head.
“
Are you all right?
”

“
Fine, now.
”

“
Do you know who that was?
”

“
Dael, the captain of the Rhenlan guard? Or Soen, Hion
’
s brother-in-law?
”

“
I can feel Soen. Not a bending of the power, an aberration. I don
’
t like it.
”

“
His band has scattered. Gods willing, Dael
’
s troop will hunt them down and finish them, Soen included.
”

“
What do you think of Dael?
”

Chasa gazed toward the border.
“
He would have been within the law to take me prisoner, but he didn
’
t. He let me leave.
”

“
To prevent open battle between our kingdoms.
”
Aage also looked toward the sounds of the chaos he
’
d help create.
“
I hate to admit it, but this little excursion of yours may have been a good idea after all.
”

“
Because of what we learned about the Abstainers?
”

“
That, too. But your father will be much more interested in what I have to tell him about Dael.
”

* * *

“
A good woman. Though she can
’
t cook.
”

“
Now, Herri.
”
Jordy smiled as he set his mug on the porch beside him. Atade
’
s innkeeper would have said something more colorful in her own defense, had she been present. But one of the major factors in the decade-long rivalry between the two best cooks he
’
d ever known was that Dimin and Herri had never actually met. Jordy willingly carried their feud back and forth along his trade route, but didn
’
t repeat the insults they uttered word for word.
“
Dimin
’
s cooking has nothing to do with her place as senior Brownmother of Atade. It
’
s as Brownmother that she
’
s going to get that town organized.
”

“
They did listen to you, then?
”

“
Most did. Some are skeptical. Several of their families have had young people taken by the guard, though never with as much violence as here.
”

“
Where else did you stop?
”

“
Hillcrest. They lost an entire herd of cattle. Requisitioning, the corporal called it. Their Brownmother agreed at the time, until I told her I
’
d seen just such a herd in the fields belonging to the king
’
s brother Ledo, south of Fairdock. The members of the royal court are gathering power and enriching themselves at the expense of the rest of us.
”

“
I take it Hillcrest listened to you, too.
”

“
Aye. They have a smith who knows how to use a sword as well as make them. He
’
ll be taking on a few extra apprentices as soon as the harvest is in.
”

“
Apprentices in more than metalwork.
”

“
It
’
s what
’
s needed.
”

“
Well, you
’
re certainly accomplishing all we could have hoped.
”

“
All?
”
Jordy snorted his disagreement.
“
I
’
ve hardly had time to talk to half of the people who should hear what
’
s been happening in the world.
”

“
Enough bad news.
”
Herri put his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet.
“
You should be getting home to Cyril and the children, and I
’
ve got to put away those kegs.
”

Jordy stood with him.
“
How are things here? Has Driss finally regained her strength?
”

“
Ah, Driss.
”
Herri coughed uncomfortably.
“
She died, this nineday past.
”

“
She was getting better!
”

“
For a while. It was sudden. She died in her sleep. The twins are doing fine, though,
”
he added with determined cheerfulness.
“
And your daughter led the Remembering perfectly. Everyone was satisfied. She
’
s a good girl.
”