The Novels of the Jaran (11 page)

“It is indeed a primitive display. But I will be brief. We leave day after tomorrow. I wish you to know that once we return to space, we will see to it that the duke is made aware of your presence out here. To that end, I can supply you with a ring-shaped beacon of human manufacture that we will activate once we have returned to the
Oshaki.”

Thereby,
Tess thought,
leaving it to be your word against mine that you were ever here in the first place.
She shook her head. “No, Cha Ishii, that will not be necessary.”

“But you have no such technology with you. Our instruments showed—” He broke off, and Tess wished dearly that she could see what emotion he was feeling now.

“What instruments do you mean?”

“Those aboard the
Oshaki,
of course. A slip of the tongue, Lady Terese. Forgive me for disturbing you with my hasty temper.”

“Of course. There is no need, Cha Ishii, for a beacon because I am coming with you.”

The music stopped. After laughter and applause, the lutes began a slow melody accompanied by a sinuous line dance.

“It is too dangerous a journey, Lady Terese. I strongly advise against it.”

“With you to look out for my interests, Cha Ishii, I have absolutely no doubt that I will arrive safely, with you, in Jeds.”

The implication of that comment left him without a reply for a long moment as the dance shuffled on behind them. “I cannot allow this,” he said at last.

“Do you have something to hide? Surely not, Cha Ishii.”

“We have nothing to hide.”

“Then you can have no objection to my coming.”

“Bakhtiian will not let you go.”

“You are paying him. If you request that I go with you, then he cannot refuse.”

He pressed his hand together, palms touching, to convey his disapproval of this scheme. His voice remained expressionless. “Lady Terese, I must strongly object—”

She set her hands, fist to palm, in that arrangement known as Imperial Command. “Cha Ishii, I am the heir to this dukedom. You cannot object.”

He lowered his hands. “I obey,” he said finally, bowing to the precise degree due her rank. “If you wish, I will inform Bakhtiian of my decision now.”

“Now?” She looked to her left, around the circle made by those of the tribe who weren’t dancing, and saw Bakhtiian standing nearby, watching them. She sucked in a big breath, blew it out through full cheeks. “Very well. We may as well settle it now.”

Ishii bowed again and walked over to Bakhtiian. They conferred together. Standing next to Bakhtiian, Ishii looked angular and stiff; Bakhtiian had tilted his head at such an angle that he did not appear to be looking up.

“Tess! Are you sure you don’t want to dance? This next one is very easy, really—” Yuri stopped beside her and followed the direction of her gaze. “What’s that all about?”

“Ishii is asking that I come along.”

“Oh,” said Yuri, sounding apprehensive as Ishii took his leave of Bakhtiian and disappeared into the gloom. Tess grinned at Yuri, but a moment later Bakhtiian walked across and halted beside them. He looked as if he was quite angry but trying very very hard to pretend that he was not.

“Terese Soerensen. When we first met some days past I formed the impression that you had no experience riding horses. You cannot travel with us if you cannot ride.”

Tess found that she had enough malice in her soul to enjoy a slow smile at his expense. “But I can ride. Surely Mother Orzhekov told you that Yuri has been giving me lessons. I’m no master of the art, but I can stay on a horse well enough to travel with your jahar, I believe.”

“She can, Ilya,” said Yuri impulsively. “She’s very quick.”

Ilya glanced, quick as lightning, at Yuri. “Then I congratulate you,” he said to Tess, “although I won’t presume to guess how you persuaded the priest to request that you come with us. I don’t think you made a friend by doing it.”

“Do you mean yourself?”

“I was speaking of the priest,” he said impassively. “I have never found it advisable to offend those who are under the special protection of the gods.”

“On that count I have no fears.”

A high voice broke into their circle. Little Katerina ran up to Bakhtiian, laughing, wanting to tell him something. He crouched beside her, whispered in her ear, and she looked wide-eyed up at Tess and ran away again. The music wound to a close and there was much laughter and a round of singing as the musicians broke off to rest.

“We shall see.” Bakhtiian stood up. “It is against my instinct and all my better judgment, but this is the priest’s choice, not mine.” A single gold necklace shone at his throat, winking in the inconstant firelight as he turned to regard Yuri. “Yurinya. You will see that Terese Soerensen takes proper care of her horse, that she eats, is warm, and is always ready to ride. Do you understand?” It sounded more like a threat than a request.

“Yes, Ilya. Of course, Ilya.”

“Terese Soerensen, until such time as we arrive at a port and can put you on a ship, you will abide by my decisions and my orders. You don’t know this land. I do. You will ride with me and at other times will stay with Yurinya. If for some reason you can’t ride with me, you’ll ride with Nikolai Sibirin. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I know I’m inexperienced, but I’ll learn.”

“You’ll have to. Yuri, come with me. Excuse us.” He took Yuri by the wrist, as if he was a child, and dragged him away so fast that Yuri stumbled over his own feet and could only manage a brief, despairing glance at Tess before he vanished with Ilya into the darkness of the camp.

Tess had a sudden premonition that Yuri was in for a bad time. She circled the crowd, seeking Sonia, and found her talking easily with one of the men who had ridden in that day. Sonia had laid a hand on the man’s arm as casually as if he were her husband, and their heads were close enough together as they spoke that it gave them an intimate appearance. When Tess hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt, Sonia glanced up, saw her, and excused herself immediately.

“What is it?”

Tess told her.

“Ah. You were right to come to me. Ilya will be furious at being outmaneuvered. You wait here.”

“No, I ought to come with you.”

“As you wish, but stay in the shadows. It will be better for Yuri if Ilya does not know you fetched me.”

Tess followed Sonia into camp. Tents surrounded them, cutting off the distant glow of the great fire. There was no sound, no movement, except for the wailing of a child that faltered and stilled. Tess had to move slowly, hands out to either side, fingers occasionally brushing the coarse fabric of a tent wall. Sonia had lost her, but as the music started up again behind, she heard voices ahead, a quiet counterpoint to the distant melody of celebration. She stumbled over a guy-rope and froze, stopped by the voices coming from right around the edge of the tent.

“You deliberately used my aunt’s authority to undercut mine.” Bakhtiian’s tone was so cutting that Tess instantly regretted ever asking Yuri for help. “Of course I would not object, since I did not suspect what you and she were planning.”

“I didn’t think—”

“Obviously you didn’t think, Yuri. Women don’t ride with the jahar. Her inexperience will slow us down and could be dangerous.”

“But that’s why I gave her the lessons.”

“If she couldn’t ride, there would be no question of her traveling with us, would there?”

“But you just said yourself that—”

“Have you ever bothered to ask yourself why she is here? Or wonder why the priest says she is a spy—”

“You don’t really believe—”

“Had I finished speaking?”

The pause that followed was both heavy and uncomfortable. Into it, the distant music metamorphosed from a slow, pacing number into a frantic tune.

“Well, Ilya,” said Sonia, walking into their silence with all the aplomb of an angry and protective older sister. When Sonia spoke, clear and carrying, Tess abruptly realized that they were all speaking in Rhuian, a family quarrel that no one else could understand. “Have you finished bullying Yuri how? Or shall I leave until you are done?”

“This is men’s business, Sonia.”

“Is it, indeed? When two men meet in the dark to discuss a woman, I call that women’s business. Yuri, you may go.”

“I haven’t given him permission—”

“Ilya. Must I speak to Mama about your manners?”

“Go on, Yuri,” he said curtly.

Tess, standing frozen behind the dark wall of a tent, did not see in which direction Yuri fled.

“You have made your point, Sonia,” said Bakhtiian coldly. “Have I your permission to leave?”

“Certainly, Ilyakoria. But I am curious as to why you were so insistent that Nadine and I travel the long path to Jeds, alone, need I add, where we might have encountered any danger, and in lands where you know very well how they treat women. We cannot even be sure we will ever see Dina again.”

“Knowing Dina, we will undoubtedly receive an envoy from the Prince of Jeds himself requesting that we remove her before she destroys the entire city.”

Sonia chuckled, despite herself. “That is very probably true. Don’t distract me. What I mean to say is, if you risked us, then whatever excuse you give Yuri about Tess not going because she is a woman is the most ridiculous nonsense I have ever heard.”

“Do you suppose she can use a saber?”

“I suppose she can learn, well enough to defend herself, at least. I do not expect her to become such a paragon of saber fighting as Vladimir, or yourself, dear cousin. And I will give her my own bow and arrows, since a woman can use them to protect herself without any shame. What is your real reason?”

“I don’t trust her. There are great things in front of us, in front of our massed armies, if we can get so far. I must rid myself of those last few riders who don’t understand that we must unite, that the old ways no longer protect us. And I need those horses. What if she acts to harm the priest, to disrupt this journey, to ruin all the work I’ve done so far?”

“Why should she care? She is a merchant’s sister, traveling home to Jeds. She says herself that it was a foolish impulse that led her to follow the priest off the ship, that she only meant to protect her brother’s trading rights.”

“Do you believe this story?”

“I trust Tess.”

He did not reply immediately. “She lied to us once. She is not their interpreter. She’s still lying, Sonia.”

“How can you know?”

“I feel it in my gut.”

“And you’re never wrong.” Sonia’s voice came cold and flat and sarcastic. “Never you. Never Bakhtiian. You never listen to anyone else.”

“I would listen to others if they had anything worthwhile to say.”

“If you’d listened to others, Natalia and Timofey and your parents would still be alive.”

The tension was so palpable that Tess felt it as loudly as any words. Bakhtiian made a sound, like the beginning of speech, and then fell silent, as if he were so furious that he could not even talk. She took a step back, suddenly sure that her presence here would do Sonia no good if it were discovered.

“Come out,” said Bakhtiian, as if her thoughts alone had alerted him.

“Ilya—” Sonia began, protesting.

“Whom are you protecting?” he snapped.

Tess knew that however much she did not want to walk around the tent and see either of them, in such a mood, she could not leave Sonia to end this conversation alone.

So she joined them. Sonia stood, hands drawn up into fists on either side of her waist, pale, facing Bakhtiian. He had heard the scuff on the grass and he turned; instantaneously took a step back away from Tess, surprised to see
her.
He froze, as though touched by some stilling hand.

“Excuse me,” she said, and heard the betraying quaver in her voice. “I was looking for Sonia.”

His gaze had the cutting edge of a knife. Tess tensed, knowing for that instant that he was about to say something so vicious that it could never be forgiven. Sonia moved, stepping toward Tess as if she meant to shield her.

Bakhtiian caught his breath and whirled and strode away into the darkness.

Distant voices rose to accompany some melody. Tess put her hands to her face. Against her cold palms, her cheeks felt flushed and hot. Sonia came over to her and grasped her wrists. A moment later, they were laughing and crying all at once.

“Gods,” said Sonia at last, letting go of Tess. “It’s no wonder that there are men out riding just to kill him.”

Tess brushed a wisp of grass from her lips. It was true enough what Bakhtiian had said, that she was lying. But how much could she tell them? How much would be right? How much would be fair? How much could they even believe? She did not know. “Poor Yuri,” she said, to say something. “It’s just as well I’m going, Sonia. He needs someone to protect him.”

“That’s right.” Sonia leaned forward and kissed Tess on the cheek. “But Tess, however hard it may be, try not to lose your temper with Ilya. It’s easy enough to do, but gods, it makes you say the most awful things.”

“It is true, Sonia? What you said about his family?”

“I don’t know. Other people warned him that there had been threats, but he never would listen. But I shouldn’t have said it to him. Harsh words won’t bring them back.” The high, brisk sound of claps underlaid by muffled stamping reached them, sharp in the clear air, followed by cheers, encouragement to some solo dancer. “Listen to us! This is supposed to be a celebration. We’ll wash our faces and run back. The men are showing off. We don’t want to miss that.” She grabbed Tess’s hand, and they went together.

In the morning, Yuri waylaid her as soon as she woke. He looked anxious.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We have to choose you a horse. I think the little bay. You’ll need a saber, a knife…Did I say clothing? A blanket!” He broke off when Tess laughed at his expression. “I would never have believed that Bakhtiian would agree to take you, but you weren’t afraid, and so you got what you were reaching for. We call that
korokh,
one who reaches for the wind. They are few and always brave. The gods favor them.”

“I’ll need it.” And she wondered, suddenly, finally, what she had gotten herself into.