Winter Be My Shield (56 page)

Boreas stroked his bristling chin. ‘Well then  … perhaps this
is
a matter worth considering.' With a flick of his fingers he signalled his men to come and take charge of her. ‘I'll think it over. In the meantime take her to the slave camps but put her in with the women and children and let it be known that I want her untouched. If any man trifles with her and lessens her value I'll take the difference out of his pay.'

When Delphine was dismissed a short time later Isidro followed her in a miserable silence as she led the way back to the Collegium quarters. ‘You did a good thing there, Aleksar,' she told him. ‘You have spared that poor girl a great deal of misery. You should be pleased with yourself.'

‘I'll be pleased when she's back with her family,' he said. ‘I don't want to see her sold into a brothel in Akhara.'

‘Oh, she's far too pretty for a brothel. They only buy ugly women. They're cheaper. Brothels make their money on quantity, not quality. The good-looking ones end up in rich men's households.' She glanced at his face and grimaced. ‘I'm not helping, am I? Well, come on, then, it's time I let you get back to your work.'

 

It was in the early hours of the morning that Sierra stood motionless by the door of the tent, trying to sense the world on the other side of the hide. She could vaguely feel the men, who seemed to have been chosen so as not to feed her any power, but the rest of it was a blank void to her senses.

Rasten could pick up an object on the other side of a locked door. He would be able to find the thongs that bound the door closed and untie them with a touch, but she could do no such thing.

Standing behind her she heard Ardamon fidget and Cam hissed at him to be still. She wanted to yell at them both to be silent, but instead with a mental curse she simply slashed through the flap, aiming for where she remembered the ties to be and slicing through leather and fur indiscriminately.

She threw the door open and before the men standing guard could do more than turn in surprise, she grabbed them by the arms and dropped them with a bolt of power. Then she turned to the men warming themselves by the fire.

They were on their feet and reaching for their weapons when Sierra dropped them, too. With her power riled up like a dog expecting a hunt, it took her several moments to bring it back under control, while Cam and Ardamon picked up the fallen men and carried them into the tent where they would be safe from frostbite and hypothermia.

‘Right then,' Cam said to Ardamon. ‘How long are you going to give us?'

‘Half an hour or a bit more if I can manage it,' Ardamon said. ‘You had best move quickly. I'll have a small group of men with me. Dremman won't hear of me riding off alone, but it shouldn't be hard to convince him she'll react badly if she sees a troop of warriors charging after her.'

The way he spoke about her as if she weren't present still put Sierra's teeth on edge, but she now believed Ardamon was on their side, convinced by his genuine fury over what had happened to Mira.

The plan, when Cam and Ardamon returned to camp without her, was for them to spread the word that she was too wary of more spies to remain in the camp and had gone to infiltrate the Akharian camp and to strike at them as she had in the village.

Cam wrapped his sword-belt over his coat and picked up the light packs that were all he and Sierra would be carrying. His contained only the most minimal of supplies but Sierra's held a small tent and a tiny brazier. She hadn't wanted to carry that much until Cam had pointed out that any warrior worth his salt would be suspicious of a captive taken without even the most basic gear for survival.

With their gear, she and Cam walked swiftly through the camp, heading for the tether-lines. Several times they had to duck between the tents to avoid early-morning wanderers but at this hour the camp was mostly quiet and still.

There were two men standing watch over the horses. Sierra felt guilty when she dropped them both with a bolt of power and made sure their coats were well wrapped to protect them from the cold before she went to help Cam with the horses. He had already saddled Rasten's black, which tugged at her sleeve with velvet lips and eagerly snuffled a piece of bannock she offered from her palm. The horse lifted its feet obediently when she knelt to fasten the snowshoes around its hooves and offered no protest as she turned its head away from its herd-mates and nudged it out into the night.

‘I wish we had another day to think this over,' Cam said once they were far enough away to speak in safety.

‘I thought you were the impulsive one and it was Isidro who devised the plans and strategies.'

‘It used to be that way,' Cam said. ‘But everything is different now. Are you sure you're prepared for this, Sirri?'

‘Rasten said he had solutions for all our concerns,' she said. ‘He wouldn't be agreeing to this if he thought I would end up dead.' Sierra knew it didn't quite answer Cam's question, but she wasn't prepared to discuss it. From this point on she would have to keep her power under rigorous control and focussing on her fears and worries now would only result in it rising up again.
I've learned so much in the last two months
, Sierra told herself yet again.
I'll be able to control it this time. I know I will.

They met Rasten just after dawn. His escort waited some distance away, gathered in plain sight. Rasten strode out to meet them alone with his coat open and swinging from his shoulders and his hands clasped behind his back. Since they'd set out Sierra had been wondering what
mood they would find him in and once they drew close enough for her to make out his eyes, she sighed in resignation. His good humour of the day before was gone. Today his face was tight and hard and he watched Cam with a narrow gaze as they approached.

‘Good morning, Little Crow,' Rasten said to her as she reined in and dismounted, dropping her mount's reins to make him stand. ‘Do you mean to hand the gelding over to the Akharians, too?'

‘Cam will take him back for me,' she said.

Rasten shrugged and Sierra relaxed a little. Perhaps his mood wasn't as dark as she had thought. ‘And so you are set on this course, Little Crow? There's nothing I can say to change your mind?'

‘Nothing,' Sierra said. ‘Until Isidro is safe I can't consider anything else.'

‘I don't suppose it has occurred to you that Balorica's better off where he is? The Collegium won't care if he's crippled so long as his mind is sharp enough to serve, and he'll be beyond Kell's reach. Valeria's, too.' Rasten turned his gaze to Cam. ‘This one would be wise to join him. He would survive longer in an Akharian mine than he will when Dremman realises he is working against him.'

‘I've made up my mind, Rasten,' Sierra said.

He sighed. ‘So you have. I ought to be glad of it. You would be no good to me if your spirit was broken. Tell me, Sierra, have you ever heard the tale of the prisoner in the tower who tamed the birds that lived in the rafters and watched their flight? It's a load of horseshit, of course. Any jailer who knew his business would have poisoned the birds. But you're my bird, Little Crow, and I won't stop you from flying.'

Cam shuffled his feet in the snow. ‘Sirri,' he said in an undertone. ‘We have a time limit here.'

Rasten swung around to glare at him with undisguised hostility. ‘So you have,' he said and reached into his pocket to pull out a pair of milky-white stones. For a moment Sierra stared at them in sheer surprise. They were identical to the ones that had littered the scorched ruins of the village.

Rasten held one up to show to her. ‘Oh, they're yours, sure enough. I had some men ride out there to gather them. This one is for you,' he said, holding it out to her. ‘You'll have to keep it hidden. At least you have a choice as to where. If I had a cunt I'd choose that over the other option.'

That made Cam choke a little and when Rasten turned his gaze back to him Sierra cursed inwardly. She had been hoping to keep Rasten's
attention fixed on her. To drag him back she stepped closer and took the stone from his hand, letting her fingers brush against his. It worked. Rasten turned back to her and held her gaze as she slowly stepped back again.

‘Of course if they find it on you they'll know you're playing them,' Rasten said. ‘If any man takes a shine to you, you will have to deal with it quickly.'

Sierra nodded and focussed on the stone in her hand, trying to make sure it was the communication device she and Rasten had agreed upon, and nothing more.

‘That's it?' Cam said. ‘You know how the Akharians treat their slave-women and
that's
the extent of your concern for her?'

‘Cam  —' Sierra said, her heart sinking as Rasten's head snapped around to focus on him again.
By the Black Sun, why couldn't he leave well enough alone?

‘You think I should be concerned?' Rasten said. ‘I would be happier if no other man ever touched her, but that's not within my control. She knows what she's letting herself in for. Better than you do, I'd imagine, although your brother could no doubt tell you a thing or two about it.'

Cam recoiled and began to snarl a reply and as Rasten threw his head back in a peal of laughter Sierra grabbed Cam by the arm, prepared to use power to restrain him if she had to.

‘You son of a bitch —' Cam began as Sierra dug her fingers into his arm.

‘Don't let him bait you,' she hissed.

Rasten was watching them both with mild interest. ‘It's such a little thing,' he said. ‘At worst it's a few unpleasant hours, but it's inevitable and at the end of it all what difference does it make?'

‘If you really think that way,' Cam said, ‘why is it so important for you to kill your master?'

Rasten's face turned flat. He started towards Cam but Sierra pushed herself between them. ‘Rasten! We have other things to attend to.'

‘That fool of a prince —'

‘
He doesn't understand
, Rasten.' She caught Cam's eye with a warning glare. ‘He doesn't know what he's talking about.'

‘Oh, I think I do,' Cam said. ‘I'm talking about total and utter hypocrisy. You claim to care about her, Rasten, and yet you don't blink
an eye when there's every chance that she'll be passed around a camp full of soldiers —'

‘What's your point?' Rasten said. ‘It's just fucking.'

‘Rasten! I told you, he doesn't understand.' She placed both hands on his chest and felt his power pulsing beneath his skin, hotter than blood.

‘If I ever get the chance, princeling, I'll
make
you understand,' Rasten said. ‘That's a promise.'

‘Rasten, what about the other stone?' Sierra said, desperate to bring him back on track. She could fight him here if she had to but the display it would create would undoubtedly draw notice and it would delay their plans by days at least.

‘The other one is for him,' Rasten said. ‘Since he doesn't have so much as a spark of power we'll have to seal it to him with a ritual so he can use it.'

‘A ritual?' Sierra said. ‘You didn't mention that.'

Rasten shrugged. ‘You wanted some way to communicate. There aren't many options when one of you has as much talent as a lump of coal.'

‘Alright, then,' Sierra said, ‘but
I'll
do it.' If Rasten did the working, he would have a permanent link with Cam. Since Cam had no talent at all it would be of limited use, but it was still something Sierra would far rather avoid. ‘You'll have to walk me through it. Give me the stone.'

He handed it over and turned to Cam. ‘We're going to need some blood. Strip.'

‘What?' Cam said. ‘Sirri —'

‘Just to the waist will do,' Sierra said. ‘Sorry, Cam, I should have guessed it would need this. I should have warned you.'

‘But it's cursed cold out here!'

‘I can cast a shield to keep you warm. It will only take a few minutes.'

‘Will he hold still, or do you want to tie him up?' Rasten asked her.

‘He'll stand,' Sierra said.

Cam made no move to take off his coat. ‘How do you know this thing is even going to work for me if I'm not a mage?'

‘It's an enchantment,' Sierra explained. ‘The work lies in its creation. The problem here is that you need to be able to use it, not just wear it, which is why we need the ritual. It'll be using your life force to fuel itself, but we'll only need it for a few months, so it shouldn't do you any real harm.'

‘Just don't take it off,' Rasten said. ‘Or it'll run down and die and you'll need another mage to restart it.'

‘Sirri —' Cam began.

‘It only needs a little cut. Best to get it over with.' She summoned her power and with a gesture cast an encircling shield that surrounded the three of them in a bubble of warm air. It immediately began to fill with mist as the trapped moisture from their breath condensed into fog. Her shield manifested as a net of flickering lightning and Rasten turned his face up to watch it fade into the mist.

‘Pretty,' he remarked.

Cam took off his belt, laying his sword at his feet, and quickly stripped off his coat, jacket, shirt and undershirt. He immediately began to shiver. The temperature inside the bubble was only a little above freezing. It was warm enough that he wouldn't get frostbite, but hardly a comfortable temperature to be standing around half naked. Any warmer however, would soon have them standing in a pool of freezing slush.

‘You have a knife or do you want mine?' Rasten asked Sierra.

‘I'll use my own,' she said, baring her hands and pulling out the little belt-knife Mira had given her.

‘Alright. You do it like this.'

Rasten explained the ritual to her once before they began and then again as she followed his instructions step by step. Sierra had never made an enchantment. Her lessons with Rasten had focussed on offensive and defensive techniques, not the minute precision and control required to secure a working within the crystalline matrix of a stone. She followed Rasten's instructions by rote as she nicked a tiny cut on Cam's chest, just over his breast bone amid the downy fuzz of fine, pale hair that marked his foreign blood.