Steven Brust - Phoenix

"It has a crew of Orca."

"Are you sure they'll be waiting for us?"

"Morrolan is there."

"Ah." And, "I'm flattered. Grateful, too."

Aliera smiled suddenly. "I enjoyed it," she said. Cawti didn't smile. After a few minutes' rest we stood up again. Loiosh left my shoulder to fly on ahead, and we made our way through the woods once more, now at a brisk walk. It was still very dark, but Aliera was making a small light that hung in the air a few paces ahead of us, bouncing in time to her steps.

As we walked, I said to Aibynn, "Is there anything we should be watching for?"

"Trees," he said. "Don't run into them. It hurts."

"Falling out of them isn't much fun, either, but I don't think that's a real danger just at the moment."

"Were you unconscious when you landed?"

"I expect so. I don't really remember anything about it. I was pretty much gone as I fell."

"Too bad," he said.

"Why?"

"The sound you made when you hit. It was a good one. A nice, deep thump. Resonance."

I couldn't decide if I should laugh or cut his throat, so I said, "I'm glad you didn't tune me, anyway."

I kept my eyes on the light, watching it bounce, and I wondered how Aliera had been able to produce it without sorcery to work with. For that matter, though— "Aliera?"

She turned her head without slowing down. "Yes, Vlad?"

"I was told sorcery doesn't work on this island."

"Yes. I lost my link to the Orb about ten miles from shore."

"Then how did you melt down that wall?"

"Pre-Empire sorcery."

"Oh. The rough stuff."

She agreed.

"Getting good, eh?"

She nodded.

"Isn't it illegal?"

She chuckled.

Cawti still hadn't said anything. About then Aibynn increased his speed and caught up with Aliera. "This way," he said.

I said, "Why?" at just the same moment Aliera did.

"Just want to see something."

"Loiosh, is anyone around?"

"I don't think so, boss. But you know I can't always tell with these guys."

"Eyeball it. Check out the way our friend is heading."

"Okay."

After a few minutes he said, "Nothing I can see, boss. You're almost up to the clearing where they caught you."

"Oh. That explains it, then."

"It does?"

We got there. The ashes in the fire were quite cold by now. Aibynn found his drum, looked it over, and nodded. If it had been destroyed, I'd have been convinced he was friendly to us. As it was, I still owed him something, but I had no way of knowing what sort of payment he deserved. Time would tell. He also hunted around some more, then gave a small sound of satisfaction and pulled a mass of fur from near the tree I'd fallen from. He shook it and put it on his head.

"What kind of animal was that?" I asked.

"A norska."

"Oh, yes, I see." It was dark brown and white, and still had the norska face in it, with the fangs showing. It didn't look nearly as absurd or disgusting as it ought to have. We resumed our walk.

I allowed myself to feel cautiously optimistic; the entire army of Greenaere, if there was one, would have a hard time keeping Aliera away from that boat, especially if Morrolan was on the other end.

"The sky is getting light in the east," said Aliera.

"We're not going to make it," said Cawti.

"Tell me where the bay is," said Aibynn. "I can probably get us there during flood tomorrow without being seen."

"In the daylight?" I said.

He nodded.

Cawti said, "What do you mean, probably?"

"It depends which bay you mean. If it's Chottmon's Bay, there's too much open ground."

We all studied him. "If Daymar were here," said Aliera, "he could mind-probe him and—"

"If Daymar were here," I said, "he'd still be back at the Palace studying the weave on the rugs while the army took potshots at his back."

"Does he like rugs?" inquired Aibynn.

"All right," said Aliera. "I'll inform Morrolan of the delay. The bay is marked by a high pinnacle, like a crown, on one side, and a stand of tall thin trees on the other. It is about a quarter of a mile across, and there is a small barren islet in the middle."

"Dark Woman's Cove," said Aibynn. "No problem."

"Remember," I said. "This is—"

"Yes. A knife."

He set out in the lead. We moved slowly, but steadily, and didn't run into anyone looking for us. Aibynn appeared to wander aimlessly, hardly looking where he was going and never stopping to look around. I stayed right behind him, ready to stick a knife in his kidney at the first sign that he'd betrayed us. If he knew this, he didn't give any indication, and it was the middle of the afternoon when we saw the little bay, with a lonely ship sitting in the middle of it.

We waited in the woods that came right up to the beach while they sent a boat for us. Cawti still had hardly spoken to me.

He stood on the prow of the ship, tall, aloof, Dragaeran, and dry. The Orca on the ship assisted us without any questions, and a few of them gave him dark looks. I suspect these had to do with Blackwand, sheathed at his side. No one wants to be that close to any Morganti weapon, and Blackwand was the kind of blade that survivors write dirges about.

He and Aliera were cousins, both of the House of the Dragon, which meant they preferred a good battle to a good meal—practically my definition of madness. They were young as Dragaerans go, less than five hundred years old. I'd live out my entire life while they were both young, but no sense in dwelling on that. He wore the black and silver of the House of the Dragon with the emphasis on the black, she with the emphasis on the silver. She was short and quick; he was tall and just as quick. The three of us got acquainted one day in the Paths of the Dead. Well, that isn't strictly true, but never mind. There were things that made us friends in spite of differences in species, House, class, and how important we rated food, but never mind that, either. He was there, waiting, when the boat with two undistinguished Orca brought us to the ship.

He gave Aibynn a curious glance, but didn't mention him. He gave a crisp order, and the ship swung a little, shook, turned, settled, and began to move. We sailed neatly away from the island, as if the escape had been no major feat at all. Which, I suppose, it really hadn't, my nerves to the contrary.

I watched the splotch that was Greenaere begin to grow smaller against the reddish horizon, and a tightness in my chest of which I hadn't been aware began to ease. I glanced at the crew, and was a bit disappointed that they were strangers; for some reason I wouldn't have minded running into Yinta, or someone else from Chorba's Pride. On the other hand, I wasn't seasick, in spite of no longer having the charm I'd set out with.

Spray hit my face and stung my eyes as the sails above me snapped full, dragging the ship along. Morrolan stood next to me, Aliera next to him. Aibynn was near the front, the prow or the bow or whatever, doing something to his drum. Cawti was not in sight. I said, "I owe you one, Morrolan."

He said, "I'm disturbed."

"About my owing you something?"

"Daymar said he couldn't maintain the contact with you."

"Yes. I wondered about that."

"I feel something on that island."

Aliera said, "There's a reason why our links to the Orb were severed. It wasn't the distance."

"It mislikes me," said Morrolan.

I said, "Huh?"

"He doesn't like it," said Aliera.

"Oh."

Morrolan shifted slightly, keeping his eyes on the island. His long fingers rubbed the large ruby on his silver shirt. I looked back. The island was almost invisible now. Loiosh was on my shoulder. I said, "Where's Rocza?"

"She stayed home."

"Not the oceangoing type?"