Catherine Asaro - The Night Bird

Stubble indicated the peaks. “Those are the Jagged Teeth.

“Never expected tsee em. She tried again. “To see them.

He jumped to the ground. Before she could react, he had lifted her out of the wagon and set her next to him.

“Can walk on my own, she mumbled.

He laughed softly. “Are you sure?

“Yes. She wanted to sock him for that smirk.

“All right, he said. “But if you run, Ill catch you.

Right. She was tipsy, not stupid. Given how little she knew about survival in the desert, she wouldnt take off even if she were sober. She had no supplies, map or horse. She would bide her time until she had a better opportunity.

“Weve been following the Stoneblue River, Stubble said. “You can clean up there.

Water! She set off in the direction he indicated and did her best to walk a straight line. When he rested his hand on her shoulder, offering support, she glared at him and pulled away.

The air smelled strange, so parched and dusty. Its dryness added to her thirst, until she could think of nothing but stoneblue water. She wasnt sure how long it took to reach the river, as her mind kept drifting, but they were soon above it. The water coursed fiercely, as wild as the land, roaring over steep drops, with rapids and small waterfalls. Spray jumped around needled rock formations that jutted out of the froth.

Stubble found a barrier of rocks that created a pool where the river flowed more slowly. He stood on the bank behind Allegra, holding her in place with his hands on her shoulders.

“I dont want you to drown, he said uncertainly.

She shrugged off his hands. “I cswim fine.

“Sober, maybe.

She ignored him and sat on the bank, her legs dangling in the pool. With a sigh, she eased into the water. She lifted handfuls of the precious liquid and drank and drank and drank, slaking the thirst that had plagued her.

Stubble sat on a boulder a few paces back from the pool. “Dont go anywhere.

Self-conscious with him watching, she crouched behind the riverbank so he could see only her head. Then she pulled off her wet shift and tossed it up on the ground. It wouldnt be dry when she finished her bath, but she had wanted the water so much, she hadnt cared.

“I need to wash my hair, she said. It would give her an excuse to disappear underwater, maybe swim away. More likely she would drown, and she had nowhere to go, but the water had returned a little of her strength, encouraging her to think about escape.

Stubble took something out of his pocket and tossed it to her. Startled, she grabbed it out of the air. It was a rough bar of soap, gritty and orange.

“Stay where I can see you, he warned. “Or Ill come in after you.

“Dont do that, she said hurriedly. He had so far kept the others from mauling her, but no one would stop him if he changed his mind about the rules he had set up.

Watching her face, he sighed. “Look, Ive a wife at home. Two children. I love them. I dont dishonor my wife by taking other women, and I dont force girls I find in the forest. More quietly, he added, “But Ive a living to make, and youre going to bring us a lot of wealth. So if you try to get away, Ill come after you, whatever it takes.

“Well, good for you, not wanting to dishonor your wife, she said sourly as she soaped her arms. “You just sell the girls you find in the forest to someone else to rape. How the hell can you justify that if you think its wrong?

“Dont talk to me like that. His fist clenched on the rock. “Youre in Jazid now. A horse has more rights than you do here.

“Thats appalling.

He started to say more, then stopped and stared at his fist as if he hadnt realized he had clenched it. Taking a breath, he relaxed his fingers.

“Does Vardok have a wife? Allegra asked. Then she added, “Maybe he likes horses better. Ill bet they dont talk back.

Stubble glowered at her. “He has neither wife nor horse. And before you say no one wants him, he does have several children.

“Do they neigh? Allegra asked sweetly.

“By the Shadow Dragon, Stubble muttered. “Woman, you do have a tongue.

She turned her back to him and lathered her hair. Despite his claim otherwise, he obviously had qualms about his work. Maybe he loved his family, maybe he had a conscience, but that just made it worse, because he went ahead with this anyway, out of his desire for wealth, with no apparent remorse.

Allegra wrestled with her anger. If she was going to get away, she had to keep her wits. Taking off into an unfamiliar desert without preparation was more likely to earn her death than freedom. But eventually an opportunity had to arise. To take it, she needed to be alert and strong, and she would be neither if they kept her drunk and in need of food and water.

She wished she could make a spell to soothe her agitation. She pressed her hand between her breasts where her pendant had hung. She felt more naked without it than without her clothes. Every mage had a maximum shape she could use. The greatest form Allegra had ever managed had six sides, in three dimensions. A cube. The disk on her pendant hadnt been as strong a shape, so it didnt create as powerful a spell, but she liked the sweetness its circular form added. The few times she had tried higher-order forms such as octahedrons, she had managed nothing but a headache.

Floating around, she saw Stubble watching her. She folded her arms over her breasts.

His voice gentled. “Whats your name?

“Allegra.

“Ive never heard a name like that before.

“Its the feminine form of the musical term allegro.

“Well, Allegra, listen, he said. “Try to accept whats happened. It will make things easier for you.

“I wont ever accept it. You broke the law, scuzzermug.

“Scuzzermug? He gave a startled laugh. “Whats that?

“You know those yellow slugs that go under rocks?

“Ah. I see. He rubbed his hand over his unkempt beard. “I dont suppose it would do any good to suggest you speak with more honeyed words.

She felt about as “honeyed as a cactus. “Why should I?

“I would not have you brutalized. And you will suffer if you speak this way to whoever buys you.

“Im not a possession.

He squinted at her. “Such fire in a woman is strange.

“Why? she asked, curious. “Dont your women have backbones?

“Im sure they all have vertebrae. They also have a better sense of what is in their best interest.

She snorted. “I dont see why they put up with it.

“Weve so few women. When she started to retort, he held up his hand. “Its because so many miners come here, not because the women leave. Jazid has a lot of precious ores, gems, that sort of thing. The atajazid offered incentives to attract miners.

“The ata-what?

“The Atajazid Daz Ozar. The Shadow-Dragon King. He sat on the Onyx Throne before Cobalt the Dark murdered him.

“Oh. Of course. Cobalt Escar, king of the Misted Cliffs, had conquered Jazid, Shazire and Blueshire, and married the woman who was heir to the Harsdown Throne, which meant his son would rule Harsdown as well. Escar was a king no longer; people called him the Midnight Emperor.

“Slavery is illegal in the Misted Cliffs, Allegra said. “Ill tell Cobalts soldiers what youve done.

He shrugged. “You wont see any of them where youre going.

“I thought one of the buyers was a general.

“Thats right. He regarded her intently. “You will go to a man of means and influence. Dont throw that away by running off into the desert. You wouldnt last a day before someone caught you, and chances are your situation with him would be a lot worse.

She noticed more what he didnt say than his actual words. “Why wont you tell me about the auction? she asked.

He just shook his head, and she wondered if he was protecting himself. Who were these bidders? With a shudder, she turned so she didnt have to face him. She longed for the comfort of a spell. Several holes in the rocks across the pool resembled circles. The pool was only waist deep, but the rippled water helped veil her nakedness. So she swam to the rocks, going underwater to rinse off the soap.