David Coe - The Dark-Eyes War

"Yes, we could," the n'qlae said. "I just don't know if that's the best way to handle this."

"What if we were to wake everyone and lead them out of the sept?" Besh asked. "They'd attack in the morning and find no one here."

The n'qlae seemed to consider this for several moments before shaking her head. "I don't like the idea of abandoning the sept, and I'm not sure we could get far enough away tonight. They would still be able to see us come morning, and they'd simply ride us down."

"Can you fight them?" Sirj asked. "There are more than forty women in the sept. We'd outnumber them."

"The number of Weavers matters more," the n'qlae said. "They'll be able to attack with several magics at once, and I'll only be able to block one of them." Her brow furrowed in concentration. "No, we need to think of something that will forestall their attack. If it comes to a fight, we'll lose."

"The a'laq was afraid of the creatures we could conjure," Sirj said, looking at Besh.

The n'qlae bristled. "The a'laq fears nothing."

"Perhaps fear wasn't the right word," Besh said. "But he wanted to know what creatures we could call forth with our magic. He seemed most… most concerned with the creatures of legend that our people can summon."

The n'qlae stared at him. "You can conjure such things?"

"There may be those among us who can. I know that the Mettai of old-those who fought in the Blood Wars-could call forth demons and creatures of myth."

"But can you?" Cresenne asked.

Besh shrugged. "I've never tried. I'm not sure I know the spells." Clearly he had the n'qlae's attention now. "What about other creatures?" she asked. "Real creatures? Can you conjure those?"

He nodded. "Yes. Wolves, wild dogs, highland lions, bears. I've used hornets against… enemies. They work quite well."

The n'qlae shook her head. "Fire magic," she said. "A Weaver with access to fire would have little trouble against a swarm. And shaping would work against these other animals you've mentioned." She shook her head a second time. "We'd need something more difficult to fight, something that would surprise them so much that they wouldn't know what magic to use."

They stood there in silence for several moments, all of them seemingly lost in thought. And then Sirj began to laugh.

They looked at him.

"What are you laughing at?" Besh asked.

At first Sirj didn't answer. He was laughing still, but now his brow was creased in thought.

"You say that fire magic would protect them against a swarm," he finally said, looking at the n'qlae. "How would that work?"

The woman gave a small shrug. "They'd see the swarm coming and they'd use fire to burn it out of the air. It would be fairly simple really. Even if we use the hornets now, in the dark, they'll hear them and they'll be able to direct fire at them."

"So they'd need to see it," Sirj said.

"Well, yes, of course."

"What is it you're thinking?" Besh asked.

Sirj laughed again. "You'll think I'm mad."

Besh grinned. "I've thought that before."

"Quickly!" the n'qlae said, clearly annoyed by how amused both men seemed. "What is this about?"

"Ants," Sirj said, facing the woman. "Armies of biting ants. By the time the J'Balanar understand what we've done, it will be too late for them to do anything about it without burning themselves."

The n'qlae appeared unconvinced. "Ants," she repeated.

Sirj nodded.

"Can you make enough of them?" Cresenne asked.

"Absolutely," Besh said. "The harder part will be getting them to the J'Balanar. For this to work, we'd have to do it before they mount their horses, but as long as it's dark we can't see where to send them."

"Then we'll just send them west for now," the n'qlae said. "We know that at least some of the J'Balanar are there. Maybe if this works, the others will give themselves away."

"We should be ready to strike at them," Cresenne said. "We should wake the others, and when Sirj's ants stir up the J'Balanar, we should attack. They'll be distracted, even the Weavers."

The n'qlae gave her a hard look, but then nodded. "Yes, all right." She turned to the warrior. "Wake every adult, but do it quietly. Have the children remain in the z'kals, and have at least one older child with the younger ones. Quickly, I'Yir."

The man nodded, bowed, and hurried off.

"It would be helpful to know just where they are," Sirj said, scanning the dark plain beyond the sept.

Besh nodded. "It would be. But there might be a way to do it without knowing. It would be more complicated, but we can direct the magic at the Qirsi. We just have to make certain that there are no Fal'Borna in front of us when we do."

"How soon can you do this?" the n'qlae asked.

"I need some time to work out the spell. Not long. A few moments. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

The woman took a breath. "Yes, all right."

She appeared tense, even afraid, although no more so than Besh felt. He trusted that she would lead her people well. It was up to Sirj and him to give the Fal'Borna a chance. The two men walked a short distance from Cresenne and the n'qlae.

"How do we do this?" Sirj asked quietly.

"The ants are easy," Besh said. "It's the rest of the spell I need to work out." Mettai magic worked best when the elements were recited in groups of four. This spell would be too complicated to be accomplished with four elements, which meant that he needed eight, or perhaps twelve.

"We need to send them in a mist," Sirj said. "They can only become ants when they reach the Qirsi. Otherwise this will never work."

"I agree."

He heard whispers and light footsteps coming from the shelters around him. The Fal'Borna were stirring, preparing for this battle. Before long they'd be ready for his magic.

"Blood to earth," he muttered, practicing the spell, the words empty of magic without his blood. "Life to power, power to thought, earth to mist, mist to magic…"

Sirj was watching him, waiting. Seeming to realize that Besh had faltered, he frowned. "Three more elements."

"I know," Besh said. "But I'm not sure how to finish it. That's the hard part-getting the incantation right."

Sirj repeated the spell as Besh had spoken it, trailing off at the same point.

Besh scoured his brain, searching for the right words for the spell, knowing that he was close. He wished that he hadn't tried any of that sweetgrass whiskey. His mind felt sluggish, and he knew that he wouldn't have a second chance to get the spell right if he failed the first time. Still, nothing came to him, and he began to grow frustrated.

"She's coming," Sirj whispered.

Besh looked up to see the n'qlae walking toward him, followed by Cresenne, who no longer held her child.

He drew himself up, preparing to tell the n'qlae that this magic couldn't be rushed.

"We hear horses moving again," the woman said before he could speak. "I fear the J'Balanar have noticed all the activity in our sept. We need to act now."

"Is it possible they'll move on?" Sirj asked. "Perhaps find another settlement?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. It's more likely that they're taking up new positions, or that they're preparing to attack before dawn. Are you ready?" she asked Besh.

What choice did he have? "Yes," he said.

Sirj shot him a look, but Besh kept his eyes on the n'qlae.

"Good," she said. "We are as well." She started to make her way toward the south end of the sept, leaving Besh and the others with little choice but to follow. "They seemed to be moving in this direction," she said as they walked.

"All of them?" Besh asked.

She slowed. "I'm not sure."

Besh halted, and began to retrace their steps. "We should start in the west, since that's where they were."

The others looked like they might come with him, but Besh held up a hand to stop them. "Just Sirj and me. We'll try to stay out of sight. You keep going to the other side of the sept. Let them believe that we think they've gone there."