Butler, Octavia - Patternmaster

Teray glanced back toward Coransee. “You think you’ll have to open to him again?”

She smiled tiredly. “If you were him, Teray, would you trust me?”

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They traveled for the rest of the day, Teray offering Amber as much of his own strength as she needed. She accepted only until she found in her rations enough readily edible food to steady

herself. She refused Teray’s offer of his rations.

“If that sniper is still around, you might wind up needing them yourself,” she told him.

Teray’s awareness of Coransee’s link had dulled, was nothing more than an annoyance now. It kept Teray tense, made him do more looking over his shoulder than necessary, but that was just as well. The canopy of his awareness, spread as he had vowed it would be, covered even less of the area around him than it normally would have covered unassisted. This was not only because he had given part of his strength to help Amber, but because he was tired himself. He was worried about the Clayark sniper. If the creature fired again from as far away as he had when he hit Amber, Teray would have no chance of sensing him.

Then there was the possibility that Teray had not had time to think about. The possibility that Coransee had been more right than he knew when he suspected that the Clayark had been aiming at Teray.

They made camp that night against a long rocky ledge. They had not heard or sensed anything more from the Clayarks, but one of Coransee’s women had sensed a doe back in the hills and lured it out. After everyone had eaten, Teray called Coransee aside.

The Housemaster had apparently gotten over his anger—or he remained angry only at Amber. He followed Teray away from the group far enough along the rock ledge to be out of earshot.

There he told Coransee of the Clayark he had talked to before leaving Redhill.

“Lord, it recognized me,” he finished. “It knew me as a son of Rayal.”

“So you think the sniper today really was shooting at you specifically, rather than at the handiest Patternist.”

“I think it’s possible. And I think it might happen again—to either of us. After all, they’ve captured at least one of your mutes, so they probably know you’re a son of Rayal too. They might even know just how near death Rayal is.”

Coransee frowned, thinking. “They’ve captured more than one of my mutes over the years, but that last one… you’re right. He would have had quite a bit to tell them. But as for the Clayark who identified you, you did kill it, didn’t you?”

“No.”

Coransee raised an eyebrow.

“I should have, but I didn’t. No excuse.”

Coransee looked away, exasperated. “You know, those four extra years in school didn’t do a damn thing for you.”

Without a word, Teray turned away to go back to the fire. He had delivered his message. Only hours before, Coransee had made a mistake that had almost cost Amber her life. A mistake that the Housemaster not only did not want to be told about, but that he had not yet bothered to correct. He had certainly not linked with Amber to

widen the range of his awareness.

“Brother!”

Teray looked around at him.

“Back,” said Coransee simply. As though he were calling an animal, Teray thought. Or a mute.

“Brother.”

Teray trudged back.

Coransee leaned against the ledge, relaxed. “You will send the woman to me.”

Teray stared at him, speechless, for a moment. “Amber?”

“Of course Amber. You will send her to me.”

It was his right since he had claimed Amber. No woman of his House had the right to refuse him. His women could refuse any other man if they wished, but not him. “If you want her,” said Teray, “call her yourself.” Coransee could have called her without moving from where he was or saying a word aloud. But he preferred to humiliate Teray.

Coransee smiled. “She’s less likely to do anything foolish if you send her to me.”

“You’re the one who’s doing something foolish. You’re pushing her even though you know that if she attacks you out here, miles from anywhere, you might kill her, but not before she’s mortally injured you.”

“I’m pushing her all right. I’m pushing you, too, brother.”

Teray glared at him, hearing the challenge, ignoring it.

“You stood beside her today and tried to talk her into attacking me. You offered to help her. Do you expect me to thank you for that? If you were anyone else, you’d already be dead. Now go and convince the woman to come to me quietly—unless you want to find out just how badly I can hurt her without being hurt myself.”

Teray completely surprised both liimself and Coransee. He smashed his fist hard into the Housemaster’s face.

Caught off guard, Coransee stumbled and fell to the ground.

Teray turned and, without hurrying, walked back to the group. He was tensed and ready to defend himself if Coransee attacked, but surprisingly the Housemaster let him go.

Amber was not beside the fire. He looked around and saw her preparing their pallet a short distance away from the others against the ledge. He went over to her and she turned to look at him apprehensively.

“I couldn’t help feeling some of that through the link,” she said. “From the emotions on both sides, I thought you two were going to have it out now.”

“He wants you,” said Teray tonelessly.

She was on her knees on the blankets, looking

up at him. Now, after a moment of surprise, she rose and walked a few steps away and stood with her back to him. The contained fury he sensed in her alarmed him. He went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She turned and was in his arms.

“I’d like to break his legs and leave him here alive for the Clayarks,” she muttered. “I’m sorry, Teray.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Sorry to be of use to him against you.” Her voice grew bitter. “He doesn’t give a damn about me now except to break me. He’s doing this to humiliate you.”

“I know.”

“And that’s not all he’s doing. I finally realize how he was lying to you. I should have seen it from the first.”

“Yes?”

“He’s not taking you to Forsyth to be judged by Rayal. He’s already judged you himself. He’s taking you to Forsyth to kill you. He’s as wary of you as he is of me, and he wants someone around to heal any damage you might do to him. Meanwhile, he’ll make do with just humiliating you.”

“You interpret the little you got from his mind to mean all that?”

“Yes. And it fell right into place. I know him, Teray. I know how he lies. You should, too, by

now.”

“But he could have killed me back at Redhill.”

“Why should he have? You were still being a good, respectful outsider. Still doing as you were told. There was always the chance that you might come to your senses and submit. But then you had to go and run away—to Forsyth, yet, and with me.” She took a deep breath, slowed down. “Well, think about it. I admit it’s guesswork, but I couldn’t be more positive that I’m right. If you decide you agree with me, you’d better start thinking about what you’re going to do.”

She bent to pick up a blanket. He caught her arm. They straightened, facing each other.

“You haven’t said it all,” he told her. “There’s enough anxiety coming through the link to tell me you’ve left out something important.”

Without speaking, she severed the link.

Solitude came to him jarringly. “Why did you do that? What’s the matter with you?”

“You want me to stay linked to you while I’m with him?”

Understanding, Teray grimaced. For the second time that day, their extreme closeness made the link a handicap. “All right,” he said. “You had reason to break the link. But you didn’t break it soon enough. I know something else is bothering you.”