Barrenlands (The Changespell Saga) (39 page)

"If there's fighting tomorrow, will you be up to it?" Jada asked, giving the leg a pointed glance.

"Ask the T'ieran's guards," Ehren said.

Jada looked at Laine, who nodded with feeling. "Ah," she said. "I see."

"Or ask the T'ieran," Laine said, with mischievous eyes.

"Ah," Jada repeated. "I
see
."

"I doubt that you do," Ehren told her. "I think it'd be best if we move in before they arrive tomorrow. I don't want to be seen until I'm ready to be seen."

"Ignoring, for the moment, the fact that you're changing the subject," Jada said, "are you sure you want to seem that...
sneaky
? If I was guarding Rodar tomorrow, I'd trigger on sneaky a lot faster than a straightforward approach."

"We'll be straightforward enough," Ehren said. "
When
we're in the right place for it."

"Uh-oh," Laine murmured, in a voice that said much more.

Ehren stiffened. "Where is it?"

"Right down the creek," Laine said, climbing to his feet, his gaze riveted downstream. "And it's a fast one, Ehren..."

Ehren didn't waste any time. Stuffing a square of the torn trousers into his sword belt, he headed for Ricasso, snatched up the startled horse's trailing lead rope, and vaulted aboard. Ignoring Ricasso's indignant snorts, he put the horse directly into a canter and headed away from the camp at right angles.

"That's far enough!" Laine called to him. "Any further and I won't be able to see clearly!"

Ehren stopped, tossing out the square of cloth while Ricasso dropped his head and snorted several times in succession, clearly disgruntled at this whole odd procedure.

"Go!" Laine yelled.

Ehren went. Discarding niceties, he heeled Ricasso around forcefully enough that when the horse cantered off, he kicked up both his heels in protest. Fortunately, it was no chore to sit on the bay's wide back, and Ehren's soothing words got them settled into an even gait. By the time Ehren circled Ricasso around through the trees, the spot where the spell had triggered was obvious. He gave the wilted, blackened area a wide berth on his way back to the creek.

"What was
that
?" Jada said when he returned to them, staring at the destruction in the fading light. Ehren thought he winded a stench on the breeze, something that put him in mind of a certain sumac patch in Loraka. From the expression on Laine's face, he was thinking the same thing.

"I don't know," Ehren told Jada, "but I'm certain it's good that we aren't in it."

She gave the patch one last unhappy look, and nodded. "I guess we'll have to split watch tonight, Ehren— one of us ought to be up with Laine."

"To keep me awake, you mean," Laine said. Jada shrugged an apology, but he shook his head. "Don't. I don't want to take any chances, either."

"You take the first watch, Jada," Ehren said. "With any luck, we'll have that much time before Varien sends anything else at us— though with
more
luck, he'll figure me dead and leave it at that. As fast as that one was moving, we won't have much leeway." He slid off Ricasso's back and tied the horse nearby. "Sorry, son. I'll want you right at hand if I need you."

"First watch it is, then." Jada sent Ehren a stern look. "And don't you be taking my head off if I wake you up fast. If I had a choice I'd use a ten-foot pole."

"I'll do my best," Ehren promised.

"I've heard that before," she grumbled

He just grinned at her. "Gotta be fast." And then he ducked the missile of stale bread she flung at him.

But Jada's watch went quietly, and when she woke Ehren it was with a soft call from a safe distance. She settled right down to sleep, and Ehren worked out his stiffness with a quick walk around the edge of the camp, checking that the horses browsed reasonably nearby and moving Ricasso so he could demolish the undergrowth in a fresh area.

He returned to sit by Laine, who hadn't said much; the strain showed on his face. Ehren didn't envy him— on constant alert for something he wouldn't truly be able to see even had it been daytime. And he didn't like having to rely on him; it left him restless and uneasy. He preferred to rely on himself, and his own skills.

Above him came the pattering sounds of light raindrops on leaves.

"If it's raining," Laine said, "will they hunt tomorrow?"

"Depends on how hard it comes down, and how long."

"Ehren... I can't do this for another whole day and night. Even if I somehow stayed awake, I'd probably miss anything that came our way."

"I know," Ehren said. "Don't worry about it. It's not raining that hard." And it had better stay that way. Laine was right. If Rodar didn't come out to hunt tomorrow, they'd have to go in after him.

But the rain stayed light and intermittent, and the spells stayed away. It was the grey of dawn when Laine suddenly perked up, and Ehren got to his feet immediately, going for Ricasso.

"Right down the creek again," Laine said wearily. "Not too fast."

Ehren moved swiftly, although he was a little gentler to his sleepy horse than the evening before. They rode out beside the smear of darkened tree trunks and wilted leaves from the previous spell— and when Laine signaled him to make a break, he'd only gone a dozen yards when a jagged thunderclap rang out. It sent Ricasso skittering sideways and Ehren snatching at his mane. The halter rope was hardly effective as a bit and bridle, and Ricasso pounded forward, barely dodging the trees in their path. When Ehren finally got him stopped, Ricasso trembled wildly, snorting in huffs of fear. Gently, Ehren turned him around; Ricasso pranced and tossed his head all the way back.

"You'd do your brother proud," Ehren told him, stopping him near the self-contained conflagration that would have annihilated their entire camp had Laine not seen the danger coming. Even with the heat of the lingering fire against his face, chills ran down Ehren's spine.

Back at the creek, Laine curried Nimble, his face pale. Jada, too, seemed shocked by the violence of the spell. Her own horse was already saddled, and she sat by Ehren's packs, chewing on tough dried meat and watching Ehren approach. "He's not playing around anymore."

"No." Ehren cast a look over his shoulder to the fading flames. "Laine..." But when Laine turned to look at him, Ehren just shook his head. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Laine said. He, too, watched the flames for a moment, then scooped up his saddle and set it on Nimble's back. "I know you were planning on moving up on foot, but... I don't think the horses should be left behind. At least, not
your
horses."

"Hells," Ehren breathed. "You're right. We'll find a place to put them where they can't be seen." He couldn't chance losing the boys to
that
.

The morning light lingered dim and diffuse. Ehren made quick work of loading packs on Ricasso and saddling Shaffron while the other two waited; he donned only his greaves, thick leather gauntlets, and King's Guard ailette. He tied his hair back, the honor feather and beads securely attached. It was enough to remind them who he was, without shouting that he was looking for trouble. Jada nodded her silent approval when he was done, and they moved into the damp woods, heading for the meadow.

Jada entered the wet meadow, checking that Ehren's horses were truly out of sight. When she returned she was soaked to her knees from the wet grasses, but looked grimly satisfied. "This whole area is in shadow— it'll stay that way all morning. They'd have to be looking for us to find us, and even then they'd have to come up close. And they usually gather at the other end of the meadow."

"That's how I remembered it," Ehren said, and then gave a short laugh at Jada's expression. "You think Benlan never hunted here? How do you suppose it came to be Rodar's favorite spot?"

"I... guess I never thought about it," Jada said.

"No." Ehren realized that none of the new Guards would have thought about it. To them, Benlan was a figurehead they'd served under for the first few months of training— or the king who'd been killed right before they came to serve Rodar. Ehren was the only one left who'd known the king, really
known
him— served under him, hunted with him, stayed after long hours of Upper Level meetings and shared a glass of wine with him.

If he died, the search for Benlan's killers would no doubt die as well.

No wonder Varien was so bent on getting him out of the way. If he'd had
any
thing to do with Benlan's death, Ehren was the last major threat to his safety.

"Ehren?" Jada said quietly, jarring Ehren out of his thoughts.

"Nothing," he said. "Just... thinking it all over."

"Yeah," she said, after a moment. "Me, too." He flashed her a look, discovered her expression was as somber as he felt, and abruptly grinned at her.

"We'll do all right," he said. "All we really have to do is get Rodar's attention. If you spent much time guarding him, it shouldn't be too hard. He'll want to talk to you, even if he puts me in chains to do it."

"I don't think we should let it come to that," Jada said tightly.

Ehren didn't answer. It wasn't his favored scenario, either, but he'd rather be in the hands of his fellow Guards than being hunted and killed by Varien's spells. On the other hand, being in the hands of his fellow Guards, unable to run, would be immensely inconvenient if Varien chose to send a spell after him.

They waited in silence for a while, suffering another short and fitful rain shower and increased concern that the day's hunt would be called off. Finally—
finally
— Ehren heard the first sounds of riders in the woods.

The royal party arrived quickly after that. Two Guards rode point; they exchanged a few quiet words with each other and went straight to the center of the meadow, putting their horses head-to-tail to survey the area. "Relax," Ehren muttered to Laine, who'd gone tense as a board.

"Yeah, right," Laine muttered back. On his right, Jada nudged him. By then, the noisy riders had arrived— Rodar with a handful of young men, all mounted on highly bred horses and outfitted in hunting greens that did nothing to subdue their presence. Their laughter and the jingle of their equipment could be easily discerned by any creature within a quarter mile. Ehren would be surprised if the line of whippers and houndsmen managed to chase a deer through this meadow.

Not that he intended for the hunt to get that far.

Rodar had four more Guards positioned around him and his friends, and behind them came several more riders yet. The Guards, male and female alike, had short shorn hair— variations on the theme Rodar had set. Ehren took it as warning. These were Guards, but they weren't
his
Guards— and they probably felt the same about him.

The huntmaster trailed them all, looking a bit despairing even at this distance.

And then came one more, not easily identifiable, but—

"Hells," whispered Jada. "Is that Varien? He came on the damn
hunt
?"

On the heels of her words, Laine whispered, "That's
him
. He's the one I saw, Ehren. The eyes..."

Benlan's killer
.

Cold emotion washed down Ehren's spine. "Yes," he said to both of them, and his voice came out just as cold, and imbued with... if not hate, then a certain kind of loathing, and unyielding resolution. "He's not hunting tender deer, I can tell you that much."

"No," Jada murmured, giving him a nearly unreadable glance. Beneath it, Ehren thought he saw fear. None of them had expected Varien to act so openly. He sat his horse on the left-most fringes of the royal party, composed and unconcerned.

He was there to protect the king from Ehren, no doubt.
Very noble
.

"Varien will do his best to ensure we don't talk to Rodar," Ehren said, but his voice remained resolute. Varien might
try
to stop him—

"
I
can," Jada said. "Let me go alone, Ehren."

"After what happened to Algere, you're just as rogue as I am." Ehren narrowed his eyes, looking hard at the man on Rodar's right. "Gerhard's there, too. He could be part of this thing."

"He may be from Loraka, but he's loyal. His priority is protecting Rodar." Jada spoke with assurance— and didn't convince Ehren in the least.

"All right, then," he said anyway. "Nothing left but to do it." He stood, and his hand passed wistfully over the clean lines of his sword's stirrup hilt— then fell away empty. Jada scrambled to her feet as well. A hesitant beat behind them both came Laine. As one, they stepped into the clear, walking with calm purpose toward the milling royal party.

One of the Guards snapped a short warning to the others, and Rodar's quartet immediately tightened around him. Laine faltered a step as the two Guards on point spurred their horses forward. Ehren and Jada's names hung in the air, sounding like curses; Gerhard called out an order that Ehren couldn't decipher, but that sounded dire.

"Steady," Ehren told Laine, giving Jada a hard look. "We're here to talk. As long as we remember that—"

"That's not it— look at—
look—"

Ehren glanced sharply at him; he instantly recognized the expression there. "Where?" he asked, dropping into readiness— a pose the Guards immediately misinterpreted.

Their swords, once inconspicuous, rose high, and Gerhard's voice resounded rough and commanding above pounding hooves. "Hold them there!"

"I can't... I can't—" Laine said, his gaze moving from Guards to the area between himself and Varien.

He couldn't concentrate, that was it. "Damn," Ehren said under his breath, his hand hovering by his sword, wanting desperately to snatch it free despite his resolve to handle this quietly.

"There!" Laine cried, and the clearing erupted into action as he flung himself before Ehren and the spell he'd Seen— and yelped as he was snatched up in midair, his arms and legs outflung and stretched tight.

Jada's wordless cry of alarm rang in Ehren's ears, and the Guards pulled up hard, astonished, splitting up to flow to either side of the trio— passing around Ehren and Laine, with Jada a step behind. Passing around Laine and—