Chasers of the Wind (19 page)

Melot be damned if she was not ready to kill for one.

Tossing her reins to Gry, the girl walked into the inn. The common room was bright, spacious, and clean. And it smelled good. Tia felt cheered. The chances of getting a bed without bedbugs had risen sharply.

A tall, bulky village boy was sitting on the floor next to the potbellied wine barrels. Judging by his face, he was a half-wit. Once he saw Tia, he forgot all about his shaf and gaped at her in shock as if he’d never seen a woman before. Ignoring the lustful gaze of the nitwit, she walked over to a table where five officers were sitting. As she walked she commanded the innkeeper, who had appeared in front of her, “A room. Your best. And a hot bath.”

“But my lady!” he said, startled. “There are no spare rooms.”

“Gentlemen, which one of you is Captain Nai?” she asked the officers calmly.

“I don’t know why you’re looking for me, but I am entirely at your service, gorgeous,” said a young, black-mustachioed man with a charming smile. “And my friends would be all too happy to make your acquaintance and give you your bath.”

One of the men laughed gleefully, another whistled admiringly, evaluating the beauty of the nameless girl.

“Where have you been hiding from us all this time?” asked a stout, balding man, laughing. Judging by the ribbons on his sleeve, he was the commander of the archers.

“Can’t you see, she’s not a local. She doesn’t look like the village maids,” said another soldier, and then he took a sip of his shaf.

“You’re right. Nai, let me be the first to get acquainted with this beautiful stranger.”

The officer stood and grabbed Tia by the waist.

“Come on then.”

She mockingly raised her eyebrows and smiled thinly.

“Remove your hand.”

“Oho!” chuckled Nai. “What an uppity lass!”

“I like that even more.” The hands on the girl’s waist squeezed even tighter. “Arrogant whores are such a rarity.”

If Alenari were in Tia’s place, she would kill the bumpkin for such unbridled behavior. Mitifa would have ripped off his arms without thinking twice. Tal’ki would chat with him amicably, and then she would come up with some perfect punishment. However, it’s unlikely the officer would hit on the old hag. He amused Tia so greatly that she decided not to punish him. She’d let Gry, who at that very moment was walking into the inn, do it.

The captain, who had been entrusted to safeguard the lady against any kind of trespass, instantly grasped the situation. His fist, vested in a glove with metal bars across the knuckles, slammed into the face of the impudent man and threw him backward. The officers began yelling indignantly; they jumped up and seized their weapons, and only then did they take the time to examine the new arrival. A stunned silence enveloped them. Even the officer with the broken jaw stopped swearing.

“Thank you, Gry.” Tia thought it fitting to show the man some gratitude.

She reached out her hand and her bodyguard immediately gave her a document. The girl never scorned using such documents. Now and again a few official signatures and seals worked far more effectively than any magic. The girl passed the document to Nai.

Frowning blackly, he opened the leather case, dropped it on the table without looking at it, and spread out the paper. He read it and his face instantly paled. When his ability to speak returned to him, he said, trying not to look her in the eyes, “Forgive me, my lady, for this misunderstanding. We all offer you our apologies for such improper behavior toward you and are prepared to accept the punishment we deserve.”

“Hmmm…” She wrinkled her charming little nose. “I like that you know how to acknowledge your mistakes. That’s a good quality. Just refrain from making the same mistake in the future. Try to find me a room and a bath. I also think that Gry and his men would not say no to a decent meal.”

“Yes, my lady. I would be happy if you would take my rooms. Allow me to accompany you.”

“I’ll allow it,” she agreed graciously.

“Innkeeper! A hot bath! Now!” bellowed the captain and, gesturing that she should follow him, rushed up the wide oak staircase that led to the second floor.

“Where is the necromancer?” Tia asked casually when the Nabatorian opened the door for her.

“Somewhere in the village. Or near the fort.”

“I want to see him. Right away.”

“I’ll search for him personally, my lady.”

“As soon as you find him, send him to me. Don’t delay.”

After saying these words she entered the room, dropped her vest onto a chair, and stretched languidly.

*   *   *

Just as Luk had assumed, in the morning the miller and his sons came and started working at the mill. They set the stones spinning, began bringing in sacks of grain and leaving with sacks of prepared flour. At first the soldier was nervous but after a short while he realized that the locals had no business up in the attic. He relaxed and even slept for another hour. Then he had a substantial breakfast, and Ga-Nor told him that they had noticed the absence of the men he’d killed and concealed in the river. They were checking adjacent houses and combing through the nearby forest.

“It’s a good thing we came here. I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t find us. Oho! Take a look at our new visitors!”

Luk brushed the crumbs from his palms and, trying to keep his head down, looked out the window.

A group of riders were descending down the hill on the road. In the middle of the soldiers was a woman, and right behind her followed two creatures that the guard easily recognized as Burnt Souls.

“Screw a toad! We need to get out of here,” he moaned in fear.

“Don’t fall apart from panic,” snapped the Son of the Snow Leopard. “If we flee, they’ll hunt us down like rabbits.”

“And if they find us, they’ll besiege us like wolves.”

“Oh, who needs you? No one even knows you exist. And they’re better off for it. Stay where you are. Don’t move.”

“Well, now we’re up the creek with no paddle, my dear friend,” said Luk, a bit too calmly. “We can’t get rid of that bastard so easily.”

Far away on the field, right by the forest where Ga-Nor had come across the Nabatorian ambush, stood a man dressed in white.

*   *   *

The Sdisian checked the spot three times and did not find a single sign of struggle. The three idiots had disappeared without a trace. The grass was lying flat, but that always happens when three healthy men sit in one place for several hours.

The necromancer was not too concerned about the missing soldiers. Even if another twenty soldiers had gone missing this morning, he usually would have ignored it completely. But today the boredom of inaction had made him a bit touchy, and this was at least a diversion. That was what made it worth investigating.

The men had been missed early in the morning when their relief arrived at the ambush and did not find their comrades in the usual place. They immediately informed Captain Nai about the incident, and he sent fifty men out to search for them. As one would expect, nothing came of it. The search parties hunted through the village and even poked around the forest, but they didn’t find any trace. It was as if the ground had swallowed the three of them whole. Where could the idiots have gone? There was forest all around, you could never scramble your way through it. They’d never approached the road, that’s for sure. The patrols didn’t see anyone.

It didn’t look like murder; there were no tracks for two dozen yards around. There should be something left behind. Trampled grass, blood, a body, something at least! Unless of course someone fell on them from the sky, grabbed them by the back of the neck and carried them off. The sorcerer didn’t believe in such things. There weren’t any creatures in these lands that could do such a thing. He still hadn’t solved the riddle after half an hour’s search. Of course, he could use his magic and check if there was an echo of their souls, which always appeared after people’s deaths. But the incantations would require such an expenditure of strength that … these missing sheep simply weren’t worth it. Giving up all hope of finding a rational explanation for the strange and entirely unexpected disappearance, the necromancer pursed his lips in disappointment and, leaning on his staff, headed back toward the village.

A rider was galloping over the field toward him at full tilt. The Sdisian squinted and recognized Captain Nai.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” cried the Nabatorian as he reined in his horse.

“And what do you require of me on this fine day?”

“A … lady … is waiting for you.”

“Really?” He instantly realized who he was talking about. Praise be to the dark gods. His Herald had been taken seriously. And that meant that the tedious waiting had come to an end. He wondered which of the Overlords had answered his summons. At any rate, regardless of who it was, he would now find out if Ann had the Gift or if it was all for nothing. “Has she been waiting long?”

“About half an hour, I’d say. She’s in my room. She said that you should go to her immediately.”

“Give me your horse.”

“Of course.”

The sorcerer did not hesitate to leap into the saddle.

*   *   *

“Well? Have you calmed down? He didn’t find anything,” said Ga-Nor when the necromancer disappeared among the houses. “You always get so panicky.”

“Look who’s talking. Screw a toad, but you’re no less frightened than I am.”

The northerner snorted into his mustache.

“I’d really like to know where that Sdisian was rushing off to,” he said instead of replying.

“Well, at least he wasn’t rushing off for your soul.”

“Who knows. Who knows. I’m beginning to think it would have been better if we’d slogged our way through the forest to Al’sgara like you suggested at first. Dog Green can go to the Abyss! It’s not enough that there are Nabatorians here, but a real live necromancer has to show up as well! I don’t like it. The dogs weren’t howling for nothing. I can smell it—trouble is brewing.”

And again the Son of the Snow Leopard fell silent, but by his eyes it was clear that he shared the fears of his companion.

*   *   *

The sorcerer stopped by the door, obviously nervous. He tugged at his robes, trying to make the folds fall neatly. Then he smoothed out the links of his belt and adjusted his saber. It wouldn’t do to appear before the Overlord looking unkempt. He was about to knock on the door, but he was forestalled.

“Enter, Elect, enter. Don’t stand on the threshold.”

There was mockery in the woman’s voice. The necromancer pushed the door open, took two steps in, got to one knee, and fixed his gaze onto the floor. His left hand was on his staff. His right was held over his heart. It was the ritual obeisance of an Elect before an Overlord.

“If you’d be so kind, drop the niceties and close the door. It’s cold.”

He was startled, but he did exactly as he was asked, keeping his eyes on the floor the entire time. When he was done he raised his eyes and then instantly shifted them back to the toes of his own boots.

Tia gave a quiet snicker. “I asked you to leave convention at the door. Look. I permit it.”

She was sitting in a bronze bathtub with her back to him. Two dark braids were entwined around her head and held in place with diamond bobby pins. Bronzed skin, narrow shoulders, elegant neck. Everything else was concealed by soapy foam.

He couldn’t see her face, but he didn’t need to. The sorcerer knew who was before him. One of the Overlords, Lady Tia. The Flames of Sunset, as the races of the Great Waste called her.

It was she who bore the alias Typhoid in the Empire.

“Speak.”

“I found a woman. She may have the Gift.”

“
May
? A bad word. If I’ve had to travel so far just for
may,
I will be quite irritated.” Steely overtones slipped into her voice. “Continue.”

“As soon as I entered the village, I felt the echoes of the use of the Gift.”

“Very interesting. And you didn’t think this might be a mistake?”

“I did, my lady. And before I sent the Herald to you, I tried to check for myself. She is not a Walker. Perhaps she is a prodigy, although I couldn’t feel anything from her. Either I am mistaken or she is very discreet.”

“Or we’re dealing with a real natural if an Elect cannot read her. Is she still in the village?”

Tia had not glanced at her companion a single time over the course of this conversation.

“Yes. I put her under house arrest.”

“Then why is the peasant still somewhere else? Bring her. Let’s have a look at your find.”

“She’ll be before you within half an hour.”

The Damned waved her hand, allowing the sorcerer to leave, closed her eyes, and blissfully stretched out in the bathtub.

9

“Some bastard stole the lantern from the yard last night. And those damn dogs were howling before dawn,” said Bamut, as he carved another little man out of wood.

Shen, his hands resting on his chest, was lying on a hard bench with his folded shirt under his head. He was dozing, but as soon as his companion was done talking, he said, without raising his eyelids, “Mark my words. They won’t be howling after the necromancer returns. Neither will we.”

“Nonsense. He hasn’t been here in a week. He’s long since forgotten about us.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” said Whip morosely. “If he’d forgotten about us those noseless freaks standing guard by the gates would have disappeared. The sorcerer sniffed out Layen from a league away, and he’s not backing off anytime soon.”

“He’s only interested in her soul. The White won’t bother us.”

“Fool,” declared the commander with relish.

“Why a fool?” asked Bamut, not at all offended.

“You expect good from a necromancer. That’s why. He’ll take the woman away and drag us along for company.”

“Damn.… I should have wasted Gray in the forest. I threw away such an opportunity. We could already be back in Al’sgara.”

Midge, who was listening in on the conversation, had something that looked like agreement written all over his face.

“Mols would have whacked you himself afterward.”