Ysian relaxed with a rush of relief. She had been starting to think that things might shortly begin to get somewhat out of hand. Dosh grinned at her, showing blood on his teeth. She handed him the stick. He took it in his swollen fingers but did not try to eat.
The Joalians had come to attention. Tall and fearsomely blue-eyed, D'ward glanced them over, then spared a longer, harder look for Dosh. He was making no effort to hide his anger, and it filled the shed like a winter frost. He spoke first to Ysian.
"What are you doing here, Viks'n?"
"I brought Dosh Envoy some supper."
"Why?"
"I thought they might stop torturing him if I was here."
D'ward sighed and gave her his exasperated look, which always annoyed her tremendously. “Well, cut his feet loose too. Now, Dibber Troopleader, I want an explanation. Report!"
"Sir! Saw this man consorting with the enemy, sir!” The Joalian waited, as if nothing more need be said. When nothing more was said, he spoke again, but with much less confidence. “This afternoon you passed the word for him, sir. He wasn't found, sir, was he? About sunset, sir, we saw him in the distance with a band of Thargians. We watched him try to sneak into camp unobserved ... arrested him ... sir...."
D'ward's eyes shone like blue steel. “You did not report to Kolgan Coadjutant or Golbfish Hordeleader?"
"Er ... waiting for you, sir..."
"So you questioned him yourself?"
"Er, yes, sir.” The troopleader's face glistened wetly under the lantern—he was scared and serve him right!
"Did he tell you anything?"
"Some lies about acting on your orders, sir."
"And you know he wasn't, do you?"
An insect thudded into the lamp and bounced off. In the awful silence, it sounded like a drumbeat. When D'ward spoke, his voice was even softer but full of menace.
"Dosh Envoy, did any of them try to stop what was happening?"
"Not that I heard.” Amazingly, Dosh was now nibbling at the lizard tail. He seemed remarkably cheerful, considering the beating he had suffered.
D'ward pronounced judgment. “Dibber, you exceeded your authority. Go back to your troop. Inform them that you have been demoted and they are to elect a successor. He is to report to Golbfish Hordeleader immediately with recommendations for your further punishment. That means all of you. Go!"
The prince moved his mass aside, and the four men stampeded out into the darkness. Golbfish pulled the door closed, with himself on the inside of it. He was smiling, yet somehow he did not look pleased. Ysian stood up, planning to leave the three men to their deliberations. She had done what she came for. She thought she deserved a little more appreciation for it, too.
"You'd better stay, Viks'n.” D'ward heaved himself up on the bench, feet dangling. He stared down at Dosh with disgust. “Oh, you! What sort of mess are you in this time?"
"Got a message for you,” Dosh said, still chewing. Apparently he was actually enjoying the revolting meal. He could not have been eating well lately.
Puzzled that she was wanted, but quite pleased, Ysian moved back against the wall. She caught the prince's eye. He nodded and smiled at her, and she did not understand that, either. She liked the big hordeleader. He always spoke to her as if she were a lady.
"From?” D'ward said.
Dosh glanced warily at Ysian and Golbfish. “A friend of a friend. A servant of a former master of mine. The one you guessed."
"Aha! You can talk about him now?"
Dosh nodded. “The servant removed the master's ... directive.” He choked. “That bastard! That mudpig! He stole three years of my life!"
He tried to rise. Golbfish went to help him, and he staggered to his feet. “This aspect's all right—I think. He wants to meet you."
D'ward raised his eyebrows.
Golbfish made a rumbling sound. “Now wait a minute! Let's hear where you went—and how you came back. And what about the Thargians?"
Dosh leaned both arms on the bench. He must be in a lot of pain, though he was trying not to show it. “Liberator—"
"Don't call me that! You'd better speak openly. I trust these two, and they deserve to know what secret they're keeping. Out with it!"
"Sure?” Dosh said impudently. He was never as respectful to the Liberator as everyone else was. “Well, I went to a temple, to report to Tion. I met his avatar Prylis—god of learning. I gave him my report, but ... Well, he isn't Tion!"
"Of course he isn't. None of them are. What else?"
"He wants you to go to him. Very important, he said. Some Thargians had followed me. Prylis bound them to my service. They have to obey me!” Dosh tried to laugh, winced, and rubbed his ribs regretfully.
Ysian caught Golbfish's eye again. He was frowning, but he did not look as surprised as she would have expected. Perhaps D'ward had told him some of the strange things he had told her—things that would have shocked her parents to the core, things she would have believed to be dreadful heresies had she heard them from anyone but D'ward.
"I saw that temple,” Golbfish said. “If you went there, then how did you catch up with us?"
Dosh twisted his bruised lips into a parody of a smile. “I rode a moa."
"That's impossible!"
"That's what I thought, but it isn't. Not if you ride double. The brute didn't like it, but it brought me."
After a moment, D'ward said, “I'll have to trust you. What does this Prylis person want with me?"
"Dunno. Don't question gods."
"Maybe you should.” D'ward stared down at his knees for a while, swinging his feet. “How far away is this temple?"
Dosh shrugged, wiping his mouth. “Ten miles, maybe. My lancers will take us. You can be back before morning."
"Battlemaster!” Golbfish exclaimed. “You cannot seriously..."
But obviously D'ward was planning to go. How could he trust his life to Dosh Envoy? Ysian did not like Dosh. D'ward had told her why the other men disliked him, but that should not matter to her. There was just something wrong about him—not wrong enough to justify what had been done to him tonight, though.
"I have to risk it, Highness,” D'ward said. “It could be very important. If I'm not back by dawn, lead the army into the pass—and keep going, understand! On no account wait for me or look for me!"
"Battlemaster—"
"Can't pass up a chance to have a god as an ally, can I? Consult Kolgan, but you make the decisions, apart from the orders I just gave you. I'll tell him.” He turned to Dosh, who was trying not to show his pleasure at the Liberator's faith in him. “You coming too? Can you make it in your condition?"
"I'm the toughest bastard in the whole army."
"I know you are. Very well, I'll make my rounds now, and you get yourself cleaned up. Nobody else must know I've gone, or half the Nagians will come after me, no matter what I say! As soon as—"
"Me too!” Ysian said. She was not going to be left behind like a child!
The three men all turned to stare at her; she racked her brains for some convincing reason why she should not be left behind like a child.
"Now, ma'am!” Golbfish said. “This is no expedition for a—"
"Me too! D'ward, you told me where the safest place was!"
The safest place was next to him, he had said, because the Filoby Testament predicted many things he would do before he died. Besides, even if the army escaped back to Nagvale and Joalvale, what would become of her, a Lemodian traitor? Even if she could ever return to Lemod, no decent man would marry her now. Next to D'ward was the only place she wanted to be, ever. She could never tell him that, but if he ever asked...