“You beautiful boy,” said Mother. She took both Sugar and Legs in her gaze. “I am so proud of you both.”
She winced again in great pain.
“Zu Hogan,” Sugar called. “The collar is killing her!”
“Listen,” Mother said. “I have something for you. I was waiting. Under the hearth-” But her words cut off.
The others rushed to her side. The Creek Widow knelt and felt Mother’s face. She felt along the collar. “She’s worn it longer than any of us. I suspect its weave destroys its wearer when the bond with the master is broken.”
“Purity,” said the Creek Widow. “Can you walk? We need to get out of here.”
Mother’s gaze seemed to be focused on something behind them. She smiled. Her features relaxed. “Sparrow,” she said.
And then Sugar felt her go. Mother’s hand fell limp. Her breathing stopped.
“Mother,” Sugar said.
With that word, the tears and grief that had deserted Sugar since the mob attacked sprang forth. She wept. And as the fountains of her tears rose so did a resolute determination: come what may, the daughter of Sparrow and Purity, the smith’s wife, would learn her mother’s lore. She would finish whatever it was her mother had began.
Talen picked up the remaining torches from the passageway to the chamber. They would have to return and recover Da’s and Purity’s bodies. They lit the torches and began the journey back, but they could not move quickly with River carrying Ke and Argoth and Sugar supporting the Creek Widow. Nor could Talen do much more than shuffle with his injuries.
The torches burned out long before they’d reached the entrance to the caves. However, Legs had kept his wits about him on the way in and had marked orientation points-a dead spot where there was no breeze, the place where you could hear the pouring of distant water, the corridor with the double echo. They walked for what seemed hours, in a line. Each person keeping one hand in front of themselves to feel the blackness. With the other they held the tunic of the next person in line. This is how they worked their way back. And with only a few wrong turns and retracing of steps, Legs led them out of the cave and into the light.
Talen blinked in the sunlight. The warm air of early evening wrapped about him like a blanket. He took in a great breath of free air.
Then the woods about the cave boiled to life with armed men wearing Shoka blue and green. A hundred bows drawn and aiming at the group. Teams of hunting dogs barked, straining at their masters’ leashes.
Talen didn’t care. He’d already died once today. Take him, string him up, and pull off bits and pieces until there was nothing left. He simply didn’t care.
____________________
Argoth looked at the faces of the men surrounding him. He looked at their dogs. They stood thirty paces away, the proper distance for confronting Sleth. He knew all of them. Then Shim, the warlord of the Shoka, pushed his way through and stood at the front of their line.
“Captain Argoth,” the warlord boomed. “Whom do you serve?”
For a moment Argoth faltered. Had he misjudged Shim? Were all of his pleadings and talks of alliances just a ruse? After all, it was Shim who had told him the lie that the Skir Master had lost his beast. It was Shim who had wanted him to expose the Order just before the Skir Master arrived.
“I serve you, Lord.”
“Oh, but I have a bailiff here that says the monster is yours.” Shim motioned at the bailiff of Stag Home. Next to him stood the man they called Prunes, a warrior of many battles, a man that was frightened by neither death nor torture. His face, oddly enough, shone with fear. And Argoth realized these men were preparing to slaughter them.
Argoth shook his head at the futility of their fight. They’d just dealt a blow to an unimaginable enemy, and these fools were going to kill them.
“What did you say?” asked Shim.
“The monster,” said Argoth, “is destroyed.”
“And its master?”
“Fled. But you can search the cave and verify what we say. You will find a room with the bodies of those who fell and of those that would have overrun the land.”
The warlord turned to the bailiff. “Since you bring the accusations, I’m going to let you lead the search. Pick fifty men.”
The bailiff turned and looked at Prunes, who appeared to quail at the prospect of entering the cave. But he did not refuse and soon the two of them had selected the men to go with them. They decided to use Purity’s daughter as their guide, bound her hands, and disappeared into the hole.
Argoth and the others waited outside with Shim’s army ready to fill them with arrows.
The search party returned as the sun was setting and confirmed what Argoth had told them. They brought with them the bodies of Hogan and Purity and part of the monster’s leg.
“There were eight others like this,” said the bailiff.
Eight? But there had been nine. Hogan, Argoth thought, my dear friend-where have you gone?
Argoth turned to Shim. “They need to be collected and destroyed. Their master must not return and find them.”
“We also found a passage beyond the chamber where the battle took place. It is deep and broad and leads into the belly of the mountain.”
Shim nodded. “For years we’ve lived with the caves of this land, ignoring them, ignoring those who disappear. Perhaps it is time we find out what lives in their depths.”
He walked the distance between his men and Argoth’s group to stand before Argoth. Shim searched his face. “You’ve done well, Captain,” he said. “Very well. And you’ll have your celebration feast, but not just yet.”
Argoth looked into the eyes of his old friend and found… honesty.
What a fool he’d been to doubt him.
“What’s wrong?” asked Shim.
“Nothing,” said Argoth.
“You don’t trust me yet?” asked Shim. “Lords, I should take offense.”
“I-”
“I nothing,” said Shim.
“Do they trust this?” asked Argoth.
“You are so full of doubts and fears. Perhaps that’s what comes of excessive hiding. But it doesn’t matter. I trust it,” said Shim. “I trust you. And they trust me.”
“You’re taking a great risk,” said Argoth in a low voice.
“Such little faith,” said Shim.
He put one of his arms around Argoth’s shoulders and turned to his men. “My lords,” he called.
Lords?
Two men separated themselves from the other soliders. As they approached, Argoth saw it was Bosser, a captain of the Vargon Clan, and the Prime, the head of the Clan Council.
“Do you see?” asked Shim. “You are not alone.”
Both Bosser and the Prime came forward to stand before Argoth.
Bosser stroked the mustache that grew down to his chin.
“Welcome back, Captain,” said the Prime.
In a quiet voice, Shim said, “It is time, my friend, for us to receive a little instruction.”
Argoth should have felt hope or worry, but after all that had happened, he only felt a weariness descend upon him.
“A new order will arise in this land,” whispered the Prime.
The words struck Argoth. Weren’t those exactly the words the woman had used? Argoth looked to Bosser. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Not all Glories inherited their rule,” said Shim. “Some of them had to take it by force.”
“There are more powers at work here than just those of men,” said Argoth.
Shim shook his head. “Then we adjust the strategy.”
He turned to the men circling them. “Men of Shoka,” he said. “It is time to celebrate, for one of ours has saved the land.”
They did celebrate that night at the Shoka fortress Lord Shim himself commanded. Shim made sure to ease his men with plenty of ale. They ate and drank and danced and then Argoth told them about how the monster had come after him and Hogan, the two who had first attacked it in the tower. He described the giant night maw and its bluish light. He described the power of the monster and its beautiful master. He told of Sugar and Talen having the courage and sense to deliver the Skir Master’s ravelers. Of the battle, he spoke little. Then he told of how Legs had led them out.