And to make the point, she glanced at the scrap of basket and used her magic to make it burst into flame. The merchant let out a small cry and dropped it. It fell to the ground and continued to burn, as the merchant watched helplessly.
"This man who came to you," he said, his voice barely audible. "Tell me about him."
"He was a Forelander, living now in-"
"E'Menua's sept," the man finished for her.
"You know him."
The merchant nodded. "I thought he was dead."
"You were wrong," U'Selle said. "Now, merchant, tell me your name, so that when other a'laqs ask me, I'll be able to tell them who it was we killed."
The man sighed, seeming more weary than scared. "My name is Torgan Plye."
U'Selle's eyes widened. "You're Torgan Plye?"
He nodded.
"You're the one who spread the plague in the first place."
"Actually," he said, "I wasn't. At least not intentionally." A bitter smile flitted across his homely face. "I don't suppose that matters much, does it?"
"No," U'Selle said coldly. "You were declared an enemy of the Fal'Borna a long time ago. And today you threatened to kill us with a plague that has already devastated our land. You've earned this death. Get down off your horse."
The merchant dismounted and looked around the circle, shaking his head slowly. "I knew you white-hair bastards would be the death of me. This morning I started thinking that I might actually make it to the wash, but even then I knew. One way or another, you were going to find a way to kill me."
"It seems you were right," U'Selle said evenly. "Do you have anything else you wish to say?"
He frowned. "I hope you all rot."
U'Selle nodded once. "And I hope that Bian is as merciful as you deserve, Torgan Plye."
She reached for her shaping magic and snapped the man's neck. He collapsed to the ground and was still, his one good eye still open, staring up into the sky.
"Leave him for the dogs and crows," U'Selle said loudly. "It's time we were headed home."
The others stared at the man's body for a moment or two before slowly riding back to the camp. Only T'Noth, S'Doryn, T'Kaar, and U'Selle remained.
"I wonder if the spell would have worked," T'Noth said.
U'Selle looked at him. "You mean the one that made us immune?" The young man nodded.
"I believe it would have," she said. "But I'm just as glad that we didn't have to find out." U'Selle turned to S'Doryn. "The Forelander told me that the old Mettai witch was killed by the two men who made this new spell. And now Torgan's dead, too. When we return to Lowna, you can tell Jynna that all this is finally over."
S'Doryn smiled sadly. "I could tell her that," he said. "And I will if she asks. But usually she doesn't like to talk about it, and I can hardly blame her."
U'Selle reached out and patted his shoulder. "I think she and Vettala are lucky to have you."
"Funny," the man said. "N'Tevva and I feel that way about them."
The four of them wheeled their horses away from the broken body of the Eandi merchant and returned to their camp. Within the hour, they were riding back to their home by the Companion Lakes.
Epilogue
Grinsa, Cresenne, and Bryntelle left the sept only a few days after the departure of the two Mettai. L'Norr and D'Pera spoke to them at length in the days before, trying to convince them to stay, but both Grinsa and Cresenne had long since made up their minds to leave the Central Plain.
They rode north and west on the horses they had first purchased in Yorl, their very first day in the Southlands. They skirted the Fallow Downs, wishing to avoid the J'Balanar, and entered the Berylline Forest. There they encountered the woodland clans-the A'Vahl and the M'Saaren. They had heard other Southlands Qirsi speak of both peoples, and had been prepared to find that the A'Vahl were difficult and arrogant. After the Fal'Borna, they seemed anything but.
They found an A'Vahl settlement along the eastern banks of the river named for the clan. They were welcomed there, of course, because Grinsa was a Weaver, and even among the less warlike clans of the Southlands, Weavers were sought after. They stayed among the A'Vahl for nearly half a turn, learning the ways of the clan, and enjoying their wonderful food, which included a dazzling array of roots and greens, fruits and nuts, and some of the finest venison either Grinsa or Cresenne had ever tasted. They were shown how the A'Vahl shaped wood into bowls and furniture and musical instruments that they traded with peddlers from throughout the land. To his surprise, Grinsa discovered that he had a certain talent for woodwork, just as Cresenne had found during their turns with the Fal'Borna that she had a penchant for tanning.
It was curiosity, more than anything else, that made them leave. They liked the A'Vahl and both of them believed that they might have made a life for themselves there. But they had heard much about the M'Saaren, and so they crossed the A'Vahl River and journeyed south, until they found a large M'Saaren settlement called Sh'Rette. Once more they were welcomed into the village, and once more they were impressed with what they found there.
In many ways the M'Saaren and A'Vahl were alike, and it seemed that whatever rivalry existed between the two clans had been exaggerated by those Qirsi who lived outside the woodland. Grinsa and Cresenne remembered being told as much by D'Chul, a M'Saaren lutenist they had met when they first entered the clanlands. They ate similar foods, did similarly marvelous things with the various woods growing in the forest, and were equally friendly to strangers.
Again, Grisna and Cresenne could have remained in the village for a long time and been very happy. As it happened, they stayed with the M'Saaren for longer than they had been with the A'Vahl, though mostly because Bryntelle came down with a bad fever while they were there, and they wanted to wait until she recovered fully before moving on.
But move on they did. In the end, Cresenne realized that she missed the open skies of the plain. As much as she liked living with the woodland people, she found the woodland itself dark and oppressive.
As the waxing of the Fire Moon-Eilidh's Moon in the Forelands-began, they left the Berylline Forest and made their way into D'Krad land. They found K'Hosh, a small fishing village along the coast of the Gulf of T'Saan, where the people were desperate for a Weaver to help them recover from an outbreak of Murnia's pox. They were given a small house that had belonged to K'Hosh's healer, who died in the outbreak. It sat on the outskirts of the settlement right along the rocky shoreline, and Cresenne and Bryntelle remained there while Grinsa tended to the villagers. The D'Krad weren't as friendly as the woodland clanfolk had been. They were wary of strangers and nearly as abrupt in their manners as the Fal'Borna. But when Grinsa healed their sick, including several children, the villagers warmed to him and his family.
By this time, though, Grinsa and Cresenne had made their decision. One day, after the outbreak of pox had passed, they made their way down to the small port below the village, and Grinsa gave a message to a sea captain who was heading north.
Their missive had a long way to go. They remained in the house by the coast, enjoying the first days of the Planting and the return of warmer winds. Bryntelle learned to walk and began to speak, much to the delight of both her parents. Cresenne and Grinsa both worked a small garden plot by their modest home, and Grinsa learned enough about fishing to provide their supper on most nights.
They made their way to port every half turn or so, seeking the captain they had entrusted with their message, but for a long time they saw nothing of the man. The Planting gave way to the Growing. Warm damp winds and great violent storms swept across the gulf. Their garden grew. Ships managed to make port, and the small village bustled with fishermen and merchants. But it wasn't until the middle of the Growing, what people in the Southlands called the Sky Moon, that the captain returned with a message for Grinsa and Cresenne.