The strange picture they made not only aroused interest, but also instilled fear into some, who sought to defend themselves. They knew all too much about orcs from the old stories and these looked much more dangerous than the old versions. Only the royal banners of Mallen and Bruron kept the group immune from attack.
Flagur did not arrange any rest periods until after sunset, when almost immediately the befuns spontaneously came to a halt and lay down like dogs to rest; the saddles stayed on their backs.
Rodario jumped off rather than dismounting. “Why, by all the gods, do they do that?”
“They can’t see very well in the dark and even at dusk their sight is bad. To stop themselves crashing into a tree or bumping into a rock they just lie down and wait for the sun to come up.” Sirka took a net out of her saddlebag and went off to the stream. “Will one of you come with me to help catch their feed?”
“Fish?” Tungdil went with her. “These funny creatures eat fish? They look more like predator carnivores to me.”
“You’re right. They eat everything,” she said, giving the word such emphasis that he preferred not to put further questions. “So it’s vital they don’t get hungry. If they set off to hunt on their own account the whole area could be devastated.”
“I see.” He waded into the water. “Throw me one end. We’ll make a barrier,” he suggested. “We can let the fish and the current do all the work rather than wear ourselves out continually tossing the net in.” She agreed and together they set about collecting sticks and branches to secure the net as a kind of funnel.
Tungdil’s empty eye socket was hurting badly, so Sirka gave him some more powder which he took with a handful of water from the stream.
The strangest insects were chirping away; soon the birds joined in with a twilight song. Tungdil realized it was one of very few evenings they had been spared any nasty surprises. “No alfar, no orcs,” he sighed with relief, sinking down on the grassy bank.
“Like in Letefora,” said Sirka, propping herself up on one elbow so she could keep an eye on the net. “May Ubar help keep it that way. Too many sacrifices have been made; it would be awful if we don’t succeed.” She looked at him. “Balyndis. Is that her name?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I don’t want to talk about her.”
Sirka watched his solemn face. “I am so happy we’ve found each other. It doesn’t matter how long it lasts.” She kissed him on the mouth.
He stroked the nape of her neck, pulling her close.
Laying her head on his shoulder she listened to the sound of his heart. “Sounds normal to me,” she said after a while.
“What did you think it would sound like?”
“A heart that’s going to beat for many hundred cycles should sound different. But it doesn’t. It’s not even any slower.”
He sat up and pushed her gently to the ground, then placed his ear on her breast. The scent that rose in his nostrils was arousing, and he felt the warmth of her brown skin on his cheek.
“And what can you hear?”
“Same as with all dwarves,” he said and kissed her throat. A sudden stabbing pain shot through his eye socket and he fell back. Any trace of desire abruptly disappeared. “Damn those atar,” he cursed, clutching at the side of his face, but it only made it worse. “I feel like wishing Ginsgar success with his campaign.”
“It’s the best thing for broka,” nodded Sirka earnestly. “Nobody is going to shed a tear for them. And there’s more harmony among the peoples of Letefora than ever now. No one there thinks they’re above the rest. Just friends or enemies. But no more false friends.” She stood up and went to check on their catch. “Come on, Tungdil. Let’s take the befuns their feed before they start on Rodario.”
They dragged the first load of fish over to their campsite in sacks, leaving the net in place in the stream to catch more. Later, when the befuns were fully fed, the two of them slipped under a blanket by the fire and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
“Ah, love’s young dream,” said Rodario with a yawn. “I wonder what my own darling is up to?”
Flagur looked at him. “You’ve got a girl?”
“Yes.”
“And how many children do you have with her?”
“With her? None, as far as I know.” He gave a dirty grin. “But there may be a few boys and girls in Girdlegard that will do well on the stage.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I am a friend to all women and women all love me. I am incredibly irresistible.”
“And what does your girl have to say about that?”
“Have fun, she says; she’s just the same as me,” he laughed.
“Well, we seem to have more in common with humans than with dwarves,” chuckled the ubariu.
“Don’t jump to the wrong conclusion, my dear Flagur. Most people in Girdlegard are very keen on convention and like to live as married couples.” Rodario smiled. “I make sure that the young wives don’t find life too tedious, and I help prepare the daughters for love.” He took a fish and grilled it over the fire on the end of a stick. “It’s a shame there won’t be much of an opportunity to learn more about your homeland. It would be illuminating to hear a couple of stories.” He blinked. “But I’m far too sleepy to take notes.”
“Why don’t you come along with the diamond’s escort? Then you can see my country,” suggested Flagur.
“Do your people like theater? My repertoire of tales of heroes and their great deeds is enormous. I have the best range of props…” His voice tailed away. “No, I used to have the best props possible. Magister Furgas made them all for me.” He stared into the fire. “My friend is dead. I can’t believe it. Can you? I spend five cycles searching for him; I free him from the clutches of his captors and then he melts away to nothing in a sea of red-hot iron. Killed by the treachery of thirdlings.”
Flagur had been listening intently. “But not forgotten.”
“No, I haven’t forgotten him and I never will.” He pulled the cooked fish off the bones and ate thoughtfully. Occasionally he looked over at Lot-Ionan, who was sitting on the grass some distance away from the fire talking to the ubariu rune master. “I wonder what they’re discussing?”
“I expect they’re talking about the different ways they each use magic.” Flagur retrieved his fish from the fire, strewed some powder on it from a little bag, and started to eat his supper with evident relish.
“Can I try some?” asked Rodario, indicating the yellow spice.
“Of course.”
The actor drizzled a little cautiously onto his fish, sniffed, and tasted it carefully. His expression moved from skeptical to delighted. “I think I should market this stuff,” he enthused. “This mixture is… unique! I’ve never tasted anything like it.”
“I’m glad you like it. We used to wage war for it in the old days.”
“Entirely reasonable,” said Rodario. “And what agreement was reached?”
“We eradicated the other side.” Flagur handed him the little bag. “It’s made from a particular stone, milled and ground, rinsed three times in salt water and then rubbed to a fine powder.”
“You killed off a whole people for the spice?” He could not believe it.
“They were only phottor. They have no brains. Not worth worrying about,” the ubari reassured him. “But they were sitting on the biggest natural source of the spice, so we killed two birds with one stone: We had the meat and the spice.”
Rodario lowered his fish. “You don’t mean to say you ate the orcs?”
“Of course. They taste delicious, but the ones you had in Girdlegard were even better. I tried one who got lost and came over to our realm. It was the best ever taste.” He closed his eyes. “Mmm; it’s coming back to me now.”
Suddenly the conversation was taking a frightening turn. There were not many occasions when orcs had managed to get out of Girdlegard through to the Outer Lands. “When was that? Where did you come across him?” Rodario enquired.
“It was ages ago. On the other side of the mountain you call the Gray Range. He was trying to persuade us to take arms against the ubariu… I mean, you dwarves.” He laughed. “He was a stubborn fellow. He kept going on about immortality-something he’d drunk out of a little bottle.”