"The frog god seems to have a portal for every occasion," she commented. The annoying ring in her ears was fading.
"Far from it," Toren replied. "Portals are rare. Struth chose to build her temple there partly because of the presence of that one. For escape."
"Struth needing escape? That's a frightening thought."
"I don't think she's ever had cause to use it," he replied. "In any event, it's mostly luck that we had a short cut north. As it is, we still have a long journey out of these mountains and across the western half of Cilendrodel."
The sun blossomed into incandescent glory along the ridgeline to the east. Toren stepped forward, reconnoitering. To either side rose towering cordilleras. The terrain would force them to ride due north for many leagues, even though their destination lay eastward. The meadow loam sucked noisily at his heels. Thickets of aspen and birch shivered in a brisk alpine wind. A falcon skimmed above a barren, scree-ridden slope. A partridge suddenly bolted from concealment.
"No settlers, plenty of game," he said. "For once may we travel with no incident." Deena could tell he was pleased to be moving, gratified to be in command.
"Let's ride," Toren said, and helped Deena into her saddle.
XXV
THE SOUND OF RUSTLING cloth pulled Elenya gently out of slumber. She opened her eyes. A beam of light shone down through a pinhole in the fabric, announcing the presence of full day. Alemar was sitting cross-legged with one of the water bags in his lap. From time to time he would sip.
She raised up on one elbow. The euphoric feeling of the night before had dimmed, but she still felt wonderful-alive, rested, tranquil. She smiled. He nodded calmly.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome."
"How are you feeling?"
He sipped again, held the water in his mouth, and swallowed. "What's important now is how you feel."
"What about your powers?" she insisted. "Does this mean that they've come back?"
Alemar smiled wistfully, and played with the pattern of the blanket like a boy lost in a dream. His eyelids hung half-closed. "I'm not ready to talk about that just yet. I have some… things to do, things to think about."
After the events of the preceding night, Elenya felt closer to her brother than she would have thought possible. It was a shock to be suddenly outside of him, cut off from his thoughts. She rose into a kneeling position, wearing a small frown.
"I would like you to fetch my wife," Alemar said.
She didn't want to be put off, but she wouldn't argue, not when she was feeling so peaceful. She crawled over to Alemar and kissed his cheek. He hugged her, and his firm fingers pressing into her back told her that she was not being banished-she was still loved. She, who had fretted that he had seen too much in the journey into her past, sighed and held him close.
"I'll join you soon," he whispered.
She nodded, climbed into her clothes, and left the tent.
A breeze stroked her, taking the edge off the hot sunshine. It was a clear, warm day, the perfect complement to her mood. She walked with long, easy strides, and even the sight of the ever-vigilant sentries and the fugitive demeanor of the camp could not bring her down. The rebels greeted her appearance with interest, though they were too polite to intrude.
She found Wynneth helping the camp women to sort chaff from their dwindling supply of grain. "Alemar wants to see you," she said, and chuckled out loud at her sister-in-law's bright smile. Wynneth immediately dropped her task, straightened her hair clip, and hurried toward the far side of the valley.
Elenya turned to one of the other women. "Is that porridge I smell?"
It was, still hot from the midday meal. She took a bowl to a shady spot and began to assuage the fierce hunger left by the healing. Again, the rebel company left her alone, letting her decide when to mingle. She waved at Tregay, Solint, and one or two others, but for the moment enjoyed the solitude.
As she licked the last dollop from her spoon, she noticed that the stranger from the south was putting his mount through a few paces. He was a superior rider. He ran the animal only briefly, just enough to bring a faint glisten of sweat to its deerlike coat; then he made a thorough check of its joints and hooves and wiped it down. The oeikani had clearly done some hard riding. In lesser hands such a trek might have lamed it. She waited until he had tethered the beast to let it graze, then she approached him.
"That's a Zyraii steed," she stated in Surudainese.
He patted the animal's flank and smiled. His face was smooth and open, with glittering, large-pupilled eyes. "Yes. We can speak Zyraii, if it pleases you." His accent was distinct, but he obviously understood the nomad language far better than she knew his tongue. She accepted his offer.
"You've lived among the sons of Cadra," she said.
"For the past three years and more," he replied. "Since shortly after you left."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what else do you know about me?"
"I apologize," he said quickly. "We didn't have the opportunity to be introduced earlier. My name is Dalih. I am from a small oasis near the great city of Surudain. I know you because I have lived among the T'lil and studied swordplay under the opsha."
"Lonal?" she said, her heart quickening to utter the name aloud after such a long time.
"The same. I sought him out because I had heard of his reputation with the blade. To my great joy he decided to tutor me himself. In the past few seasons we have fought side by side in the battles against the Dragon's armies."
"He is well?"
"Yes. He has more lives than a oeikani has fleas. He is an awesome war-leader," Dalih said with undisguised respect. "He is the reason the Dragon has not conquered the Eastern Deserts."
"So I have heard," she said, lost in memories.
"He speaks well of you. He has named a son in your honor. His first wife gave birth a summer past, though the midwives insisted she would never bear another child after the difficulty with the last one."
"I remember," Elenya said. "This is his first son by her, true?"
"His heir. He says that he will teach him the High Speech, so that you may speak it with him should you ever visit the desert."
An image came to Elenya's mind's eye of dunes, eroded buttes, and goatskin tents. "May I live to see that day," she said with emotion. "Tell me, he didn't name his son Elenya, did he?"
Dalih seemed startled. "No. He used Yetem."
"That's wise. Some things do not change."
"No. Nor should they."
Elenya smiled at Dalih's seriousness. "How is it that you came to be here?"
"Your brother's former teacher, the Hab-no-ken Gast, came to the T'lil camp more than fifty days ago. He requested a warrior to carry the message you saw. Lonal chose me."
"Why? You seem as if you were valuable to him."
"He wanted someone he could depend on to reach this destination."
"How did you get to Cilendrodel?"
"I followed the Ahloorm to its source and over the mountains north of Zyraii. Gloroc's men control that land, but it is sparsely inhabited. There are still smugglers who cross the strait, knowing that the Dragon's attention is directed toward the southwest. I hired one to bring me over."
Though his summary was perfunctory, Elenya had the impression the mission had not been so simple an accomplishment. "You did well," she said. "You should be proud."
He inclined his head. "I had my own reason for coming."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Lonal thought I would benefit from it."
"How so?"
"He told me that he had taught me as much as I could learn from him. It was time to send me to someone who could teach me more. He said you were the only person he knew who could do that. I hope that you will accept me."
Elenya's evaluation of Dalih, which had already been high, moved up another notch. "How well did you do in your matches with Lonal?"
"In the past few months, I have beaten him as many as two times out of five."