Ravishan’s voice suddenly dropped to a broken whisper. "They’ll kill you and I won’t be able to get into Umbhra’ibaye to stop it."
A sick feeling of frustration washed through John. He knew Ravishan was right. Traveling south would be insanely stupid. He had no idea how he would free Laurie. He had no idea how he would keep from being noticed as he traveled. Ravishan wouldn’t remain behind. He’d come with John and risk his life to protect him.
If he were smart, he would give up on Laurie. He’d accept that there was nothing he could do. A blinding white flash split the sky outside the shelter. Thunder crashed like canons. John could barely make out the faint gray line of the surrounding trees through the walls of falling snow.
"If the weather keeps up like this we won’t be going anywhere before spring," John muttered.
"Maybe that’s why it is like this," Ravishan replied.
"Not everything is Parfir’s damn plan for us!" John shouted.
Ravishan turned away and began rolling up the three wanted posters.
"I’m sorry," John mumbled. "I’m just frustrated."
"I know," Ravishan said. But he didn’t turn to face John.
Of course he knew. Ravishan’s sister, Rousma, had been taken to Umbhra’ibaye. At some point Ravishan had to have realized that he could not save his sister.
"I should bring the tahldi in under the cover of the bridge," John said. Ravishan glanced up at him and John offered him a brief smile.
"I’ll be right back." John ducked out of the shelter and strode out from beneath the deep shadows of the bridge. Snowflakes poured down on him like falling autumn leaves. John could only see a few feet ahead of him. The banks of the stream were a faint gray shadow. Beyond that he could barely see the familiar stands of evergreens.
Only they were not so familiar.
John frowned at a line of dark forms amid the trees. They had not been there a few minutes before. Slowly, he deciphered the bulky shapes through the downpour of snow. They were men – men dressed in heavy coats and armed with rifles. At least a dozen snow-shrouded silhouettes lined the banks of the stream.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
John counted twenty-six of them. They weren’t rashan’im. None of them wore uniforms. They were dressed in a variety of bulky coats, thick gloves, and quilted leather pants. Their faces were hidden under snow-caked hoods, scarves, and caps. John might have mistaken them for a large hunting party of villagers, except for their weapons.
No farmer or herder could afford a rifle. Some of these men carried two. The three men closest to John held their rifles ready. The dull silver barrels were not aimed directly at John but close enough to unnerve him.
He wondered if he could survive being shot. He doubted Ravishan would, though he’d be impossible to hit if he were in the Gray Space.
John lifted his arms to display his empty hands.
"I wasn’t really expecting company." John raised his voice so that it would not only carry to the long line of men but also to Ravishan. "I’d invite you in, but there’s definitely not enough room for all twenty-six of you."
John felt the cutting chill of the Gray Space slicing open. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he detected the slight distortion of Ravishan’s movements through the Gray Space. Ravishan placed himself between John and the men on the banks.
The man closest to John suddenly shouldered his rifle and pulled back the hood of his coat. The wind caught his bright auburn hair and blew it back from his face. He smiled. Despite the haze of falling snow, John recognized him.
"Jahn!" Saimura bounded down the bank of the stream. His broad snowshoes made his progress look awkward, but he moved quickly.
If Saimura was with them, then these men had to be members of the Fai’daum. He wondered if that was good or bad. Better than being found by bounty hunters, John guessed. But he wasn’t sure how welcoming the Fai’daum would be of Ravishan.
Saimura rushed through the space where Ravishan stood. To John’s surprise, Saimura threw his arms around him and hugged him fiercely.
"You survived the blood market! I feared you were captured and killed." Saimura turned back to the other men. "This is Jahn, the man who rescued Sheb’yu and me from the Payshmura at Amura’taye!"
The men closest to John shouldered their rifles. Those farther away relaxed. John noticed several of them glancing towards him and then turning to speak among themselves. The white plumes of their breath floated up into the falling snow.
Two of the men climbed down the stream banks and joined Saimura. The bigger of the two sported a huge, bushy black beard. He looked about forty with deep wrinkles lining his dark eyes. The second wasn’t a man at all. Her heavy coat had disguised the curves of her body. Her hair was brown and cut short like a boy’s. But up close her face and build were obviously those of a young woman.
"Jahn, this is Lafi’shir. He’s one of our ground commanders." Saimura indicated the burly man.
"It’s an honor." John bowed slightly. He had no idea how highly ranked ground commanders were, but it was more of a title than he had himself.
"And this is Gin’yu." Saimura held his hand out to indicate the woman. "She’s a scout captain."
Again John bowed.
Gin’yu glanced past John to the shelter under the bridge.
"We heard voices when we approached," Gin’yu said. "Is there someone with you?"
"With me? No. You probably just heard me arguing with my tahldi." John gestured to where the tahldi stood beneath a stand of trees, chewing.
Gin’yu frowned.
"It sounded like two men."
"No, it’s just me here." John shrugged. "Feel free to look inside the shelter if you like."
"I’m sure that there’s no need," Saimura began, but Gin’yu stalked past him to the flimsy shelter and ducked inside it. Saimura’s face flushed slightly.
"I’m sorry, Jahn. Gin’yu is suspicious of her own shadow."
"I don’t mind," John replied.
"She’s just doing her work," Lafi’shir said. "It’s best if she’s sure."
"Of course." John knew Gin’yu wouldn’t find Ravishan. But his tracks were another matter. John glanced again to where the tahldi stood.
"Do you mind if I go and check on my tahldi?" John asked. "It was what I came out here to do in the first place. I feel a little bad for shouting at him so much."
Lafi’shir studied the distance between where they stood and the tahldi. John suspected that he was measuring it for a rifle shot.
"Go ahead," Lafi’shir allowed at last.
John clambered up the bank and tromped through the snow, making sure to walk over Ravishan’s old tracks. He stopped beside the tahldi and patted the animal. It lifted its head, sniffed John’s face, and then returned to eating.
Gin’yu emerged from under the bridge. She spoke briefly with Lafi’shir and Saimura. Then she climbed up the far bank of the stream. She made several fast hand signs to the assembled Fai’daum members. They fell into a single file line and silently followed Gin’yu west into the cover of the forest.
John wondered where they were going.
Then Saimura struggled up the near bank and jogged to John’s side. He looked pleased, which John took as a good sign.
"Gin’yu is going ahead of us to secure our route," Saimura said.
"Oh?" A little wave of anxiety washed through John at Saimura’s use of the words ‘us’ and ‘our’.
Saimura nodded. He glanced back at Lafi’shir. John noted the quick exchange of gestures that passed between them. Lafi’shir clambered up the bank but didn’t approach John and Saimura. Instead he joined the remaining fifteen Fai’daum members. One of them offered Lafi’shir a cigarette. He accepted. Several of the Fai’daum produced cigarettes of their own. They passed a small tinderbox between them, lighting their cigarettes and warming their fingers.
"We came out here because of this storm," Saimura said quietly.
"Bad weather normally keeps people in," John commented.