No other answer seemed necessary, but it came to me that three minds seemed to be waiting for one anyway. Even Cinnan had apparently listened to the very brief conversation, but the browned rock and I didn’t care.
As we rode higher and the light got lower, the temperature started going down. It still wasn’t as cold as it would have been if we’d been going over the top of the mountain instead of through a relatively low pass, but after the warmth of the rest of the country we’d passed through, the difference felt extreme. By the time sundown came and we found a place for the night, the men had already pulled their shirts on and my feet felt numb. There was very little more than stones and rock all around, and I was given my new ankle-highs as soon as the barbarian took me from the saddle fur. I put them on without saying anything, then walked back and forth a few times until my legs and back stopped aching so much and my feet felt less wooden.
The three l’lendaa took their seetarr to the left of our camping place to tie and hobble them and relieve them of their burden, but Dallan left his two to the others and came back almost immediately with wood for a fire. He built the fire then went back to his packs, and this time returned with meat and a pot and vegetables and all sorts of things. When he gestured to me I joined him at the fire, then started doing things at his direction. Every once in a while he tried teasing me, then finally gave it up.
By the time the meal was ready it was full dark, the camp was completely set up, and we needed to sit near the fire to keep from shivering. Three camtahh were now standing away from the road near the mountain wall, one for each of the men. I served out the thick stew I’d made according to direction into four wooden bowls, and wondered which of the three small tents I’d be sent to.
“This dish of yours seems quite interesting, Dallan,” Cinnan said as he took a bowl and sniffed at its contents, his brows rising in approval. “Likely the wenda had a great deal to do with the manner in which its aroma takes one, yet does it appear interesting.”
“I do not recall it ever being quite this tasty,” Dallan said thoughtfully after sampling the contents of his own bowl. “Surely was it somehow improved in its preparation. What think you, Tammad?”
“It cannot be as enticing as it appears,” the barbarian said with a frown, reaching for the third bowl. “I have seen many dishes which appear quite savory, few which taste the same.” He fell silent while taking a small bite of the stew, took a second, larger one with strong surprise, then looked again at Dallan. “It is excellent, my friend, truly excellent! Confess now, the doing was primarily yours.”
“I did little more than supervise,” Dallan said with a laugh of enjoyment, crouching nearer to the fire with his bowl. “The actual doing was Terril’s alone, a wenda who will clearly require little teaching before becoming a woman like no other. You are a fortunate man, Tammad, truly fortunate.”
“Indeed,” said Cinnan with enthusiasm, but whatever else he said was lost after that. I had left the fire after doing the last thing required of me, and had by then reached the seetarr. It was terribly cold away from the fire, and dark enough to make the footing treacherous, but I couldn’t hold back any longer. I had to have someone to share my misery with, or it would explode and break me to pieces.
The barbarian’s seetar knew I was coming, and rumbled softly in encouragement until I reached him. Once I was there he lowered his giant head to my shoulder, pushing me up against his great black body so that I might share his warmth, his mind immediately putting out soothing thoughts. He didn’t know what was bothering me, didn’t understand anything beyond the fact that I was bothered, but that didn’t keep him from trying to comfort me. As I pressed my cheek to his soft, sleek hide and held him as far around as I could, I wondered just how many times he had comforted me since I’d come to that world. He’d been my first friend, the only one who had never judged me or tried to make me do things his way, the only one who had always been concerned with nothing but my happiness. He didn’t understand why I couldn’t seem to find that happiness, but that was because he didn’t know me for the damned fool I was.
“I had thought as much,” a quiet voice said from behind me, a voice that startled two of the other seetarr. “When my wenda takes herself from the sight of men, there is but a single place she may be found. How is it possible for a man to feel jealousy toward a seetar?”
“Forgive me, memabrak.” I said at once, pushing away from the big black body I didn’t want to leave, turning to face the large dark shadow standing so near. “You sought to tell me which of your brothers you would have me give pleasure to. Speak his name, and I will go to him.”
“His name is Tammad,” the barbarian answered with a growl, and then his hand was wrapped around my arm. “I see there must again be words between us, for I cannot bear this. Come with me.”
The hand around my arm pulled me away from the seetarr and back toward the fire, leaving rumblings and bellowings behind us. My friend didn’t like having me pulling away from him before he could comfort me, not even by his owner, and he wasn’t leaving his unhappiness in doubt. If he hadn’t been well tied and hobbled, he might have tried to follow us.
“Tammad, what occurs?” Cinnan demanded as we reached the fire, his big body standing and frowning into the darkness. “What has disturbed the seetarr?”
“They wish to give challenge for the possession of a wenda,” the barbarian answered, his voice as sour as his thoughts, pushing me down next to the warmth. “A wenda who has learned to be perfectly obedient. ”
“Obedient,” Dallan echoed, heavy distaste in his mind. “May we ask what her obedience entailed?”
“She requested the name of which of my brothers I meant to give her to for the darkness,” was the answer while I tried to warm up enough to stop shivering. I didn’t know what they were so upset about, but if all they were going to do was carry on a conversation with each other, I could have stayed with the seetarr.
“She had cause for such a question, had she not, my friend?” Cinnan asked, turning near the fire to face the barbarian. “Also do I believe that her request was in no manner a refusal.”
“She has become as all wendaa should be, Tammad,” Dallan observed, also turning where he stood. “For what reason are you disturbed and dissatisfied?”
“I am not disturbed and dissatisfied,” the barbarian said through his teeth, his mind seething, and then he blurted, “She calls me memabrak.”
“For what reason should she not?” Dallan asked, sounding calm and totally reasonable. “Are you not her memabrak, the one who has banded her?”
“Certainly,” the barbarian answered, trying for a calm to match Dallan’s. “And yet—”
“And as she now obeys you without question, you may indeed give her to Dallan or myself to warm our furs,” Cinnan put in, now adopting the calm the barbarian wanted. “Which of us will it be, Tammad?”
“No!” the barbarian snapped as his mind jangled, but then he caught himself with an almost-audible snap. “That is, I would be honored were either of you to accept the use of my wenda, however there is something of a difficulty,” he said as he backtracked, his mind whirling madly. “The difficulty is-that is, seems to be-rather, appears very much like—”
“Yes?” Cinnan prompted pleasantly, helping out when the barbarian fell silent, the muddle of his thoughts rising to a clamor. I wasn’t looking at any of them, only at the fire, wishing I could climb into the middle of it.
“If there is a difficulty, we would assist with it, my friend,” Dallan said, sounding somewhat less-amused than Cinnan. “Just as you would not hesitate to assist us.”