'Turn him over to Lord Radas? Is be here?'
Her words fell unheeded on his back. With Giyara and two runners in tow, he was already racing back to the command tent, wondering what Commander Hetti would say. Confusion boiled; tents had been smashed by falling rocks or trampled by frantic horses. Over by the horse lines, a fire was smoldering in hay. Sergeants called cadres to order; soldiers milled around casualties. Hirelings and grooms were out hunting horses. A chicken ran loose, and dogs barked, chasing it. Some idiot had dropped his sword.
At the collapsed command tent, a hurried council was in session.
Lord Radas beckoned to him. 'Captain Arras. You kept your head about you when the tent collapsed. My thanks.'
He kept his head down. 'My apologies, Lord Commander. I went to check on my cohort. They held ranks, so I returned. There was archery fire on the perimeter, from attackers out in the wetlands. It was a coordinated attack — reeves, archers, horse lines — meant to frighten and bewilder us.'
'These cursed reeves are getting out of hand,' snapped Lord Yordenas.
'The reeves never worked in concert with the militia,' said Radas. 'When we first attacked Nessumara, their militia blocked the causeways, while the reeves only watched; In High Haldia, only the militia tried to hold the gates. The only time our forces have faced a coordinated attack was at Olossi. I want to know who is in charge of Nessumara's militia, and I want to be rid of him.'
'Can you not see into the hearts and minds of all people, my lord?' asked Arras into the silence left by this bald statement. 'If they have reeves who can scout, so can you scout out their plans. There is nothing they can keep hidden from us, were you to seek out the truth with your second heart and third eye.'
'Yordenas,' said Lord Radas, 'you must fly into Nessumara and discover their plans.'
'But-Lord Radas-!'
In that arrogant voice Arras heard the taint of fear.
Could Guardians fear} Yet hadn't Yordenas been injured in the first attack? Were the cloaks afraid to penetrate the heart of the enemy? Were they not as powerful as they seemed?
Lord Radas gestured with an arrow held like a speaker's baton. 'They cannot see you until you touch the earth. Make them cower, and they will flinch. Execute any criminals who stand in your way. That will frighten the rest. You are a Guardian, and they must obey you. Move in fast, and move out fast. I must ride to Mire Pool Altar to give this and other news to Night. At dusk you will ride into the city. The information you return with will allow us to alter our attack so it is most effective. At High Haldia, Lord Twilight did not fear to ride into the city to scout out the positions of the militia. Can you not do what the outlander has already done?'
'Of course I can!'
Lord Radas turned to his. military council. 'Commander Hetti, the army must begin its push into the delta tonight. The dry ground favors our attack. We will reach the inner islands by tomorrow night if we push hard now. They will believe we are too frightened and bewildered to strike because they have thrown this insignificant diversion at us. Therefore, we will strike.'
34
When Mai and her small party arrived in Merciful Valley, Toughid was waiting for them. He had been sent ahead, and now would be flown back to West Track to join the army and Captain Anji on the march. He spoke briefly to Tuvi but left with Reeve Siras before Mai had a chance to talk to him.
She drew Tuvi aside. 'Did Anji send Toughid up here to warn my Uncle Hari that we would have to remain here for some time?'
Tuvi shook his head. 'The captain did indeed send Toughid to scout the valley. To make sure no cloaks have come. To make sure no red hounds have found some treacherous path to this haven. It is possible that despite his lady mother's intelligence and sharp eye, one or two red hounds hid themselves within her party and got wind of this place.'
'Or she welcomed them in herself!'
Astoundingly, he set two fingers on her wrist, the pressure causing her to go still. 'Whatever else, Mistress, understand this. She will do nothing to harm her son, or his seed.'
She clutched Atani against her breast. The wind murmured peacefully within the trees, and the birds had resumed their singing now that the big eagles had taken off. A deer paced into view and, as two Qin soldiers grabbed their bows, bolted back into the trees.
'If Toughid found no sign of intruders in the valley,' he added, 'then there are none.'
'What of Uncle Hari?'
'Since he is a demon, he can surely hide himself so no human can find him.'
They spent the rest of the day sweeping the floors and beating the dust out of the bedding and mats, setting a fire in the kitchen hearth, stowing rice and millet and foodstuffs as well as the small chests they had brought with clothing and spices and several of Priya's precious scrolls wrapped in silk and leather. As the afternoon shadows lengthened, Mai nursed Atani and afterward told Tuvi she would like to go up to the altar and make a dusk offering.
'Best you wait until morning, Mistress. I don't want you walking back at night, even with torches.'
In matters of security, his command was Anji's command. It was not worth protesting. Let a few days pass in peace, and then she could negotiate for the daily prayers.
At dawn, Atani's hungry fussing woke her. She put him to the breast, his suck pulling an intense wash of pleasure through her body. Miravia slept restlessly beside her. Over in one dim corner, Sheyshi snored.
After Atani's demands were satisfied,Mai dressed, slipped on her sandals, and stepped down into the clearing. Priya was already up, seated on the porch cross-legged, watching the sky lighten. She smiled as Mai took in the high mountain cliffs and peaks that surrounded them, rock and snow so sharp in the clear air that it seemed an archer standing in this clearing might easily pierce their high majesty.
Their group was a small one: Miravia, Priya, and Sheyshi, of course; Chief Tuvi and twelve Qin soldiers, men Mai trusted. No one else.
Most of the soldiers were already up, hacking back jabi bushes, digging waste pits, repairing a corner of the barracks shelter. Two headed into the forest with bows and spears. She called Tuvi over, and with him beside her and a pair of sentries pacing behind, followed the stream down to the lip of the great ravine where water spilled into a vast gulf of air, its spray lost in the wind. A pair of rainbows shone so strongly the colors shimmered. Far below, to the east, the land tumbled out to become the barren plain that edged the distant Olo'o Sea, little more than a glimmer hazed out by the rising sun.
'It's so beautiful, isn't it?' she said as Atani cradled his head against her breast.
Tuvi said nothing, and when she looked at him, he was rubbing his chin as he examined specks in the sky. He wasn't admiring the beauty at all. He was searching for threats.
'I would like to go make an offering, Chief.'
'Yes,' he said at once. 'But just you and Priya, Mistress.'
'In case Uncle Hari comes out to greet us? I know we're the only ones besides you who can know.'
He took the baby and together they walked back to the clearing. Sheyshi still slept, but Miravia had awakened; she'd slept poorly because of the strange noises and the brisk mountain air, nothing she was accustomed to.
Mai kissed her, laughing. 'We'll be back soon enough. Then I'll show you the market.'
'The market? What market?'
'The one we'll build with sticks, like a child's toy house. We can pretend we are bargaining!'
'You're horrible,' cried Miravia. Then she saw the men digging. 'Mai! Are you telling me I have to relieve myself in a ditch?'
Laughing, Mai bundled Atani up and set off with Priya and Tuvi, two soldiers walking rearguard. This late in the year, there were scant offerings to be found along the path, but just as they reached the top and she feared she would have to approach the altar empty-handed, she caught sight of a spray of white flowers off in the trees. She handed Atani to Priya, found a stout stick, and beat a path through to a massive knot of branches, the ground subsiding under a heap of leaves and disturbed ground. A few flowers still clung, bold white stars like the eyes of ghosts.