Rix was on his feet. ‘Burning, burning.’
He swayed, jammed the point of his sword into the ground to hold himself up and almost took a big toe off. Tali pressed her hands against his chest, muttered her healing charm and forced until her fingers burned and her knees wobbled. Slowly the crimson receded from his face.
‘Water,’ whispered Rix.
Tali and Tobry dragged him to the edge of the lake and rolled him in. Tali stepped into the water, quenching the ankle bracelet in a hissing cloud of steam, and it cracked and came to pieces. Her ankle was redraw, blistered in a circle and, now that she had nothing to distract her, excruciatingly painful.
Tobry drank half a gallon, Rix even more, and after several minutes he sat up.
‘Where — Orlyk?’ he rasped. ‘Watch out for her.’
‘Dead,’ said Tali. ‘They’re all dead, save for Tinyhead, and he’s gone.’ But how far?
‘Thank you.’ Rix tried to struggle upright.
‘Lie down. You’re not well.’
‘No time,’ said Rix. ‘The other squad’s coming. Tali, Tali, got to say it.’
‘You don’t have to say anything,’ she muttered.
‘Yes, I do.’ He extended his hand. ‘Sorry about yesterday. I’m a fool. Everyone will tell you that.’
‘He’s not lying,’ said Tobry, managing a grin. ‘You’ll look hard to find a bigger idiot in all Hightspall. I’m thinking about writing a book about him.’
‘Don’t go on, Tobe,’ said Rix.
‘But his heart’s in the right place.’
‘It is now,’ said Rix, pressing his free hand against his chest.
As Tali stared at him, the heat swept back into his face. Was he thinking that she was going to spurn his apology? ‘Yesterday you threw up at the sight of my slave mark.’
He bent his head to her. ‘I was taught that the Pale willingly served the enemy. I’m not proud of myself.’
‘We’re enslaved! We’ve always been enslaved.’
‘I understand that now.’
She could see what an effort he was making. And, having saved each other’s lives, there would forever be a bond between them. It was no small thing.
‘I’ve made plenty of mistakes,’ said Tali, ‘and not all could be remedied with a handshake.’ His huge, tanned hand engulfed her small, pale one. ‘Shall we call truce?’
‘Truce.’ He turned to Tobry. ‘I thought you were dead. How did you survive?’
‘Don’t know,’ said Tobry, in a voice as dry as a crackling blaze. ‘After the dart hit me, my heart was on fire. I was burning up; knew I was going to die. Nothing I could do. Tried to heal myself but didn’t know how. Then I … I lost a minute or two. When I roused, the hot pain was being pushed back down … and out.’
‘Pushed back down?’ said Rix incredulously.
‘I can’t explain it. Must have a strong constitution, I guess.’
Tali looked from one to the other. Rix was studying Tobry side-on as if he did not believe what he was hearing. No, as if he thought his closest friend was lying.
CHAPTER 50
Tobry broke Mijl’s tube underfoot, tossed the pieces into the lake and rummaged through her pouches and pack, taking out small items and stuffing them in his own pack.
‘We don’t have time for that,’ said Rix, looking up the path. He thought he could hear the enemy coming, though it might have been his own racketing heart. His face still felt scalding. ‘The second squad can’t be more than five minutes away.’
‘If we can discover how their chymical weapons work it’ll be a big help,’ said Tobry, unhitching a death lash from Orlyk’s belt and jamming it into the pack.
‘Careful,’ cried Tali. ‘That can take your whole arm off.’
Tobry winced, then stripped the sandals off Mijl’s small feet and tossed them to Tali. ‘Here. You can’t run across the Seethings in bare feet.’
She put them on.
‘They’ll see us as we climb the slope,’ said Rix, ‘and run us down long before we can reach the horses.’ He eyed Tobry surreptitiously, unnerved by his miraculous recovery from the dart. ‘We’ll have to take to the lake.’ He took off his boots, tied them to his belt and waded in.
‘I’m not going without Rannilt,’ said Tobry. He seemed to be in pain.
‘You found her?’ said Tali, standing on the edge. ‘Is she all right?’
Rix drew her into the water. She was shivering and resisted him. ‘She found us. Made us come after you, too.’
‘We can’t leave her.’ Tali jerked on his arm.
‘Can’t take on a dozen of the enemy, either. Rannilt’s well hidden; she’s safer than we are. We’ll come back for her.’
He drew Tali out until the cool water was mid-chest on him, throat level on her, and it was glorious on his inflamed skin.
‘What if we don’t get back?’ said Tali.
Rix explained about the note and the gramarye Tobry had put on Beetle. ‘Luzia is my old nurse in Caulderon. She’ll look after Rannilt. It’s the best we can do.’
Tali bit her lip, then nodded.
‘Can Cythonians swim?’ said Rix.
Her eyes were darting, her breathing fast and shallow. ‘I don’t know — but I can’t.’
She seemed close to panic, but she was such a little thing she could hardly cause him any trouble. ‘Stay with me and you’ll be all right. Tobe, we’ll swim across to the outlet and go down the cascades. Once we’re far enough ahead, we’ll double back to Rannilt and the horses.’
‘What if we can’t get back?’ Tali’s voice cracked.
‘We’ll think of something else.’
‘Better dump the swords,’ said Tobry.
‘I’m keeping mine. If they beat us to the cascades — ’
‘A sword will be no use at all. They’ll pick us off with arrows from the bank.’
‘I’m not going unarmed. Tali, ditch those baggy robes.’
Tali shrugged them off and Rix pushed them under. She was still wearing the silk gown from yesterday, though a tear across the waist revealed a livid welt on her pale skin. She pulled her orange hat down as far as it would go. She was trembling, her breathing fast and shallow. Shock, he thought. This could get tricky.
‘Take hold of my belt, Tali. Don’t let go.’
She did so and he swam out using sidestroke. She was clinging so tightly that her knuckles were jammed into his belly. Every so often her eyes rolled back; she was fighting not to scream.
‘What is a pothecky, anyway?’ said Rix to Tobry.
Tobry’s eyes never left Tali’s face. ‘Cross between an alchymist and a healer, but uses chymical potions for war. How are you feeling?’
Rix put his head under for a few seconds. ‘Still hot. I don’t ever want to go that close to death again. Ah, this water’s good.’
They were only a hundred yards out when the second squad came charging down the track and stopped at the bodies.
‘No splashing.’ Rix put an arm around Tali and sank down in the water. ‘We can still get away with this.’
They managed another twenty yards before they were spotted.
‘Go!’ Rix took off, Tali trailing behind like a wide-eyed corpse.
The enemy ran to the water’s edge and several troops waded in to chest level, but headed back and the archers began to fire.
‘Keep low,’ said Tobry. ‘A head shot is quite an ask from there.’
‘You could do it,’ said Rix, ‘so maybe they can.’ Tali’s teeth chattered. ‘How are you doing?’ He turned over and swam on his back to watch her.
Her eyes were enormous blue pools. She was clutching his belt desperately, yet kept letting go with one hand to pull her hat down. Rix could not identify with her fear of the water. He had learned to swim before he could walk.
‘If you can do it, I can,’ she said, shuddering.
‘The water isn’t that cold.’
‘It is to me. In Cython, all the water is warm.’
‘And you’re such a little thing.’
‘I’m strong,’ she said, with a determined tilt of the head. ‘In Cython, if you’re weak, you die.’
‘How’s your ankle?’
‘It’s excruciating. But in Cython we learn to endure pain.’