«Since neither the shpugas nor the Uchendi seem to have done that work either, what could the ezintis have possibly done?» said Winter Owl. «Would you have had the ezintis perish trying to rid you of me, so that the hunters could not ride and the Uchendi would go hungry for meat? Really, Kyarta my sister, you have no sense when you think of how to rid yourself of me!»
Obviously this was an old game between them, one everybody in the village was used to. Blade saw broad grins all around him as the exchange of insults and accusations grew wider. Then suddenly everyone fell silent, as if they'd been struck mute. Winter Owl's mount reared once more, then even it was calm.
A man was walking toward the crowd. Blade knew without being told that this was Crystal's father, He Who Guards the Voice, and thought to himself that he hoped the man had a shorter name! Like his daughter, he was short and squarely built, but without her pleasing roundness. His scarred but unwrinkled brown skin was stretched tightly over what were obviously still rock-hard muscles. He wore only a loinguard of ezinti hide and a necklace of copper disks; his nearly bald scalp was tattooed in complex swirling patterns of green and yellow.
He was smiling as he approached, but in spite of the smile he looked as if he'd be every bit as shrewd and formidable an enemy or friend as the Wise One.
Blade dismounted and advanced to meet the man who was also called Guardian.
«I am Blade, a warrior of England. I came into Latan in the lands of the Rutari, but they asked of me things that are unlawful for me. So I came away from them, and-«
«Guardian! He is a wizard who slew a shpuga by unclean magic!» No need to ask if that was River Over Stones running on as usual.
«By magic that may be unclean,» said Eye of Crystal, «but we don't know-«
«He used it on the shpuga where she and I were present!» shouted River. «Who can be sure if her tongue is her own?»
«If you were there, then the same can be said of your tongue!» snapped Crystal. «As well as all the other things that can be said of it,» she added spitefully.
Blade mentally counted to ten. Here we go again with the Uchendi national sport of arguing. River's outburst had done its dirty work, too, even though Crystal now seemed to be holding her own. People were backing away from Blade, pointing and whispering. Nobody was smiling now, and some of the looks turned toward Blade were a long way from friendly.
One of these days I am going to strangle River Over Stones with my bare hands and claim I was just getting rid of a public nuisance, thought Blade. He really didn't care for the idea of having somebody like that at his back, no matter what the Guardian might say.
First things first, again. Get the Guardian on your side, then stuff something in River's big mouth.
Blade waited until River and Crystal seemed to run out of breath. So did the Guardian. Then, before anyone else could join in, Blade stepped close to the Guardian and gave him a military salute.
«By this sign of the warriors of England, I submit myself to your judgment of the lawfulness of my magic. Your name is honored among the Uchendi for your knowledge of the Spirit world and your great sense of judgment. Therefore I do not fear receiving other than justice at your hands.»
The Guardian grinned, showing yellow but even teeth. «A very pretty speech, Blade of England. So pretty that I am almost tempted to refuse to give you judgment, lest my people think you flattered me into it.»
«Father-«began Crystal.
«Be silent!» shouted River. «You speak when the Guardian listens to another. The law-«
«IS BETTER KNOWN TO ME THAN TO EITHER OF YOU!» bellowed the Guardian, in a voice that made everyone around him jump. Blade's ears rang, and two men working on the gateway were so startled they fell into the ditch.
«Very good,» said the Guardian, «now that my ears are no longer being beaten by words heavier than a smith's hammer and not nearly as useful… River Over Stones, be silent now or face being made silent for a longer time.» The young warrior glared but held his tongue. «Daughter, you did not tell me that this man Blade had come for judgment.»
«You were too busy arguing with River Over Stones. I forgive you for shaming my teaching, just this once. The next time you forget how I taught you to always tell all things that need to be known, I shall not be so gentle.»
The Guardian turned back to Blade. «You have indeed come for judgment of your magic? All your magic ways?»
«I do not know all the ways of magic among the Uchendi,» said Blade. «Certainly I will submit to your judgment in all ways known among the English. The rest may be judged by the Spirits, if judgment is needed.» He smiled. «I know I will receive a wiser judgment here than they sought to give me among the Rutari.»
That went over well, judging from the new grins, and it was also perfectly true-at least if Blade was judged by Crystal's father. But if River Over Stones had been giving the judgment…
«May the Spirits desert us if this is not so,» said Crystal, and her father nodded.
«Now, Blade, I think it best we go to my house-«
«Open judgment, open judgment, open judgment!» screamed River Over Stones. Several people took up the cry. Crystal looked ready to castrate her suitor, and the Guardian was frowning.
«If there is a call for the judgment to be reached with others present, I must submit to it,» he said. «It seems to me this is not wise with unknown magic, but it is the law.»
«My magic may not be lawful by the ways of the Uchendi,» said Blade. «But if my oath means anything, I give it here, that I will use no magic in the judgment and no man witnessing it need fear me. Is that enough?»
«More than enough,» said the Guardian, in a voice daring River to disagree. The young man gritted his teeth, then also nodded.
Blade let the Guardian and Crystal lead him away from the village, toward a patch of open ground just short of the fields. He couldn't really say that being probed telepathically-which is what the judgment consisted of-and maybe being rendered helpless in the presence of at least fifty possible enemies was his favorite way to spend a morning.
On the other hand, if he passed the judgment in the eyes of all the witnesses, he would be sure of his acceptance among the Uchendi. There was always a moment when you had to stop running, and this looked like a good moment to at least try.
Chapter 15
Blade didn't know what to expect after they reached the open ground. He settled for breathing slowly and deeply, to get his mind and body under as much control as he could.
He also kept a watchful eye open for an escape route. He did want to stop his running here if he could, but wouldn't stop if the Uchendi were setting him up for murder. The circle of would-be witnesses around the testing area grew steadily thicker, but at least only a few of them were armed. Children kept wandering too far forward and being hauled back by their parents.
The Guardian's wife Kyarta also wanted to get a good look at Blade, but Eye of Crystal stopped her. The two women started another half-serious argument, too far from Blade for him to hear more than one word in three. Winter Owl did not intervene-he was too busy placing the handful of armed men at precise intervals around the circle of witnesses. River Over Stones also kept his mouth shut for once. Probably he expected Blade's testing to prove that he'd been right all along about the Englishman's having evil magic.
While all this was going on, the Guardian was standing in the center of the bare ground, his feet slightly apart, his arms crossed on his chest, and his eyes on the ground. It was impossible to tell whether he was hypnotizing himself, communing with the Spirits, or simply trying to fight off boredom.