They rode for a day and two nights before she spoke.<\/p>\n
They passed the bridge about a mile north, and kept riding up the west bank of the Lesser Bariad. It was tempting to cross to the other side, to maybe make them think she was going elsewhere, but she knew Gharqah was on this side of the river, and speed was her friend.<\/p>\n
Nobody knew, yet. The novices in the temple did not know anything except perhaps that she found some magic in the statue. Nobody knew except Raffid, and he would never tell. Him, and the boy she had captured.<\/p>\n
She did not truly understand why she still had him with her. She could have cut him loose as soon as she escaped the town, or thrown him in the river, or\u2026<\/p>\n
They rode all that night, stopping for only five minutes after the sun rose to water the gelding and refill her own waterskin. Wheat seemed to grow wild allover within the fork. She did not know what this area was called. Raffid probably did, but he was not here.<\/p>\n
They rode all the day and most of the next night until she feared the horse might collapse. He was lathered and stumbling, so she angrily pulled to a halt as they passed a single acacia tree about five-hundred yards east of the river. A small flock of moonsparrows flew off as she approached, hobbled the horse, and the boy as well. The rope was too short to tie all the way around the tree, so she tied him to the horse\u2019s reins. She thought of threatening him, but just lied down, no fire, no glowstones, and slept for two or three hours. She awoke at first light, kicked the boy awake, and set off again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we headed to Gharqah?\u201d he asked, not for the first time. It was all he said, when he spoke, but she just ignored him. They rode at a much easier pace, for the gelding\u2019s sake, the sun throwing waves of orange upon them from their right. More golden wheat was waving nearby. In front of her on the saddle, the boy\u2019s head bobbed up and down as they rode by the river.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thighs really hurt,\u201d he said. \u201cThey itch. I think I have saddle sores.\u201d She grunted contemptuously at that. Her sores had broken the first night they flew from Musmahwa. Her legs were a bloody mess, and she had no lesser earth to fix them, but she was not about to tell him that.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we headed to Gharqah?\u201d he asked for the millionth time. She growled, but it did not silence him. \u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019m headed anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d she asked, despite herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a vision, right before you attacked me,\u201d he said. Tiny traces of black fuzz were starting to appear on his head. \u201cThe Mother of Love visited me while I prayed at the temple. She told me if I stayed on the path, I\u2019d find what I\u2019m looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
She grunted at that. \u201cThere\u2019s only one Mother. You\u2019re worshipping a rock.\u201d The boy mumbled something. \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one chasing after crystals,\u201d he said, not much more loudly. She almost knocked him off the horse, but Raffid\u2019s face suddenly flashed red in her thoughts, and they rode on.<\/p>\n
It was noon before they spoke again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you really killed men three times my size?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery man is three times your size.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, but have you killed any?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sneered at the back of his head. \u201cI\u2019ve bested them. Disarmed them. Knocked them to the ground. The trick is to get inside their reach. They all panic once you close distance. They all think you\u2019re going to run. It surprises them, when you show them you know how to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut did you kill any of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
She growled again.<\/p>\n
The horse was stumbling once more by the time the sun set that day, but there were no trees nearby. She dismounted, tied the boy\u2019s arms behind his back and bound him to the horse\u2019s reins again. \u201cKeep in front of me,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you try and get on that horse, I\u2019ll gut you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not really sure you will,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just burned your temple down!\u201d she shouted. It echoed into the newborn night, even though there were no mountains or trees for miles.<\/p>\n
The boy turned north and started walking. \u201cI dunno. The whole first floor was brick and stone. You burned all the rugs, that\u2019s for sure. You did a lot of damage. I think it might be okay, though. I hope those novices made it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey shouldn\u2019t have been there.\u201d She said it automatically, hoping the boy would not argue. He did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think one of them was named Arif. I didn\u2019t catch the other\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
The whole world seemed to flash red for an instant, and Behfa found her hand at her sword. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her left hand moved idly to her pouch. The greater fire was gone now, of course. The bloodfire was in its place. Behfa was getting weary, but every time she closed her eyes, her lids glowed orange in spite of the evening.<\/p>\n
The moon was waning, but still near enough full that they could walk all night if they had to. She kept the horse behind her and the boy in front, and could hear both stumbling every few minutes. It was close to midnight when another lone acacia tree finally appeared off to their right. The boy put up even less protest than before when she bound him to the horse and the horse to the tree. He just rolled over and went to sleep. Behfa rummaged through her things and pulled out a few lumps of salted pork that had not yet gone bad. She wolfed down three of them, then laid another two next to the sleeping boy. She lied down, still with no fire, and slept.<\/p>\n
There was barely any chill in the morning when she awoke, nearly an hour past sunrise. The boy had worked his hands in front of himself again, and was finishing the salt pork when she got to her feet. \u201cI\u2019ve never had this before,\u201d he said with his mouth full. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoar,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s tougher, but lasts a lot longer than porker.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes widened. \u201cThis was a pig?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou eat fish, don\u2019t you?\u201d she snarled. The boy nodded and finished eating.<\/p>\n
She set a faster pace that morning, hoping to make up for the previous day. Even so, they were still not moving as quickly as she would like. It was still slow enough to hear the boy easily when he asked, \u201cSo what are you going to do at Gharqah? Sneak into the Mother\u2019s House again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst I\u2019ll visit the bazar, see what magics they have. Some greater earth will fix up the saddle sores pretty fast, if I remember how to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it hard to learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
Behfa shrugged at no one. \u201cIt\u2019s memorizing a lot of formulas. Anyone can learn, but it takes so much time to prepare the magics, then add the extra catalysts at the right time, most people don\u2019t bother. Fixing saddle sores in a hurry is great when you\u2019re in a hurry, but most of the time you can just use salves, and rest. You can make a flaming arrow with lesser fire, or you can just use a flaming arrow. Greater fire could level an entire army in minutes, but it\u2019s way too uncontrollable, it\u2019s not\u2026\u201d Silence followed for nearly a minute. \u201cWell\u2026 you saw for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much of that stuff do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the one,\u201d she answered without thinking. \u201cI found it in the river the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the same<\/em> one Qara barfed out in the river!?\u201d the boy exclaimed.<\/p>\n Behfa pulled a horrible face. \u201cI didn\u2019t know she barfed it out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell what did you think<\/em> she did? It got out of her somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n She had not even considered that. Looking at the options, vomit did seem like the best possible turnout. \u201cHmph. Qara,\u201d she said, changing the subject. \u201cThat\u2019s ancient Yenai for \u2018monkey.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a monkey?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey live in the jungles of Monos, far to the east. Animals. They look like tiny little people, covered in hair, with tails. There\u2019s one or two kinds up north in Zalja, too, far north even of here, close to Yaalk. In Zalja, if a kid\u2019s misbehaving or making a fool of herself, they call her a little monkey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh,\u201d the boy answered. \u201cQara\u2019s parents must speak ancient Yenai.\u201d After a moment, he added, \u201cOr maybe Qara does. I think she\u2019d love to be named after a tiny little man covered in fur, with a tail. Do you speak ancient Yenai?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA little,\u201d she said. \u201cRaf\u2026 the wizard taught me. A lot of magical formulas are written in ancient Yenai, and nobody bothers to translate them. It\u2019s another reason nobody bothers with magic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you are. Bothering, I mean. With magic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well\u2026 I\u2019ve got plans.\u201d<\/p>\n It was another few minutes before the boy asked, \u201cIs your father still alive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a divine commander, right? What\u2019s a divine commander?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means he gave up his birthright to join the military order of Satar. My father was a great general. He was the lord of Batsayanjar, next in line to be the prefect of all Heqatia. That\u2019s the second-greatest prefecture in Zalja. But he gave it all up when he heard about the Crusade. He wanted to be the one to convert\u2026 you. All of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy does Satar need an army?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo convert heretics.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy can\u2019t she do that herself?\u201d<\/p>\n More silence followed, for a minute or two. \u201cSo, if your father gave up his lordship, does that mean Batsayanjar belongs to you now? Or do you have an older brother or something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d she said darkly. \u201cI\u2019m his only child. It passed out of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Because you\u2019re a girl?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry!\u201d the boy stiffened at that. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I just. I always heard that Zalja was a little\u2026 backward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBackward!\u201d she sneered. \u201cYou\u2019re calling us<\/em> backward? You worship rocks! Your houses are made out of mud! We passed by three fortresses on the way to Musmahwa, and every one of them was better built than anything your people live in. And they were abandoned! The soldiers were all gone!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not at war,\u201d the boy said. \u201cWhy would they man the fortresses if there\u2019s no war?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we\u2014\u201d She stopped herself, thinking suddenly of the little girls and their laundry, and how quiet they grew when she had asked about their fathers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d the boy said again. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have assumed Zalja treats women poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n Behfa sniffed. \u201cWell,\u201d she said, but stopped herself again.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d the boy asked, innocently.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy sighed. \u201cYeah. You\u2019re probably right.\u201d<\/p>\n They came across a great bend in the Lesser Bariad, curving westward toward Garqah. It was still nearly an hour to sunset, but there was a small woodland of acacias nearby, so they made camp. This far north, the Spring was growing so warm that even though they had the time, Behfa still did not make a fire. She shared what salted pork remained with the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank you,\u201d he said before eating.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2014\u201d she said before stopping herself. She glared at him, but he was consumed with his meal. They ate quietly for a minute or two.<\/p>\n \u201cThere aren\u2019t any tigers around here, are there?\u201d he asked, taking small nibbles of his pork.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cRaffid knew all that stuff. The wizard. I wasn\u2019t supposed to be doing this alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I know what you mean.\u201d He finished his pork. \u201cWhat happened to your soldiers?\u201d<\/p>\n She ignored him.<\/p>\n Instead of lying down to sleep, the boy sat against a tree, looking northward.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI dunno about tigers either, but there\u2019s supposed to be hyenas near Gharqah. They can steal a woman\u2019s soul on the full moon. I heard their bite can make a man sterile, and their claws make a woman barren.\u201d<\/p>\n She snorted. \u201cPeasants\u2019 tales.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d the boy agreed absently. \u201cJust tales.\u201d<\/p>\n Behfa lied down, but kept him in her sight. She was just starting to doze when he spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cBrother Hesiud was supposed to be with me. He\u2019s the monk you threw into the railing on the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was supposed to go to Musmahwa and warn them. About you. I was going with him on a spiritual journey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you find any enlightenment?\u201d she smirked.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2026\u201d It was getting too dark, and the boy was facing mostly away from her. \u201cThere\u2019s tigers in Inish Aiva. He said there wouldn\u2019t be any near such a small forest, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA tiger?\u201d she sat up on one elbow. \u201cYou escaped a tiger?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was wrong.\u201d He was trying to speak evenly, but she could tell he was angry. \u201cHe said there were no midge mice there, but there were. He said there\u2019d be no tigers, and then one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Behfa did not know what to say. She lied back down. \u201cA tiger, huh? Bad way to go. Did you run off without him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe told me to\u2026 to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTigers only attack when your back is turned. You should have faced him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe did! We faced it and it still \u2013 What do you<\/em> know!?\u201d<\/p>\n A frisson ran through the air. She could smell his fear, worried how she might react to the outburst. She smiled at that. \u201cIs that what you wanted to ask him<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long silence before the boy finally said, \u201cHe never knew anything. I had so many questions, and he never answered them. I thought he wanted me to think, but now I think he just didn\u2019t want to look stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how most adults are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about you? You answer my questions. Usually.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m not an adult<\/em>, she wanted to say. Only then did she realize that was not true.<\/p>\n \u201cQuelizad told me not to fight my shame, that I should let my feelings flow through me like a river. It\u2019s hard, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like something the Yenese would say.\u201d She sniffed again. \u201cWho\u2019s Quelizad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mother of Love. That was her House, in Musmahwa.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned her head and stared at him again. He was still looking out north, but his whole body looked loose. He was trying to sleep. \u201cThere\u2019s only one Mother,\u201d she said before closing her eyes.<\/p>\n They both awoke deep in the night to find the horse stomping and shaking its head. At first, Behfa thought it was nothing, but as she settled back down to sleep, a strange noise was heard far to the north. It sounded like a deep chirping at first, but as it grew closer, it multiplied. It almost sounded like\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2026 laughing?\u201d the boy asked.<\/p>\n Behfa was on her feet, sliding her sword from her scabbard. \u201cLooks like the hyenas are real.\u201d<\/p>\n A small chorus of barks were echoing in the dim north, and she could just make out a pack of shadows that looked to be moving toward them. Five, maybe six. One was much larger than the others, a mother most likely. The horse was stamping and whinnying nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we should go,\u201d the boy said.<\/p>\n \u201cAfraid of going sterile?\u201d she mocked.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s six of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not running from a pack of dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n The shadows grew closer. The barking grew louder, some guttural, but much of it high and whining. It did sound like laughter, echoing in the night. \u201cBehfa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up!\u201d she bellowed into the darkness. \u201cYou think I\u2019m afraid of you? I\u2019ll take you all alone!\u201d<\/p>\n The shadows were starting to resolve into their proper shapes. Dogs with thick necks and heavy backs, large ears pointing up, and bright white fangs shining in the moonlight. They chirruped and barked and laughed, but there was no mirth in their shadowed faces. Only purpose.<\/p>\n \u201cCaptain Behfa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She cast a glance at the boy, his hands clasped before him.<\/p>\n \u201cCaptain Behfa. Please, Captain. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n They were getting close, now. Behfa growled, then shoved her sword back into its scabbard. She managed to calm the gelding enough to get the boy on, then leapt up into the saddle just before the horse bolted westward.<\/p>\n No dog was a match for a horse, but this horse was exhausted and carrying two people. The yipping and chortling grew louder and louder as they rode, until the gelding threw up its head and screamed into the sky. Behfa looked back and saw the pack just at their heels. The huge, hunch-backed mother was closing on them, her children only a few yards behind. An evil smile split Behfa\u2019s face as she drew her sword. \u201cSteady!\u201d she shouted to the gelding, lifting her blade up high.<\/p>\n The hyena tensed and lunged for the gelding\u2019s buttocks. Behfa brought her sword down, but suddenly there was a flash of red, and Raffid\u2019s weathered face was staring at her. The blade struck awkwardly, grazing across the mother\u2019s skull and forcing her to back off for only a few seconds. Behfa shook her head and whitened her knuckles along her sword handle. The mother was up again in a moment and lunged for the gelding\u2019s flanks a second time. This time, Behfa deliberately brought the flat of the blade down and slapped the hyena harshly across the face. She yelped loudly as she tumbled and splashed against her children. Only one pup managed to evade her, and it quickly turned back to look at its mother, rather than pursue them alone.<\/p>\n A fire was burning down her arm, and she almost turned the horse back to charge them. Her eyes flashed red again, and she saw an army of invaders fleeing from her, a sword of fire in her grip. She shook her head and looked back to the west. The laughing had stopped.<\/p>\n She needed sleep. She needed rest.<\/p>\n With was another five minutes of hard riding before the boy shouted, \u201cMaybe you should put your sword away. Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n Blinking, she carefully lined the blade up with its scabbard and slid it home.<\/p>\n They did not stop riding until the sun came up, and by then all three of them were having trouble telling day from night. \u201cWe have to be getting close,\u201d she said, slumping over the boy in the saddle.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019ll you do then?\u201d<\/p>\n She ignored him.<\/p>\n The sun was past risen when they came across another acacia. She hobbled the horse and boy again, pulled a handful of cashews from her things and split them with her prisoner. \u201cWe than you,\u201d he murmured. She ignored him.<\/p>\n They both lied down. The sky was clear, birds were singing in the acacia tree right above them, but they were groggy and nearly insensate with drowsiness.<\/p>\n \u201cCaptain?\u201d the boy asked, \u201cis the wizard your\u2026 uncle or anything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she yawned. \u201cIt\u2019s just me and my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d The boy yawned too. \u201cI thought maybe he could inherit your town. Your land. Who\u2019s gonna get it?\u201d<\/p>\n Her face felt numb as she rubbed it with her palms. \u201cThe Jirahns. Two sons and three daughters. All married. All with children.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy was already mumbling. \u201cIs that why you can\u2019t inherit? Cause you\u2019re not married?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not married yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have to be married by a certain age?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said, trying to be sharp, but too drowsy.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d he said, sounding too far gone to get anything. \u201cIf it\u2019s not that you\u2019re a girl, and it\u2019s not that you\u2019re not married, what\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will be married. Soon. I think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d he asked, sounding a little more awake. \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZayenna. She\u2019s a paladin\u2019s daughter. Very respectable family.\u201d She rolled over on her side. \u201cI like her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it\u2026\u201d Even half asleep, she could sense the boy\u2019s apprehension. \u201cIs it cause she\u2019s<\/em> a girl?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said, regaining some of her sharpness. Then, \u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. I thought maybe Zalja had a problem with girls marrying girls.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. If you\u2019re a peasant.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy sat up, rubbing his face and trying to wake up more. \u201cIf you\u2019re a peasant?\u201d<\/p>\n Behfa lied on her back and looked up, trying to see what birds were singing in the branches. \u201cThey don\u2019t really want to pass inheritances to couples that won\u2019t produce direct children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOhh,\u201d the boy half-yawned. \u201cThat\u2019s really mean. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d she grumbled, \u201cit makes sense. You have to pass inheritance through the blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow else can you trust them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou only trust your family?\u201d<\/p>\n She ignored him.<\/p>\n \u201cI trust the monks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and look where that got you,\u201d she sneered.<\/p>\n The boy lied back down, but after only a few seconds he was talking again. \u201cDo you think your father could do anything? Divine commander sounds really important. Can he help you keep your inheritance?\u201d<\/p>\n She rolled back on her side. \u201cGo to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercifully, he finally shut up. She was nearly asleep when he said, \u201cMy name\u2019s Orvi, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n She mumbled something incomprehensible.<\/p>\n Seconds later she was asleep, and surrounded by oily yellow fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They rode for a day and two nights before she spoke. They passed the bridge about a mile north, and kept riding up the west bank of the Lesser Bariad. It was tempting to cross to the other side, to … Continue reading