long is it going to take to get there?”
Rian-Gi pursed his lips. “Hmmm. Riding a krae, four perhaps five days.”
“And a ship?”
“Two days? Perhaps less.”
I cursed to myself. Brother Aln had said the church had sent a ship after them days ago. That meant whatever they’d gone to do, they’d already done it, and I’d be getting there almost a week too late. Goddamn it! There was no way Lhan was still alive. But I couldn’t give up. I had to go and see for myself. I had to.
I looked up at Rian-Gi as he started to roll up the map. “Thanks for this. I owe you, big time, but I gotta get going. I—I’d kill myself if I didn’t….”
“My dear girl, there are tears in your eyes. You love him that much?”
I don’t know why, but I snapped at him. Maybe I didn’t like him seeing me cry. “What’s it to you? You jealous?”
He looked miffed for a second, then shook his head. “No, not at all. I would not deny you your future with him. I hope you will not deny me our past.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable. “Everybody’s got a past. I got more past than most. No worries. And thanks again.” I took the map from him and turned to the window, then stopped. I was still in my bag-lady outfit, and all of a sudden I was starving. Not the best way to hit the road. I turned back to him. “Uh, I don’t suppose you can hook me up with some water and some chow? And… and if you had any old clothes, maybe a spare sword, I’d really appreciate getting out of this bed sheet.”
He smiled. “I can give you better than spares. Wait here.”
I studied the map while he left the room, trying to figure out if any of the places I’d already been were on it, and what cities and towns I was going to have to avoid on my way to Toaga or Udbec or whatever it was called. Before I’d made much sense of it, Rian was back, carrying something big and bulky and wrapped in a blanket that he had a hard time getting through the door.
He set it down with a clunk, then opened it. I almost cried. It was all the gear I’d had with me the night I was kidnapped—the heavy duty loincloth-bikini and the made-to-measure sleeve and chest armor I’d got when I was a gladiator in Doshaan, the riding boots and clothes Lhan’s servants had made for me, and best of all, my custom-made six-foot-long Aarurrh-style sword, weighted and balanced just for me. And Lhan’s clothes were there too.
“Fantastic! How do you still have these?”
He looked down, sad. “The priests left them behind on the night, so I kept them, hoping, though I had betrayed him, that Lhan would someday return, and need them. And you too, of course.” He turned toward the door. “Dress yourself. I will ask my majordomo to prepare some food for your journey.”
“Excellent. Thanks.”
He paused at the secret door. “Mistress Jae-En. I hope that if—nay— when you find Lhan alive, you explain to him why I—why I did what I did, and ask him to forgive me.”
I gave him a hard look. “I’ll tell him what happened, but if you think I’m gonna plead your case for you, you got another think coming.”
He turned a pinker shade of purple. “No no, of course not. It was cowardly of me to ask. I will ask him myself if—that is when you bring him back alive.”
He bowed himself out, and I stared down at Lhan’s clothes, looking very empty and forlorn without Lhan in them. “No, pal. I think you had it right the first time. If . If I bring him back alive.”
***
Running on Waar was better than sex, maybe even better than riding a Harley. How could I hate bounding across the landscape with big twenty-foot strides like the kind you have in dreams, like the ones you see antelopes doing on nature shows? I coulda run like that forever and never got tired of it. I felt like Wonder Woman.
Of course I coulda had a nicer landscape to run through, not that it was all that bad at the beginning. The farmland around Ormolu was the same lush and neon-colored candy-land I
Rian-Gi pursed his lips. “Hmmm. Riding a krae, four perhaps five days.”
“And a ship?”
“Two days? Perhaps less.”
I cursed to myself. Brother Aln had said the church had sent a ship after them days ago. That meant whatever they’d gone to do, they’d already done it, and I’d be getting there almost a week too late. Goddamn it! There was no way Lhan was still alive. But I couldn’t give up. I had to go and see for myself. I had to.
I looked up at Rian-Gi as he started to roll up the map. “Thanks for this. I owe you, big time, but I gotta get going. I—I’d kill myself if I didn’t….”
“My dear girl, there are tears in your eyes. You love him that much?”
I don’t know why, but I snapped at him. Maybe I didn’t like him seeing me cry. “What’s it to you? You jealous?”
He looked miffed for a second, then shook his head. “No, not at all. I would not deny you your future with him. I hope you will not deny me our past.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable. “Everybody’s got a past. I got more past than most. No worries. And thanks again.” I took the map from him and turned to the window, then stopped. I was still in my bag-lady outfit, and all of a sudden I was starving. Not the best way to hit the road. I turned back to him. “Uh, I don’t suppose you can hook me up with some water and some chow? And… and if you had any old clothes, maybe a spare sword, I’d really appreciate getting out of this bed sheet.”
He smiled. “I can give you better than spares. Wait here.”
I studied the map while he left the room, trying to figure out if any of the places I’d already been were on it, and what cities and towns I was going to have to avoid on my way to Toaga or Udbec or whatever it was called. Before I’d made much sense of it, Rian was back, carrying something big and bulky and wrapped in a blanket that he had a hard time getting through the door.
He set it down with a clunk, then opened it. I almost cried. It was all the gear I’d had with me the night I was kidnapped—the heavy duty loincloth-bikini and the made-to-measure sleeve and chest armor I’d got when I was a gladiator in Doshaan, the riding boots and clothes Lhan’s servants had made for me, and best of all, my custom-made six-foot-long Aarurrh-style sword, weighted and balanced just for me. And Lhan’s clothes were there too.
“Fantastic! How do you still have these?”
He looked down, sad. “The priests left them behind on the night, so I kept them, hoping, though I had betrayed him, that Lhan would someday return, and need them. And you too, of course.” He turned toward the door. “Dress yourself. I will ask my majordomo to prepare some food for your journey.”
“Excellent. Thanks.”
He paused at the secret door. “Mistress Jae-En. I hope that if—nay— when you find Lhan alive, you explain to him why I—why I did what I did, and ask him to forgive me.”
I gave him a hard look. “I’ll tell him what happened, but if you think I’m gonna plead your case for you, you got another think coming.”
He turned a pinker shade of purple. “No no, of course not. It was cowardly of me to ask. I will ask him myself if—that is when you bring him back alive.”
He bowed himself out, and I stared down at Lhan’s clothes, looking very empty and forlorn without Lhan in them. “No, pal. I think you had it right the first time. If . If I bring him back alive.”
***
Running on Waar was better than sex, maybe even better than riding a Harley. How could I hate bounding across the landscape with big twenty-foot strides like the kind you have in dreams, like the ones you see antelopes doing on nature shows? I coulda run like that forever and never got tired of it. I felt like Wonder Woman.
Of course I coulda had a nicer landscape to run through, not that it was all that bad at the beginning. The farmland around Ormolu was the same lush and neon-colored candy-land I
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