know
this."
"I know."
"You know and yet you allow yourself
to put us all at risk."
She couldn't even nod.
He made a derisive sound, one that sounded
somewhere between a cough and a snort. "Your nohma made you soft. It's
because of her failure that you're weak." He looked at her with an
expression of disdain.
Alaysha did her best to still the squirming
that wanted to take over her belly. "It's not her fault."
"Then it's yours."
"Yes."
"I let you live even knowing what you
were, and you repay me with danger in my own camp? You will never outlive this
shame."
She hung her head. "I know."
He sat quiet for a minute letting her feel
the weight of what had happened. She saw again the weeping woman, the small
babe. She had only to scan the area around her to see how the water had dried
up overnight so that no one could slake the thirst. She had only to notice the
tankard that still sat empty, next to the plate.
"You need to bring the rain."
"I know that too."
"Then why do you wait? Why do you do
nothing while your tribe suffers?"
"The rain comes of its own
power."
"That isn't true."
She knew she'd never convince him.
"What else can I do, Father?" She
held her hands out, supplicating. She was as powerless to her thirst as the
rest of them. More so, even. She'd had nothing to drink and less to eat, and
she was weak. A faint headache throbbed behind her eyes.
He leaned sideways, letting the weave of
his seat creak as it relaxed. He noticed the slave's trembling thighs and
lifted the platter from his back. "Take this to my night hound," he
told him. "She has only had a raw squirrel this morning."
He pushed the slave to his belly and kicked
him in the stomach until he got up and retrieved the plate.
Yuri regarded Alaysha coolly. "You
don't know everything, witch. You only know pieces, and even with those small
bits you would argue that you know better than me."
"Then tell me."
He regarded her with a queer expression.
"Why would I tell a tool where it came from, what it is to do, where I
choose to put it when I'm done?"
"Is that all I am?" She didn’t
believe it. He was just punishing her. He couldn't be so cold; she'd seen him
with his new favourite. He did love. He did.
"You are too sharp a blade to be of
any good to most men. My tribe would have me believe you're too sharp even for
your maker. Are you, Alaysha? Are you too sharp for even your maker to use
without danger?"
Encouraged by his use of her name, she
dared: "If a man is to wield a weapon, he must know it, Father."
He muttered something unintelligible in
answer and picked up the empty tankard. He shook it and peered inside
thoughtfully.
"If a blade could score the sky and
fill this vessel with rain, it might beg careful tempering."
He got up and passed her the tankard.
"Till then, we have much work to do. The village you ended was not the
village of our search and we need to regroup. While I travel to Sarum, you and
Drahl will continue the search. If he finds it, do nothing. I want to be sure
it is the correct village before we take it."
His attention was taken by a crackle of
twigs in the brushes nearby. "And take the vermin girl with you; I'm tired
of her stealing my hounds' food. The two of you will stay well away from Drahl
and his scouts at night. If you are to kill without intention, better it be
something of your own."
He turned from her with a lifted brow of
warning and started toward his tent.
She peered into the tankard as her father
disappeared beyond his tent flap, and ferret eased into view from behind a
tree. She was chewing on the hare's leg she'd obviously stolen from the hound's
dish. She offered Alaysha the half egg Yuri had left with her other hand.
Saying nothing, Alaysha popped it into her
mouth and chewed thoughtfully. It was incredibly delicious for a simple roasted
egg, spiced with something she'd never tasted. The smell of honey and cinnamon
was strong, coming as it did from the grease Ferret's hand had left on the
this."
"I know."
"You know and yet you allow yourself
to put us all at risk."
She couldn't even nod.
He made a derisive sound, one that sounded
somewhere between a cough and a snort. "Your nohma made you soft. It's
because of her failure that you're weak." He looked at her with an
expression of disdain.
Alaysha did her best to still the squirming
that wanted to take over her belly. "It's not her fault."
"Then it's yours."
"Yes."
"I let you live even knowing what you
were, and you repay me with danger in my own camp? You will never outlive this
shame."
She hung her head. "I know."
He sat quiet for a minute letting her feel
the weight of what had happened. She saw again the weeping woman, the small
babe. She had only to scan the area around her to see how the water had dried
up overnight so that no one could slake the thirst. She had only to notice the
tankard that still sat empty, next to the plate.
"You need to bring the rain."
"I know that too."
"Then why do you wait? Why do you do
nothing while your tribe suffers?"
"The rain comes of its own
power."
"That isn't true."
She knew she'd never convince him.
"What else can I do, Father?" She
held her hands out, supplicating. She was as powerless to her thirst as the
rest of them. More so, even. She'd had nothing to drink and less to eat, and
she was weak. A faint headache throbbed behind her eyes.
He leaned sideways, letting the weave of
his seat creak as it relaxed. He noticed the slave's trembling thighs and
lifted the platter from his back. "Take this to my night hound," he
told him. "She has only had a raw squirrel this morning."
He pushed the slave to his belly and kicked
him in the stomach until he got up and retrieved the plate.
Yuri regarded Alaysha coolly. "You
don't know everything, witch. You only know pieces, and even with those small
bits you would argue that you know better than me."
"Then tell me."
He regarded her with a queer expression.
"Why would I tell a tool where it came from, what it is to do, where I
choose to put it when I'm done?"
"Is that all I am?" She didn’t
believe it. He was just punishing her. He couldn't be so cold; she'd seen him
with his new favourite. He did love. He did.
"You are too sharp a blade to be of
any good to most men. My tribe would have me believe you're too sharp even for
your maker. Are you, Alaysha? Are you too sharp for even your maker to use
without danger?"
Encouraged by his use of her name, she
dared: "If a man is to wield a weapon, he must know it, Father."
He muttered something unintelligible in
answer and picked up the empty tankard. He shook it and peered inside
thoughtfully.
"If a blade could score the sky and
fill this vessel with rain, it might beg careful tempering."
He got up and passed her the tankard.
"Till then, we have much work to do. The village you ended was not the
village of our search and we need to regroup. While I travel to Sarum, you and
Drahl will continue the search. If he finds it, do nothing. I want to be sure
it is the correct village before we take it."
His attention was taken by a crackle of
twigs in the brushes nearby. "And take the vermin girl with you; I'm tired
of her stealing my hounds' food. The two of you will stay well away from Drahl
and his scouts at night. If you are to kill without intention, better it be
something of your own."
He turned from her with a lifted brow of
warning and started toward his tent.
She peered into the tankard as her father
disappeared beyond his tent flap, and ferret eased into view from behind a
tree. She was chewing on the hare's leg she'd obviously stolen from the hound's
dish. She offered Alaysha the half egg Yuri had left with her other hand.
Saying nothing, Alaysha popped it into her
mouth and chewed thoughtfully. It was incredibly delicious for a simple roasted
egg, spiced with something she'd never tasted. The smell of honey and cinnamon
was strong, coming as it did from the grease Ferret's hand had left on the
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