Veil.”
Peri clenched her teeth, trembling.
“Why would they turn north?” she said, forcing herself to keep her voice low. “They should’ve followed the Barrier west until they met a Bregondish caravan. That’s what you said.”
“That is what I thought,” Atheris whispered, shaking his head. “But there is another possibility. When you searched the other wagons, what did you find?”
Peri shook her head impatiently at the question.
“Typical trade stuff,” she said. “These boxes and bags are candles. There’s bolts of cloth, boxes of spices. Hams. Cheeses. Casks of wine—” Then she stopped, seeing Atheris’s expression, and she felt a chill begin somewhere at the base of her spine.
“Sarkond,” Atheris said, very, very softly, “has few such goods at all, and certainly none in such quality or abundance to trade them to Bregond.”
“No,” Peri whispered. “Oh no.”
They weren’t traveling west to meet another caravan to trade.
They were returning home after they’d already traded.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Peri whispered rapidly. “If we start back south now—”
“No!” Atheris’s hand on her shoulder tightened. “There is nothing hiding us from the guards now, do you understand? If we try to leave, they will see us and kill us.” He hesitated. “And there is something else ...”
“What?” Peri looked into Atheris’s eyes and the chill in the pit of her stomach deepened. “The Bone Hunters?” she whispered.
“I—I believe so,” Atheris whispered back very slowly. “They are too far behind for me to be certain. Nor can I know without doubt that they are following this caravan, or this road. But I... I believe at least some of them remain between us and the Veil, and I believe they are moving north. How many and how quickly, I do not know. Perhaps none of them were fooled by my spell.”
Peri said nothing; she clenched her hands hard to stop their trembling. If what Atheris said was true, they were in very great danger indeed. If the Bone Hunters had seen through Atheris’s trick that easily, what hope of escape was there, especially now that they no longer had the advantage of Tajin’s speed?
Peri took a deep breath and sternly forced down her terror.
Panic, she reminded herself, kills more warriors than the deadliest foe. The first priority is surviving the next minute. Second is surviving the next hour. Third is the next day. Fourth, the next week.
All right. Use our advantages. Play strength against weakness.
“You’re certain,” Peri whispered, “the Bone Hunters can’t sense us here?”
This time Atheris did not hesitate.
“I am certain,” he whispered back. “I can feel the spell drawing on my energies. And if they knew where we were, they would either be here already, or they would have sent magic against us.”
“Good,” Peri murmured, nodding. “We’re safe for the moment, at least from the Bone Hunters. There’s that. Can you cast another spell to hide us from these people without using the Barrier?”
Atheris hesitated for a long moment, then reluctantly shook his head. “I could cast such a spell, yes,” he said softly. “But not—” He waved his hand illustratively. “Not like this. To perform a proper ritual I would need certain paraphernalia I do not have. I could improvise something, but for that I would require the power of a blood sacrifice.”
Peri went very still.
“What,” she said slowly, “you mean kill somebody?”
Atheris shook his head.
“No,” he said. “For a sustained spell I need a living source to draw upon, as the spell on this wagon draws upon me, rather than the short but powerful burst of energies released by a death. But I am not strong enough to have two such spells drawing upon me, and were I to use your blood, then neither of us would be strong enough to defend or flee in a crisis.”
Peri forced herself to ignore the surge of despair she felt at his words.
“All right,”
Peri clenched her teeth, trembling.
“Why would they turn north?” she said, forcing herself to keep her voice low. “They should’ve followed the Barrier west until they met a Bregondish caravan. That’s what you said.”
“That is what I thought,” Atheris whispered, shaking his head. “But there is another possibility. When you searched the other wagons, what did you find?”
Peri shook her head impatiently at the question.
“Typical trade stuff,” she said. “These boxes and bags are candles. There’s bolts of cloth, boxes of spices. Hams. Cheeses. Casks of wine—” Then she stopped, seeing Atheris’s expression, and she felt a chill begin somewhere at the base of her spine.
“Sarkond,” Atheris said, very, very softly, “has few such goods at all, and certainly none in such quality or abundance to trade them to Bregond.”
“No,” Peri whispered. “Oh no.”
They weren’t traveling west to meet another caravan to trade.
They were returning home after they’d already traded.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Peri whispered rapidly. “If we start back south now—”
“No!” Atheris’s hand on her shoulder tightened. “There is nothing hiding us from the guards now, do you understand? If we try to leave, they will see us and kill us.” He hesitated. “And there is something else ...”
“What?” Peri looked into Atheris’s eyes and the chill in the pit of her stomach deepened. “The Bone Hunters?” she whispered.
“I—I believe so,” Atheris whispered back very slowly. “They are too far behind for me to be certain. Nor can I know without doubt that they are following this caravan, or this road. But I... I believe at least some of them remain between us and the Veil, and I believe they are moving north. How many and how quickly, I do not know. Perhaps none of them were fooled by my spell.”
Peri said nothing; she clenched her hands hard to stop their trembling. If what Atheris said was true, they were in very great danger indeed. If the Bone Hunters had seen through Atheris’s trick that easily, what hope of escape was there, especially now that they no longer had the advantage of Tajin’s speed?
Peri took a deep breath and sternly forced down her terror.
Panic, she reminded herself, kills more warriors than the deadliest foe. The first priority is surviving the next minute. Second is surviving the next hour. Third is the next day. Fourth, the next week.
All right. Use our advantages. Play strength against weakness.
“You’re certain,” Peri whispered, “the Bone Hunters can’t sense us here?”
This time Atheris did not hesitate.
“I am certain,” he whispered back. “I can feel the spell drawing on my energies. And if they knew where we were, they would either be here already, or they would have sent magic against us.”
“Good,” Peri murmured, nodding. “We’re safe for the moment, at least from the Bone Hunters. There’s that. Can you cast another spell to hide us from these people without using the Barrier?”
Atheris hesitated for a long moment, then reluctantly shook his head. “I could cast such a spell, yes,” he said softly. “But not—” He waved his hand illustratively. “Not like this. To perform a proper ritual I would need certain paraphernalia I do not have. I could improvise something, but for that I would require the power of a blood sacrifice.”
Peri went very still.
“What,” she said slowly, “you mean kill somebody?”
Atheris shook his head.
“No,” he said. “For a sustained spell I need a living source to draw upon, as the spell on this wagon draws upon me, rather than the short but powerful burst of energies released by a death. But I am not strong enough to have two such spells drawing upon me, and were I to use your blood, then neither of us would be strong enough to defend or flee in a crisis.”
Peri forced herself to ignore the surge of despair she felt at his words.
“All right,”
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