knows where we might find horses, otherwise."
"Not except we raise the countryside," Chei said in a faint voice.
"How far a journey—clear of his lands?"
"By morning we are clear."
Vanye rested the stick in
both his hands, "In the name of Heaven," he said in the Kurshin tongue,
"he will tell you whatever he thinks will save his life: he was wrong
this morning, and we rode under sun and in the open."
"Trusting him is thy advice, and first it is aye and then nay—which do I believe?"
"I am a Man. I can trust
him without believing him. Or trust him in some things and not in
others. He is desperate, do you understand. Wait here. I will go and
steal you a horse."
"Enough on the horse!"
"I swear to you—"
"Vanye—"
"Or lord Gault's own cursed horse, if you like! But I should not like to leave you with this man. That would be my worry, liyo. Leaving you here, I would tie
him to a tree, and I would not take his word how far it is across this
cursed lord's land. I will tell you what I had rather do: I had rather
do without the horse, strike out due west, far from here, and come
north well within the hills."
"Except it needs much too long."
" Too long, too long—God in Heaven, liyo, it needs nothing but that we ride quietly, carefully, that we arrive in our own good time and disturb no one. I thought we had agreed."
"He named a name," Morgaine said.
"What, he? Chei? What name?"
"Skarrin, in Mante. This lord in the north."
His heart clenched up. "Someone you know?"
"Only an old name. We may be in great danger, Vanye. We may be in very great danger."
For a moment there was only the sound of the wind in the leaves.
"Of what sort?" he asked. "Who?"
"In the north," she said. "I am not certain, mind. It is only a very old name—and this northlord may be an old man, very old,
does thee mark me. And once he knows his danger, there are measures he
might take which could trap us here. Does thee understand me?"
"Who is he?"
" I do not know who he is. I know what he
is. Or I guess. And if I bind this man by oaths and any promise I can
take from him—I do not loose him near that gate behind us, does thee
understand? From Morund I might gain something. From Morund I might
draw this northlord south, out of reach of his own gate. But thee may
be right—there is the chance too that this Gault is mad, and that there
is no dealing with him."
"With a man who feeds his enemies to wolves?"
"With a devil, there
is dealing—sometimes far easier than with an honest man. And by
everything Chei has told us, there are Men enough among the qhal and
not the other way about, so we need not worry for thy sake. But thee
says trust this Man, and trust ourselves to his folk—"
"I did not say that!"
"What does thee say? Leave
him? Kill him? Is that what thee is asking? Or ride on with him? We are
too far into this to camp, and if this lord Gault finds us skulking
about without his leave, that brings us to a fight or to Morund-gate,
under worse terms."
Vanye raked his hair out of
his eyes, where it fell forward of the braid, and raked it back again,
resting his elbows on his knees.
In Andur-Kursh, Men would shoot a qhal on sight.
"Has Chei ever heard my other name? Did you by any chance tell it to him?"
"I do not know," he said,
dismayed. "The one the Shiua used?" And when she nodded: "I do not
know. I think not. I am not sure. I did not know—"
"Do not speak it. Ever. And do not ask me now."
He glanced at Chei, who
stared at him and at her as his only hope of safety—his life, Chei
surely sensed hung in the balance in this dispute he could not follow.
It was a sensible man, Vanye thought, whose eyes followed all their
moves, but who had the sense to hold his peace. "He is surely wondering
what we say—Heaven knows what he understands of us—but in God's good
mercy, liyo —"
She rose and walked back to Chei; and he rose and followed.
"Can you walk?" Morgaine asked in the qhalur tongue,
"Not except we raise the countryside," Chei said in a faint voice.
"How far a journey—clear of his lands?"
"By morning we are clear."
Vanye rested the stick in
both his hands, "In the name of Heaven," he said in the Kurshin tongue,
"he will tell you whatever he thinks will save his life: he was wrong
this morning, and we rode under sun and in the open."
"Trusting him is thy advice, and first it is aye and then nay—which do I believe?"
"I am a Man. I can trust
him without believing him. Or trust him in some things and not in
others. He is desperate, do you understand. Wait here. I will go and
steal you a horse."
"Enough on the horse!"
"I swear to you—"
"Vanye—"
"Or lord Gault's own cursed horse, if you like! But I should not like to leave you with this man. That would be my worry, liyo. Leaving you here, I would tie
him to a tree, and I would not take his word how far it is across this
cursed lord's land. I will tell you what I had rather do: I had rather
do without the horse, strike out due west, far from here, and come
north well within the hills."
"Except it needs much too long."
" Too long, too long—God in Heaven, liyo, it needs nothing but that we ride quietly, carefully, that we arrive in our own good time and disturb no one. I thought we had agreed."
"He named a name," Morgaine said.
"What, he? Chei? What name?"
"Skarrin, in Mante. This lord in the north."
His heart clenched up. "Someone you know?"
"Only an old name. We may be in great danger, Vanye. We may be in very great danger."
For a moment there was only the sound of the wind in the leaves.
"Of what sort?" he asked. "Who?"
"In the north," she said. "I am not certain, mind. It is only a very old name—and this northlord may be an old man, very old,
does thee mark me. And once he knows his danger, there are measures he
might take which could trap us here. Does thee understand me?"
"Who is he?"
" I do not know who he is. I know what he
is. Or I guess. And if I bind this man by oaths and any promise I can
take from him—I do not loose him near that gate behind us, does thee
understand? From Morund I might gain something. From Morund I might
draw this northlord south, out of reach of his own gate. But thee may
be right—there is the chance too that this Gault is mad, and that there
is no dealing with him."
"With a man who feeds his enemies to wolves?"
"With a devil, there
is dealing—sometimes far easier than with an honest man. And by
everything Chei has told us, there are Men enough among the qhal and
not the other way about, so we need not worry for thy sake. But thee
says trust this Man, and trust ourselves to his folk—"
"I did not say that!"
"What does thee say? Leave
him? Kill him? Is that what thee is asking? Or ride on with him? We are
too far into this to camp, and if this lord Gault finds us skulking
about without his leave, that brings us to a fight or to Morund-gate,
under worse terms."
Vanye raked his hair out of
his eyes, where it fell forward of the braid, and raked it back again,
resting his elbows on his knees.
In Andur-Kursh, Men would shoot a qhal on sight.
"Has Chei ever heard my other name? Did you by any chance tell it to him?"
"I do not know," he said,
dismayed. "The one the Shiua used?" And when she nodded: "I do not
know. I think not. I am not sure. I did not know—"
"Do not speak it. Ever. And do not ask me now."
He glanced at Chei, who
stared at him and at her as his only hope of safety—his life, Chei
surely sensed hung in the balance in this dispute he could not follow.
It was a sensible man, Vanye thought, whose eyes followed all their
moves, but who had the sense to hold his peace. "He is surely wondering
what we say—Heaven knows what he understands of us—but in God's good
mercy, liyo —"
She rose and walked back to Chei; and he rose and followed.
"Can you walk?" Morgaine asked in the qhalur tongue,
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