clutching the other one’s feet to his chest. Yago laid down on the outside of the makeshift shelter, curling up beside one of the shaggy beasts.
They did not really sleep. The temperature plunged, and they spent most of the night shivering. Atreus’s feet ached terribly, and Rishi assured him this was a good sign. When his toes started to sting a few hours later, the Mar said this was even better. Yago fidgeted relentlessly, rocking his yak back and forth, and at one point cursed the beast for not being still. At first, Atreus watched the constellations, trying to mark the time by their progress. Later, he tried to avoid looking at them. The minutes were passing like hours, and what movement he did notice only made him think of the dropping temperature.
After what felt like a hundred frozen hours, Rishi suddenly sat up and pulled on his boots, declaring the time had come to rise. While the Mar untethered and milked the yaks, Yago went down to the channel and punched through the ice crust that had formed during the night, returning with two more big swamp fish. Confident they would be gone before Naraka’s men could find their campsite, they started a fire and gorged themselves on a warm meal.
The hot food rejuvenated Atreus. He soon found himself optimistic enough to remove his tattered map from inside his tunic and examine it in the firelight. Gyatse was the first valley on the chart, and from what he had heard the people there would welcome a few gold coins. Perhaps that would be a good place to replenish their supplies. Of course, Rishi would have to do the buying. One look at Atreus’s face and the Mar would flee for their lives.
Yago peered over Atreus’s shoulder, squinting at the meaningless squiggles. “That thing say how far is it to Rishi’s secret caravan road?”
“If it did, the road would not be much of a secret,” said Rishi.
Yago frowned, then reached down to tap the map with a big greasy finger. “But this is a map. It tells us how to find stuff.”
“Not Rishi’s road.” Atreus did not attempt to explain further. He had tried a dozen times to help Yago understand the mystery of map reading, but the ogre still found the lines and symbols impossible to decipher. Consequently, the ogre regarded maps as some sort of divining magic. “We’ll just have to be patient.”
Atreus folded the map and returned it to his tunic, then helped Rishi load the yaks while Yago cleaned and re-bandaged his wound. They transferred half the gold to the rucksack so Rishi could lash a balanced load onto shoulders of the lead yak, and by the time they finished, the gray glow of first light was showing in the eastern sky. Naturally, Rishi insisted on riding with the treasure, but Atreus did not worry about being abandoned. Half the gold remained safely locked in its inviolable coffer, and he knew the Mar would never settle for half when he could have all.
The yaks plunged into the swamp without hesitation, their hooves crashing through the thick ice and leaving an easy path to follow. Atreus hardly cared. Without the coffer, he could sit sidesaddle on his yak and hold his feet out of the water, and that alone was a good start to the day.
The sky had just brightened to the color of blue steel when Naraka’s patrol began to splash up from behind. They were moving fast and in a large group, eager to catch up before the sun melted the ice away.
“I guess Naraka didn’t turn back after all,” Atreus noted.
“Naraka is a terrible bully who is driving his men beyond all endurance,” Rishi said. “The good sir may rest assured that they will certainly rebel against”
“I don’t think we’d better count on that,” Atreus interrupted. “And we can’t outrun their ponies, not when we’re so easy to track.”
Rishi glanced toward the eastern horizon, where the sun had not yet risen high enough to show itself over the tall willows. “The sun will melt this ice very soon, and then”
“I need no
They did not really sleep. The temperature plunged, and they spent most of the night shivering. Atreus’s feet ached terribly, and Rishi assured him this was a good sign. When his toes started to sting a few hours later, the Mar said this was even better. Yago fidgeted relentlessly, rocking his yak back and forth, and at one point cursed the beast for not being still. At first, Atreus watched the constellations, trying to mark the time by their progress. Later, he tried to avoid looking at them. The minutes were passing like hours, and what movement he did notice only made him think of the dropping temperature.
After what felt like a hundred frozen hours, Rishi suddenly sat up and pulled on his boots, declaring the time had come to rise. While the Mar untethered and milked the yaks, Yago went down to the channel and punched through the ice crust that had formed during the night, returning with two more big swamp fish. Confident they would be gone before Naraka’s men could find their campsite, they started a fire and gorged themselves on a warm meal.
The hot food rejuvenated Atreus. He soon found himself optimistic enough to remove his tattered map from inside his tunic and examine it in the firelight. Gyatse was the first valley on the chart, and from what he had heard the people there would welcome a few gold coins. Perhaps that would be a good place to replenish their supplies. Of course, Rishi would have to do the buying. One look at Atreus’s face and the Mar would flee for their lives.
Yago peered over Atreus’s shoulder, squinting at the meaningless squiggles. “That thing say how far is it to Rishi’s secret caravan road?”
“If it did, the road would not be much of a secret,” said Rishi.
Yago frowned, then reached down to tap the map with a big greasy finger. “But this is a map. It tells us how to find stuff.”
“Not Rishi’s road.” Atreus did not attempt to explain further. He had tried a dozen times to help Yago understand the mystery of map reading, but the ogre still found the lines and symbols impossible to decipher. Consequently, the ogre regarded maps as some sort of divining magic. “We’ll just have to be patient.”
Atreus folded the map and returned it to his tunic, then helped Rishi load the yaks while Yago cleaned and re-bandaged his wound. They transferred half the gold to the rucksack so Rishi could lash a balanced load onto shoulders of the lead yak, and by the time they finished, the gray glow of first light was showing in the eastern sky. Naturally, Rishi insisted on riding with the treasure, but Atreus did not worry about being abandoned. Half the gold remained safely locked in its inviolable coffer, and he knew the Mar would never settle for half when he could have all.
The yaks plunged into the swamp without hesitation, their hooves crashing through the thick ice and leaving an easy path to follow. Atreus hardly cared. Without the coffer, he could sit sidesaddle on his yak and hold his feet out of the water, and that alone was a good start to the day.
The sky had just brightened to the color of blue steel when Naraka’s patrol began to splash up from behind. They were moving fast and in a large group, eager to catch up before the sun melted the ice away.
“I guess Naraka didn’t turn back after all,” Atreus noted.
“Naraka is a terrible bully who is driving his men beyond all endurance,” Rishi said. “The good sir may rest assured that they will certainly rebel against”
“I don’t think we’d better count on that,” Atreus interrupted. “And we can’t outrun their ponies, not when we’re so easy to track.”
Rishi glanced toward the eastern horizon, where the sun had not yet risen high enough to show itself over the tall willows. “The sun will melt this ice very soon, and then”
“I need no
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