valley before them. It didn’t look like anything special. A wide, but shallow stream ran through the middle of it, and there were some hills along one side.
“Well?” he asked.
“If I were going to ambush travelers coming this way,” she said, pointing, “I’d do it there, where the pathway turns along with the stream toward those two lower ridges. I’d also make sure the ‘game trail’ through this area was kept well-cleared and made obvious, so that people drifted my way.”
Siris rubbed his chin.
“It’s not likely,” she said. “But I think we should go around.”
“All right,” Siris said. “Sounds good to me.”
She led the way back to the horse, then backed them up a ways before cutting around. Was this a trap? But . . . if it was, she wouldn’t have said anything. He’d made it abundantly clear he didn’t know much about being a woodsman.
He shook his head, joining her in front again. “Isa,” he asked, “what are the Deathless?”
“I don’t think anyone can answer that for you except the Deathless themselves. Not that people haven’t tried. In some of the world’s larger cities, I could throw a stone in any direction and have a good chance of hitting some theologian or scholar who thinks he knows the answer.”
“What do you think?”
She didn’t answer at first. “They’re gods,” she finally said. “What else would they be?”
“A god wouldn’t have fallen to my blade,” Siris said. “Even if the death wasn’t permanent. If they were really gods, no mortal could have fought one of them and won.”
She didn’t reply, though he caught her giving him a measuring glance.
“Maybe,” he said, “there’s nothing special to them other than knowledge. They know things, like how to make the rings work, like how to manipulate others.”
“And how to stop aging?” she said skeptically. “And come back to life when killed?”
“In the next town over from ours,” Siris said, “there was a very learned doctor. He was trained by a doctor before him, and that doctor by another doctor. This man could bring a mother giving birth—and the child—back from what other healers thought was fatal. Maybe it’s like that. If you have the right information, you can do what everyone else thinks is a miracle.”
“No,” Isa said softly. “There’s more to it than that. Being Deathless is about more than knowledge. I—”
She was cut off by a scream. Both of them spun toward the sound. The shouting continued, and Siris caught what might have been a call for help.
“Is that—” Siris began.
“—The place where I said there might be an ambush?” Isa said. “Yeah. Looks like someone wasn’t smart enough to go around. I advise hanging back to watch, but I suppose you’re going to want to go rush and help the fool who . . .”
Siris didn’t hear the rest of what she said, as he was already charging toward the sound.
Chapter Six
Siris burst out onto the stony bank of the stream. He could hear splashing downriver.
There! he thought, running toward a group of daerils with pale yellow skin and bony ridges. They hooted, surrounding a solitary figure who had fallen into the shallow water while trying to cross the stream. The traveler wore a brown robe; Siris couldn’t see much of him beyond that.
Four daerils. Could he handle four at once? There was no reason to think that feral daerils would obey the Aegis code of honor. Not much choice now, he thought.
Siris spun, sweeping outward with the Infinity Blade. Bamboo rattled against itself, clattering to the ground as he cut two dozen stalks free. The clamor brought the daerils up short, and they turned on him, one sniffing the air. The poor wayfarer crawled toward shelter beside some rocks.
The four daerils prowled toward Siris. One at the front grunted something, and the others split up, moving to surround Siris. Gripping his blade, he stepped into the shallow river, the water coming up only to his calves.
“Well?” he asked.
“If I were going to ambush travelers coming this way,” she said, pointing, “I’d do it there, where the pathway turns along with the stream toward those two lower ridges. I’d also make sure the ‘game trail’ through this area was kept well-cleared and made obvious, so that people drifted my way.”
Siris rubbed his chin.
“It’s not likely,” she said. “But I think we should go around.”
“All right,” Siris said. “Sounds good to me.”
She led the way back to the horse, then backed them up a ways before cutting around. Was this a trap? But . . . if it was, she wouldn’t have said anything. He’d made it abundantly clear he didn’t know much about being a woodsman.
He shook his head, joining her in front again. “Isa,” he asked, “what are the Deathless?”
“I don’t think anyone can answer that for you except the Deathless themselves. Not that people haven’t tried. In some of the world’s larger cities, I could throw a stone in any direction and have a good chance of hitting some theologian or scholar who thinks he knows the answer.”
“What do you think?”
She didn’t answer at first. “They’re gods,” she finally said. “What else would they be?”
“A god wouldn’t have fallen to my blade,” Siris said. “Even if the death wasn’t permanent. If they were really gods, no mortal could have fought one of them and won.”
She didn’t reply, though he caught her giving him a measuring glance.
“Maybe,” he said, “there’s nothing special to them other than knowledge. They know things, like how to make the rings work, like how to manipulate others.”
“And how to stop aging?” she said skeptically. “And come back to life when killed?”
“In the next town over from ours,” Siris said, “there was a very learned doctor. He was trained by a doctor before him, and that doctor by another doctor. This man could bring a mother giving birth—and the child—back from what other healers thought was fatal. Maybe it’s like that. If you have the right information, you can do what everyone else thinks is a miracle.”
“No,” Isa said softly. “There’s more to it than that. Being Deathless is about more than knowledge. I—”
She was cut off by a scream. Both of them spun toward the sound. The shouting continued, and Siris caught what might have been a call for help.
“Is that—” Siris began.
“—The place where I said there might be an ambush?” Isa said. “Yeah. Looks like someone wasn’t smart enough to go around. I advise hanging back to watch, but I suppose you’re going to want to go rush and help the fool who . . .”
Siris didn’t hear the rest of what she said, as he was already charging toward the sound.
Chapter Six
Siris burst out onto the stony bank of the stream. He could hear splashing downriver.
There! he thought, running toward a group of daerils with pale yellow skin and bony ridges. They hooted, surrounding a solitary figure who had fallen into the shallow water while trying to cross the stream. The traveler wore a brown robe; Siris couldn’t see much of him beyond that.
Four daerils. Could he handle four at once? There was no reason to think that feral daerils would obey the Aegis code of honor. Not much choice now, he thought.
Siris spun, sweeping outward with the Infinity Blade. Bamboo rattled against itself, clattering to the ground as he cut two dozen stalks free. The clamor brought the daerils up short, and they turned on him, one sniffing the air. The poor wayfarer crawled toward shelter beside some rocks.
The four daerils prowled toward Siris. One at the front grunted something, and the others split up, moving to surround Siris. Gripping his blade, he stepped into the shallow river, the water coming up only to his calves.
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