Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [55]
‘Let me put it this way,’ the captain said, his lips hidden behind a dark beard and curling moustache. ‘What are you doing with a sword woman?’
Shane scratched his head. ‘You mean Rosette?’ He stuck his thumb out towards her as he spoke.
The captain gave a curt nod as he tried to keep his horse still. The animal was restless, shifting its weight from hoof to hoof and pawing the ground with alternate forelegs. The fuss was making it difficult for the captain to stay composed. Most of the mounts were equally unsettled. They snorted and stamped and refused to stay quiet. The behaviour was most unlike any guard team Rosette had ever encountered. At Treeon, the equestrians trained in precision drills under all kinds of distractions, or at least they had in Rosette’s time, in Rosette’s Gaela. Here the riders were sloppy and unsettled, adding to their mounts’ distress. Pathetic.
Rosette belatedly thought that her scent might be upsetting the horses, especially since Drayco had sensed no other temple cats nearby. They would picture a mountain lion, poor things, or worse. She used her tail to flick leaves over her back, hoping to mask the aroma. Too late.
One of the pups from the pack had sniffed his way from the inner circle, nose to the ground, lungs like a bellows, tail wagging in circles behind. The young dog nearly bumped straight into Rosette, face to face, before it sat back on its haunches. It let out a small yip and stood, wagging its tail faster.
Quiet, little one. No noise.
He barked again, a happy sound.
No, no, pup! Quiet time. Rosette sent him soothing words to blanket his mind. I’m not here, she told him. I’m not a feline. You cannot see me.
The pup responded, mind to mind, startling Rosette with his fresh and articulate thoughts. Not here. Not kitty. Not see? He stuck his nose into her side, inhaling deeply. He drew the black fur into his face, closing his eyes as he did. The contrast of the rich coat of the temple cat was striking against the hunting dog’s white and grey spattered fur. After a few more breaths, the pup shook as if emerging from a swimming hole. The action sent a flurry of dust and dog hair floating about them. He sneezed, rubbing his face with a forepaw before lunging towards her again, taking in more scent. Not two legs? the pup asked, as if speaking to himself. Not four legs? Not here? Not seen? He sneezed again. Not right!
He barked as the thought shot into her mind. Rosette pushed him down with her paw, resting it on his neck as she pinned him to the ground. You’re a smart little doggy, aren’t you? Now go to sleep before I turn you into a toad.
She infused him with a slumber spell and it worked rapidly on the little mind. The pup stayed down, his shoulders giving up the struggle, his hind legs stopping their frantic scramble to be free. Finally, his head dropped to his forepaws and his jaw snapped shut. He sighed, closing his eyes like window shades drawn against too bright a day. Rosette tucked her paws under her brisket and turned her attention back to the circle.
‘I told you before, Captain. I was set to watch for this woman at the edge of the Black Swamp.’
‘What Black Swamp? Outside Morzone?’
He shook his head. ‘Near T’locity. But before I could meet her, there was a huge shaker, repeated shakers, actually—they kept happening over and over.’
‘What are you talking about? A shaker?’ the captain shouted. His horse reared a few feet off the ground and came down hard. He ground his teeth as Shane continued.
‘I’m talking about my meeting with Rosette. You wanted to know what I was doing with the sword woman, didn’t you?’
The captain appeared too shocked to reply. Shane took his silence as a signal to continue. ‘We eventually found an