Days of Blood and Fire - Katharine Kerr [153]
By the time that Jill had landed and returned to her own proper shape, Yraen was pounding on her chamber door. Yelling at him to be patient, she clambered into a pair of brigga, pulled on a shirt, and ran barefooted to unbar the door and let him in.
“Have you seen Dar?” he blurted. “Do you know which way he rode?”
“Which way he what?”
“This morning, before you raised the alarum, he rode out. I mean, him and his men. They rode out to hunt.”
“Well, ye gods, man, they’ll probably ride back before night, like, they usually do. The enemy won’t reach us before tomorrow.”
Yet even as she spoke she felt a stab of danger. At times, sick of being penned up in what they called “stone tents,” Dar and his men stayed overnight in the wild forest.
“I can’t fly anymore today, Yraen. I’m exhausted. All I can do is scry him out and try to tell you where he is, and you can send a couple of men out to meet him.”
At this blunt mention of magic, Yraen rolled his eyes like a spooked horse.
“My apologies, my lady, for forgetting how tired you must be. I’ll go fetch you meat and drink.”
Yraen bolted like the spooked horse, as well, rushing out of the chamber and clattering down the stairs.
Jill walked to the window, leaned upon the sill on folded arms, and looked up at the trail of clouds gleaming gold against the velvet sky of twilight. When she focused her Sight and thought of Dar, she saw him standing in an utterly undistinguished clearing by an utterly undistinguished river, and then, slowly, like figures walking toward her out of a sea fog, his men came into her vision as well, all of them dismounted, standing round their prince and arguing furiously. As far as she could tell they were miles from the town and squabbling, perhaps, about whether to try to ride back in the darkness. When she felt a stab of rage, that today of all days they’d ride so far, she was tired enough that she lost the vision.
All at once she had to sit down. She staggered over to her chair and slumped into it, leaning forward and bracing herself against the table. Dimly, as if she sat at the bottom of a deep well, she heard the clatter of Yraen coming back up the stairs. In a few moments he appeared with half a loaf of bread and a plate of pork and cabbage.
“Ye gods,” he snapped. “You look as pale as Death! Tell me what to do for you.”
“Pour me water from that pitcher on the chest.”
Jill forced herself to eat a few bites of bread and wash them down with the water while Yraen hovered helplessly nearby.
“Are you sure the prince rode south?” she said at last.
“I am, though later he could have gone in any direction, depending on the deer and suchlike.”
Jill swore, mustering oaths that would have shocked her silver dagger of a father. Unconsciously Yraen stepped back, as if out of reach.
“Carra must be frantic,” Jill said, once her feelings were sufficiently relieved. “Is she in the women’s hall?”
“She’s not, but in her chambers.”
“Then go get her and escort her to the hall. Tell her to stay there, too, until her husband returns. There must be an extra bed or suchlike, near where the serving women sleep. Tell her it’s my order, and if she breaks it, I’ll turn her into a frog!”
“I will then.”
Yraen fled her ill temper, banging the door shut behind him. With a massive sigh Jill leaned back in her chair. The lard-glazed food looked hideous to her, but she forced herself to pick at it while she considered what to do. In a few moments she would have to summon her energy to bring the news to the gwerbret. Her physical loathing at the thought of climbing down the stairs and back up again made her realize that no matter what danger Dar might be in, it was truly impossible for her to fly to warn him. Since she couldn’t identify where he was, sending ordinary messengers after him would only mean losing them as well. If only he’d been another dweomermaster, trained to hear her thoughts!
All at once she laughed aloud.