Days of Blood and Fire - Katharine Kerr [178]
“And would I not do the same for you?”
For a moment they stared at each other on the edge of anger. It was the closest they had ever come to admitting that their mutual comfort had turned to love. All at once she shook her head and smiled with a wry twist of her mouth.
“Haen Marn protects its own,” she said. “I mayn’t say how, because in part I know not how, but have no fear of it.”
“Well, then, that gladdens my heart.”
“I suppose it gladdens mine, but—”
“But what? These are evil times, my lady, and you need a shield over you.”
“No doubt.” Her voice shook. “But it be a baleful thing, the hefting of this shield. Pray, Rori, pray that never it be needful.”
Angmar turned and strode off, heading back to the tower. Later, when they were together in their bedchamber, neither mentioned his leaving at all.
At the morrow dawn Garin, Mic, and Otho carried their gear down to the boathouse. While the boatmen fussed round, preparing for the effort of not so much getting them out as getting back in again themselves, Rhodry stood on the jetty with the three dwarves from Lin Serr. Although a feeble wind blew, the day promised suffocating heat.
“You won’t be able to travel far today,” Rhodry remarked.
“Not if it’s like this outside,” Garin said drily. “Who knows if it will be or not?”
“Well, truly. At least most of your way will be down-hill.”
“Just so, just so.”
Leaving Mic and Otho to load their gear into the boat, Garin led Rhodry out to the end of the jetty. For a moment they stood watching the waves lapping round the pilings.
“I’ll wish you the best luck in the world, Rori,” Garin said at last. “I wish I could believe that you won’t need it.”
“My thanks. And I’ll wish you a goodly share of the same, my friend. In fact, I’ve been thinking. I should do more for you than wish luck.”
“If the Horsekin are on the move, we’ll all need a fair bit more than luck.” Garin glanced at the sky. “I wouldn’t mind having more faith in those gods you people are always swearing by.”
“Neither would I.” Rhodry reached into his shirt and pulled Othara’s talisman free. “Take this, will you?”
“What? And leave you exposed to enemy eyes? We don’t even need the thing!”
“You do, at that. Weren’t you the one who passed an ax through Alshandra’s back on the road to Lin Serr?”
Garin whistled sharply under his breath.
“I’d put that out of my mind, like,” Garin said. “Stupid of me.”
“For Othara’s sake alone, I’d have you take this stone.”
Garin hesitated, and it seemed for a moment that he was about to reach for the chunk of blue; then he shook his head no.
“From everything that Jill said back in Cengarn, and the loremasters said in Lin Serr, it’s on the important side, for all of us, like, to get this dragon found. There are other envoys, if worse comes to worst.”
“But I—”
“Noble gestures are all very well, but it’s the winning of this war that’s important.” Garin paused for a grin. “Silver dagger.”
Rhodry smiled, more than a little ruefully, and settled the talisman back inside his shirt again.
“Besides,” Garin went on. “Without you along, we dwarves can travel fast, and we can travel sneaky, like, too. I’ve been warned, and for that I thank you, so fear not. This hag of an Alshandra will have a good job of it, finding us, dweomer or no. Even Otho would wager a nice bit of coin on her failing.”
“Well and good, then.”
“Now as for you, will you be leaving today?”
“We won’t, though as soon as we can. We need to ask Avain’s help, and there’s no rushing the lass.”
Behind them the helmsman sang out in Dwarvish. When Garin held out his hand, Rhodry clasped it,
“May we meet again,” Rhodry said. “But don’t wager coin on that.”
Garin merely nodded in a grim sort of way and strode off down the jetty to board. Rhodry waved as the boat pulled away, then turned and walked back to the island rather than watch them go.
Over the next few days Rhodry and Enj spent much time working over their gear, testing ropes, greasing canvas, drying beef and suchlike, and even more sitting with Avain in