Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [114]
Zatcheka tossed her head back, her mouth open and rigid as if she would wail, but she made no sound. She raised her arms and clasped them across her chest as if to hold in her grief.
“A thousand apologies,” Niffa stammered. “I could not bear it, seeing you hope in vain when I knew he were gone.”
“You have my thanks.” Zatcheka lowered her head at last to look at her. “And you have done a right thing. It were better I know the truth, no matter that the truth be a burning spear plunged into my heart.”
Niffa groped for words, found none, and unthinkingly held out a hand. Zatcheka clasped it in both of hers with a grip almost painful.
“How did you learn of this?” Zatcheka whispered.
“My master in witchlore did tell me in a dream. She be on her way to Cerr Cawnen. I do hope and pray she'll be here soon. She can tell you more.”
Zatcheka gave her hand another squeeze, then let her go.
“You have my thanks,” she repeated, in a voice that throbbed with tears. “Forgive me. I would be alone now.”
Zatcheka glanced back and summoned her people with a wave. Together they strode off across the plaza to the Council House, to wait there, Niffa supposed, till the crowd cleared and they could return to their tents. She herself turned back toward the front of the plaza and found Harl, watching her from some distance away. She walked over to join him.
“By the gods themselves!” Harl said. “And be you not the brave one? Talking with our shaven monster?”
“No monster,” Niffa snarled. “But a woman like all others.”
“My apologies. I did but jest.”
“Oh, mine to you, too. I do feel as if I walked on nails or suchlike tonight.”
“Admi's news would turn any heart fretful, bain't?”
“Just so. Here, I saw not your master's lady here tonight.”
Harl grinned, then glanced around. Niffa could see that Verrarc still spoke with Admi, both of them a fair way away, too.
“The bitch did run off again,” Harl lowered his voice. “I ken not where she be. The master be ever so troubled, too.”
The strange cold warning clutched Niffa's heart, or so it seemed, so hard that she couldn't speak.
“And here be a thing most peculiar,” Harl went on. “Korla did tell me about it. Our mooncalf swears that she did see Raena standing naked on the back garden wall, and then she turned herself into a big raven and flew off. Raena, I mean, not poor little Magpie.”
“Oh come now! That can't be true!”
Yet even as she spoke, Niffa found herself hearing a little voice in her mind, telling her that true it was. Mazrak—she too had heard the old tales. All at once her loathing for the woman came clear in her mind, that someone would work the witchlore to do harm. All ye gods! she prayed. Do let Dalla get herself here straightaway! She remembered what she'd told Zatcheka: my master in the witchlore. It be true, she thought, mayhap the truest thing I've ever spoke. Harl was standing close to her, smiling at her with an unmistakable fondness.
“Harl?” she said. “Do get yourself another lass. In but a little while you'll understand why I do say this.”
Niffa turned on her heel and hurried off. Once she'd caught up with the last of the crowd, she looked backed to find him still standing where she'd left him, staring after her.
Evandar being Evandar, Dallandra and her expedition spent two full days, not one, on the west-running road before he finally joined them. On their second night out from Cengarn, they camped in a wild meadow some miles from the last farm of Cadmar's demesne, at about the time that Admi was summoning the citizenry to hear his news. While the men tethered out the horses and mules, Dallandra took Elessario from a weary Carra, whose back ached from a long day of carrying the baby in the sling. Lightning, Carra's wolfish grey dog, padded along behind as they strolled through the camp. By then Elessi could hold her head up, and she sat up in Dallandra's arms, looking round with her big golden eyes.
“Tomorrow Dar can take a turn at carrying her,” Carra said.
“Will she be quiet for him?”
“I don't care if she screams the whole way. He can still take a