Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [16]
Sauk held his scowl a good long while, but then he smiled and shook his head. "Nothing I can say to change your mind, old friend?"
"Sauk, you must understand, I have… other responsibilities now." He took a deep breath and offered up a silent prayer. "I will help, if I can. But you must allow me to do it my way."
Sauk's smile went feral. "Now there's the Kheil I remember."
"You said it yourself," said Berun. "The Old Man has new guardians, things none of us understand. If he's somehow leeching power off Chereth, then I need to find others who understand such powers better than I do."
"You mean druids."
"Yes."
"But you-"
"I'm no druid, Sauk. Chereth was my master, and he taught me many things. Had he continued to teach me… someday, perhaps. But now I am simply a servant of the wild. I'll be no help to you. But perhaps I can find those who will be."
"There's no time for that."
"If I can find a grove, there are rites I can perform to contact help."
"I can't allow that." "Why?"
"Make no mistake here," said Sauk. "We're out to kill the Old Man. Kill him dead and put him on a pyre. But the Fortress of the Old Man, the blades-those will live on. And you know our ways. Invitation only, and only those wishing for our… services. You think I'm going to allow you to bring a flock of tree lovers into a fortress that has stood undiscovered by outsiders for generations? You know us better than that, Kheil."
"Berun."
"Berun, then! I don't care what you call yourself. We must stop him, and we need you-and what you carry-to do that." The earnestness in Sauk's eyes hit Berun. "Don't you want to help your old master?"
"I do. But rushing to my own death won't help him. If half of what you say is true, if the Old Man's powers are beyond Chereth's, then I can do nothing against him. I'll need help."
Sauk's gaze hardened again. "That the way it is, then? Despite what you call yourself now, you have to remember that we were once as brothers. I come to you asking for help and you turn me away?"
That felt like a slap. Something tingled deep in Berun's mind. Not shame, exactly. More like confusion and a niggling fear that there was some truth to the half-orc's words. Still, his mind was made up. The only sure way of getting Chereth out alive was to find help. And there was Lewan to think about.
"My mind is made up, Sauk."
The half-orc's shoulders slumped, just for a moment, then he stiffened again. "I was afraid you'd say that. Have it your way."
Sauk whistled, a harsh shriek between his bottom lip and top teeth that cut through the darkness. For several moments nothing happened, and then he heard it. Something approached through the woods. Not Taaki. The tiger would never make so much noise, even in the dark. v-
Two more of Sauk's men emerged from the wood, and between them walked Lewan. The boy's bow was gone, and his quiver and sheath hung empty from his belt. His left sleeve had been ripped halfway off his shirt, dirt and mud smeared him, and he had grass and twigs in his hair. He seemed unhurt, but his eyes had the look of a deer that had been outrunning a wolf pack and knew it could run no more.
Berun leaped to his feet, his unstrung bow clutched in one hand. "What is this?"
The half-orc rose and put out a placating hand. "Easy. Calm yourself. We need you-and what you carry. The boy will be safe as long as you come with us and behave yourself."
Berun stared spears at Sauk for several long breaths. It didn't seem to bother the half-orc.
"Lewan," said Berun, looking to his disciple, "are you hurt?"
The boy blinked and looked at Berun. His jaw started to quiver, but he clenched it and swallowed. "I'm fine, master."
"He just had a good long run that didn't end well," said the man to Lewan's left. "We did him no harm."
Berun returned his attention to Sauk. "Free the boy, and I'll come with you."