The Spirit Stone - Katharine Kerr [114]
‘I’m surprised to see you,’ Sidro said.
‘Why?’ Laz said with a bird-like dip of his head. ‘Sisi, my only love, I long for you still. Your scent haunts my dreams.’
Rather than respond, she took a few steps back.
‘Whether you long for me or not,’ Laz continued, ‘I’ve come to warn you. You’re in real danger.’
‘I thought so! There are bears and wolves around here, aren’t there?’
‘Oh, worse than bears, worse than wolves. The silver dragon has come a-hunting me and thee.’
Sidro caught her breath. For a moment the meadow seemed to rise up above her like a green wave. She dropped to her knees and let the world steady itself while Laz watched with a twisted grin.
‘Why?’ she whispered. ‘I only wish I knew why he hates me so much. I’d suppose it’s because I’m a priestess, and he belongs to Vandar, but he’s never tried to kill the others.’
‘And needless to say, I’ve never been a priestess,’ Laz said, ‘and yet he’s made it quite clear that he thinks I belong in the land of the dead right along with you.’
‘He hasn’t found Zakh Gral, has he?’
‘Oh yes he has. You daren’t go back. He’ll find you there. I know you hate the forest, but you’ll be safest here with me and my men.’
‘Your criminals and blasphemers, you mean. Your idolaters.’
‘Why do you keep calling them that? I may not believe in gods, but they all keep the old faith. I encourage them to do so, you know. It keeps them obedient.’
‘Then you’re murdering their souls. When you die—’
‘I know, I know, when I die I’ll go to Vandar’s horrible country in my raven body, and he’ll be plucking my feathers for all eternity.’ Laz was grinning at her. ‘He’ll doubtless roast me every night and serve me with some kind of nasty sauce to his fellow demons. And every morning, we’ll start all over again.’
Sidro set her lips tight together. She’d been trying to make him see reason on this subject for years, but all he ever did was mock.
‘What’s this?’ Laz went on. ‘It’s not like you to have no interest in discussing theology.’
‘Not with that loathsome dragon nearby,’ Sidro said. ‘If he’s found the fortress, we’re all in danger.’
‘We? Your pack of holy fools may well be in danger. You and I are not, as long as we stay in among the trees.’
‘They’re not fools!’
‘No? Think, Sisi! Only fools believe themselves safe when they have enemies. Only fools throw away their best weapons against those enemies, too. That Evan—we know how he managed to fly away. Would they have believed you if you’d told them? Oh no, they would have killed you just because you know mazrak lore.’
And now Rocca has her fake miracle, Sidro thought, the filthy little sow! Aloud, she said, ‘Evan’s been scrying me out.’
‘You’re sure of that?’
‘Yes, very sure.’
‘And I suppose you don’t dare tell your ever-so-holy high priestess that, either.’
‘Don’t insult Lakanza! I shan’t stand for it.’ All at once she felt weary. ‘But we’ve argued all this out a hundred times. Yes, when it comes to sorcery they’re utterly irrational, but they’re still my people.’
‘And I’m not?’ He paused to quirk an eyebrow in her direction. ‘You loved me once.’
‘Who took me in when you deserted me?’
‘I never meant to desert you. I was afraid to claim the child. I thought my mother would order him killed. You agreed with me, didn’t you? If you’d given me a girl, it would have been different, but with two bastard sons in the mach-fala already—my dear mother, miserly old hag that she is, would have begrudged every mouthful he ate.’
‘Of course, of course. I’m sorry, Laz. We’ve chewed on