The White Road - Lynn Flewelling [100]
Rieser considered this for a moment, then lowered his sword slightly. "I will make you a bargain."
"I'm listening."
"I will let you all live if you will give me the book, the tayan'gil, and the ya'shel."
"We don't have the book, Alec will have something to say about you taking Sebrahn away, and you can't have Alec."
"As long as the ya'shel walks in this world, he is a danger."
"As I said, the dark witch--who is actually called an alchemist, by the way--who made Sebrahn is dead. He won't be making any more tayan'gil out of anyone, and if I can get those books, neither will anyone else. You're welcome to them. Take them off to your valley and guard them all you like. But Alec stays with me. That's not on the table. And if you kill him, then you'd better make certain I'm dead, too. Otherwise I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth and leave your meat for the crows. Then again, Sebrahn will probably do the job for me. You may have survived wounding Alec, but if you kill him, the results will be dire."
Rieser considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "It's madness to take the ya'shel into Plenimar, and unthinkable to take the tayan'gil. Your 'alchemist' may be dead, but there could be others who know what Sebrahn is, and seek to own him."
"Well, we can't really leave him just anywhere. He won't be parted from--" Seregil paused, struck by a sudden realization. Sebrahn hadn't been with them when they'd awakened in that ruined hut. And he'd tried to get free and find the other rhekaro--or tayan'gil--every time they got close to the masked bastards. Which meant--
"As you see, you can leave Sebrahn with Hazadrien," Rieser said with a knowing look.
"Really?" A guilty hope sprang up in Seregil's heart, one he quickly quashed. "Even if that's so, why would we leave Sebrahn here? What's to stop you from taking him away the minute we're out of sight?"
"Because I will go with you to Plenimar. My people will not go home without me."
Seregil stared at him in surprise. "And how is that any less insane than taking a half-breed? You're the pure article."
"I can take care of myself, Bokthersa. I will leave you and your talimenios alive if--"
"And Micum."
"And the Tirfaie, if you will give me the books once you have them."
"Just like that?"
"Yes. If what you say is true, then without the book, they cannot be made. That is the mission of the Ebrados, to keep that from happening."
"Ebrados?" He'd never heard that word before, but the parts were as archaic as tayan. "'White road riders'?"
"Yes."
"What does that mean?"
"It means a number of things, none of which are any concern of yours. Now, do you accept my bargain or not?"
"I'll have to speak to the others. And assuming that we do get the book and make it back, what about Sebrahn?"
Rieser regarded him impassively.
"Right." Seregil stole a look back at Alec, who stood with Micum, watching them intently. "Alec will never agree."
"We will see, when the time comes. But I stand by my pledge for your safety if you keep your part of the bargain. You have my word."
"And what is that worth, when you give it to a stranger?"
The older man's mouth twitched in what was in no way a smile. "You don't want 'faie blood on your hands. Neither do I."
"I need to speak with my friends."
"Be sure to make it clear that your only other option is to stay where you are and die of cold and thirst. We can outwait you and we will not weep for any of you."
"I'll keep that in mind." Without thinking, he made Rieser a slight bow, and was amply repaid by the surprise on the other man's face as he returned it.
He turned over all the things Rieser had said as he walked the short distance back to the others, all the while thinking of how peaceful Sebrahn looked in the arms of the rhekaro called Hazadrien--
Hazadrien? Seregil looked back over his shoulder at the tall rhekaro. Rieser spoke of it as "he," but was it just his imagination that the face could just as easily be that of a woman? No, it wasn't possible.
"Why do they still have Sebrahn?" Alec asked.
"The only reason we're still