Snorri landed close by with a thud that made me wince. He lay without moving for five beats of my heart, then levered himself up on thick arms. I held his sword out to him and he took it.
My thanks.
Least I could do.
Not every man would run off to recover a comrades weapon, then charge an unborn single-handed. He got to his feet with a groan and stared off into the night. Elephant, eh?
Yup.
And a woman. He went to the fire and started kicking embers over the unborns remains.
Yup.
Circus folk were streaming towards us now, dark shapes against the night.
Think shell be all right?
I considered the matter, having spent some time between her thighs myself. Im more worried for the elephant.
TEN
By first light the circus camp had been half packed away. None of them held any desire to remain, and I expected Dr. Taproot would have to find a new stopover the next time they passed this way.
Cherri returned with the elephant as I waited for Snorri by the field gate. The dwarf had returned to his post and we were both trying to cheat each other at cards. I stood and waved. Cherri must have had to wait for dawn to find her way back. She looked worn out, her face paints smeared, dark streaks around her eyes. A gentleman pretends not to notice these things, and I hastened over to catch her as she slipped from the creatures back. She felt good enough in my arms to make me regret the need to leave.
Cherri returned with the elephant as I waited for Snorri by the field gate. The dwarf had returned to his post and we were both trying to cheat each other at cards. I stood and waved. Cherri must have had to wait for dawn to find her way back. She looked worn out, her face paints smeared, dark streaks around her eyes. A gentleman pretends not to notice these things, and I hastened over to catch her as she slipped from the creatures back. She felt good enough in my arms to make me regret the need to leave.
My thanks, lady. I set her down and backed away from the elephants questing trunk. The beast made me seven kinds of nervous and smelled of farms to boot. Good boy! I slapped its wrinkled flanks and dodged towards the gate again.
Shes a girl, Cherri said. Nelly.
Ah. What else could she be called? Saved by a dancing girl on a female elephant. I wouldnt be adding that to the tale of the hero of Aral Pass.
Cherri took the elephants halter rope and led her off into the camp, shooting me one last wicked glance that made me wish for another night, at the least.
Snorri arrived moments later. Hell of a thing. He shook his head. Elephants!
You could take one home, I suggested.
We have mammoths! Even bigger, but in fur coats. Ive never seen one, but I want to now. He looked back into the camp. I paid my respects to the mother. Theres nothing to say at such times, but its better to say something than nothing even so. He slapped an overly familiar hand to my shoulder. We should go, Jal, our welcomes worn thin. Unless you wanted to barter for horses?
With what? I pulled out my pockets. They sucked me dry.
Snorri shrugged. That locket youre always fiddling with would buy ten horses. Fine ones.
I hardly ever touch it. I blinked at him, telling myself to remember his sharp eyes. I didnt recall looking at it once since we met. And its of no value. I doubted the old man on the road would have swapped his donkey for the locket and a silver crown.
The Norseman shrugged and made to leave. I nudged his arm as he passed. Taproots come to see us off.
Dr. Taproot approached. He looked uncomfortable in the open air, removed from his desk. Two men flanked him, leading their horses, a pale gelding and a dun mare. The first the lion tamer we met in the blueness of Taproots tent, the second a hugely built man who was obviously occupying the strongman job that Snorri had initially been taken to be an applicant for. I wondered if the good doctor was expecting trouble of some kind.
Taproot. Snorri inclined his head. The stolen sword hung at his hip now, depending from an arrangement of rope and leather strips.
Aha! The travellers! Taproot looked up at his strongman as if weighing him in the balance with Snorri. Heading north now. Watch me!
Neither of us had an answer to that. Taproot continued. Dogged by ill fortune perhaps? The kind of misfortune that fills and empties graves. Watch me! His hands moved as if performing each task while he described it. That would have been valuable information. At yesterdays noon that information would have earned its keep. The sorrow on his long features seemed almost too perfect, almost caricature. It worried me that I couldnt tell if the babys death had meant anything to him or not. In any case, the milk was spilt. He trailed off, then turned to go but caught himself and spun once more to face us. Unborn! Almost a shout now. You bring unborn into the world? How- He found his control once more and carried on, his voice conversational again. This was not well done. Not well done at all. You must go far from here. And fast. He indicated the two horses and his companions stepped forwards, holding the reins out towards us. I took the gelding. Twenty crowns on your debt slate, my prince. Taproot inclined his head a fraction. I know you will be good for it.
I looked my steed over, patted his neck, felt the meat over his ribs. A decent enough nag. Snorri stood woodenly beside his as if worried she might bite him.
My thanks, I said, and swung up into the saddle. Twenty in gold was a fair enough price. A touch steep, but fair under the circumstances. I felt better mounted. God gave us horses so we could run away faster.
Best be quick on your path-youre at the centre of a storm, young prince, and no mistake. Taproot nodded as if it had been me talking and him agreeing. There are hands aplenty in this matter, many fingers in the pot. All stirring. A grey hand behind you, a black hand in your path. Scratch a little deeper, though, and you might find blue behind the black, red behind the grey. And deeper still? Does it go deeper? Who knows? Not this old circus-keeper. Perhaps everything goes deeper than deep, deep without end. But Im old, my eyes grow dim, I only see so far.
Um. It seemed the only sensible reply to his outpouring of nonsense. I could see now who trained up the circus fortune-teller.
Taproot nodded at my wisdom. Let us part friends, Prince Jalan. The Kendeths have been a force for good in Red March. He held out his thin hand and I took it quick enough, for I guessed it pained him to keep it still so long. There! he said. I was sorry to hear of your mothers death, my prince. I released his hand. Too young-too young she was for the assassins blade.
I blinked at him, nodded, and nudged my new horse on down the lane. Come on, Snorri. Over my shoulder. Its like rowing a boat.
Ill walk a little first, he said, and followed on, leading his nag by the reins.
Ill admit some regret in leaving the circus behind. I liked the people, the air of the place, even on the move. And of course the dancers. Despite that, I had a small smile on my lips. It was good to know that even Taproots vast stock of information failed him from time to time. My mother died of a flux. I touched the lump made by the locket under my jacket, Mothers picture inside. A flux. The contact made me uneasy all of a sudden, my smile gone.
We got to the main road and turned back along the path wed first taken, guided by directions from the midget cardsharp at the gate. Neither of us spoke until we reached the pile of elephant dung that had first alerted me to the circuss proximity.
So, you cant ride, then?
Never tried, he said.
Youve never even sat on a horse? It seemed hard to credit.
Ive eaten plenty, he said.
That doesnt help.
How difficult can it be? he asked, making no move to find out.
Less difficult than jumping onto bears and off again, I suspect. Luckily Im the finest horseman in Red March and a great teacher. I pointed at the stirrup. Put your foot in there. Not the foot you first thought of-the other one. Step up, and dont fall off.
Lessons continued slowly and to his credit Snagason did not fall off. I did worry that he might cave in the horses ribs with those oh-so-muscly legs of his, but in the end Snorri and the horse reached an uneasy truce where they both adopted a fixed grin and got on with moving forwards.
By the time the sun had passed its zenith I could tell the Norseman was suffering.
Hows the hand?
Less painful than the thighs, he grunted.
Perhaps if you loosened your grip a little and let the poor horse breathe. .
Tell me about Rhone, he said.
Tell me about Rhone, he said.
I shrugged. We wouldnt reach the border until the next evening and the last mile would suffice to tell him anything worthwhile about the place, but it seemed he needed distraction from his aches and pains.
Not so much to tell. Awful place. The foods bad, the men surly and ignorant, the women cross-eyed. And theyre thieves to a man. If you shake a Rhonish hand, count your fingers afterward.
Youve never been there, have you? He shot a narrow look back at me, then lurched to keep his place in the saddle.
Did you not listen to what I said? Why would I go somewhere like that?
I dont understand it. He risked another glance back. Rhonish kings founded Red March, did they not? Wasnt it the Rhonish who saved you from Scorron invasion? Twice?
I hardly think so! Now he mentioned it, though, it did trigger a faint memory of too-hot days in the Grey Room with Tutor Marcle. I suspect a prince of Red March knows a little more about local history than some. . hauldr off the frozen slopes of a fjord. Ill admit to sleeping through most of Marcles history lessons, but I probably would have noticed a thing like that. In any event, theyre a bad sort.
To change the topic of conversation, and because every time I glanced back my imagination hid monsters in the shadows, I brought up the topic of pursuit.
When I ran into you, the fissure, the crack that was chasing me. . it came from the Silent Sisters spell.
You told me this. The spell she placed to kill everyone at this opera of yours.
Well. . it would have killed everyone, but I dont think that was the reason she cursed the place. Maybe she wasnt out to destroy us all-maybe she had her target and the rest of us were just in the way. Could whatever she was after have chased us to the circus?