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guess would also be, that with all the mages I sensed in Raschar s court, they ll be sending at
least one with each pursuit party.
 Anything you can do about that?
 Some. She reformed that tendril of energy into a deception-web that might confuse their
backtrail.  Listen, we need supplies; how about if I lay an illusion on you and  Heart and you go
buy us some at the next village we hit?
 How about if you spell all three of us right now? Say old woman and her daughter and son?
No-body knows Shin a in battlemares out here, and  Heart and  Bane are ugly enough to belong
to peas-ants: you needn t spell them.
 Huh; not a bad thought. What about Warrl?
: I can seem much smaller if 1 need to.:
Kethry started.  Furface, I wish you wouldn t just speak into my mind like that you never used
to!
:My pardon. 1 grow forgetful of courtesy. How does the Wise One?:
Jadrek was three-quarters asleep, slumped forward in Kethry s hold, his head nodding to the
rhythm of Hellsbane s hooves. Kethry touched his neck below his ear lightly enough not to
disturb him.  All right; his pulse is strong.
:If you would have my advice?:
When the kyree tendered his opinion, it was worth having.  Go ahead.
:Rouse him up and make him speak with you. He will do his body more harm by riding
unconscious.:
 On that subject, Tarma interrupted,  how long can you keep our illusions going? What kind of
shape are you in?
Kethry shrugged.  I ve been mostly resting my powers so far. I can keep the spell up indefinitely.
Why?
 Because I want to stay under roofs at night for as long as we can. Rough camping is going to be
hard on our friend at best be a helluva note to save him from assassins and lose him to
pneumonia.
Kethry nodded, thinking of how much pain the Archivist was already in.  What kind of roofs?
 In order of preference out-of-the-way barns, the occasional friendly farmer, and the cheapest
inns in town.
 Sound, I think. Pull up here, I might as well cast this thing now, and I can t do it on a moving
horse.
 Here was a grove of trees beside the road; they got the horses off and allowed them to browse
while Kethry concentrated.
Warrl flung himself down into the dry grass, and lay there, panting. He was not built for the long
chase. Before too very long, Tarma would have to bring him up to ride pillion behind her for a
rest.
Kethry got Jadrek leaning back against her, then spread her hands wide, palms facing out. A shell
of faint, roseate light expanded from her hands out-ward, to contain them and their horses. Tarma
could see her lips moving silently in the words of the spell. There was a tiny  pop like a cork
being pulled from a bottle; then Tanna felt an all-too-familiar itching at the back of her eyes, and
when she looked down, she saw that she was wearing a man s garb of rough, brown homespun
instead of her Kal enedral-styled black silks. So Keth was going to disguise her as a young man;
good, that should help to throw off nonmage spies.
Jadrek was now an old, gray-haired woman with a face like a wrinkled apple, and a body stooped
from years of hard work. Behind him, Kethry was a chunky, fresh-faced peasant wench; brown-
cheeked, brown-haired and quite unremarkable.
 Huh, Tarma said.  This s a new one for you. You look like you d make some dirt-grubber a
great wife.
Kethry giggled.  Good hips. Breed like cow, strong like bull, dumb like ox. Hitch to plow when
horse dies. As Tarma stifled a chuckle, she turned her attention to her passenger.  Jadrek, wake
up, there s a good fellow. She shook his shoulder gently.  Open your eyes slowly. I ve put an
illusion on us all and it may make you dizzy at first.
 Huhnn. I... thought I heard you saying that.... The Archivist raised his head with care, and
opened eyes that looked a bit dazed.  Gods. What am I?
 A crippled-up old peasant woman. Warrl says you ll do yourself more harm than good by riding
asleep; he wants you to talk to me.
 How ... odd. I thought I heard him speaking in my head again. I seem to remember him saying
just that....
The partners exchanged a startled look. Evidently Jadrek had a mage-Gift no one had ever
suspected, for normally the only folk who heard Warrl s mind-voice were those he intended to
speak to. That Tal-ent might be useful if they all lived to reach the Border.
 Let s get on with it, Tarma broke the silence before it went on too long, and glanced at the
rising sun to her right.  We need to get as far as we can before they figure out we ve bolted back
there.
They stopped at a good-sized village; there was a market going on, and Tarma rode in alone and
bought the supplies they were going to need. By merce-nary s custom, they d kept all their cash
with them in moneybelts that they never let out of their sight, so they weren t short of funds, at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]