Allie's War Season One (94 page)

Hesitating only a heartbeat, Balidor broke into a run after her.

He felt Laren and Grent do the same, only a little slower to react than he. He chased her through the garden, but she had more than a hundred paces on him, and leapt through the greenery as fast as a rabbit. When he saw her reach the edge of the plateau, he yelled her name, but she didn’t turn, or even slow down.

Running at top speed as she approached the edge, she catapulted off the grassy border, windmilling her legs on tennis-shoed feet.

She vanished beyond the bank.

By the time he and Grent and Laren reached the edge of the same piece of lawn, she was disappearing into an alley between two apartment buildings, still running all out.

Cursing, indecisive, Balidor tried to decide what to do.

If he went after her now, she’d be sure to think he’d rape her too.

According to traditional law, he even had the right. Any marriage not consummated within six lunar cycles could be consummated by force through right of second claim...providing that the female in question had been witnessed asking for sex and being refused by the husband.

It was an old, backwards law. Balidor couldn’t even remember the last time he’d heard of it being invoked, other than in jest. Severe separation pain was like a drug for unattached seers...anyone nearby couldn’t help but be affected. The elders made the rule during a period where those types of conflicts had been endemic to the political situation...meaning a couple of thousand years ago.

In other words, for Maygar to pull that shit now was like a human evoking Biblical law as an excuse to stone someone to death. He’d chosen his witnesses carefully—even Yerin, who was a carrier of the law to his core, and who would go along simply because it was still technically legal on the books.

“Barbarism,” Balidor muttered.

Laren laid a hand on his shoulder.

He patted her fingers, feeling through the simple contact that the incident had shocked her, too. She was angry, both for personal reasons and on the Bridge’s behalf, and—like Balidor—worried that they now had a serious problem. Given the number of people involved, the Bridge may never trust any of them again.

And then there was Dehgoies.

Everyone knew the story with Dehgoies and the Bridge. Dehgoies’ only crime lay in not explaining the facts of life to his wife at an earlier date, before her ignorance caused a near-aneurism in every unattached male in hearing distance. He had done everything technically right afterwards—removing her from the construct, offering apologies all around and accepting full blame. He’d even gone so far as to make it publicly known that he had every intention of dealing with the situation formally...and at the earliest possible opportunity.

He only erred in judgment, perhaps, by leaving her alone.

So in addition to being a pig for trying it...and he was a pig, there was no doubt about that...Maygar was an unmitigated fool. If he wanted a wife that badly he could have gone to Europe or America, where most of the females lived. Mate poaching was a rare crime in the seer world for the simple reason that someone usually died. It was the one instance where a seer killing another seer would generally be overlooked.

Especially where coercion was involved.

Maygar would pay for his stupidity, Balidor thought grimly, and likely before the end of the day, assuming the Bridge hadn’t killed him already.

He looked from Laren to Grent and sighed.

Nodding assent to Grent’s unspoken question, he motioned them back towards the compound and the main street above.

They now had the unhappy job of finding Dehgoies and explaining to him what had happened...assuming he hadn’t already felt his wife’s terror and was on his way there to rip someone’s head off with his bare hands.

I KEPT WALKING.

I didn’t have a destination in mind. I wasn’t thinking at all yet really, but remained heavily shielded, walking in what I hoped was the opposite direction of Seertown. I wasn’t ready to use the Barrier, not when I didn’t know who might be looking for me.

I didn’t want to call Revik.

Someone would tell him. Hell, he probably knew, by now.

I sealed my light tight, giving myself time to think. Reaching the top of a ridge, I paused to catch my breath in the thin air. I was sweating. I didn’t miss my coat yet, but I knew I would if I didn’t find shelter by sunset...or earlier, if the weather changed, as it often did up here.

At the thought, I wiped my face, realized there was dried blood on it from when Maygar hit me with his light. I wiped it off as best I could, and for the first time, I felt my throat close.

I stood there for a moment, sniffling like a kid in the cold air, rubbing my face with my hand. Mostly, I was still in disbelief.

I didn’t know what to do. I had nowhere to go.

Maybe I should just call Revik, get it over with. But I wasn’t ready to face him either. I didn’t want to explain. I didn’t want his anger, or his sympathy, his grief...any of it. I just wanted to find a quiet place to regroup.

A different voice rose in my mind.

You could come with me, Bridge,
it said.

I turned so fast my foot slipped on the edge of the cliff. I lost and regained my balance, but the near-call brought my heart pounding to my throat.

...I’ll leave you be.

I thrust my hands out in front of me, ready to fight.

...Just an offer, Bridge,
the voice sent, softer.
No harm meant.

“Get away from me!” I nearly shouted. “I mean it! Get back!”

Thinking it must be someone from the Guard, sent by Vash or Yerin or Balidor, I reached reflexively for my sidearm. But I’d left for breakfast that morning without it. Of course I had—Revik had been with me.

What a complete and utter idiot I was.

“Won’t hurt you, Bridge. Promise.”

The physical voice sounded different than what I’d heard in my head, rougher. It spoke a kind of seer patois I’d only heard from the much older generation. I heard a hitch, like labored breaths. Or maybe laughter.

“Won’t bite our precious leader,” it said. “Or rape you, neither!”

My heart pounded at her words, but my fear was gradually replaced by confusion. The voice didn’t sound like it belonged to anyone I knew.

It sounded old...and female.

“Aye. I’m old,” the voice acknowledged. “Female, too.”

“Who are you?” I said.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe enough with me. Tough seer like you...”

For some reason, I wanted to laugh.

My mind went into overdrive, reminding me of seers who had pretended to be friendly or harmless, only to turn on me. Hell, it could be one of Terian’s. He could have paid Maygar to jump me. It would explain a lot, really. Now here I was, in the woods. Half beat-up and weepy, just waiting to be picked up by one of his goons.

The old woman clicked audibly.

No grand conspiracies, Bridge. Just ordinary stupidity. He’s his father’s boy. Passionate. Not too bright, though...

“Maygar? Are you talking about Maygar?” Hearing her assent through the Barrier, I said, “Who’s his father?”

“Knew him as a boy. Knew lots of seers as boys. Girls, too.” I heard that wheezing laughter again.
Not you though, Bridge. Not you. Been a long time since you and I shared a meal together...

Emotion clouded my mind, forcing me to wipe my eyes again.

I lowered my hands. “Just leave me alone, okay?” I said.

“Pahhh. You are loved...more than you know.”

Her words angered me for some reason.

“Great,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Biting my lip, I added in a calmer voice. “Look, if you don’t mind, I really just need some time to myself. I don’t mean to be rude, but would you mind terribly if I...”

I trailed as the old woman pushed her way through thick-branched trees.

When she hit the sunlight in full view, I found my words drying up.

She really hadn’t been kidding about her age.

Before me stood the oldest-looking seer I’d ever seen. Fine wrinkles filled her oval face; so fine they reminded me of a baby turtle I’d once held in my palm, each wrinkle of its neck as thin as a thread. A dark brown in color, her skin didn’t look like an old human’s really; the near-perfection of the lines gave it a smooth, almost alien quality.

She managed to make Vash look young though, despite her hair being as black as a raven’s. Her pale eyes shone up at me, strangely familiar.

The woman smiled then, and her near-perfect teeth surprised me. White and straight, they resembled the teeth of a twenty year-old human. She continued walking until I raised my hands again.

“No,” I cautioned. “Stay there. Please. Don’t get too close.”

She halted obediently.
Do you know me?

“No,” I said. “I’ve never seen you before.”

Even so, I hesitated. A lot of the mountain seers didn’t get down to Seertown much, but this woman clearly knew who I was.

“Do you live around here?” I made a respectful gesture. “I could come see you another time, perhaps. Today, you’ve caught me on a bad day.”

“But you’ll be needing shelter, won’t you?” she said.

I blinked at the woman’s pale, almost colorless eyes, fighting with the familiarity in them. She knew I’d been running from an attempted rape, knew who I was, offered me shelter, and asked if I knew her. Should I know her? My nerves were already humming along like guitar strings ready to snap.

She studied me right back with those light-filled eyes.

“Biological, that’s right,” she said. “His mother’s sister.” She chuckled in that deep voice. “So he can’t get rid of me. Though he’s tried hard enough.”

“Who?” I said. I lowered my hands. I couldn’t help it; I wanted to trust her. “Who tried to get rid of you?” I was beginning to think she might be a bit senile. “A friend of yours?”

Your husband,
the old seer sent.
I’m your aunt. By marriage.

For an instant I doubted her.

Then I refocused on her face, understanding at once why I’d recognized her eyes. They were Revik’s eyes, only more slanted at the corners.

I still couldn’t quite believe it. I’d been sure he didn’t have any biological family left. His adoptive family was related to him distantly in some way, but this woman looked like a bona fide relative.

“That’s right,” she said, nodding. “His mother’s sister. Like I said.”

Conscious suddenly of how I must look, I bowed stiffly.

Meeting family was a big deal among seers. At one point, I’d even been taught the proper way to greet senior family members, but my mind was a complete blank. I bowed again, my hands at my chest. I figured that was less likely to cause offense, at least.

“Apologies, aunt. As I said—”

“I caught you on a bad day, yes.” She smiled, but I saw seriousness in her face.
A very bad day. For others, as well.
Her eyes brightened as she glanced over the cliff, holding a distance that made me strangely nostalgic.

“Got something to show you, Bridge,” she said. “...This isn’t about your mate, or what happened back there. This is about you, and your new problem.” Her pale eyes met mine. “You’ll come with me? I’ll call off the dogs.”