The Fuller's Apprentice (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 1) (25 page)

But when Josiah passed on Meira’s message, Elkan wasn’t enthusiastic. “That would probably be best. There’s no point in her lingering here, waiting for us. Still… I’d hate to see anything happen to her or Ravid. Kabos may bear a grudge against her for testifying against him, and the bandits are more of a danger than ever. I’d feel better if she were to stay with us, under the protection of the Mother’s power.”

Elkan applied himself to the hearty evening meal Yovela had prepared for them. Josiah glanced over to where Tobi was finishing the meat the butcher’s apprentice had delivered that morning. She gulped the last chunk and came to peer over Josiah’s shoulder at the slices of roast venison on his plate. Josiah tried to push her away, but she persisted until he finally relented and fed her a piece. She devoured it in a single snap, licked the juices from her face, and returned her attention to his plate.

Josiah was torn between laughter and apprehension. “I think she’s still hungry, Elkan.”

“I’d say you’re right.” Elkan studied the mountain cat. “The butcher will have closed up shop and gone home. And I’ve already drawn as much from the Wizards’ Guild account as the banker here can let me have. It will have to last us until we get to Shalinthan; that’s the next place big enough to have a branch of the Bankers’ Guild.” He reflected for a moment. Tobi gave up on Josiah offering another piece of meat and began pacing restlessly around the room. “She’ll have to hunt for her food once we’re on the road, anyway. Why don’t you and Tobi come out with Sar and me tonight, Josiah? You can keep track of Tobi while she gets some exercise and a chance to hunt. And we could use your sharp eyes and ears in the search.”

Josiah stuffed a final bite into his mouth and jumped up. “Let’s go!”

Elkan laughed. “Slow down. The watchers don’t expect us for a while yet.”

Josiah carried his dirty dishes to the basin. He’d been dreading another long night of waiting and wondering. “We need to get going. We have to stop by so you can talk to Meira.”

Elkan’s smile faded. “You’re right.” He put down his fork and rose, leaving the last of his meal uneaten. “Let’s go.”

Fourteen

M
eira greeted them at the door of the Smiths’ Guildhall. “Let me walk with you. Ravid’s sleeping; one of the apprentices is keeping an ear out for him.” She fell in beside them as they made their way toward the edge of town.

Elkan’s hand toyed with Sar’s mane. “Josiah tells me you’re thinking of leaving tomorrow with some traders.”

Meira nodded, not looking at him. “It’s just the two of them, a husband and wife. But they’re used to the roads. They assure me they’re well armed and able to deal with any dangers that may arise from bandits or, ah, wild beasts.” She glanced with nervous fascination at Tobi.

“I expect they’ll be going directly to Shalinthan. You’d get there much faster, not having to stop at every little village and farm with us.”

“True. But I must admit, I like traveling with a wizard. I don’t have to worry about Ravid or me getting sick or injured, or about running into the bandits.”

Elkan shook his head. “The Mother’s power can’t protect you from everything. I think the safest thing is for you to get home as quickly as possible.”

“Maybe.”

They reached the edge of town where the watchers would meet them. There was no sign of them yet. Tobi pricked her ears toward the woods and bunched her muscles as if to spring away, but she subsided when Josiah laid a hand on her head.

Meira turned to Elkan, looking straight at him for the first time. “You’ll be back by morning?”

Elkan met her eyes. “That’s our plan, but it all depends on what we’re able to find.”

“If you are, would you stop by the Guildhall and tell me? If you don’t, I’ll leave with the traders. But… if it’s possible, I’d rather travel with you.”

Elkan nodded. “I’ll do that.”

“Good. I’ll be expecting you.” Meira turned away from Elkan, stroked Sar’s nose, and held out a tentative hand to Tobi. The cat sniffed at her and allowed Meira to scratch her ears. Meira grinned in rueful wonder. “I never dreamed I’d ever get to touch a mountain cat. Look, here come the watchers. I’ve got to go. Good luck in your search.”

Elkan and Josiah bid her farewell and greeted Dara and two of the watchers who had accompanied Elkan the previous night. They set off as the sun slid lower in the sky. Elkan looked back as Meira vanished around the corner of a building. Then he set his face toward the mountains and quickened his stride until Josiah had to trot to keep up.

As they reached the path that led into the mountains, Tobi’s restlessness increased. Josiah patted her and waved his hand toward the forest. “Go on. Find yourself something to eat. Come find us again before morning.” He wasn’t sure if Tobi understood his words or not, but she certainly understood the meaning of his gesture. She bounded off between the trees and was quickly lost to sight.

Josiah watched her go anxiously. Surely she could take care of herself in the wilderness. After all, she’d been doing it her whole life. He just hoped she’d come back. He told himself he was being silly. Tobi was Mother-touched; she knew her destiny lay with wizards, not her own kind. But he couldn’t help feeling lonely after she left.

Just before sunset they reached the place where Elkan had lost Nirel’s trail the night before. Elkan put his hand on Sar’s back and called up a window. Josiah studied him. He and Sar had only gotten around six hours of sleep and one large meal, but they seemed adequately refreshed. The golden radiance formed quickly, steady and clear. A circle of blackness appeared in the center and expanded, until the Mother’s light was no more than a faint rim of sparkles around a disk of night.

Elkan gazed into the circle, and Josiah joined him, although he could make out nothing but darkness within. Elkan frowned and chewed on his lip for a moment, then inclined his head toward the window. “Look, right there. A little bit of starlight comes through a gap in the leaves and catches her hand.”

Josiah peered until his eyes ached. As the surrounding sunlight faded he could just see the faint ghostly blob Elkan indicated. “I see her.”

“That’s the last sighting I’m really sure of. She was right here where we’re standing, headed uphill. Help me watch and listen while we scan the area.”

It was a slow, painstaking process. Elkan and Sar ran time within the window backwards and forwards for each little patch of ground. Both the woods around them tonight and the woods of last night were alive with faint rustles of wind and noises of creatures. It was almost impossible to tell what small sounds from within the window might have been made by Nirel. Any time they caught a glimpse or heard a trace of anything faintly promising, Elkan and Sar would play it back repeatedly, until the sound and dim blobs blurred together and Josiah couldn’t be sure he really saw or heard anything.

Still, they made progress. They followed a trail of what they thought must be footsteps until they were rewarded with a unmistakable small cough. They made that spot the new center of their investigations and branched out from there. Elkan kept a disciplined pace. Bit by bit they discovered Nirel’s path.

Josiah yawned. The stars had wheeled in great arcs overhead; surely three quarters of the night had passed. It seemed a bit easier to see. Either he was getting more skilled, or the space within the ring of golden glitter was a tiny bit lighter grey than the surrounding blackness.

“We’ve got her.” Elkan’s voice was grimly triumphant through his weariness. “We tracked her all the way through to morning. Now we’ll be able to see.”

As the day-old sunlight strengthened within the window, Elkan’s words proved true. Nirel became visible, tired, clothes dirty and torn, but pushing on with unflagging determination. With the coming of daylight she seemed aware that stealth was no longer useful and concentrated on speed instead. The view in the window zipped forward through space and time until she moved out of range and it blurred.

Josiah looked up from the brilliant circle, eyes dazzled, unable to see anything in the still-dark night of the present. Elkan and Sar let the window fade. When their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, they resumed the chase. For the first time Josiah felt truly hopeful that they’d succeed.

Every now and then they stopped to rest, and Elkan and Sar opened the window again, following Nirel a little further. They watched her come to a deep ravine and turn to follow it. The gloom around them was beginning to lift as they came to the ravine themselves. It was a steep-sided crack in the rock of the mountain, at least twice as deep as Josiah was tall, and just as wide. A trickle of water ran along the bottom.

They paused at the edge and passed around water, dried fruit, and nuts. Elkan looked weary but hopeful. He raked his fingers through his bedraggled hair to rid it of leaves and twigs, and shook it into something resembling its usual orderliness.

“Once more, Sar.” The window formed above his outstretched palm.

Nirel plodded along, slower as the long hours took their toll. Josiah hoped they’d see her stop to sleep soon. Although she’d probably be gone by the time they reached the spot. They were still watching events from almost a day earlier.

Nirel came to a place where a large branch had fallen. It extended across the ravine, its far end resting on the other side. She climbed onto it and bounced experimentally. It swayed, but held. With quick, sure steps she ran across.

I can do that, Josiah thought. Easy. Elkan probably could, too, and Dara and the other watchers, if the branch was strong enough to hold their weight. But he wasn’t sure how Sar could get across.

In the window Nirel bent down and seized the branch. She heaved with all her strength until she dragged the far end free of the bank and the branch crashed into the ravine.

She surveyed the impassable chasm with satisfaction, rubbed her hands on her tunic, and headed off into the forest with renewed energy.

Josiah gaped at the scene in the window. How dare she? They might have to go miles out of the way to find a way around now.

Elkan chuckled. “Clever, Nirel. Very clever. But not nearly as effective as you think.”

Josiah recognized the place when they came to it. The branch lay at the bottom of the ravine. Elkan set his hand on Sar’s neck. The Mother’s power spilled from his outstretched hand and enveloped the branch, lifting it and settling it gently athwart the gap.

Josiah jumped up and ran light-footed across to the other side. “It seems pretty strong to me.”

Dara followed, more cautiously, and the other watchers. The branch gave no sign of bending under their weight. Still, Josiah eyed Sar doubtfully. The donkey couldn’t stay behind; Elkan was powerless without him. But even as surefooted as Josiah knew Sar to be, he didn’t think the donkey would be able to navigate the narrow branch.

Sar stepped up to the branch. Elkan stood close behind. Elkan settled his hand on Sar’s flank, and golden light spread to envelope man and donkey. “Ready?”

Sar twitched an ear back and delicately set one hoof atop the branch. Calm and sure, his other hooves followed, and step by step he picked his way across. Elkan walked immediately behind him, never breaking contact, and the Mother’s power steadied them.

Safely on the far side, Elkan and Sar called up the window again, and they resumed their pursuit. Nirel seemed to feel her ploy had given her a margin of safety. She stopped more often to rest. But always, after sitting and closing her eyes for a few minutes, she would set off again.

“She’s got some destination in mind,” Elkan said, after watching her rise, yawn, and rub her eyes before striding away. “She won’t stop until she gets there.”

They were deep in the mountains, far from any settlement. The sun was high overhead. Tired as he was, Josiah was glad Elkan hadn’t suggested turning back. They couldn’t abandon the trail now. They’d made up so much time. Meira must have left with the traders hours ago. They’d miss her, but maybe they could stop by and say hello when they passed through Shalinthan. Josiah did worry a bit about Tobi, but surely if the mountain cat couldn’t find them, she’d settle down in a warm patch of sun somewhere along the path to wait for their return.

Another stop. Elkan’s hand shook when he extended it to open the window. He rubbed it against his leg and put it out again, steady. The ball of light was slow to form, but eventually it cleared, and they were able to watch Nirel’s progress as she made her way to the edge of the window’s range once again.

Josiah saw Nirel’s head come up and her steps quicken. A moment later he could hear what she had heard: voices.

Nirel hurried on and rounded a bend in the path. Ahead of her was an open area along the banks of a stream. Several dozen tents clustered around a handful of fire pits. Many people moved around the camp, men and women both.

Two men armed with knives and bows stepped out of the trees, one on each side of Nirel. She froze, but met their glares. “I’m here to see Kabos. I’m his daughter. Is he with you?”

The guards studied her for a moment. One nodded to the other, who set off along the path Nirel had come down, scanning for anyone who might have accompanied her. The other guard took her by the arm and steered her toward the camp. “Kabos! Come here!”

Nirel held herself stiff and proud. Across the camp, a figure rose from beside a fire. Kabos’s face was unreadable as he approached. He stood looking at her.

“I came to find you, Father.” Nirel did her best not to show any fear, but her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Please, let me stay with you. I don’t want to go back.”

For a long time Kabos stared at her. Then he nodded curtly. “If Ozor says you may.”

“Thank you, Father!” Nirel flung herself at him and threw her arms around his waist.

Kabos put his arms around her, and Josiah was astonished to see his dark eyes shine with unshed tears. “Good girl,” he murmured, almost too soft for Josiah to hear.

A man approached, and Kabos released Nirel, drawing back. The man was small and compact, with a round face and a short, pointed beard. With a lurch in his stomach Josiah realized he must be the bandits’ leader.