Will Shetterly - Witch Blood (18 page)

THE GUARD GLARED
at me as I closed the cell door. “You spoke in a foreign tongue!”

“Did I?” I shook my head in sympathy. “Mother and Son, southerners are sneaky.”

“What’d you tell them?”

“That’d I’d kill them if they would tell me who hired them.”

He laughed. “I can’t imagine that was effective.”

“No.” I started up the stairs. “Probably not.”

Captain Feschian waited for me in the hall. I nodded at her and moved to pass by, but she shifted to block me.

“What’d they tell you?”

“You listened?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Never mind that. What’d they say?”

“I didn’t think you just happened to be visiting the cells while I was.”

“No, Rifkin. What did they say?”

“Exactly?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.” I began to repeat the Spirit’s story in Ladizhan.

She sighed. “Don’t play with me, Rifkin. Talivane may be the only one of us who can use his power directly against someone wearing iron—”

“What about Mondivinaw?”

“You’re a stickler for details.”

I shrugged. “I try to keep things straight.”

“An unending battle, I’m sure.” Before I could say anything, she continued. “Understand this, Rifkin. There are ways for a witch to kill someone near iron. For example, I could loosen the stones over your head. The backlash would make me nauseous, but you’d still be dead.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I don’t enjoy threatening you, Rifkin. But even Talivane will seem more patient than I am if you frustrate me in my duty.”

“Which is?”

“To protect the people in this castle.”

“What am I, a tree?”

“Rifkin.” Something in her voice reminded me of Naiji speaking to Avarineo.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you are, but I’d like to think you’re a part of us. Do me a favor and help me believe it.”

“And what’s Kivakali? Is she a part of ‘us’?”

“She’s Talivane’s wife.”

I shook my head. “That’s not an answer.”

Her eyes narrowed. “The Spirits implicated her?”

“The boy did. He said she hired them.”

“That’s all he said?”

“I thought it was enough.”

“I wish Naiji’d been there to listen for truth.”

“I doubt I could get him to repeat it.”

Feschian fingered an old scar that ran along her jaw. “Did you believe him?”

I thought about that for a long moment. “I don’t know. I’d rather not.”

She nodded. “So would I.”

“Could Kivakali have had the chance to hire Spirits?”

“I don’t know.”

“You could guess,” I said.

“Hmm.” Feschian looked at me, then said reluctantly, “She might have.”

“And the inclination?”

Feschian looked away.

I said, “You’ve seen how Talivane treats her.”

“Yes.”

“Well, then?”

“I almost wouldn’t blame her, if she tried,” Feschian said. Then her features grew harsher. “I’d still stop her.”

“Of course.”

Feschian said, “The Spirits’ leader said Talivane and Naiji were their targets. That doesn’t mean they were their only targets.”

I glanced at her.

She said, “Who’ll you tell?”

“Naiji.”

She understood. “Your bond.”

“Yes.”

Cautiously, Feschian said, “We shouldn’t do the Spirits’ work for them.”

I stared, and she nodded slowly. Her message was plain enough. If the Gromandiels thought Kivakali might be their enemy, Kivakali would die. But if I told no one and Kivakali was truly an enemy, Naiji might die.

“What do you want me to do?” I said.

“Trust me. Tell no one. Watch Kivakali. And guard Naiji. That’s all.”

“May I sleep and eat as well?”

“In your spare time.”

“Spare time. Right.”

“Well?”

“I’ll watch Kivakali.”

“What’ll you tell Naiji?”

“To trust no one.”

Feschian studied me, then smiled. “You’re a good man, Rifkin.”

“Everyone says so.” I stepped by her.

“Dinner’ll be ready soon.”

“We eat later in the south.”

“I doubt anyone’ll save your share.”

“Dinner sounds like a good idea, now that you mention it.”

Actually I was far from hungry, for the taste of the business in the dungeons was still thick in my mouth. I only said that to see if Feschian would smile, and she did. The lines around her eyes deepened. She had never been a beauty, and her broken nose should have made her ugly, but her strength and her character made her face very pleasant to look upon.

I started to walk toward the dining hall. Feschian stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and jerked her head in the other direction. “This way.”

“I’ll never learn my way around here.”

“We’re not going to dinner yet. Come.”

“Where?”

“Come.”

I shrugged and followed. We went outside, into the empty courtyard, and climbed the broad, stone stairs to the rear wall where Castle Gromandiel butted against the cliff. I looked up, seeing only bare rock, and higher up, the snow line. I turned and looked west. The sun was close to setting. A few clouds made swatches of pink and purple across the sky. The valley was already dark, though several naked tree tops caught the sun’s last rays to shine like silver sculptures in the sea of evergreens.

“It’s pretty,” I said. “Why’d you bring me here?”

“Because Komaki’s coming.”

“What?”

She nodded, either grimly or wearily. “You’ve known that.”

“I didn’t expect it so soon.”

“Naiji just told me, maybe half an hour ago.”

“How many soldiers?”

“We still don’t know. Perhaps sixty, perhaps six hundred.”

I smiled at that. “Your scouts can’t count? Or is this a seer’s report? If Dovriex sampled some bad mushrooms and dreamed—”

“Our scouts are birds, Rifkin. They understand
a few
and
a lot
. That’s all.”

“Oh.”

“Want a tour of the defenses?”

“I’ve done a little looking on my own.”

“You don’t say.” She indicated the cliff with a jerk of her chin. “We’re fairly safe here.”

“They can’t get above us?”

“Not even if they were goats.”

“What if they were mountaineers?”

“If you’re trying to say the Spirits may have come this way, I know that already. I’ll leave a few youths here with an elder who knows about war. They can shout for help if they need it.”

I nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”

The southeast wall grew out of the mountain, thirty feet above a narrow lip. Beyond that was a sheer drop for far too many feet. This was the route Naiji and I had taken the night before, climbing endlessly up a knotted line. My arms ached to remember it.

“This is probably our safest post. We’ll only need a guard or two up here,” Feschian said, looking down to where Avarineo watched. “And that’s only in case they learn to fly.”

I thought she was making a joke. Then I remembered that the Spirits were willing to employ witches to battle witches. Komaki might too.

“Avarineo would be better used elsewhere.”

“I know. I thought Livifal and Sivifal could take turns on this wall.”

“Livifal and Sivifal?”

“The twins. Dovriex’s sisters.”

“Ah.”

The southwest wall looked over most of the valley. The old trading road was visible in a few places as a dark line cutting through the trees. The ground sloped steeply up to the wall, so that a soldier would have to scramble on all fours through brush and loose rock. It would not be easy for armored warriors to climb with scaling ladders on their backs and a fusillade of arrows about their heads, but it could be done if they were determined.

“Half our force will be along this wall,” Feschian said.

“Half,” I repeated, counting them in my mind.

“Yes.”

“Does that include the hearth cat?”

She did not smile. “Probably.”

The main gate stood in the middle of the northeast wall, which was the shortest wall of the four. A moat had been carved centuries ago, and a trickle of water flowed through it from the melting snows. Splashing through knee-deep ice water might slow a few soldiers, but it would not stop them. The gate itself showed a few signs of rot. I wondered if Komaki had sufficient funds for cannon. That he could afford to hire a band of Spirits told me he was not poor.

“We’ll put the rest here,” Feschian said.

“How many’s that? Four warriors and a couple of well-meaning farmers?”

“And several children.”

“Oh, of course. How could I forget the children?”

“They can help. They’ll bring weapons, deliver messages—”

“I know,” I said. I sat on the parapet and stared out at the sunset. “What’s our store of arrows?”

“Two or three hundred.”

“Steel-tipped?”

“A few. Mostly bronze or fire-hardened.”

“Will Talivane’s trick with the lightning help us?”

“For a little while. But when he exhausts his power...” Feschian shrugged.

“How many could he kill before that happens?”

“Ten. Maybe twelve.”

“Any of the rest of you have any helpful surprises?”

“A few. Nothing to count on, especially if Komaki’s force is large. Magic is very tiring, and several successive spells would leave most of us too exhausted to do anything more. Best to plan to wage this battle conventionally.”

I nodded. “Any secret weapons you’ve yet to tell me of? An alliance with giant mountain lizards? An army of the undead? A cache of slingshots?”

“Two slingshots.”

“Great.”

“There’s an old musket in the armory. It might still fire.”

“I’m overjoyed.” I looked around. The walls were dotted with piles of rocks and wood, ready to be dumped on attackers below. While I looked, two witches came with buckets to the central well, so I knew they were stocking up on water in case Komaki’s force breached the walls and we had to retreat to the central keep. Feschian was obviously competent; I doubted there was anything she had overlooked.

“You’ve sent out hunters?”

“Yes. Two archers and a falconer, and several herbalists, as well.”

“How long could we stand a siege?”

“Three weeks, maybe four.”

“Eating how often?”

“Once a day, very little.”

I thought about this. “What about your Queen? Can we hope for her help?”

“Of course. Hope is free.”

“Oh.”

“Well? Any suggestions?”

“One. Surrender.”

“Komaki’s often said he’d never allow a witch to live.”

I looked at her. “I understand why Talivane wants to stay. He’s trapped by his pride. What excuse do the rest of you have?”

“Loyalty.”

“Stupidity.”

“No, Rifkin. You’ve only seen one side of Talivane’s nature. He can be kind. He gave us all homes when we had none.”

“Is a home worth a life?”

She raised an eyebrow. “If you’re so wise, why do you stay here?”

I looked away, and we walked to the dining hall in silence. Talivane nodded to us from his seat. Feschian told him, “I showed Rifkin the walls.”

“Good,” he said.

Naiji smiled at me. “What did you think?”

“A great view,” I said. “You should open a resort for the wealthy.”

Talivane laughed. “A little late for that, I fear.”

Kivakali sat beside her husband. She never looked up at me.

Dinner consisted of more bear stew. I ate my share without regrets. If there are gods who judge us, surely they think it appropriate that the bear, dying while trying to take my life, now helped to sustain it. Most people ate with gusto, which told me that Komaki’s advance was not yet common news. Avarineo sat glumly, eating raw tubers. I caught his glance once, and he looked away. Perhaps he still wanted vengeance on me for the bear’s death. This afternoon’s demonstration might only have convinced him to be subtle when he finally attacked me. I wondered what Avarineo would consider subtle. I decided that if we were both standing near a cliff and the giant suddenly shouted, “Look! Magrath’s comet!” I would not look.

I was wiping the last bits of stew from my bowl with a crust of flatbread when Talivane stood. The hall quieted, except for a few infants. Talivane said, “I have news for you all. Komaki is coming.”

Several people stood in anger or fear. Talivane raised his open hands and smiled soothingly. “He’s not here yet. We have until tomorrow, at least.”

“How do you know?” asked one of the red-haired twins, Livifal or Sivifal.

Talivane turned to the scarred fencer. He said, “I spoke with a hawk.”

The other twin said, “Which?”

“Old Firewing.”

Both twins nodded. One said, “Probably true, then. Stardart couldn’t tell the difference between a merchant’s wagon and a cannon on wheels, and all Young Firewing remembers are mice and hares. Old Firewing can be trusted.”

The fencer smiled patiently. “That’s what I thought.”

“How far away are they?” asked Dovriex.

“Ten miles, maybe fifteen,” Naiji said.

“I expect them tomorrow afternoon,” Talivane stated. “So we have until then to prepare. Perhaps longer. If they arrive late, they may not attack until the following morning.”

The plump shape-changer stood. “I’ve thought about this. We should attack them first.” He spoke with determination, then looked around for approval. Avarineo pounded his fist on the table in agreement. I wondered if these two were friends.

“Oh?” Talivane turned to him. “How?”

“I could go and have a look-see. Might learn something.”

“And you might not.”

“Might kill a few.” He grinned.

“The risk isn’t worth it.” Talivane smiled at the man. “We’ll need you here, Fat Cat.”

Dovriex said, “They keep too much steel around them to try for a sending.”

Talivane nodded. “I suspect there’s nothing we can do tonight.”

“What about your hawks?” I asked. “How well can you control them?” Everyone stared at me as if I’d materialized among them at that instant. “Just asking,” I said.

“We control them well,” said Talivane. “Why?”

I hesitated because I seemed to be the only one aware that we made our plans to defeat Komaki in the presence of his daughter. Kivakali continued to sit passively, so I said, “Could they carry tins of hot coal to drop on the Duke’s tents?”