"What kind of a lunatic challenges Fir-Noy armsmen?" asked the Bailiff.

Zu Hogan put his hands on his hips. "The same kind that challenges Bone-faced rot." Something was wrong with Zu Hogan's voice. It was as raspy as sand.

"That's all good and fine," said the Bailiff. "But you've put me in a position. The Fir-Noy want your head."

"We have far greater things than Fir-Noy honor to worry about," said Zu Hogan. "The woman held in Whitecliff, she's gone."

"Gone?"

"Stolen out of the tower by a creature that tore Droz and his whole guard apart like they were puppets."

The Bailiff stood stunned. "Goh," he finally said. "Her creation, then, come to free her. Was it sent by her hatchlings?"

"This isn't the creation of babes," Hogan said. "We don't know where it came from or whence it bore her. The dogs can't track it."

Sugar slumped. There was no doubt about Mother now. She wondered what kind of creature it was that had rescued her, but she couldn't imagine it. She couldn't picture her mother as sleth any more than she could picture her as a fish.

She looked up at the Bailiff and Zu Hogan standing at the top of the stairs, wondering if Zu Hogan was now going to turn her in.

The Bailiff cursed. "That woman is probably all safely tucked away now in some wicked bolt hole." He shook his head then looked at Hogan. "This does not bode well for your people."

"It does not bode well for any of us," Zu Hogan said. "Because when you do find them, even if you take one hundred men, it won't be enough. The creature was shot through with arrows and stabbed with spears. Captain Argoth delivered a blow that would have beheaded a horse, which did nothing to it. Then the ballista men shot a dart and smote the beast squarely in the chest, but it still somehow managed to vanish. It cannot be harmed by normal means."

The Bailiff looked down at Sugar, scanned the cellar.

"What's more," said Hogan. "If it's taken her, then I suspect it has also found the two hatchlings that escaped."

The Bailiff nodded. "We're done here." Then he walked back to the front of the house, called his men off, and walked outside.

A wave of relief washed over Sugar.

A few moments later the Bailiff and his men were walking out of the yard.

Sugar's heart soared. Zu Hogan had lied for her and Legs! And in the same breath a.s.sumed a monstrous risk, may the Six bless him!

Sugar whispered to Legs to stay put then she walked back up the stairs. Hogan, Talen, and Nettle stood out in the yard. She exited the house and joined them to watch the Bailiff and his men walk back to the woods where they'd tied their horses.

"Do you think he suspects?" asked Nettle.

"No," said Zu Hogan. "Although I do wonder how he missed marking Sugar."

"We created a ruse," said Talen.

"Oh?"

"We were . . ."

"Yes?"

"Sporting," finished Sugar.

Nettle raised an eyebrow, but Zu Hogan looked down at her with a sad smile. His face was bruised. He'd clearly been in a fight. "Purity's daughter indeed," he rasped.

What that meant, she could not tell. But she could guess what he was thinking. Her mother was a monster. Right now he had to be wondering how much the mother taught the daughter. But why would he protect the child of a monster?

Because Mother wasn't a monster. There had to be an explanation if she could talk to her.

About a quarter mile down the road from Hogan's place the Bailiff halted the men. Prunes reined in his horse with the rest of them.

"I've been commanded to post a watch on Hogan," said the Bailiff. "So two of you are going to stay behind. Prunes, you and Gid will have the first day. I'll send someone to relieve you in the morning."

That was just Prunes' luck. He gets an opportunity to sleep, but he has to do it with that garlic-eater at his side. Still, some rest was better than none at all. Prunes simply nodded then peeled his horse from the column, Gid following behind.

They hobbled their horses in a small glen on the far side of the hill and began hiking to find the right position to watch the Koramite.

A few steps up the slope and Gid began to sing under his breath. "A lady green with lips so wide, I could not help but kiss her. But when I'd had my fill of tongue, I put her in the roaster."

"Will you shut up," said Prunes.

"They're not going to hear us."

"I don't care if they do hear us. It's your singing I don't want to hear."

"I think that Hogan knows something," Gid said.

"Idiot, we're not going to find anything here."

"How do you mean?"

"This is Captain Argoth's brother-in-law. We're not going to find anything here but some rest. And that's what I intend to take. And that is also why you're going to keep those lips shut."

"You don't know what loyalties flow in that Koramite's veins," said Gid. "In fact, for a Koramite on the run, this might be the very best place to hide."

"See," said Prunes, "that's what comes of eating too much garlic. Your brain gets the vapors."

"It's got nothing to do with what I eat."

"Stinking vapors of the mind," said Prunes.

Gid made a rude gesture, but Prunes ignored it.

Soon they found an outcropping of rock that gave clear view of the farm, then positioned themselves just behind the brush line.

As soon as they sat down, Gid took out a whetstone and began sharpening his knife.

Prunes shook his head. Stupid eager-that's what Gid was. If sleth did indeed pay the Koramite a visit, then they'd need more than knives. Had Gid not heard the Koramite's reports of that creature in Whitecliff? They gave Prunes the shivers. And if that thing showed up here, the best thing to do would be to run. Run or hide under a rock. Then Prunes realized he'd sat in the wrong place. "You need to sit over here," said Prunes.

"Why?"

"Because that places me upwind of your stinking carca.s.s."

But Gid gave him a look that said he wasn't moving. After a few moments, Prunes sighed in irritation. The man was an affliction, but it wasn't worth a battle. He picked himself up and found a better spot. "You've got first watch," said Prunes. "If I catch you sleeping, you're going to dance to a hard pipe."

Gid grunted. "And who do you think will be my partner?"

But Prunes had already lain back and closed his eyes and wasn't even going to consider giving Gid an answer.

19.

Summons TALEN STOOD IN the house listening to Da relate the tale of what had happened the night before at the fortress in Whitecliff. Da's face was bruised. His throat was worse where the creature had throttled him. It looked like he wore a blue and purple collar. Da finished his tale, his voice broken.

They all stood in silence. Talen glanced at the others. If they weren't going to say it, he would. And he didn't care that the boy and the girl were standing right here with them. "The evidence, it appears, is overwhelming. The Fir-Noy were not making this rot up."

Earlier, he hadn't known what to do. He and Nettle had discussed the situation from the moment the girl and boy had gone down into the cellar last night until the sun rose. They could give the girl and boy the benefit of the doubt, as it seemed Da, River, and Ke were willing to do, and a.s.sume huge risks. They could distract the two until Nettle could call the authorities to come collect them. Or they could kill them. But if they were sleth and there was a nest of them out there, then anyone who killed the boy and girl could expect the same retribution that was visited upon the village of Plum. He'd sided with River, and decided to trust her good sense. But it was clear now that had been the wrong choice entirely.

He should have never let her sit in his lap. Never let her kiss him. Lords, her tongue . . .

Surely at any moment now he'd feel a shift of some kind as some dark trap closed about his soul. He could detect no change in himself, but that didn't mean she hadn't worked some kind of magic upon him with her touch. How could you kiss a sleth child and not be changed?

It was obvious there were now only two options-kill them or bring a hunt. And he preferred someone else face the ire of the nest. "It's time to give them up," said Talen.

"No," Da said, his voice all hoa.r.s.e and broken. "That will never happen."

How could Da stand there with that ma.s.sive bruise on his face and say that? Perhaps he was trying to tell Talen it was foolish to talk about such things in front of the boy and girl.

"River and Ke will be back soon enough," Da said. "We're going to keep them safe."

Talen leaned close to his father's ear. "I can get out and bring help," he whispered.

"No, son. You'll do no such thing."

"You want them here? With that woman's beast looking for them?"

"We don't know what that thing was," said Da.

"Who cares what it was? It rescued her. That's all we need to know."

"That is not all we need to know."

It was obvious from the events at Whitecliff that there were powerful masters ruling this nest of sleth. Had they gotten to Da? Had they themselves delivered the boy and girl here?

It was terrible to contemplate, but he wanted to know the situation. "You can tell me," said Talen.

"No, I can't. Not right now."

Which meant Da was involved in some way. "Have you been threatened by other members of this nest?"

"Son," said Da. "Trust me."

"Trust me," Talen said. "If the masters of this nest have something hanging over us, I want to know. I want to help."

"There are no masters," said Da. "No threats. This is very simple. Sugar and Legs are innocent of any offense."

"Did that monster happen to hit you in the head?"

Da sighed.

Talen glanced over at Nettle for some help, but Nettle looked as concerned as he was. He turned back to his father. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I don't think you're in your right mind. If they're innocent, then let the Questioners absolve them."

"Talen," Da said more forcefully. "You don't know of what you speak. So keep your mouth shut."

Shut? When they had armsmen seeking their lives, a sleth on the loose, and the children of that sleth standing right there?

"Please enlighten me, father. I can clearly see the troubles these two have cost us. And it doesn't require a Lord's Councilor to multiply such troubles across all the rest of our people. I do not understand why you did not to turn them in."

The girl stood to the side of Da, cold calculation in her eyes. The boy was looking off into s.p.a.ce, his one eye sliding again. It unnerved Talen. That right there was probably the result of some sleth abomination.

Da's eyes narrowed. "You'll put a bung in that mouth of yours."

"Somebody is going to die because of these two. I don't want to be that person."

"We'll find them another place." Da's mouth was tight with anger.

Talen wondered if all this speaking hurt him, but someone needed to talk sense.

"Some wicked servant came to fetch their mother, and you want to harbor them."

Da's anger broke. He lifted up one side of the table and slammed it back down again. A leg gave way and the table slid over to one side. "I'm about to lose my temper!" he shouted. If his voice had been normal, it would have come out as a bellow. But this voice, as if he were sick, was worse to hear.

Talen was going to say "don't worry; you've already done that," but Da's eyes were round as eggs. His face was red.

Years ago Da had let Ke and even River feel the open face of his hand. Ke had many a story; he also harbored much resentment that Talen didn't receive the same good instruction. But Mother had made Da give it up before she died.

Da violently scratched the side of his head. He said, "I can forgive you your ignorance. But I won't stand your disobedience. Do you truly think I'm such a drooling idiot that I would invite monsters into our house?"

"No," said Talen, "But you might blind yourself so you couldn't see the danger. All this time it's been about Koramite oppression, jealous Mokaddians. Well, the facts are staring us in the face, but you won't look at them."

"You are the one that won't look at them," said Da. "What do you think the Questioners will do with them? What do you think the Fir-Noy will demand?"