Outcast Chronicles - Sanctuary Part 45

A few moments later, he lifted his head to see the girl and the old man watching them. There was no sign of the pregnant woman and the other children.

Sorne stood. Finding he still had the knife tucked in his waistband, he drew it and backed off towards the skiff.

*I'm going and I'm taking the children,' Sorne told them. *Tiasely, get the little ones in the boat. Vivane, pull up the anchor.'

Behind him, he could hear splashing and soft voices as the bigger children waded out to the skiff with the little ones in their arms.

The old man said something to the girl. She ran back to one of the buildings.

Sorne didn't wait to find out what she was up to. He waded through the shallows until he felt the boat at his back. He pa.s.sed the knife over to Yosune and pulled himself into the vessel.

Twenty-two small faces looked up hopefully at him. From the size of the small cabin, he guessed it would have two bunks. There was only one sail. That would make it easier for him to manage.

The sound of splashing made him turn.

The girl reached the boat and thrust an armful of blankets and supplies at him. He accepted them automatically.

*Wait,' she told him. *You'll need more. Do you have fresh water?'

*I don't know.' He beckoned the nearest boy. *Put this in the cabin. Check what food and water is aboard.'

When he turned around, the girl had gone again, but the old man had come down to stand on the hard sand revealed by the retreating tide. If Sorne wasn't careful, the skiff would be stranded here.

He grabbed the oar and went to the prow, pushing off the sand to free the boat's nose. The old man grabbed the rope to prevent it drifting out further. In all, the girl made four trips, supplying them with water, blankets and food.

As she handed over the final bundle, she told him, *This is one of the last habitable western islands. You'll need to be careful picking your way through the channels back to the coast.'

*We're not going back. We're going to Ivernia,' Sorne said, then cursed his too-ready tongue.

*Then sail south-west and you'll hit the northern island. If you want the south island, make your way down the coast. Less time in the open sea.'

He thanked her. *What will you tell the Maygharian?'

*The raiders came. They took you all and burned the tavern.'

He nodded and waved goodbye.

Then he unfurled the sail, but there was no breeze and dawn was still a little time off. He let the ebbing tide draw them out of the bay into the channel, where the current took them and, by the time the sun rose, bringing with it a light wind, they were already out of sight of the island.

As long as he kept the rising sun behind him and the wind proved fair, they would be all right. It was just a matter of holding to their course.

He hoped.

At least he didn't have to worry about sea-vermin any more.

In this craft, he would be mistaken for one of their own.

Chapter Thirty-Three.

RONNYN KICKED, REMEMBERING to keep his toes curled back so that the ball of his foot struck the padded target. He enjoyed martial training. It felt good to push his body, feeling it grow stronger every day. Even his bad arm was improving, although it would never be perfect.

*Come on, you can kick harder than that,' Toryx teased.

Ronnyn ignored him. He wasn't sure why Reoden's hand-of-force had put the trouble-maker with him and Sardeon. If she hoped Toryx would get over his dislike of them, it wasn't working.

Adjusting his stance, Ronnyn wiped sweat from his top lip and kicked again.

*Good,' Cerafeoni said as she came up behind him. *You and Sardeon are quick learners. When you've mastered the basics, I'll teach you the first pattern. They're all based on the goal of disarming an armed opponent. When King Charald the Peacemaker forbade us carrying any blade larger than our hunting knives, he didn't realise what he'd unleashed. And we've had three hundred years to perfect the techniques.' She grinned, mischief clear in her one good eye. *And one day I'll show you how much damage a long-knife can do.'

With a nod of approval, she indicated that it was Sardeon's turn.

Ronnyn watched his choice-brother concentrate, trying to impress Cerafeoni. Sardeon tried so hard, he tensed up too much and made a poor job of it.

*Keep trying,' she said as she moved on.

Sardeon would be furious with himself. To give his new choice-brother privacy, Ronnyn turned to watch the older empowered lads, admiring their flexibility and skill.

Glancing back, Ronnyn was just in time to see Toryx move the target as Sardeon struck. Then the older lad stepped through, knocking Sardeon off his feet before he could recover his balance.

*Hey!' Ronnyn protested.

Sardeon sprang to his feet, fast as a cat. Despite being a head shorter and slender, he confronted Toryx. Ronnyn tensed. This was going to end badly; maybe not today, but one day soon. Toryx had almost three years' training in gift-working and martial techniques.

Toryx smirked. *Try me, pretty boy.'

Cheeks red with fury, Sardeon trembled with anger.

Toryx smiled and took a step forward, eager for confrontation. *Come on. Give me a reason to lay a hand on you!'

*Leave them alone,' Vittor warned.

Toryx turned.

The injured lad from the gift-wright's sisterhood pushed away from the rail where he had been leaning. With his arm st.i.tched and strapped to his chest, he could do little to back up his threat. Even so, Vittor's eyes glittered with gift immanence. Ronnyn's heart raced.

Toryx backed down, slipping away.

Ronnyn watched him go. *Why does he hate us? Why goad Sardeon?'

*To establish his dominance over him.'

*Toryx has been training since he was thirteen. Now he's almost sixteen. He should be teaching us, not trying to belittle us.'

Vittor rolled his eyes. *I know you're sharing our cabin because we've run out of room, but why are you practising martial training with us?'

*Cerafeoni said we were the same size so we'd make good training partners.' Ronnyn felt defensive. *She says we're doing well.'

*You're going to have to do better than that. Lads who are prettier than most girls have a hard time in the brotherhood.'

*I'm not pretty,' Ronnyn objected.

*No, but there's something appealing about you. It'll have the sisters requesting you for trysts.' He gestured. *As for you, Sardeon, your face is going to get you in trouble. You'll need backup.'

At that moment, Cerafeoni ended the training session.

Vittor gestured to her. *Ask your hand-of-force. It's her job to prepare you for the brotherhood.' And he strode off.

Ronnyn watched Vittor go, thinking there were so many things he didn't understand. *You'll be sent to your father's brotherhood and I'll be sent to mine, Sar. Let's make a pact. If we both become all-fathers, we'll form an alliance.'

No answer.

*Sar?'

His choice-brother had walked off.

Had he said something to offend him?

*Ronnyn?' Their choice-mother had been watching from the foredeck. She beckoned him.

By the time he'd climbed up there, the scryer and Sarodyti were with her. Scryer Lysitzi barely glanced at Ronnyn, her expression dismissive. Or perhaps it was just the way the scar turned down the corner of her mouth.

*So, Ronnyn,' Reoden turned to him after the old scryer and Sarodyti left. *How are you and Sardeon settling into the empowered lads' cabin?'

*They're not so bad. I like Vittor,' Ronnyn said, then dared to ask, *Why didn't you heal the scryer's scar?'

The healer cast him a sharp look and seemed to consider before answering. *That wound will not heal until she forgives herself. She failed to foresee my sacrare daughter's murder. She hasn't been able to scry since. Her gift eats away at her, just as the scar eats away at her face. Did you notice how it grew the night of the sea-raiders' attack?'

He nodded, dry mouthed. *I was wondering if I'd imagined it.'

*The gifts are dangerous, Ronnyn. They exact a price. Lysi's gift will consume her if she does not forgive herself. I've forgiven her. I've even forgiven the warriors who killed my little girl.'

*I don't understand how you could,' he confessed. He'd want revenge. *And I don't see how you can rear us boys, knowing we are promised to the brotherhoods.'

Reoden was half a head taller than him. She leaned closer so that she looked deep into his eyes. He saw her sadness, and beneath it a compa.s.sion that had no end.

*I do it because I'm rearing all-fathers who will be able to see beyond their own brotherhood. These all-fathers will serve the whole T'Enatuath.' She gestured to the upper rear-deck cabins. *We elected Imoshen to be our causare to save us from the King Charald the Oath-breaker, but I believe the role of causare will live on. I'm rearing all-fathers who will be worthy of becoming causare or, if the causare is an all-mother, they will be her trusted commanders. Then, instead of tearing ourselves apart, the T'Enatuath will grow in strength!'

Inspired by her vision, Ronnyn's heart soared.

IMOSHEN LIFTED THE spy-gla.s.s to her eye to study the sea-vermin's sails. Like a wolf pack following a herd, the raiders had been trailing them, even three days out from the coast.

*Here.'She handed the spy-gla.s.s to Saffazi.

*There's more than yesterday.' The initiate lowered the gla.s.s and returned it to Imoshen. *I thought they wouldn't follow us into the Secluded Sea in winter.'

*Usually sea-vermin stay close to the islands, where they can hide or escape over shoals the deeper-keeled ships cannot cross. But they are notoriously good sailors.'

*Their ships are so much smaller than ours. Surely they can't mean to make a frontal a.s.sault?'

*Their vessels might be small, but each one is packed with warriors eager for gold. Our ships are packed with old folk, nursing mothers, babies and children.'

Imoshen beckoned the ship's master.

The veteran Malaunje sailor strode over to them.

*What do you think?' She pa.s.sed him the spy-gla.s.s. *Will they attack?'

He planted his legs and studied the sails, which had kept their distance, sometimes drifting back until only the tips of the tallest masts could be seen above the horizon.

Just then Egrayne joined them on deck. She stared towards the horizon, a frown drawing her dark brows together. *We've already beaten them back once, and their losses were terrible. Surely they won't attack again?'

Imoshen waited, but the ship's master didn't speak. *Each ship is a little kingdom, and they prize their freedom too much to form a fleet under one leader.'

*Usually. But...' The ship's master lowered the spy-gla.s.s, speaking up at last. *There's twice as many sails as this time yesterday.'

*Then they are ma.s.sing to attack?' Imoshen asked.

*They've known all summer that we were to be banished. They've had time to plan.'

They all stared at the distant sails.

*The threat of our gifts used to keep our enemies at bay,' Egrayne said.

*I've heard...' the ship's master began, then hesitated. Imoshen gestured for him to go on. He shrugged. *I've heard Mieren captains claim that there's a sea-vermin power-worker who speaks directly to the sea G.o.d. They say he can call the wind.'

Egrayne snorted. *Save me from Mieren captains and their sea G.o.d!'

*But Mieren don't have innate power,' Saffazi objected. *How could a"'

*He would have to draw power from the empyrean plane,' Egrayne said. *If he can summon the wind, he's using stolen power to do it.'

*If he can summon the wind, then his prey would benefit from the wind just as much as the sea-vermin,' Imoshen said. *Unless he could make the wind blow only over his own sails!'

The ship's master chuckled.

*Do they or don't they have a power-worker?' Egrayne asked.

He shrugged. *You hear things...'

Egrayne sent Imoshen a look of exasperation, but underneath it there was fear. Back in the Celestial City, her voice-of-reason's insights had been invaluable navigating the shoals of brotherhood and sisterhood rivalry, but out here, Egrayne was out of her depth. She knew it and she didn't like it.

Out here, there was only one T'En whose knowledge of the sea Imoshen trusted, and Ardonyx would take precautions if he thought the fleet was in danger.