The Dark God: Servant Part 24

Sugar knew the tone in Legs' voice. This was him wanting to make a point. But the last thing they needed to do was provoke the bow boy who had just considered killing them both.

"Legs," said Sugar in warning.

"It means it would be a bit difficult for me to catch and eat you."

Talen raised his eyebrows. "What's he going on about?"

"I'm just pointing out the obvious," said Legs. "And you can talk to me directly if you want. I'm not deaf."

Talen stood. "Maybe I don't like the way your eyes slide around."

His eyes had indeed been sliding. Sugar knew it unnerved some people.

"Sorry, Zu," said Legs and closed his lids tight. "I know all the stories about sleth. I've sung all the songs. I've been thinking about them. And you'd expect if my mother had the powers you think she does, she would have given me my sight. Why wouldn't she have done that?"

"What do I know about your mother's slethy ways? Ask her yourself when they put you in the tower."

"She wouldn't," said Legs, "because she couldn't. She's not sleth."

Sugar wished she had Legs' confidence. But she didn't want him to provoke Talen further. "Legs," she said. "We didn't answer his original question." She turned to Talen. "Legs is his nickname. He was born legs first."

Sugar didn't tell him that the midwife said when Legs feet first appeared, he'd pulled them back from the cool air in the room and refused to come out. The first time she'd heard that as a girl, she'd laughed and laughed. She had made her mother tell it again and again. The memory of that happy time seemed so far away, so unreal, as if it were something she'd made up.

"I think I want to go down now," said Legs.

"Yes," she said. "I think that's a good idea." Because who knew what Legs might say next? Lords forbid, he'd probably try to tweak Talen with some comment about him taking care of Legs' business earlier.

Legs walked to her, hand in front feeling the way. She took his hand and led him to the cellar door.

When the door was up, Legs turned to her. "I don't care," he said under his breath. And she knew he meant he didn't care even if Mother were sleth.

"No," she agreed, but that was a lie. She cared. Legs descended the stair into the darkness with the potatoes, and she shut the door behind him.

She turned back to the window and knew she couldn't stand there doing nothing while Talen watched her. "You can hardly make a lunch over there," she said. "I will make us something to go with that fish. Can you tell me if your sister keeps any savory?"

Talen hesitated. She expected him to say something about poisoning the food, but he didn't. He pointed at a cupboard. "It's in there."

"Thank you," said Sugar and began washing and cutting vegetables. She found leaving the cellar door open put her on edge. Not everyone had such a cellar built into the floor. Many were outside the kitchen. She could see how having it in the kitchen would be handy, and it was not in the way, but she was not used to working so close to such a hole, so she shut the door.

When she finished with the vegetables, she found what she needed to make flat cakes. She was about to ask Talen where they kept the lard when she glanced out the back window and saw half-a-dozen Mokaddians wearing leather cuira.s.s and helms crouching at the top of the river bank.

Her heart jumped.

A handful of them broke off and approached the house, crouching low as they walked.

These were not Fir-Noy. They wore the colors of the Shoka and displayed Shoka tattoos. But it didn't matter-Shoka or Fir-Noy, they were still Mokaddians, still sneaking up on the house.

She drew back from the window so they wouldn't see her then glanced out the front and saw Nettle working the field in the distance, oblivious to what was happening. She turned back and watched the first man run up to the house and take his position at the corner.

Her breath came quickly. The moment she'd been dreading had come and found her making flat cakes. All her mother and father had suffered to give them a chance to escape would now go to waste.

But that couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it happen. She didn't have time to open the door to the cellar, descend, and close it up again. And she wasn't going to sit down there like a fish in a barrel.

She whirled round to face Talen. "Hunters," she whispered.

Talen had been leaning against the wall in his chair, balancing it on two of its legs. He came away from the wall and brought all four legs to the ground.

She pointed towards the river then motioned for him to put his bow down. If he had truly been guarding against something in the woods, then he would have been outside. Both of them would be. They needed to appear to be friends. They needed to appear to be more than friends. It would have been better if Ke had been sitting there, but Talen would have to do. She only prayed he wasn't a fool.

She could not speak, not if she didn't want to alert the man outside, so she hastened across the floor toward Talen. He stood, alarmed at her approach.

One, two, four steps, and she crossed the line he'd drawn. He raised the bow, but either his fear had paralyzed him, or he wasn't a fool after all because he allowed her to come right up to him, grab the wrist of the hand that held the bow, and whisper into his ear.

"They're outside," she said.

"Fir-Noy?"

"I'm going to sit on your lap," she said. "Like a lover." Then she pushed him back into his chair and settled onto his lap.

Talen's eyes were round with alarm.

"Put the bow down," she whispered. "Put your arm around me."

He was frozen, clenching his weapon.

"I am your girl from Koramtown," she whispered urgently. "I'm visiting."

Something rustled along the outside of the house. Talen turned to the sound, his bow still clenched in his hand.

Sugar raised his free hand to her ribs.

"I'm Lily," she said.

"What?"

"Lily," she repeated. "The daughter of Ham, a farmer, living just the other side-"

A man came to the door. Another cast a shadow by the open shutter.

Sugar immediately dipped her mouth to meet Talen's. She'd kissed boys before. None of the Mokaddians in her village, but boys in Koramtown. Her mother had made sure they travelled to Koramtown regularly, more often this last year since Sugar was soon to be of age for marriage negotiations. She closed her eyes and cupped his head with her free, flour-dusted hand.

Talen sat stiff as a log, stiff as a piece of furniture. She opened her eyes and found him staring at her, his eyeb.a.l.l.s big as her face. It was like finding a large caterpillar on the end of your nose.

More men gathered outside the door.

"The bow," she said mid-kiss, "drop the bow." His mouth was parted in shock, frozen open like the stone of a statue. She had stolen her share of kisses, and this one wouldn't fool anybody. She flicked the tip of her tongue inside his mouth. Maybe that would bring him round.

The bow and arrows clattered to the floor. And to Talen's credit he tried to move his lips. They were dry, and the whole thing smelled of the morning's sausage, but he acted. Of course, she didn't think either of their performances would be enough.

Someone tried to force the door.

Then a man stepped out in front of the window with his own bow drawn. "You there," he said. "Open that door!"

Talen shot up like a flushed animal and dumped Sugar to the floor. She was still getting up when he swung the door wide.

Three men pushed in, weapons bristling. A young one in front with the half his teeth missing and two older men behind. Before Sugar could move, the young one stuck the point of his sword inches from Talen's neck. "You," he said. "Where's your father?"

"He was summoned to Whitecliff," said Talen.

"We should have known your family would cause problems," he said.

A man with eyes like ice appeared behind the three that stood in the doorway. "Put the sword down," he said.

Sugar did not know him, but from his clothing, she suspected he was the Bailiff.

"Talen," he said. "I told your da to order the Koramites in the district. I wanted them calm. Instead, I get reports of all sorts of things happening here last night."

Sugar froze. There had been people in the woods. Had someone seen Talen rousting them out from underneath the old house? And what if Talen decided to turn on her and Legs? He was half-convinced she was sleth already.

It had been a mistake to stay. She should have taken Legs and run. They could have hidden in the woods somewhere until dark fell. Now it was too late.

"Why did you have to provoke the Fir-Noy?" asked the Bailiff.

"I-"

He narrowed his eyes at Sugar. "And who's this?"

"n.o.body," said Talen.

"n.o.body?" asked the Bailiff.

"Zu," said Sugar, "I'm Lily from Koramtown."

"And why did you bar the door in the middle of the morning?"

Talen said nothing, just stood there with his mouth open.

"We . . ." said Sugar and looked down. That's what she supposed someone caught in a forbidden embrace would do. She hoped she hadn't hung her head too quickly.

"Speak up!" said the Bailiff.

"We were," Talen said. He looked like he'd swallowed a chicken whole. "Sporting."

"Boys play while the father is away, eh?" said the Bailiff. He shook his head and looked around the room. "You and your altercations with those Fir-Noy armsmen have caused me a bit of work. I've been ordered by the Shoka lords to conduct a personal search of every Koramite homestead in my district."

"I am sorry, Zu," said Talen.

"Look at me," said the Bailiff. "What are you hiding?"

Talen's eyes were wide with fear. If anyone was going to give them away, it would be him. "Nothing, Zu. Nothing."

The Bailiff shook his head. "Of course, not." He signaled to his men to search the house. "I need something to drink."

"We have no beer," said Talen.

"Then fetch me a draught of sweet water from your well," said the Bailiff.

Talen complied without hesitation, leaving Sugar alone with the men. One of the Bailiff's men stood on the far side of the room opening cupboards. She could hear the second upstairs and the third in the back room and still others out in the yard. The Bailiff himself paced about the room and then noticed the cellar door.

"Girl," he said. "Open this up." Then he drew his sword and stepped back.

"You do not need to worry, Zu," she said, indicating his sword. "I will gladly open the door, but nothing is down there. Only a few cabbages and potatoes. I saw them myself this morning."

"Oh, is that the trysting spot for Koramite youth?" The Bailiff shook his head. "I thought Talen was being prepared for a Mokaddian marriage." He shook his head. "I expected more of Hogan."

Sugar looked down. Was that why he'd been so stiff? She walked over to the door, hoping Legs had heard the men and had hidden in the small cubby they'd made.

"Get a light," he said.

"Yes, Zu," she said. And then moved to the other side of the room to fetch a lamp.

The man searching this end of the main room had moved to the back and was poking his sword deep into barrels of beans and barley. What he expected to find there she could not guess.

Sugar found one of Zu Hogan's lamps and the oil jar. She poured a bit into the lamp. Then she took it to the fire, retrieved an ember with some small tongs, held it close and began to blow.

"I don't understand why a girl from Koramtown would risk hunters, alone it seems, to come all the way up here."

Sugar blew once more and the wick caught fire. "I came early yesterday," she said. "News of the sleth had not yet arrived." Then she pulled up the cellar door.

He pointed at the stair with his sword, indicating she should go first.

Sugar nodded and began to descend the stairs a few steps. As she did her light illuminated the room below and the fact that while Legs had crawled into the cubby, he had not hidden his foot. It, along with the end of his trousers, was plain to see.

The Bailiff positioned himself above to get a clearer view of the cellar.

Sugar switched the lamp to her other hand, moving is so that it cast a shadow over Legs.

"Lift it higher," said the Bailiff, "I can't see."

"Yes, Zu." Her mind raced. What could she do? What lie could she tell him?

None came to her mind.

She shifted the lamp.

"Ho," boomed Zu Hogan from the doorway. "What is this?"

The Bailiff turned, and Sugar saw her chance. She quickly descended the remaining steps and hurried to stand in front of Leg's foot. She held her lamp out as if she were trying to give the room its best possible illumination.