“Is that possible?” asked Zuangua, interested. “A good tactic!”
“I don’t think it is possible,” said Feather Cloak. “The weaving links the crowns, nothing else.”
Secha went on stubbornly. “He might weave us so we are lost in these days and months that pass within the crowns. The tide of days could ebb and flow around our warriors and they would be lost, just as we were lost in exile.”
“You can weave the crowns, Feather Cloak,” said Cat Mask to Feather Cloak. “Why do we need him?”
Kansi shook her head. Each time, Secha saw her speak in a different way as the angle of her head and the tilt of her neck and the frown on her lips revealed a new emotion. “I could walk between Earth and exile because I could call the burning stone, which was a gateway. Yet I have not seen the burning stone since we returned to Earth. My father is right. That ladder is broken, as far as I know. As for the other, I do not know the secret of weaving between the crowns on Earth.”
“Let his skill be tested before we make any bargain,” said Zuangua. “I’ll go, with the pick of my warriors. You can keep the child and his other servants as hostage against our safe return.”
Above, the thin veil of clouds that had shielded the sky parted. Stars shone through in ragged patches. Wind chased chaff into the flames, where it flashed and died.
Eldest Uncle shut his eyes and bowed his head.
“It is risky,” said Feather Cloak.
“Yes,” agreed Zuangua, showing his teeth.
His warriors, led by Fox Mask, crowded up behind him, all grinning with that same reckless smile. They were restless, shoulders twitching, heels bouncing, elbows shifting as though they were about to burst into a run.
“We have waited long enough. We are ready to go to war.”
7
UNDER guard, Lord Hugh’s company marched into the land of the Cursed Ones. Anna stuck close to Blessing in case Lord Hugh meant to hit the child again. She stuck close because she feared the way the girl stared admiringly, hungrily, at the Ashioi.
“Do you hear what they’re talking about?” the girl asked her, but all that streamed from those foreign mouths sounded to Anna no different than the chirping of birds and the howling of dogs. Blessing understood it all. It seemed that her father’s blood, or her mother’s sorcery, or the aetherical milk she had suckled as a child, or all of these combined, had opened her ears to the Ashioi language.
Anna envied her.
The child had learned from her abduction. She kept silent about her unexpected skill. She let no one except Anna know, because she wasn’t sure who was her friend and who her enemy. After several days they were delivered to a prison. It had a high stone wall and raised towers where guards stood watch. Through the gate lay a dusty courtyard and a dozen shelters. They were only stone platforms raised above the level of the earth. Posts set in the ground supported crude roofs. There were no walls. It was an awful place. It made her want to cry, but she could not cry, because she had to take care of Blessing.
At the gate, Feather Cloak waited with her entourage. Inside, lord Hugh called them together. “I must leave,” he said to them. Their expressions were anxious, but they listened obediently. “I have sworn to these Ashioi that I will not teach them or aid them if any of you are harmed. I stand by that. You will be protected.” He smiled gently. “Yet make yourselves useful. If you have marketable skills, let yourselves be coaxed into sharing.”
“Any chance we can share with the women?” asked Theodore. “They sure look at us invitingly, if I must say so.”
“And them wearing almost nothing but the skin they were born in,” said Scarred John appreciatively.
The others chuckled, and then looked downcast.
“Would it be going against God, my lord?” asked Theodore. “They’re heathens. It might be wrong.”
“Yes, they are heathens. Therefore we are enjoined to bring them into the Circle of Unity. Do not fear to associate with them. But only if they ask first, lest you unwittingly break their laws.”
This command the soldiers liked well enough, but Anna clutched Blessing’s arm and wished only to be allowed to sit down in the shade. The heat made her dizzy.
Lord Hugh departed, but as the men spread out to explore the courtyard, the handsome man appeared at the gate. Anna had figured out that the man was Blessing’s great-great-uncle. Like Prince Sanglant, he was restless, even impatient. His gaze roved, and he spotted Blessing. He called out, “Come!”
Anna knew that word well enough! “What does he want?” she asked Blessing.
