Fyn chuckled, walked over to his gelding, and pulled a coiled garrotte from his saddlebag. ‘Far from bare,’ he said, hefting the flexible wire and small wooden handles.
Annev stared at the weapon, remembering how it had felt to strangle the wood-witch with Crag’s bone charm necklace. At the time, he’d been too overwhelmed by his fear of the witch and his concern for Crag’s life to consider the brutality of it. Seeing the garrotte in Fyn’s hands brought the memory to life, though.
‘Is that really all you’re bringing?’ Kenton asked from atop his own horse. His hand drifted to the tachi hidden beside his saddle.
Fyn sniffed. ‘Course not. But I’m not stupid enough to carry weapons where everyone can see them.’ He glared meaningfully at Annev, who had just finished fixing Sraon’s axe and Mercy’s scabbard to his new belt.
Annev abruptly saw his companions had both concealed their weapons, whereas his hung in plain sight. He shrugged, feigning indifference. ‘It’s almost dark and nobody will be out on the roads during Regaleus. We’ll be fine.’
Fyn cursed and the others turned towards him. The large youth shook his head and waved them off. ‘It’s nothing,’ he said, mounting his horse. ‘I just forgot the torches. We don’t need them, though. The stars will be out soon and they’ll give us enough light to find our way.’
Annev glanced at Kenton, who looked as dubious as Annev felt. He slowly shook his head. ‘Finding our way is one thing. Having a horse step in a hole and break its leg is another.’ He sensed Fyn stiffen and dreaded what he had to say next. ‘Go and get the torches, Fyn.’
The boy stared at him, incredulous. ‘I just said we don’t need them.’
‘And I say we do. Fetch them, please.’
‘Fetch them yourself, Master Ainnevog,’ Fyn said, spitting the honorific.
Annev looked to Kenton for support but the boy was silent, waiting to see how this played out.
So this is it, Annev thought. This is where they start testing my leadership. He tightened the reins in his hands then walked his horse over to Fyn’s gelding.
‘Fyn, get those torches now.’
The muscular avatar glared at Annev. ‘What’ll you do if I don’t? Whine to Elder Tosan? Nah. We’d lose too much time, and you’d look weak besides. I’m guessing you’ll fetch them yourself, while I sit here. How does that sound?’
Fyn was right on the first two counts, but Annev couldn’t set this precedent of allowing the avatar to resist his leadership. He couldn’t even send Kenton to get the torches instead – if the scar-faced avatar followed Fyn’s lead, it would make things worse. No, Annev couldn’t compel them. He had to convince them to follow him – but how?
‘You think Tosan was wrong to promote me ahead of you,’ Annev said, stating the obvious as he worked out a solution in his mind, ‘and that you should be leading the party instead of me.’
Fyn’s brow furrowed, his mouth quirked up, and then he laughed – not a mean chuckle or a mocking sneer either, but a real belly laugh.
‘I think,’ he said, getting his laughter under control, ‘you’re a mongrel avatar, part deacon, part trickster. You’re here by luck, but you’re not fit to lick my boots, let alone lead this mission.’
‘So,’ Annev said, stalling, ‘you don’t trust Tosan’s opinion and you don’t trust me … but you trust yourself?’
‘What of it?’
‘Well, you said yourself that I’m lucky. Is that how I beat you in the Test of Judgement – or earned my master status? It’s all just been luck?’
Fyn nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s what I think.’
‘Let’s say you’re right,’ Annev said, an idea finally forming. ‘I’m Lumea’s lucky charm, everything I touch turns to gold, and everything magically works out for me. Let’s pretend that’s true, and that I’m about to lead you to Banok to help you and Kenton earn your Master Avatar titles. If I’m as lucky as you claim, you’re going to benefit from it, so what do you have against following me?’
Kenton grunted at those intellectual acrobatics and Fyn glanced between the two, hesitating.
‘You’re trying to trick me,’ he said, studying Annev.
‘What if I am? You said I’m only leading you because I got lucky. Well then: benefit from it.’
‘Eventually,’ Fyn said, nudging his horse closer, ‘luck runs out, and I don’t care to hitch my wagon to yours. I do well enough by myself.’
‘Do you?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then what’s your strategy when you reach Banok?’
The larger avatar frowned. ‘That’s not how it works. I was told to get the supplies. Kenton’s got the info about entering Janak’s palace.’
‘So you’re saying you can’t do it alone. You see that Tosan assigned us each a role and we’ll have a better chance of succeeding if we stick to that plan?’
Fyn stared at him, eyes dark and jaw slack, then he closed his mouth and shook his head. ‘Always a smart-ass.’
Annev inclined his head, taking it as a compliment. ‘Maybe I am, or maybe I just agree with you, and think that if we each do our part things will go smoother. You were in charge of supplies, you’re the one who should get the torches. Yes?’
Fyn studied Annev’s face then dismounted and wrapped his reins around the nearest post. ‘If either of you touches my things …’ He left the unfinished threat hanging in the air and dashed back inside the Academy.
Kenton swept his shaggy black hair aside and peered sideways at Annev. ‘He’ll get you back for that, and you know it. Fyn doesn’t like being ordered around, and he hates looking stupid.’
‘What about you?’
‘I don’t like looking stupid either.’
‘Not that,’ Annev said, smiling in spite of himself. ‘You followed Fyn during the last Tests of Judgement, but you were with me, Titus and Therin before that. What will you do now?’
Kenton’s right hand drifted to the hilt of his tachi while the other knotted into the silvery mane of the palfrey beneath him. He was silent for so long Annev thought he wasn’t going to answer.
‘You seem to know things the rest of us don’t,’ Kenton said at last. ‘I’m not sure how. Maybe Fyn’s right and you’re just lucky, or maybe you see things differently and that gives you an advantage.’ He traced the braiding of his weapon’s two-handed hilt then shrugged. ‘Doesn’t really matter. If you can get Therin and Titus through the Test of Judgement, you can lead us to Banok and back. No promises once we get there, though.’
Annev grunted, feeling he needed more loyalty than that, but sensing he’d do better not to press the issue.
‘So,’ he said, changing topic, ‘what did you learn from Keyish, Folum and Dorstal?’
A faint smile touched Kenton’s lips. ‘Dorstal was up to his nose in honeywine, and Folum wasn’t much better. Keyish was useful, though. He told me which landmarks to follow out of the Brake and he sketched out Janak’s castle.’
‘That should be helpful.’