“I am used to hard journeys. That is our road. We must avoid Dahomey’s army.”
An amused smile came over Jon Tayt’s mouth. “Of course. But when I ready for a trip, I plan for the worst. The worst is the Fear Liath, but there are other dangers. In mountains such as these, there are flash storms. It can be sunny and cheerful one moment and then, with no warning, a storm can come in from the other side, dropping a mountain of snow in short order. Or the wind can be especially fierce. Crossing that pass is not the same every day. Any of these hindrances may delay us enough . . .”
“We must take the risk,” Maia said, frowning with determination. She pushed strands of dark damp hair over her ear and folded her arms.
His forehead wrinkled in concern. “If we get caught in the mountains at night, this thing will hunt us and kill us. I would advise that we choose another little-used pass. We may need to fight past sentries, but I would prefer that to the risk of facing a Fear Liath.”
Maia glanced at the kishion. His eyes were wary, but he nodded at her. Strangely, she knew what he was thinking.
“The Fear Liath will not delay us,” Maia said. “I can send it away.”
Jon Tayt sighed. “I advise that we are taking unnecessary risks. But I am only your guide. You pick the trail.”
“Thank you. There may be no need to use my magic at all. We may cross the mountain in daylight and be done with it. We leave in the morning.”
“Very well. Come, Argus.” He clapped his leg and the boarhound rose from Maia’s feet and trotted to his side.
After they left the room, Maia listened to the heavy sound of the hunter’s boot steps move down the hall and then clomp down the steps. As the sounds started to fade, she folded her arms and stared at the kishion.
“Do not harm him when this is done,” she said.
A twitch of a smile came and faded. “I knew you would insist on that,” he replied gruffly, shaking his head. “You trust men too easily.”
She looked him level in the eye. “No, not really. I do not trust that you will not harm him unless you promise me that you will not. Promise me.”
“I make no such promises,” the kishion replied, anger reaching his eyes. “I would kill the dog first. He is the more dangerous of the two.”
She gritted her teeth. “He has been a help to us.”
“I do not argue that. But he knows who you are. He knows much he is not saying.”
“Do not harm him, kishion,” she warned.
He took a step closer to her, his face hardening. “I will do what is in your best interest, my lady. Whether or not you see it thus.” His eyes narrowed coldly. “While we are threatening and warning each other, I will add my own. Say nothing to him about me. He made his own choices. I made mine when I agreed to protect you. Now get some rest while you have a bed. We will be sleeping on the ground tomorrow.”
Her heart burned with anger, but she decided not to argue. She did not truly believe she could dismiss him from service. Her father had hired him, and she had the suspicion he would not abandon her willingly. That meant she would have to help Jon Tayt survive the kishion’s blade. She nodded stubbornly and went to the bed. It was small and narrow, like the room, but it had been over a fortnight since she had set sail from Comoros. Sleeping here would be a luxury. Turning away from the kishion, she stared at the window and watched the branches outside sway with the wind. There were so many conflicting priorities in her heart, the mass of them burdened her. Her people were being destroyed by a power they could not see—the Myriad Ones. The King of Dahomey preyed on weaker countries and was obviously preparing to invade her father’s realm. Her protector wanted to kill everyone who was useful to her. The Dochte Mandar hunted her.
Sleep did not come quickly. She worried about all the things she could not control in her life—so much so, her mind felt like bursting. To calm herself, she began to think and remember some of the sayings she had learned from Chancellor Walraven’s tome.
The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination does when awake? As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself. As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.
The last saying brought a chill to her heart, along with a memory from when she and the kishion had landed on the beach of the cursed shores. You will all die in this place. This is the place where death was born.