“I understand. I hope you will not mind answering some questions as well.” Leti’s smile was shy. “You are the first southerner I have met, except for the representatives of Elysium. I must say you are not what I expected.”
“Of course. I’d be happy to.” Though, Winter reflected, she might have to be careful with some of her answers. Leti had accepted that Abraham was a Blessed One, so apparently the theology of the Haeta was not as black-?and-?white on the subject of magic as that of the Black Priests they served. But she still had no idea what that entailed, or what might cast doubt on that status.
Leti said, “To answer your question, yes. I had the honor of being elected to lead this century.”
“Are all the warriors of the Haeta so young?”
Leti laughed. “No, of course not. We are warriors of the second line.” She seemed to be struggling to find good words in Murnskai. “It means... those who have only just passed their blooding, and lack experience. We accompany the warhost, but serve as scouts and camp guards, unless the warleader deems it a true emergency.”
Winter nodded, understanding. A bunch of recruits after all. Girls on their first adventure, out for seasoning. And it turned into a nightmare. “So how did you end up out here by yourselves?”
“Some of it I still do not understand,” Leti said. “We came south in the summer. It should have been four moons, at least, to the first snow. But the blizzards came suddenly, as hard as they are in the farthest north of our land. We suffered badly.” She looked around at the circle of tents. “There were a hundred in our century when we left home.”
Winter had counted thirty-?four Haeta, including Leti and Vess. She lowered her eyes respectfully.
“There was a battle against the heretics,” Leti said. “At the river Kovria. Many fell on both sides. Afterward, the heretics moved south, back toward their own lands, and the warleader said our task was done. But as we came north, the weather worsened. Our century was forced to take cover in a blizzard or freeze. When we emerged, there was no sign of the others, and the snow had obliterated their tracks.” She shook her head. “The weather improved soon after, but that was when the demons came. What you call the red-?eyes. Some of them wore the forms of our own people, some Murnskai soldiers, some common peasants. But they are driven by unnatural spirits.”
Winter nodded. That’s as good a description as any. “And you’ve been working your way home since?”
“Yes. It has been slow. We are too few to fight, and bands of red-?eyes and Murnskai soldiers wander the forests. But we are close now. A few more days and we will cross the river and be in friendly lands.” Leti sighed. “I only pray to God others made it home as well.”
“I hope so, too,” Winter said. She was surprised to find that she meant it. The Haeta and other Trans-?Batariai tribes might have fought the Grand Army, but they’d been as much victims of the Black Priests as the peasants who’d slaughtered their own children to keep the Vordanai from stealing their souls. Elysium has a great deal to answer for.
“And you?” Leti said. “The business of a Blessed One is his own, of course, but it is unusual to meet anyone this deep in the forest.”
“We were fleeing the red-?eyes,” Winter said. “Actually, our story isn’t so different from yours. I was seeking the... Blessed One with a small band of companions when the weather turned.” That wasn’t precisely true—?they’d been chasing the Penitent who’d poisoned Janus, but they’d certainly ended up finding Abraham. “Many of us were killed. Our goal now is to reach the river Bataria and find a ship, and we thought keeping to the woods would be safer. We didn’t know the red-?eyes were waiting.” She hesitated, then added, “It’s possible they are seeking us.” Let her think it’s Abraham they’re after. At least she’s been warned.
“Demons have a great hatred for Blessed Ones,” Leti agreed. Winter breathed a silent prayer of thanks that this was apparently plausible. “Have you always been his attendant?”
“No,” Winter said. “I was—?I am, I suppose—?a soldier. An officer, actually.”
“A soldier?” Leti’s brow creased. “The priests told us that in the south women were not permitted to fight.”
Winter thought about going into the story of her disguise, and how some people knew and other people didn’t. Ultimately, she decided it was too complicated to explain—?frankly, I have trouble keeping track—?and didn’t make much difference.
“That was true for a long time,” she said. “But things have changed recently.”
Leti smiled. “Perhaps there is hope for southerners yet, then.”
Winter grinned back. “Perhaps there is.”
*
After dinner, Winter retired to her tent. Most of the Haeta did the same, though a few would trade off sentry duty throughout the night. I should offer to take my turn. It was only fair, though she was sure the woods-?trained warriors would be better lookouts. So far no one had asked her, and she’d been so tired in the evenings that she hadn’t pressed the issue.
Abraham was already sound asleep, rolled up in his blanket. Alex lay under hers, but she sat up as Winter came in.
“Listen,” she said, before Winter could speak.
Winter paused, head cocked. The distant chuckling of the stream was audible, and the whistling of the wind in the leafless trees.
“What—” Winter began, and Alex waved a hand for quiet.
Another sound reached them, a low moan, followed by a quick yelp, faint but distinct. Winter raised an eyebrow.
“Not that,” Alex said. “That’s just the Haeta having sex. They do that a lot.”
“They do?”
“Sure. You haven’t noticed?”
“I haven’t been paying close attention,” Winter said archly.
“They don’t always sleep in the same tents,” Alex said. “I don’t know if they have some kind of rotation or draw lots or what. If you ask Leti, they might be willing to include you—”
Winter fixed Alex with a glare, and the girl went quiet. After a moment, she said, “Sorry. That was... sorry. I know you and Cyte... I mean, I’m sure when you get back...” Alex ran down again, took a deep breath, and added, “Sorry.”
“So if we’re not playing voyeur,” Winter said, after a moment’s silence, “what am I listening for?”
“It’s—?there!” Alex went quiet, and Winter listened as well. The sound was on the edge of hearing, a long, mournful howl, fading rapidly into echoes. It was followed by another, and another, until it was difficult to tell where the howling ended and the echoes began.
“Wolves,” Winter said. “Is that a problem?”
“I’m not sure,” Alex said. “It sounds like there’s a hell of a lot of them.”
“It’s a big forest,” Winter said uneasily. She didn’t know much about wolves. Almost all her time in the wilderness had been spent in the company of marching armies, where wildlife usually wasn’t much of a concern.
“The thing is,” Alex said, “I haven’t heard any up until now.”
Winter frowned. “Maybe they’ve just been keeping quiet.”
“Maybe.” Alex shook her head. “Mention it to Leti? Just to ease my mind.”
“I will.”