Mistress of the Catacombs by Drake David

Author:Drake, David [Drake, David]
Language: eng
Format: MOBI, epub, mobi
Tags: Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9780812575408
Publisher: Tor
Published: 2001-01-01T07:00:00+00:00

* * *

Sharina lay with her cloak as blanket and ground sheet, looking at the stars. Tenoctris slept soundly on the sand beside her, her breath whistling in an even rhythm. Sharina was too weary to sleep, but the chance to stretch out at full length was a blessing she wouldn't have appreciated even a few days before.

The royal fleet had beached on a ragged circle of coral sand. Much of the nameless atoll would be underwater at high tide, but the vast array of ships and men was only halting here for a few hours. They'd crossed half the Inner Sea; they would cross the remainder before they got a real rest.

Sharina could have slept under a sail spread on spars, but the night was mild and she saw no need of shelter. The force carried no unnecessary baggage: King Carus alone had a small tent for privacy. The rest of the assembly thought that was because he was their leader; Sharina and Tenoctris knew it was because the king's nights were tortured. Morale might have suffered if the troops learned the truth.

Driftwood fires spluttered at a dozen points around the sand. Most of the oarsmen weren't sailors but rather laborers recruited from Valles and the countryside. Among the thousands were many to whom the warmth and sparkle of a fire was more important than sleep.

The Blood Eagles who guarded the women and Carus in the tent beside them stood quietly, leaning on their spears and watching the night. These men had replaced the detachment who'd been on duty earlier; the strain of shipboard was as great on the Blood Eagles as on anybody else, so even they needed a chance to relax before boarding the vessels for the next stage of the voyage.

Carus shouted inside the leather tent. Sharina heard the sring! of his blade clearing the scabbard. The side-panel bulged as the king thrashed against it.

Sharina jumped up. The guards had heard also, whirling with their weapons ready.

"I'll handle it!" Sharina said to the officer who stood with his sword drawn, reaching for the tent flap with his left hand. "Tenoctris!"

The tent could have slept four if they were good friends, but the roof was too low even at the center pole for Sharina to stand upright. There wasn't much light in the open air—the waning moon had just risen—and the tent walls were opaque. She opened her mouth to cry, "Your highness—" and Carus had her throat in his big left hand.

A speck of wizardlight glittered in the air, then burst. A faint azure haze clung to the struts that supported the corners of the roof; under the present conditions it lighted the interior as well as a lamp would have done.

Carus relaxed his grip and wiped his hand on his tunic. "Sorry," he said with a wry smile. He shuffled back from the flap. "Come in, won't you? Tenoctris—"

The old woman peered into the tent past Sharina's shoulder.

"—you come too."

He sheathed his sword with a movement Sharina couldn't follow even though she'd watched him do it.

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