Priestess of Ishana by Judith Starkston

Author:Judith Starkston [Starkston, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732833920
Publisher: Bronze Age Books
Published: 2018-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

36

Three days of trailing a man who thought he was trailing you was exhausting work, and even with a long break in the middle of the day, his horses had gone their limit. He was pleased when the man turned off the road at an inn.

They had passed through some village on the road to Sama and were now among the surrounding farms. Darkness approached.

Leaving his chariot and horses tied to a tree at the side of the road, Marak snuck toward the inn.

Marak felt certain the man did not know he’d been outsmarted. He’d carried on full speed as if concerned Marak’s faster horses had gained a lead. A lead the man must believe Marak continued to hold.

When he’d fooled the man into going ahead of him, Marak had gotten a glimpse of him. He congratulated himself on one of his cleverer maneuvers. He had waited until he saw ahead a creaking old wagon piled high with hay, pulled by two complaining donkeys. He slowed and stayed behind the wagon until a stand of tamarisk trees provided a screen at the side of the road. The noisy wagon hid the sound of him pulling off and the trees hid him. The villain following him had screamed at the wagon to get out of his way and charged ahead. He’d had a good observation point from behind the tamarisks. His pursuer turned out to be the Watcher. The one who’d bullied the crying young man.

Now he’d follow this villain right up to his fellow conspirators in Sama.

Marak crept up to the inn to make sure his man had decided to stay for the night. The Watcher crossed a farmyard beside a squat man. They went inside. He couldn’t see his pursuer’s chariot and horses, so they must be stabled for the night.

He waited. A boy, probably the farmer’s son acting as the groom for the inn, left the stables and disappeared into the same building where the others had. The Watcher had bedded down for the night, and now he needed to do the same.

Marak would have to sleep in the open fields again. He’d stay further down the road so that he could pull out in back of the Watcher after he passed. Early, no doubt.

Fortunately the Watcher believed he had to catch up in order to kill Marak, so he pushed his horses each day to their limit, and they were losing no time reaching Sama. It helped the illusion that Hattu’s horses were such magnificent creatures who could quite believably have kept ahead and prevented the Watcher from catching up to them.

Going along the road with the light failing around him, Marak watched for a good spot to camp. There was something satisfying about this chase. It would be a great story to tell Hattu. If he ever again saw his friend with his head still attached.

A large whitewashed stone at the side of the road caught his eye. The other farmhouse had a similar marker. Bless these industrious farmers who wanted to bring in something extra by taking in travelers.

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