Saint-Germain 15: A Feast in Exile by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Author:Chelsea Quinn Yarbro [Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Horror, Historical Fiction, Vampires, Saint-Germain, India - History - 1000-1526, Timur
ISBN: 9780312878429
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2001-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Timur-i Lenkh

at Kabul

by the hand of the scribe Yesun Toq

6

“Your foot has not healed yet,” Tulsi said to Sanat Ji Mani as they sat by a small lake in the luxuriant light of the full moon. They were far from the Sutlej now, south and east of the city of Samdhar; the arid plain was behind them, and they were in wooded uplands. Traveling by night, they had avoided towns and cities, wanting to leave no record of their journey; when they encountered villages, they waited until daylight, found a shaded place where they performed for the people—Tulsi doing her acrobatic tumbling, Sanat Ji Mani offering conjuring tricks or medical treatment—in exchange for shelter and a meal for Tulsi. “It is forty-one days since you … pulled out the stirrup.” Her voice caught in her throat as she remembered the harrowing event; even the recollection made her feel slightly ill. “There is still an open wound through your foot. It has not knit so far.” She glanced down at the boot he had fashioned for himself, and saw the shine of blood on the rough leather.

He shook his head once. “I am not badly hampered.” It was not entirely the truth, for he had none of his native earth to restore him which left him vitiated and made his recovery more difficult.

“You say that, but you are exhausted by the sun and your injury continues.” She wanted him to see her concern. “I worry for you.”

“Thank you; I will recover in time.” He realized this was not enough, that she wanted more from him. “I do not mean to cause you apprehension, I apologize for that. I am highly complimented by your concern, though it is unnecessary.”

“But you bleed, and the sun burns you,” she said. “Say what you will, I am troubled on your behalf. I wish you would mend, and your skin not … char the way it does when you are long in the sun. How can you improve if you continue to be hurt?”

“I told you those of my blood heal very slowly. The cut will close eventually but I will limp for some time.” He smiled to solace her; his sack lay on the ground beside him, next to her pack. “And I will heal; you have my Word on it. You must not worry.”

“But I do. I saw how weak you became after the staple was out, how exhausted and pale you were, and how dreadful your burns … I fetched … sustenance for you. I know how much you have endured.” She looked across the lake. “You will want to catch more birds tonight, I would guess.”

“Not just at this moment,” he told her. “You had eggs and cheese today. If I catch ducks tomorrow, that should suffice. Tonight I would like to find heartier fare.”

“Will your foot allow it?” She was anxious for him. “You may not want to take on furred game yet.”

“Would it trouble you if I did?” he asked,

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