Songsmith by Andre Norton & A.C. Crispin

Author:Andre Norton & A.C. Crispin [Norton, Andre & Crispin, A.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Worldbuilders Press
Published: 2016-12-02T05:00:00+00:00

TEN

T he countryside around them was wild and empty of any sign of humankind. Steel Talon soared off into a sky shading into the purples of late evening, presumably searching for a place to sleep through the night. As the travelers rode across fields of tough, pale green grass, they saw no roads, no paths save game trails. This portion of Arvon seemed uninhabited, in contrast to the countryside Eydryth knew.

“We must be far to the northwest of Kar Garudwyn,” she said, tilting back on the Keplian’s rump to study the emerging stars, using them to gauge their relative location. “My father and I did not go far into the northwest because we were told that it was largely deserted, and such seems to be the case.”

They passed no farmsteads, no villages, saw no distant lights. Herds of pronghorns and deer stared at them curiously, not particularly alarmed at their presence. “Man is not a predator they know,” Alon observed. “We are indeed far from any villages or farmsteads. How far do you think we are from Kar Garudwyn?”

“Four days’ ride—perhaps more—but that is only a guess,” she replied. “If my reckoning is correct, we should strike the edge of Bluemantle lands late tomorrow or early the next day. Then we will make better time, traveling the roads.”

“Perhaps we should not go to Kar Garudwyn immediately. Perhaps we should seek Yachne first,” he suggested.

Eydryth shifted position, trying unsuccessfully to ease the sore muscles in her thighs and buttocks and sighed deeply. “No,” she said, after a moment’s consideration. “We must go to Kar Garudwyn first.”

“Why?” he challenged. “Yachne is the threat. The sooner I deal with her, the sooner your foster-father will be safe.”

Eydryth repressed a shudder as she remembered precisely how her companion proposed to “deal” with the renegade witch. But she forced herself to mask her feelings as she responded, evenly, “Because if we can but reach Kar Garudwyn, there is a Place of Power nearby, where Kerovan can seek refuge. It is called the Setting Up of the Kings. From what I know of the workings of magic, if Kerovan went there, Yachne’s summoning spell could not pull him away; he would be protected.”

“If it is a place of great Power, that could be true,” Alon conceded reluctantly.

“Also,” the songsmith added, “after Kerovan is safe, we would then have help in our search for Yachne.”

“What kind of help?” he asked, skeptically.

“My foster-sister, Hyana, could probably scry out the witch’s whereabouts. Then Joisan and Sylvya would ride with us to seek her. All of them are Wise Women to be reckoned with.”

Alon’s only reply was a noncommittal grunt. Eydryth bit her lip, concerned about him. This surly, brooding man seemed not at all the companion she had been coming to regard as a friend during the past six days. Can it be only six days? she wondered, dazedly. It seems as though I have known him forever….

They halted for the night only when it grew so dark (the

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