Hunting the White Witch by Tanith Lee

Author:Tanith Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DAW
Published: 2016-01-10T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

Denades and a couple of his captains had remained to wait for me. He raised his brows and said, “Bad news, then. I hoped not.”

None of them knew anything of my life beyond a few necessary minor items, and were always anxious for the chance to learn more.

“Someone lives whom I had calculated dead,” I said.

“Oh? What now, Vazkor? Can it be you’ll adhere to our customs, the code of the challenge?”

“The challenge is already offered, and accepted.”

Denades stared at me, between approval and distrust.

“Hardly a fit moment, however, my Vazkor, two days before the anointing of Sorem for Emperor.”

I spurred my mount up through the market, so bright with noise and color and show under that unclouded sapphire sky. Denades kept pace with me.

“Does Sorem know?”

“He will, inside the hour.”

He frowned and kept quiet.

I had put a bold face on it, perforce. Nausea pervaded my body. There was a dream I had as a child, later in another form, some wild animal I had come upon on the hunting trail and slain, only to have it start up again, bleeding from its gaping mortal wounds, and leap for my throat. Presently Denades spurred his horse off to the Citadel, no doubt to spread the news.

I would have to fight. There was no other choice. Fight and fight again, however many times the dead beast came at me. It was not this city I gave myself to rescue, no, nor the life or the esteem of any man or woman in it. It was my own terror. I would rather meet the sickening thing head on than turn my back to it. I had thought her dead, or of no consequence, space to seek her, maybe space to forget her even. How Uastis must mock me in her ruin.

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