“You’re hurting me.” Aleatha’s voice was cool, calming Roland’s fever. He flushed, and slowly released her wrists. He could see the livid marks of his hand-the marks of his fear- imprinted on the fair skin.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me. It’s just-”
“Please excuse me,” said Aleatha. “It’s late, and I must dress for dinner.”
She left him and walked over the smooth expanse of green moss, heading for the house. Horn calls rose again, sounding flat and lifeless in the still, muggy air. Roland was still standing in the same place, staring after the woman, when the others caught up with him.
“That’s the signal for the city guard to turn out,” said Paithan. “I’m part of it. I should go fight with them.” But he didn’t move. He stared down at the house, at Dragon Wing behind it.
“What’d the elflord tell you?” Roland asked.
“Right now, people think that our army’s driven the tytans off, defeated them. Durndrun knows better. That was only a small force. According to our scouts, after the monsters attacked the dwarves, they split up-half went vars to deal with Thillia, half went est, to the Fartherness Reaches. The two armies of tytans are rejoining for an all-out assault on Equilan.”
Paithan put his arm around Rega, drew her close. “We can’t survive. The lord ordered me to take Aleatha and my family and flee, to get out while we can. He meant, of course, to travel overland. He doesn’t know about the ship.”
“We’ve got to get out of here tonight!” said Roland.
“If that Haplo plans to take any of us. I don’t trust him,” said Rega.
“Which means I run away, leave my people to perish …” murmured Paithan.
No, said Drugar silently, his hand on his knife. No one will leave. Not this night, not ever.
“When the dog barks,” announced the old man, panting, toddling up from behind. “That’s the signal. When the dog barks.”
CHAPTER 31
TREETOPS,
EQUILAN
HAPLO TOOK A LAST WALK AROUND THE SHIP, INSPECTING THE REPAIRS HE’D
made with a critical eye. The damage had not been extensive; the protective runes had, for the most part, served him well. He’d been able to heal the cracks in the planking, reestablish the rune magic. Satisfied that the ship would hold together throughout its long voyage, Haplo climbed back up on the top deck and paused to rest.
He was exhausted. The repairs to his ship and the repairs to himself after the fight with the tytan had drained his energy. He knew he was weak because he was in pain; his shoulder ached and throbbed. If he had been able to rest, to sleep, to let his body renew itself, the injury would, by now, have been nothing more than a bad memory. But he was running out of time. He could not withstand a tytan assault. His magic had to be spent on the ship, not on himself.
The dog settled itself beside him. Haplo rubbed his hand against the animal’s muzzle, scratching its jowls. The dog leaned into the caress, begging for more. Haplo thumped it on the flanks.
“Ready to go back up there again?”
The dog rolled over, stood, and shook itself.
“Yeah, me too.” Haplo tilted his head back, squinting against the brilliance of the sun. The smoke of the fires, burning in the elven city, kept him from seeing the stars.
Steal our eyes! Blind us to the bright and shining light!
Well, why not? It makes sense. If the Sartan . . .
The dog growled, deep in its throat. Haplo, alert, wary, glanced swiftly down at the house. They were all inside, he’d seen them go in after their return from the jungle. He’d been somewhat surprised they hadn’t come to the ship. The first thing he’d done on his own return had been to strengthen the magical field surrounding it. On sending the dog to reconnoiter, however, he’d discovered them doing what he should have guessed they’d be doing-arguing vehemently among themselves.
Now that the dog had drawn his attention to it, he could hear voices, loud, strident, raised in anger and frustration.
“Mensch. All the same. They should welcome a strong ruler like My Lord-someone to enforce peace, bring order to their lives. That is, if any of them will be left in this world when My Lord arrives.” Haplo shrugged, rose to his feet, heading for the bridge.