Yet, even if I see her no more in life, the moments of closeness we have known are part of me now as then, and there is no such thing as future or past. . . . For a moment her head swam, and she confused the moment of ecstasy with Preciosa’s flight with that all-consuming moment in which she had ridden Sunstar, joined absolutely with the horse, she flew, she raced, she was one with sky and earth and stars….
“Swordswoman-?” Lady Maura was looking at her, troubled, and Romilly swiftly jerked her awareness back to the moment. She said the first thing that came into her head.
“My name is Romilly, and if we are to work together you need not say Swordswoman, so formally, every time . . .”
“Romilly,” Maura said with a smile, “and I am Maura; in the Tower we do not think of rank separating friends, and if you are a friend to these birds I am your friend too.”
Then the Towers have something in common with the Sisterhood, she thought, but then Ranald called the men together and they rose to ride again. She wondered why they were going so far ahead of the main army.
All day they rode, and at night made camp; the men and Ruyven slept under the stars, but there was a little tent for Lady Maura, and she insisted that Romilly must share it. They were tired from riding at a hard pace all day, but before they slept, Lady Maura asked quietly, “Why did you never go to a Tower for training, Romilly? Surely you have laran enough.”
“If you know Ruyven, and how he had to come there,” said Romilly, “then you will know already why I did not.”
“Yet you left your home, and quarreled with your kin,” said Maura, quietly insistent, “After that, I should think you would have come at once.”
And so I had intended, Romilly thought. But I made my way on my own, and now have no need of the training the leronis told me I must have. I know more of my own laran than any stranger. She fell into a stubborn silence, and Lady Maura forbore to question her further.
Two days they rode, and they came out of the desert land and into green country; Romilly breathed a sigh of relief when they were able to see hills in the distance, and the evening breath of cool rain. It was high summer, but at this season frost lay on the ground at morning, and she was glad of her fur cloak at night. On the third day, as the road led over a high hill which commanded a view for many leagues around, Ranald Ridenow drew them to a halt.
“This will be the right place,” he said, “Are you ready with the birds?”
Maura evidently knew what was wanted, for she nodded, and asked, “Who will you link with? Orain?”
“Carolin himself,” said the Ridenow lord quietly. “Orain is not head-blind, but has not laran enough for this. And they are his troops.”
Maura was blinking rapidly and looked as if she was about to cry. She said in an undertone, more to herself than Romilly, “I like this not at all, spying upon Rakhal’s movements. I – I swore not to fight against him. But Lyondri has brought all this upon himself, for he too is oath-forsworn! After what he has done . . . kinsman or no . . .” and she broke off, pressing her lips tight together and saying, “Romy, will you fly first?”
“But I know not what to do,” Romilly said.
“Yet you are hawkmistress . . .”
“I know the sentry-birds, habits, diet and health,” said Romilly, “I have not been schooled to their use in warfare. I do not know-”
Maura looked startled, but quickly covered it, and Romilly was amazed; she is being polite to me? She said quietly, “You need only fly the bird and remain in rapport with her, seeing what she sees through her eyes. Ranald will make the link with you and so relay what you have seen to Carolin, so that he can spy out the land ahead and know what are Rakhal’s movements in the land.”