Marcus and Isdra stood and without thinking, I flinched back from Marcus. But this time Icaught myself. "I'm sorry, Marcus. I don't understand why—"
"I do." He answered gruffly. "Think not on it, Lara." His eyes regarded me steadily. "Thefear will fade. But not the lesson, eh?"
"I will remember."
Isdra had taken a step back, and put her hands on her hips to regard me. "It will serve."
I felt the fool. "The enemy will die laughing."
"So long as only the enemy dies." Marcus growled. "Up now. We need to be ready when theWarlord calls us forward."
We mounted up, with Gils scrambling to secure the pack horse with the healing supplies. Theleather jerkin was chafing at the back of my neck, and I shrugged, trying to get comfortable.
How did these people wear this all the time? But then I looked over at Rafe, wiping his eyes,probably from the fumes. I sighed, and resolved to live with the discomfort of my armor. Atleast for now.
As we moved out, Prest leaned over, and handed me a small wooden shield. I took it, surprisedat its weight. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
He grinned at me, his teeth white against his dark skin. "Hide behind it."
Iften had moved his warforce into position, ready to strike like a sharp knife. The warriorswere poised, lances rattling in the quivers attached to their saddles. Their horses were churningthe ground with their hooves, eager to run. My horse, on the other hand, was drowsing, hishead hanging low.
From where I'd been positioned, I could see the village, with the 'P' on the gates, the blood nowdried and brown. It looked small and vulnerable to my eyes.
"All right, Lara. I say again, what is 'plague'?"
Keir sat next to me on his horse, in full battle gear. Those blue eyes that had been soft andwarm in our bower under the alders were cold and hard.
Having talked to the others, I was ready for Keir's disbelief. I described a plague, and told himthe precautions the village would have taken. "To a Xyian, the 'P' on the gates is a warning ofhorror and death."
"We know nothing such as that." Keir offered, staring at me intently. Iften was seated next tohim, but he said nothing, choosing instead to glare at me through his blackening eye. I returnedKeir's look calmly, never so conscious of the gulf between us as that moment. Were we so verydifferent? And if so, could we ever truly understand each other? My fears surged ahundredfold, for it meant that he had no understanding of what he faced.
I gestured toward the village, careful to keep my head still so that the helmet would stay inplace. "Keir, the plague is a danger greater than any army, and your weapons are uselessagainst it." I'll never know why, maybe the look on my face, but thank the Goddess, Keirlistened. He turned his head and looked at Rafe. "Has she told you what to do?"
"At least ten times," Rafe flashed us a grin, his eyes still watering. "I've donned my armor,Warlord, against the Warprize's invisible foe." His voice sounded odd, what with the cloth inhis nostrils and mouth. "I'm ready."
"The skies be with you."
With that, Rafe turned his horse, and started toward the walls at a walk. We'd gone over thevarious words for illness and plague, and Rafe had repeated them to me. He was to approachthe gates, learn what he could, and report.
I shifted in my saddle, making the leather creak beneath me, startling my horse. He flicked hisears back, and I patted his neck to reassure him. I'd have to think of a name for him.
I looked out, and Rafe seemed to have barely advanced. Another fidget on my part drewEpor's attention. He had positioned himself on my right, by my horse's head. He turned hishead so that he could see me from the corner of his eye. "Warprize, if an arrow flies, we'll headfor the rear, away from the combat. Is that clear?"
I nodded, which just made the helmet tip forward and block my vision. I pulled it back intoplace. "I understand."
"A pity," Isdra's low comment came over my shoulder. "He's never tied a warprize to a treebefore."
The chuckle from the others made me smile too, a bit ruefully. Somehow I didn't think it wouldtake much on my part to get Epor to make good on Keir's threat.
As Rafe continued to amble down the road, fear clutched at my heart. What if I was wrong?
What if the villagers were defying the Warlord? If so, they were defying me as well. Queen ofXy, I'd made the decision to bind our peoples together. Or at least to unite with Keir for thatreason. They could be resisting my decrees as well as breaking their oaths to Keir.
If so, this army was poised to teach them the error of their ways. I had no false notions as tothe strength of the village's walls, or their weapons. Keir would kill everyone, and burn thevillage to the ground, as an example as well as a punishment. When word went back to Water'sFall, what effect would that have on my people? My Council?
Yet I almost prayed for a rebellion. Better that than plague. Goddess above, how could Iexplain the dangers to a people whose worst illness was a head cold? Plague respected noboundaries, no rank, or worthiness. You couldn't rush the treatment of plague either, forty daysbeing required to assure that the contagion was gone. How could I tell Keir that he'd have towait that long?
I shifted the shield on my arm so that it rested in a different place on my thigh. How did theycarry these heavy things all the time?
