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.And I couldn't hear half of the notes of a Mintak folk-song he sangfor me."He bent his head down so he could scratch the bridge of his nose.One of the mules lookedback at him, annoyed at getting a rein-signal it didn't understand."Maybe what we need to do is figure out the logic, the pattern in it-then and try and disrupt orblock that pattern with something we can stand?" he offered."I don't know," she replied, dubiously."That could be like trying to catch a Mintak with aminnow-net.Or a minnow in a snare.But I suppose that's the best we can do right now.Youwant to try?"He took the charm with distaste."I don't want to, but I will.Besides, maybe some of this stuffPeregrine stuck in my head will help.""Maybe," she replied."It couldn't hurt, anyway, as long as you remember we aren't playing byhuman rules anymore.""I don't think I could forget," he said, and bent with grim determination to his task.CHAPTER TWENTY-THREERune's stomach heaved."You know," she said conversationally to Kestrel, as they nearedthe border-post at the edge of the fens, "if I didn't like you so much, I think I'd have left youback in the mud with that copper charm and saved myself this."Heat pressed her down and humidity made her head ache.The ever-present reek of themarsh permeated everything.Gnats and midges buzzed in annoying clouds around herhead, but thanks to the thick, sticky herb-juice the Gypsies had given them, neither landednor bit.But the juice itself had a bitter, unpleasant smell, and that added to her misery.Thesun glared down through a thick heat-haze, making the road shimmer and dance.After much trial and error, she and Talaysen had worked out the counter to the magic of thetalisman.Comprised of notes they felt more than heard, it only made them slightly ill to work.Just enough that Rune refused to eat anything this morning, since they were going to have tocross the border before noon.She hadn't wanted anything in her stomach, and right now shewas chewing a sprig of mint in the vain hope that it would settle her rebellious insides.Sional grimaced."I'd d-do it m-myself, but I'm not g-good enough yet." He held out his handsand shrugged."I w-wish I w-was.""Oh, don't worry about it," she replied, closing her eyes to subdue another surge of nausea."Besides, if I'd dumped you in the mud, Robin would have gone back after you, and thenwe'd have gotten to smell fen-stink until we cleaned you up."As she opened her eyes, she saw him flush and turn away, and smiled in spite of her roilingstomach.Robin was in love with Kestrel, and he was returning her feelings with interest.How long it would last, she had no idea.Nor did she know whether it would survive the kinds of pressures put on a would-be King.Worry about that if we get there, she told herself firmly.We have enough trouble to handleright now.One problem they did not have to worry about was whether Sional would be recognized froma physical description.Anyone looking for Jonny Brede as he had last appeared wouldnever see him in this young man.Regular meals and hauling the wagon out of soft spots inthe road through the fens had put a lot of muscle on him, and the sun had tanned him as darkas any Gypsy.In clothing given by some of the younger men and his long hair tied back in atail, he didn't look much like Jonny Brede, and even less like a prince.The border-station grew from a dot at the end of the long, straight causeway, to a tiny blob ofbrown, to a doll's house with doll-guards, to something her eyes would accept as a building.This flat expanse of fen was disorienting to someone used to forested hills.There were notrees, no points of reference-just an endless sea of man-high grass stretching in eitherdirection.Forever, as far as eyes could determine.The border-guards had plenty of time to see them coming and take up their stations in aleisurely manner.No surprise inspections at this post, assuming anyone ever botheredinspecting at all.And if there should ever be hostilities between Rayden and Birnam, it wasimprobable that anyone would ever try to bring an army along this way.She would not have been at all surprised to see that the guards were slack and slovenly, butin fact, they were the very opposite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]