Ambition and Alavidha (21 page)

“Hallam? That’s
a well-known name here. One of our most famous Admirals was called
Hallam, Ansel Hallam. He defeated the sea pirates in a great battle
in the seventh century.”

“That would be
the brother of Robain, the first duke,” Daniel said. “He came from
the north and was the great friend of King Elliot the Twelfth.”

“There’s an
island called Hallam too.”

“I believe the
duke has distant relatives there.”

“Is Hallam
under threat from the King of Leithe?” she asked

“All the island
are under threat Thalia, haven’t you been listening?”

“Have you met
him?”

“Who?”

“The King of
Leithe of course.”

“No, but I’ve
met his son. Crispin’s married to our Crown-Princess Antoinette. I
always thought he was an okay sort of chap, a bit insipid and
loathe to push himself forward but I’m not so sure now.”

“It could be a
feint,” postulated Josei.

“Perhaps,”
mused Daniel, sipping the dregs of his kala and wishing it was tea.
Thalia hadn’t known what tea was until he had tried to explain
it.

There was a lot
that was different here in the Rtathlians of the Lind.

“Do you think
that the envoys you were talking about will have reached Vada and
the Avuzdel yet?” she asked, busily tying up her last harness
bag.

Vya pricked up
her ears although Josei didn’t react.

“Should have by
now,” answered Daniel, “my Father said they were leaving about the
same time Count Markwood’s pinnacle was due to sail. We made fast
passage, the currents were good to us but I expect so.”

“Then we’d best
make haste,” decided Thalia.

“Are the Lind
searching for the thief?” asked Daniel of Vya.

She shook her
shaggy head. “No, not yet. They know neither when it was stolen nor
who did the stealing. They may be tendays or even months ahead of
us. Whatever trail there was is more than likely cold. It will be
up to us, with help, to work it out and run them to the ground
beneath our paws.”

“I still think
your people should send out a general alert,” he said.

“That is not
possible,” was her enigmatic response as she turned her head
away.

Daniel
frowned.

Why not?

Thalia busied
herself settling Josei’s harness on to Vya. It had to fit just
right she explained to Daniel so that the straps, made of supple
zarova leather, did not rub or constrict her movement.

Vya was vocal
in her instructions, informing Thalia what parts were loose and
what were tight (she was thinner in the body than Josei),
stretching frequently, testing the fit.

It was a novel
experience for Daniel, accustomed as he was to saddling and
bridling his restless but silent Firefly back home. At last though,
Vya pronounced herself satisfied and Thalia explained to Daniel how
he should sit on Vya’s back and more important to an increasingly
nervous Daniel, just how he could hold on.

“I’ve added
stirrups,” she added, “we don’t use them unless we’re
fighting.”

“I’ll certainly
feel more secure with them,” he agreed, “how do I mount?”

“I’ll
demonstrate,” she answered with a grin, picking up her knapsack and
settling it on her shoulders. Daniel had already donned his. He
noticed that she had her sword belted round her waist.

Thalia took a
short run at Josei who stood like a rock and to Daniel what he saw
was almost like magic. One moment Thalia was on the ground, the
next she was astride Josei and looking at him.

“Wow!”

Well, if a
strip of a girl like Thalia could do it, so could he. He was after
all quite a bit taller than she was.

“Right,” he
said with a gulp and ran towards Vya. She stood braced, like Josei,
although unlike him she appeared tense. Unlike Josei she was not
accustomed to carrying a rider. He took a flying leap. He managed
it first time for a wonder and although Vya staggered she recovered
almost immediately.

“Oof,” was all
she said.

Daniel snuck a
glance over at Thalia. Did he detect a look of respect in her eyes?
“Didn’t think I could do it?”

She ignored the
question.

“Let’s move
out,” she ordered, “and remember my southern friend, you don’t even
try to attempt to direct Vya. She’s in charge. Hold on to the
straps and grip with your thighs and knees, not with your lower
legs, that’ll restrict her breathing and movement.”

“You may also
wrap your hands in my neck ruff,” Vya offered, “it will help you to
stay on.”

“Thanks,” a
surprised Daniel answered and did so, wondering at the softness of
her hair, so unalike the rough mane of a horse.

“Let’s go.”
ordered Vya.

The four set
out, initially at a walk then at an unspoken command Vya picked up
the pace, first to a trot (Daniel had to remember to sit in the
saddle pad and not to rise and fall) then into a gentle lope that
was to Daniel most preferable to the joggly trot,

Josei and Vya
ran faster. Daniel was aware of the increase in speed but he was
concentrating on staying on. The countryside flashed past. The
trees appeared and disappeared, whipping past his face. The sun
rose high in the sky and they did not slow. Daniel realised that
his horse would have been badly winded by now and he wondered at
the stamina of the Lind. How did they do it?

“Supply Station
ahead,” Thalia shouted over, but he didn’t hear her. He nodded as
if he understood and at last Vya and Josei began to slow. He let
out an explosive breath.

“Enjoying
yourself?” laughed Thalia.

“It was
exhilarating,” he laughed back, “muscles are feeling it though.”
They felt numb.

“We’ll ask
Holad for some liniment,” Thalia promised. “They know we’re
coming.”

Of course,
they’re telepathic, they’ll have sent word on ahead. Useful.

“Where is the
Supply Station?”

“Round the next
bend,” Thalia answered, “want to run some more? We’ll get there
quicker.”

“I’m game if
you are,” Daniel answered, gritting his teeth.

* * * * *

INLAND FROM THE
WESTERN COAST - THE NORTHERN CONTINENT

Thalia laughed
and they sped on once more, running into the Supply Station a short
while later. To Daniels’s amazement Vya didn’t seem to be breathing
heavily.

“How long can a
Lind run?” he asked as he helped Thalia remove the borrowed
harness.

“All day if
they have to,” she answered, “and fight at the end of it.”

Daniel’s
eyebrows rose.

“Josei’d need
to rest before a big battle though at least that’s what I’ve been
told. Their stamina is good but not infinite.”

“I’ll remember
that,” he promised.

“See that you
do, now rub her down, get the sweat off her, where the harness was
mostly.”

Grooming Vya
was, Daniel decided a quarter bell later, one of those times he was
sure he would never forget. Vya leant into him as he brushed the
sweat and journey burrs from her coat. She was clearly enjoying the
sensation of being brushed, perhaps for the first time in her
life.

Daniel found
himself envying the mind and life-bond Thalia had with Josei. What
was it like to have what they shared? He found himself murmuring
words to Vya as he brushed. Thalia was grooming Josei, she wasn’t
talking, she didn’t need to, Daniel knew that as their innermost
thoughts were joined so too were unspoken words.

An unnatural
alliance his tutors had described the bond between human and Lind
but Daniel knew now that there was nothing unnatural about the
phenomenon but that it was something to be cherished.

I wish Vya
could hear me,
he thought wistfully.

: What makes
you think I cannot? :

Daniel stopped
brushing, his mouth a huge ‘o’ of astonishment, his head swivelled
but there was no indication that she had said anything. She stood
there, seemingly quite unconcerned that he had stopped his
ministrations. Her eyes were half shut and her ears were flickering
as she reacted to the sounds within the Supply Station.

Just my
imagination running away with me
. Self-consciously, he started
to brush again and Vya sighed with contentment.

Grooming over,
he and Thalia departed for the kitchens and some much needed food.
Daniel’s stomach was growling, the porridge had been a long time
ago.

Vya caught
Josei’s eye and winked.

His lips
crinkled in what to the Lind was a smile.

As they walked
to the kitchens Daniel asked a further question that had been
intriguing him.

“Why is Vya
sort of browny-all-over while Josei is mostly bluey strips? That
Lind of the Holad back at the shore was stripy too.”

“All the
rtaths, that’s Lindish for packs, have different stripe colour
patterns,” she explained as they entered the swing doors at one end
of a long, low building from which the most delectable smells
imaginable were emanating. “The rtaths here in the west of the
continent still retain their patterns, one colour, one rtath, the
further east you go the more mixed they are. Humans caused it, or
mostly. When we arrived most Lind took their mates from the same
general area, often from their own rtath, especially if it was a
large one but when the vadeln-pairings started many found
themselves living and taking mates from elsewhere. The four home
rtaths in Vadath are virtually indistinguishable these days, at
least in part. Josei’s ancestry is a mixture although as you can
see blue is predominant.”

“But Vya has no
bright colours at all.”

“I believe she
comes from a rtath that has its home in Dagan, I managed to get
that much out of Josei.”

“She’s a bit of
a mystery then?”

Thalia nodded,
“yes, a bit of a mystery.”

“So what is she
doing here?” asked Daniel.

Thalia
shrugged, “I didn’t ask, not polite. She might have been visiting
the Gtrathlin.”

“What is this
Gtrathlin Lind. Their king?”

“I don’t think
the Lind fully understand the concept of kingship.”

“If she comes
from Dagan,” he said with rising excitement, “she will know the
Lai! I’ve always wanted to see one.”

Be careful what
you wish for,” Thalia advised, “wishes have a habit of coming to
pass sooner or later here in the north.”

“Have your
wishes been granted?” he teased.

Thalia bestowed
on him a level gaze, “some of them, yes, yes, they have, but they
might have happened anyway.”

The cook was
beckoning them over. He knew Thalia of old.

“I'm afraid
it’s plain old stew today Vadeln Thalia,” he apologised, “but it is
hot and is made to my special recipe.”

“Then it will
taste good,” Thalia replied sitting on the bench which was placed
down one side of a long refractory table. Sit Daniel.”

Cook placed
bowls of steaming stew in front of them both. The cutlery was
placed in large non-handled mugs in the middle.

“The boy will
bring drinks over in a mo.”

“Water please,”
insisted Thalia in a firm voice, “we’ve still got a long way to
travel today and don’t want our brains fuddled with that wonderful
cider you served last time.”

“I’ve got some
of last year’s press left,” Drew suggested, trying to persuade her.
He was very proud of his cider.

“Still no, but
thanks for the offer.”

They began to
eat and after a while Daniel realised why there was a bench on only
on side of the table when both Vya and Josei entered and took up
positions opposite them. Two large bowls of stew were placed in
front of them and they began to eat.

As Drew started
to leave in order to tend to his stove once more Thalia stopped
him.

“Drew, may I
ask, have any strangers been through here recently?”

He sat down on
the bench beside Thalia.

“How
recent?”

“Perhaps the
last four months of so?”

He shook his
head. “Nary a one Vadeln Thalia. They mostly stay on the trade
route see and this station is way off the beaten track.”

“Why’s that?”
asked Daniel through a mouthful of stew. It was delicious.

“This Supply
Station is a Holad Centre too,” Thalia explained. “It lies at the
intersection of three different rtathlians. The Holad tend the
members of all three so it made sense to build the Station in the
middle.”

She turned
again to Drew, “so no strangers at all? No lost travellers and the
like?”

“Not this last
half year and more. Last summer though, there was one. A strange
sort of fellow, harmless though I’m sure. Not very bright. Said he
was some sort of lawyer and had got lost. I don’t like lawyers.
Strange thing was, he looked more like a prospector than anything
else. We get them dropping in here from time to time.”

“What’s a
prospector?” whispered Daniel to Thalia.

“Someone who
wanders where he shouldn’t be, looking for precious metals in the
ground. They’ve always been a few in the rtathlians. The Lind
mostly ignore them.”

“Ask Drew if he
passed through only the once,” said Daniel.

“Only the
once,” agreed Drew, “said he was travelling back east, homesick for
the sights of home. Shabby sort of bloke and not quite right in the
head.”

That’s our spy,
Daniel was thinking and Thalia was thinking the same.

: No point
looking for him :
she telepathed to Josei
: he’ll be long
gone. I’ll bet my last florin though that we’ll find that he passed
through the Gtrathlin’s domta, spying out the land and that he came
from the west. Back home east to see the sights of home indeed!
:

: Ask Drew to
describe him. I’ll ask around :

Drew, when
asked, remembered the man rather well but even better from Thalia’s
point of view was that some Lind ordinarily resident at the Station
remembered him too. They were able to supply Josei with an image of
the man which Josei passed on to Vya.