Jeanne G'Fellers - Sisters Flight (19 page)

"Now
what?" Stiles pulled the lens from her face and tossed her shackles aside.

"We
get out of here but not without Trooper Rankil and the girl who assisted
us," said Evangeline. "Kaelan?"

"I'll
get Rankil." I crept out of the pen to undress the guard. "His things
will be small for her, but they're better than nothing."

"Norlynn
is in a nearby pen." Evangeline shed her lens as she assisted me.
"I'll send her to help. She has dealt with frostbite before."

Stiles
picked up the guard's sword. "The rest of us will see what mayhem we can
create in the next few minutes."

"Do
it quickly with as little noise as possible," said Evangeline as she
turned to where the other pens stood. "It's time we halted this
insanity."

With
Norlynn's help, I pulled Rankil from her cage and replaced her presence with
the slain guard while Norlynn dressed Rankil in his clothing. Then we hunkered
behind the cage, waiting for Rankil to gain her bearings as we scanned the
shore to see if anyone had witnessed our escape. But everyone, including the
guards manning most of the pens, seemed intent on the ceremony. In fact, we
only saw one guard for each pen, and they were unable to see us in the
lengthening shadows. The remaining Auts were on the sand to witness the
ceremony, which meant they weren't wearing "tainted" witch lenses.
Rankil pressed against me while we watched, sucking in all the heat she could.
Her feet and hands were blue-white, far paler than healthy Taelach color.
Norlynn examined them then shook her head.

"She
shouldn't walk."

"I'll
crawl if that's what it takes to get out of here." Rankil's teeth
chattered as she tucked her hands into her tunic. She pushed harder into me,
seeking my warmth.

"That
won't do any good." Norlynn pulled her away from me and into her arms.
"Meditate with me."

"I,
I'm too tired to phase."

"I'll
be an Aut's willing wife before you won't!" said Norlynn and she pushed
her way into Rankil's mind until they both grew quiet, Norlynn wrapping taller
Rankil as fully as she could while I watched for a means of escape. Moments
later a line of sisters began to creep along the edge of the mine encampment.
Then I saw a knife embed into the chest of the guard outside the children's
pen. The young sisters with raisers present found then clung to them, sobbing
silently while the other children sought the security of any arms that would
take them, and there were plenty to be had. The Yauld Kimshees, save for
Evangeline and Norlynn, led the way out of the pass behind the broadback pens,
while Norlynn half-carried, half-dragged Rankil out as well. Evangeline and I
brought up the rear, assuring there were no stragglers and to keep a promise.

The
ceremony is almost over.
My phase
remained unsteady from nonuse. We stood just outside the torchlight. Olitti sat
on her knees before her new husband, sobbing as she kissed his robe hem to
prove her servitude. Above her the cleric spoke of the punishment should she
ever stray from her duties. Her father stood beside his new son-in-law,
enjoying the same treatment from his own child-bride.

Even
the Auts of my land would find this disgusting.
Evangeline swung out with her mind, rendering a half
dozen of the wedding party unconscious. The other Kimshees acted in kind,
though not as powerful in their phases. The cleric fell to the sand, as did
Longpass's bride, Olitti's groom and half of the guards. Those who remained
standing were so confused that we struck down many of the guards without
difficulty. However, we lost Longpass in the confusion. He escaped behind his
remaining protectors before we could reach him and stood, hands on his hips,
singing Raskhallak prayers to urge his men on.

"Phase
him, Norlynn!" Evangeline called as she simultaneously fought and held six
Auts in her phase.

"I
already tried! The bastard's phase blind!" Norlynn parried a guard's sword
strike with her own. The metal clank dissolved into the other sounds of battle.
Blades flashed and bodies fell at the feet of victors. I downed three Auts
myself and herded many of the shrieking Aut wives into the river shallows.
Sister and Aut blood mingled in the icy water lapping at their feet as I
rejoined the other teams, and we fell back to the pens where I took Olitti from
Evangeline's care. With that, we were off, trailing through the back pass,
Evangeline coming last so she could release the last bit of her complicated
phase.

"They
won't be long behind!" Evangeline had wrangled three nassies from the
mine's stables. She boosted Olitti up behind me then mounted the second and
passed me the reins to the third. I led the way until we caught up with Norlynn
and Rankil. The rest of the teams were well ahead of us by that point, moving
fast to catch up with the freed sisters. We followed them for a bit then veered
off their trail, making a second path so Longpass and his men would be forced
to split up to track us.

We
traveled over the countryside then forest at a rapid pace until Rankil began to
recognize the landscape. "Follow us!" she called over her shoulder,
and Evangeline and I complied as Olitti was near panic behind me.

"Dah's
gonna cut me up just like he did M'ma!"

"Your
dah isn't following us," I called back. "You're safe now."

Heavy
snow began to fall as we bounded over a hill and into a deep thicket. There we
dismounted so our nassies could rest a moment. Rankil held Norlynn's shoulder
for balance while Evangeline surveyed our location. She pushed through the
brush and out of sight for a bit then returned picking briars from her cloak.

"We
need to move on." She flicked briars onto the snow. "I thought I
sensed more Autlach presences when we dismounted, but they were so distant I
couldn't be sure of the number."

"There
aren't any farming compounds in the immediate area I'm aware of." Rankil
winced and fell back a step but refused Norlynn's assistance. "I'm
okay."

"You're
not, but we can't do anything about it now." Evangeline mounted her nassie
and motioned for us to do the same. "The presences I felt weren't coming
from a farm," she said as I helped Norlynn settle Rankil behind her on
their nassie. "An army is camped not two hours from here."

"Army?"
I boosted Olitti then pulled up in front of her to take the reins. "There
weren't more than a hundred men at the mine."

"These
aren't from the mine." Evangeline turned back toward the hills away from
where she had been. "This is an organized group of Aut males."

"Longpass's
followers. Did you see them?" Rankil asked as our nassies bounded off
behind Evangeline's.

"I
didn't have to," she said. "I could feel their mass presence."

"How
many?" Norlynn urged her nassie a bit harder.

"Thousands."

"Thousands,"
Norlynn repeated, adding a low whistle. "Well, that's more Auts than I'm
willing to fight tonight. I say we turn around."

"Same
here," I said, and turned my nassie to follow Evangeline, who had already
turned her mount. The falling snow soon covered our tracks as we rode in
silence for a while, following Evangeline back toward the hidden entrance.

"We
shouldn't be moving in this weather," Norlynn said when the weather forced
us to come to a halt. Her nassie pawed the ground, searching vainly for
something to eat. "Rankil, you know of any shelter we can use?"

"Only
Granny Terry's," she said hesitantly. "But I doubt it's still
standing. And we need to get back to the Tekks."

To
family,
I thought even though I knew
Norlynn was correct.

"We
won't make it back at all if we don't find shelter. If this Terry's place
blocks the snow and cuts the wind, it'll do." Norlynn turned her nassie
the direction Rankil indicated. We plunged into the woods, emerging a few
moments later at a spot I recognized.

"This
is Granny Terry's cottage," I told Evangeline. "This is where I met
Rankil." The cabin was overgrown with vines, and one wall of the barn had
collapsed. We sheltered our nassies in the break created by the other barn
walls then warily pushed aside the growth covering the cabin and opened the
door.

We're
not alone.
Evangeline caught me by
the shoulder as Norlynn reached for her sword.
I
was so concerned
about the army that I failed to consider that there might be others in the
area. Evangeline shook her head. My apologies to you all.

We're
all tired.
Norlynn pushed Rankil and
Olitti behind her as torchlight and a feminine voice pierced the dust-laden
air.

"Jin,
darling, I thought you'd never get back." A pregnant Autlach stepped from
the darkness, her arms extended. She recoiled when she saw us and tripped on
her own heavy skirt hem, bringing her to her knees. "Don't hurt me!"
She reared back to shield herself, covering her belly with one hand as she
swung her torch with the other. "My man's just in the barn. He'll kill you
all if he catches you here."

"There's
no one in the barn," said Evangeline in Old Tongue when I translated.
"You know this woman, Rankil? Unconsciously, she finds you familiar."

"She
does?" Rankil gripped Norlynn's shoulder as she leaned forward.

"Don't!"
The woman looked up then shrank back, scooting back until her heels touched the
wall. "Jinwall!"

"Jinwall?"
Rankil peered at her harder.

She
cowered from Rankil's gaze but stopped as confusion then awe washed over her
round, brown features. "Oh, no."

Wincing,
Rankil broke loose from Norlynn to block the Aut woman's attempt to crawl away.
Rankil jerked the torch from the woman's grasp and pulled her up by her cloak
hood. "Yeah, I know her," she said in Old Tongue. She passed the
torch to Norlynn. "I know her all too well." Rankil righted a bench
and sat the woman on it, sitting next to her.

The
woman paled but didn't move away. "What're you doing here?" she asked
in a shaking voice.

"Escaping
the storm, same as you," said Rankil in Autlach.

"But
Dah told us you'd gone forever." The woman worried her hands over her
belly. "He said you wouldn't be a bother anymore."

"I
was a
bother?"
Ire crossed Rankil's face.

"Peace,
Trooper Rankil," whispered Evangeline.

"I'm
working on it." Rankil momentarily closed her eyes before turning with a
neutral expression to the woman. "I see you haven't changed."

"So
you know this big-bellied Aut after all?" Norlynn placed her free hand on
her hip as she appraised the pregnant woman. "You two related?"

"Unfortunately,
yes." Rankil shifted so her feet rested on the bench and sighed.
"Everyone, meet Tessa—my blood sister."

Chapter
Thirteen

Life

Master:
For every first breath, there is a last.

Rankil

"Your
blood sister is about to birth." Evangeline's eyes drew to Tessa's belly.
"She must be readied." She motioned to Norlynn, and they began to
search for something soft for Tessa to lie on.

"What'd
she just say?" Tessa pushed away from me to the end of the bench.
"And what are she and that other Whitehair doing?"

"Readying
your birth bed would be my guess." I reached for her then drew back, torn
between what I had known and what I knew now. "And their names are
Evangeline and Norlynn."

"I
don't care what their names are, they can't have my baby!"

Tessa
pushed away again, off the edge of the bench. She scrambled backward on her
hands and feet, ludicrous in her pregnant crab walk.

Frowning,
Kaelan stepped in front of her. "As an Aut woman, you should be used to
not getting your way," she said in Autlach. "Let us help you."

"You
don't own me!" Tessa continued scooting backward. "Let me go!"

"Go
where?" Kaelan stood her ground. "Get up."

"No!"
Tessa tried to kick Kaelan back, but Kaelan grasped her leg and held tight
until Tessa began to cry. "Please!" She turned toward me. "You
can't hurt me! I'm your sister!"

"No
one's going to hurt you," I said. "And my sisters look like me, not
like you."

"But,
but," Tessa began then she stopped as her eyes began to glaze with
something more than tears. "What's happening?"

I
could feel Evangeline's energy seizing through my blood sibling as Tessa's
movements slowed.
She is intelligent enough to be a difficult phase,
she
broadcast to me, and I had to agree. I could feel Tessa resisting what
Evangeline forced in her, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. Norlynn took
her hand and returned her to the bench, where she loosened Tessa's cloak from
her throat.

"Something's
odd here, Master Evangeline," she said in the Old Tongue as she stooped to
remove Tessa's boots. "This Aut's carrying more than one."

"I
am aware." Evangeline looked to me. "Do multiple births run in your
family?"