Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (62 page)

"Somehow,
I
doubt
it,"
Breaker
said.

"You
were
just
asking
why
he's
paused
in
his
assault,"
the Leader
retorted.
"Perhaps
that's
why."

"He
released
the
spider,
if
that's
what
it
was,"
the
Seer said.
"But
I
think
he's
...
he's
not
entirely
gone,
somehow."

Her
final
word
was
partially
obscured
by
the
Speaker's scream.

Breaker
and
the
Leader
dove
for
the
door
simultaneously, and
almost
collided
there;
at
the
last
instant
Breaker
caught himself,
and
the
Leader
plunged
through
first,
out
into
the pounding
rain—which
abruptly
stopped.

The
wagon,
too,
abruptly
stopped,
just
as
Breaker
thrust his
head
through
the
door,
and
he
almost
toppled
forward onto
the
Leader's
back.

The
Speaker
was
standing
in
the
mud
beside
the
left
lead ox,
clutching
the
reins
and
looking
the
beast
in
the
eye;
the other
oxen
appeared
confused,
and
were
moving
uneasily
in their
harnesses.

And
the
ox
spoke,
its
voice
a
distorted
bellow
that
was clearly
audible,
now
that
the
rain's
drumming
had
faded
to the
faint
patter
of
water
dripping
from
the
trees
and
metal cage.
The
inhuman
tone
made
the
words
hard
to
understand at
first,
but
never
quite
unintelligible.

"/
am
not
about
to
surrender!"
it
said.
"I
was
allowing
you
time
to
come
to
your
senses.
Can't
you
see
how
much
damage
your
attempts
to
destroy
me
will
cause?
You
can
still
go home
peacefully.
We
can
all
go
on
as
before.
I've
shown
you I
can
hurt
you,
despite
your
protections—and
rest
assured,
I will
kill
you
if
I
must."

"And
for
each
of
us
you
kill
your
power
will
be
lessened, and
the
rest
will
be
more
determined
to
slay
you,"
the
Leader said.

"But
we
are
a
long
way
from
that,
as
yet,"
the
ox
replied. "I
have
only
begun
to
demonstrate
how
much
I
can
make you
suffer
without
killing
you.
You
mourned
that
guide
I slew,
and
you
barely
knew
her—what,
then,
when
I
destroy your
homes
with
lightning
and
fire?
What
will
you
feel
when I
kill
the
Thief
and
her
children,
or
the
Beauty's
adopted
clan sisters,
or
the
Swordsman's
family,
off
in
the
northern
valleys?"

Breaker
felt
a
sudden
chill.

"You
wouldn't
dare,"
the
Leader
said.

"Wouldn't
I?
What
about
your
useless
brother,
Boss?
Do you
want
to
see
his
daughter
orphaned?
His
true
name
is Faral
imz
Dorra
shadas
Bik
..
."

"We
know
you
can
find
names,"
the
Leader
interrupted.
"And
yes,
I'm
sure
you
found
Faral
and
Wirra,
and
you
could kill
them—and
do
you
think
that
would
make
me
stop?
Then I'd
have
a
personal
vengeance
to
pursue,
as
well
as
my duty!"

.
"And
you'd
have
Wirra's
death
on
your
conscience—your own
niece."