He rolled over and began to do so, while Roh helped him. The khemeiswatched, and finally offered them food and drink, although they had had a little at noon.
"We have sent for horses," Haim said. Vanye nodded, relieved at that.
"There is no word," Vanye said again, trying another approach, "what became of my party."
"No. Not that we know. And we know what there is to be known in this part of Shathan."
"But others might have contact elsewhere." Hope sprang up in him, swiftly killed by Harm's grim look.
"What there is of news is not good, khemeis.I understand your grief. I have said too much. Get up and let us be going."
He did so, with Roh's help. The lack of the armor was relief. He made it until nightfall before he was utterly winded and halted in his tracks.
It was Tirrhen with them now, and not Haim; and Tirrhen showed no intention of stopping. "Come," he said. "Come on."
Roh flung an arm about him and steadied him. They followed Tirrhen until Roh himself was staggering badly.
Then a clearing lay ahead of them in the starlight, and four arrhendimwaited with six horses. "They mean we should keep going," Roh said, and his voice nigh broke.
Vanye looked, and knew none of them. He was helped to one of the saddleless horses, which was haltered only, and led by one of the arrhendim.Roh mounted the other without their help, and silently the party started to move.
Vanye leaned forward and rested against the horse's neck, instinct and habit keeping him astride over rough ground and through winding trails. The pain subsided to something bearable. The horse's patient strength comforted him. He slept at times, though once it cost him a braise on a low branch: he bent back under it and slumped forward again, little the worse for it among so many other hurts. They moved through the night like shadows, and by morning they had reached another clearing, where more horses waited for them, with another escort.
He did not even dismount, but leaned, grasped a mane, and drew himself to the other horse. The party started forward, with no offering to them of food or water. Vanye ceased even to care, although such was finally offered at noon, without stopping. He rode numbly, silent as their escort was silent. Roh was still there, some distance behind… he saw that when he would look back. Arrhendimrode between them so that they could not speak to each other. They had not been disarmed, he realized at last, which heartened him; he trusted that Roh still had his armor and his weapons, for Roh had his own. He himself was beyond using any, and wished only for a cloak, for he was cold, even in daylight.
He asked finally, recalling that these were qhal,not Hetharu's halfling breed, and not by nature cruel. He was given a blanket to wrap himself in as they rode, and they offered him food and drink besides, all with little delay in their riding. Only twice in the day did they dismount even for a moment. At nightfall there was another change of horses, and new guides took over. Vanye returned the blanket, but the qhalgently put it back about him and sent him on into the night with the new guides. The arrhendimwho had them in charge now were more than gentle with them, as if their condition aroused pity in them; but again at dawn, mercilessly, they were passed to others, and both of them now had to be helped to mount.
Vanye had no memory of how many changes there had been; it all merged into nightmare. There were always whistles and sounds about them now, as if they rode some well-marked highroad in the wood, one well-watched… but none of those watchers came into their view.
The trees here loomed up monstrous in size, of different sort than they had seen. The trunks were like walls beside them, and the place existed in shade that made it always twilight.
Night settled on them in that place, a starless dark beneath that canopy of branches; but there was the scent of smoke in the air, and one of their horses whinnied a greeting to another.
Light gleamed. Vanye braced his hands on the horse's moving shoulders, and stared at that soft glow, at the assemblage of tents gathered amid those great trunks, color showing in the firelight. He blinked through tears of exhaustion, fragmenting the image.
"Merir's camp?" he asked of the Man who led his horse.
"He has sent for you," that Man said, but no more would he say.
Music drifted to them, qhalurand beautiful. It died at their coming. Folk left the common-fire and stood as a dark line of shadows along the course that they rode into camp.
The arrhendimstopped and bade them dismount. Vanye slid down holding the mane, and needed the bracing of two arrhendimto keep his feet as they guided him, for his legs were weak and the ceaseless motion of the horses still ruled his senses, so that the very earth seemed to heave under him.
"Khemeis!"
A cry went up. A small body impacted his and embraced him. He stopped, freed a shaking hand and touched the dark head that rested against his heart. It was Sin.
"How did you come here?" he asked the boy, out of a thousand questions that he wondered, the only one that made clear sense.
The wiry arms did not let him go; small hands clenched in the sides of his shirt as the arrhendimurged him to start walking, and drew him on. "Carrhend moved," Sin said. "Riders came. It burned."
"Go away, lad," said the khemeisat the right-gently. "Go away."
"I came," Sin said; his hands did not unclench. "I went into the forest to find the qhal.They brought me here."
"Did Sezar come back? Or Lellin?"
"No. Ought they? Where is the lady?"
"Leave him," said the khemeis."Lad-do as you are told."
"Go away from me," Vanye said heavily. "Sin, I am not in good favor with your people. Go away as he tells you."
The hands relaxed, withdrew. Sin lagged behind. But then as he walked Vanye caught sight of him, staying to one side, trailing them forlornly. He walked, for they would not let him do otherwise, to Merir's tent. They brought him at once inside, but Roh was left behind: he did not realize that until he was faced about in front of Merir's chair.
The old qhalsat wrapped in a plain gray cloak, and his eyes were sad, glittering in the light of the lamps. "Let him go," Merir said; they did, gently, and Vanye sank down to one knee and bowed himself to the mat in respect.
"You are sorely hurt," Merir said.
It was not the opening he had expected of the old lord, whose grandson was lost, whose line was threatened, whose land was invaded. Vanye bowed again, shaking with exhaustion, and sat back. "I do not know where Lellin is," he said hoarsely. "I want leave to go, my lord, to find him and my lady."
Merir's brows contracted. The old lord was not alone in the tent; grim armed Men and qhalwere about him, force at need; and there were the elders, whose eyes were darkened with anger. But Merir's frown held more of pain than of wrath. "You do not know the state of things here. We know that you crossed the Narn. And after that, the harilim,the dark ones… have severed us from the region. Is it not so, that you went to find Nehmin?"
"Yes, lord."
"Because your lady would have it so, against my wishes. Because she was set on this thing; and warnings would not deter her. Now Lellin is gone, and Sezar; and she is lost; and war is upon us." The anger did come, and stilled, and the gray eyes brooded in the lamplight, lifted slowly once more. "I saw all these things in her. I saw in you only what I see now. Tell me, Khemeis,all that happened. I shall hear you. Tell me everything and spare no detail. It may be that some tiny scrap of knowledge will help us understand the rest"
He did so. His voice failed him in the midst of it, and they gave him drink; he continued, in their stark silence. There was silence even after he had finished. "Please," he asked of Merir, "give me a horse and one for my cousin too. Our weapons. Nothing more. We will go and find them."
The silence continued. In the weight of it, he reached to his neck and lifted off the chain that bore the amulet, tendered it to Merir. When Merir made no move to take it, he laid it on the mat before him, for his hand could not hold it longer without shaking.
"Then let us go out as we are," Vanye said. "My lady is lost. I want only to go and find her and those with her." "Man," said Merir at last, "why did she seek Nehmin?" He was dismayed by the question, for it shot to the heart of things that Morgaine had withheld from their knowledge. "Does it not control Azeroth?" he countered. "Does it not control the place where our enemies are?" "Were," said another.
He swallowed, clenched his hands in his lap to keep them from trembling. "Whatever is amiss out there is my doing. I take responsibility for it. I told you why they came; they pursued me, and Nehmin has nothing to do with that. My lady is hurt. I do not know if she is still alive. I swear to you that she is not at fault in bringing attack on you."