" Why doesn' t he use this vaunted magic to stop us now?"
Chills caused Inyx to shiver in spite of the sun' s warmth on her back. She spent much of her time glancing over her shoulder, certain that the grey- clads had ridden them down.
" He doesn' t need to expend the energy. The soldiers can follow. But I suspect a mage accompanies them to help track us. We have used tricks designed to slow the finest of hunters. None has worked. Can you explain that, if not through the use of magic?"
Jacy Noratumi sullenly shrugged, turning away from the darkhaired woman. He had never met one like her before; she fascinated him with her independence and quick thinking. That she swung a sword better than most of his citizens only added to his admiration of her. He just wished she' d stop harping on this Lan Martak. He' d met the man briefly at the oasis and had seen little in him to justify such loyalty.
Noratumi couldn' t bring himself to believe Inyx actually loved Martak- a mage and a spider- lover! What perversity!
" We must find a base. Soon." When Noratumi didn' t answer, Inyx pressed on, this time voicing what she had hoped he would intuitively understand. " We must make our peace with Wurnna. They can offer the sanctuary we require."
" Wurnna? Never! Those demons would enslave us. Sooner would I throw myself on my sword than even attempt to ally with them."
" Bron and Wurnna have warred long enough. Bron is no more. They can use our aid to save Wurnna. Claybore no longer has to divide his forces. He can bring the full force of his army against Wurnna now. If you want to preserve this world for its native inhabitants- for yourself- this is the only way."
" Better Claybore than Wurnna ruling."
" You can' t mean that." Inyx saw Noratumi' s resolve weakening. She softened her approach, rode closer and reached out to place her hand on the man' s shoulder. " Claybore will never be satisfied with less than total obliteration. His goals do not require anyone living on this planet. He must be stopped. Soon."
" But Wurnna," whined Noratumi. " They are Bron' s sworn enemies. For centuries we have fought one another."
Inyx didn' t need Lan' s magical powers to understand the nature of the struggle. They fought one another; they also needed one another. The external threat hardened resolve and allowed cohesion of culture and purpose that wouldn' t have existed otherwise. If either had triumphed, that would have required new territories to be explored and exploited and conquered. Both Bron and Wurnna had enjoyed and profited from the local conflict. With Bron no longer in the matrix, Wurnna' s rulers faced what had been, until recently, unthinkable. They fought a foe capable of actually destroying them.
" Give me another idea."
Silently, Jacy Noratumi reined toward the notch in the mountains leading to Wurnna. The sag of his shoulders told of his lack of enthusiasm for the journey. At times being a leader carried burdens too intense for any man.
" The refugees come," said Iron Tongue.
Lan nodded. He, too, had sensed their approach through the tortuous mountain trails. Since Rugga had gifted him with both a bracelet and necklace of the power stone, he found it easier to use his magical abilities. Casting spells, minor and major, no longer tired him as it once had. He marveled at the powers he had accumulated and now exercised; the power stone freed him from physical exhaustion. His magics opened vistas into the universe that dazzled him. At times he felt exultation rivaling any god' s and at others he became humbled at the task ahead of him. These powers weren' t for his personal use. In some way he didn' t yet understand, Lan Martak traced back the source of the magic to his home world. The Resident of the Pit had touched him and caused the burgeoning of latent magical powers within his breast.
Duty and pleasure. Those magics provided both. He had to use them for betterment along the Cenotaph Road- and that meant countering the evil Claybore had wrought.
" Jacy Noratumi is with them," he said. Lan didn' t mention Inyx' s accompanying the small band. The less Iron Tongue knew of his personal life, the less power the ruler of Wurnna had over him.
" Bron is lost. I shall enjoy seeing Noratumi sweating in the power- stone mines. He has taunted me in the past. Now I shall laugh."
" We need them- and not in the mines. How many were killed during Claybore' s last attack?"
" No mages."
" No mages," agreed Lan, " but fully half the population of Wurnna perished."
" Slaves. A few citizens."
" Many," insisted Lan. " You need even a paltry handful of refugees to swell your ranks. Defending the city requires men and women acting because they want to and not because they fear being enslaved."
" We will talk with them," came the soothing words. Iron Tongue used the full power of his tongue. Lan paled slightly, then countered the effective magics with deadening spells of his own before he agreed with Wurnna' s ruler.
" Noratumi wants us to meet them outside the walls," Lan said.
" How do you know this?" demanded Iron Tongue.
Lan didn' t answer. That he had received this communication from Inyx came as revelation and relief for him. His new powers showed him that they wouldn' t have to be apart again. While distance might separate their bodies, their minds could remain in contact. The flow was blurred and indistinct now, but he knew it would grow with practice. He wanted it to grow. He needed the dark- haired warrior woman more than he had thought possible.
A small hand signal from Lan stopped Inyx a dozen paces away. She flashed him a puzzled look, then studied Iron Tongue. Understanding slowly dawned on the woman. This was the man Claybore sought; this was the man with the magical tongue; this was the source of the misery and suffering on this planet.
" Iron Tongue," said Jacy Noratumi without preamble. " I seek asylum for my people."
" Only thirteen of them." A sneer twisted Iron Tongue' s lips. " The mighty ruler of Bron governs only refugees." He laughed cruelly and the sound echoed off the mountains and rumbled down the canyon toward the spot where Claybore' s troops had once made their camp. Only death remained there or beyond, where Lan' s ebony dragons had devoured human flesh.
" You do little better," snapped Noratumi. " Wurnna crumbles bit by bit. How many of your citizens are left?"
Iron Tongue started to lie, then tempered it when he saw the expression on Lan' s face.
" Enough to survive."
" Inyx claims we can unite against Claybore."
Iron Tongue turned his attention to Inyx. The woman returned his bold stare without flinching, even though something curled and writhed deep within her. Iron Tongue was a man of infinite cruelty. His very gaze threatened to strip away her humanity. When he spoke, he humbled her. She wanted to fall to her knees and worship him.
Only Lan' s level tones pulled her out of the spell cast. Her vivid blue eyes widened as she grasped the full importance of both name and power possessed by Iron Tongue.
" She is my friend," said Lan, glad that Rugga had remained behind in Wurnna. Still, Iron Tongue would make certain this datum got into the other woman' s hands. He played political games constantly, jockeying for advantage- it wasn' t enough to possess supreme rhetorical skills in a city of mages.
" So? She is welcome in Wurnna." Iron Tongue smiled insincerely as he said, " and so are our brothers and sisters from fallen Bron."
" For them, I accept," said Noratumi. " For myself, however, I prefer to stay outside the walls of your city."
" Jacy, we need you. We need your talents. You are the tactician we need," pleaded Inyx, gripping his sleeve and tugging slightly. He never looked at her.
" I will not enter that city. Not while he rules it."