He was not there.
Aria had no time to curse.
"We are looking for the family of Stone in the Wall," said the troop's leader. He was a big man with Nobility's swirls on his hands. Green and scarlet. Aria faced one of the rulers of Narroways.
Well, she thought with a mix of satisfaction and sourness, let's see how astute this Lord of Narroways actually is.
"My lord, forgive this despised one. She can say only that they are not here. When Stone in the Wall was cursed as a Heretic by the Teachers, the Nameless Powers preserve them all, we hurled that tainted blood from our clan. If they live yet, this despised one doesn't know where or how."
The totally expected happened next, which was why Aria had insisted on being the one to deliver the bad news.
The Lord of Narroways took a foot out of his stirrup and aimed a kick at her head. She covered, ducked, and rolled backward, but the blow set her ears ringing anyway.
"Don't lie to me, Notouch!" he bellowed. "Where are they!"
"My lord?" said a voice. "If I may?"
That was a surprise. Aria took great pains to blink stupidly as she heard the sounds of someone dismounting. A shadow bent over her. She felt the weight in the air as the entire clan stood silent in the face of this startling gentleness.
"Stone in the Wall's family is in no danger." She heard the accent under the voice and she saw the blue-and-white swirls against sun-browned skin as the Skyman's hands reached to help her up. Aria shrank back under her poncho hood.
"We come as the Servant of the Nameless came to their ancestors," he went on. "To get help."
How dare you…Aria forgot to keep her eyes down.
"Got you, Stone in the Wall." The Skyman hauled her to her feet.
In that second, the clan poured out of their doorways and the fight was on.
The Notouch hefted the kettles and sickles. Aria tore her sling off her belt and whirled it over her head. She brought it across the Skyman's temple while the Narroways lord was still fumbling for his sword. She whirled it again and took down the soldier unlucky enough to get in her way. Then she had to start ducking and running. The noise of metal on metal, and the screams of battle surrounded her. Eric appeared out of nowhere, dragging soldiers off the oxen and throwing them to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him haul off one in Teacher's robes, dragging him back toward the huts.
What's he doing? She had barely time for the thought before she was nose to nose with another of the soldiers and had more important things to deal with.
It probably didn't last that long. Aria lost track. All she knew for sure was that there came a moment when she looked wildly around her and the only people standing were also of the clan.
A flash of brown and black darted out from a thicket of bamboo. Without even stopping to think, Aria took off at a run. Her quarry ran like an expert, dodging the worst of the mire and ducking low tree branches without breaking stride. A Notouch poncho and headcloth flapped behind them. Aria realized whom she must be chasing and adrenaline and anger gave her an extra burst of speed. She launched herself forward and threw all her weight against her quarry. With a "whoof!" of lost breath they both hit the marshy ground.
Branch in the River rolled over and swung her fist out. Aria scuttled backward and snatched her sling off her belt as they both scrambled to their feet. For a moment, they did nothing but stare at each other. Then Aria swung her arm slowly backward.
"You try to run and I will drop you like a dog before you get thirty feet," she said.
"Do it, then." Branch in the River gulped air and wiped soil off her face. "You want me dead anyway."
"Oh, no." Aria shook her head. "I want you alive. I want you to face the clan with all of them knowing who brought the soldiers and the Skyman down on us. You can either walk back or be dragged back. It's your choice."
Branch glanced toward the open marsh and back toward Aria. Aria locked her elbow and held still, even though her arm was beginning to feel the strain. The adrenaline rush was leaving her and a slow trembling was taking hold of her limbs. If Branch did try to run, Aria wasn't sure she could stop her.
With more dignity than Aria really wanted to see, Branch lifted her chin and began walking back toward the huts. Aria followed warily, her sling still in her hand.
Although the fight was over, the clan was still engaged in a flurry of activity. Several of them had picked up swords and were making sure no soldier would rise from the ground again. Others clustered around the oxen and the supply sledge, laying claim to the spoils of battle.
A shout went up as Branch in the River stepped into the clan's view and Aria heard the distinctive whistle of a sling being swung. Before she could do anything, Nail in the Beam broke through the shifting crowd. A blanket of silence dropped across the clan. Aria's breath caught in her throat.
Nail in the Beam stood directly in front of his second wife.
"Go home." His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. "And know that I am glad my children have already been sent away."
"I did what was right," said Branch loud enough for every ear to hear her. "I will answer any who challenge it."
"You will answer." Nail's hands were trembling. "I just hope we will not have to answer with you. Go home."
Branch, chin still held high, walked a straight line through the crowd and the clan returned to its grim work. Aria turned away, suddenly weary beyond belief.
"Mother?" Storm Water laid his hand on her arm.
"Your mother is all right," Aria said, although she was not certain she spoke the truth. She squeezed his hand firmly and straightened her shoulders. "What's happened to the Skyman?"
"He is fallen here." Storm Water led her to the prostrate Skyman on the edge of the pond.
He was sprawled on his back. Aria laid her hands against his chest to feel for his breathing. It was ragged, but strong. He had a bruise from her sling, but was probably all right. Iron Shaper made his way through the crowd to them. He had a captured sword in his fist and he raised it over the Skyman's head.
Aria held up her hand. "This one we keep. He'll be able to tell us what's going on."
The smith grunted. "We need to sink the bodies."
"Go ahead. Storm Water, go help unload the sledge." Storm Water stayed where he was until she gave him a long, stern look. Then he ducked his head and trotted toward the gathering around the soldier's supply sledge.
Awkwardly, Aria hefted the Skyman across her shoulders. He was deadweight and she was tired. She staggered into Shaper's house and dropped him into a heap on the floor.
Eric stood by the fire circle with a burly man in Teacher's clothing.
"Stone in the Wall dena Aria Born of the Black Wall," Eric said, "this is my brother by marriage, Heart of the Seablade." He spoke evenly. "He's a Heretic, too, and he'd better understand something." Eric's stare could have set the walls on fire, the heat of the anger behind it was so intense. "If he tries to play any sneaking games this time, I'll kill him with my own hands."
16—The Lif Marshes, the Realm of the Nameless Powers, Afternoon
"May the universe be merciful and keep from me the truth about my ancestors."
—Tiac Hsi Chai, from "Genealogies"
Eric stared at his brother-in-law. "And then what?"
"And then I accepted Jay's advice that we try to find the family of this Stone in the Wall."
Eric and Aria sat beside Iron Shaper's fire, between Heart, the Skyman Jay, and the door. Shaper himself was outside with the rest of the clan, hopefully telling the rest of the clan to keep away while Eric and Aria "questioned" the Teacher and the Skyman.