Sovereign

I should have thought of that, Lynan told himself. What else have I missed? What would Kumul be telling me now?

The thought of Kumul filled him with grief. He still had not had time to properly mourn the death of his friend. Ever since the death of his father when he was asmall boy, Kumul had been his teacher and guardian, and had loved Lynan like a son. He glanced at Jenrosa and knew Kumul's death must be at least as hard on her. Why had she not spoken to him yet? She said she had something to talk to him about.

'I miss Kumul,' he said, surprised by the words. And then—with sudden certainty—he knew why he had said them.

Jenrosa looked taken aback. Lynan could hear her breath quicken. 'This isn't the time—'

'This is exactly the right time,' he said quickly. 'We haven't really talked since his death. We haven't sat down together and talked like friends; we haven't remembered him together like friends. I haven't even talked to Ager about any of this.'

'I don't want to talk about it,' she said flatly. 'I don't want to remember the pain. We're in the middle of a war, and by the end of it Kumul's death will be…' Her voice trailed off. She was going to say 'insignificant', but the lie stopped in her throat.

He reached out to touch her hand, but she retreated from him. Humiliated, not sure what to do, he withdrew. Jenrosa, too, seemed unsure what to do, or where to look.

Eventually Lynan said: 'What is it you wanted to see me about?'

For a moment Jenrosa looked as if she did not understand the question.

'I'm sorry,' she started, her tone apologetic, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.

'What did you want to see me about?' he insisted, his voice hard now.

'The Chetts are being attacked on the Oceans of Grass.'

'Who could possibly be attacking the Chetts?' he asked, his disbelief obvious.

'The enemy fight on foot, and they carry a pennant with a design of a bird I do not recognise.'

'How do you know this? What magik…?'

'Strong magik, Lasthear tells me.' Jenrosa was about to say more, but changed her mind.

'Are you sure it is not something that has happened in the distant past? Or is still to be?'

She shook her head. 'I used the magik two mornings ago. I'm sure I saw the attack as it was happening.'

'Two mornings ago?' he demanded, suddenly in a rage. 'God, woman, why didn't you tell me then?'

Suddenly nervous, Jenrosa said: 'Because I wasn't sure of what I'd done and seen.'

'Unsure?' He almost bellowed the word. Jenrosa heard it ring out across the fields.

'Unsure about my magik,' she said quickly, trying to keep her voice hushed. 'I didn't want to believe I was doing it.'

Lynan sat back in his saddle. The rage fell away from him, and he was left confused. He did not understand what she meant, but he could sense the fear in her. 'But, Jenrosa, two days…'

'I'm here now,' she said. 'And I couldn't tell you in front of anyone else. I had to wait until you were alone.'

'Why?'

'It was the Horse Clan, Lynan. It was a massacre. I'm not sure, but I think there were no more than a handful of survivors.'

'Eynon's clan?' He was aghast. 'Wiped out?'

She nodded. 'What was left of it on the Oceans of Grass.'

'God.'

'All he has now are the warriors he brought with him to serve you.'

'It's my fault,' he muttered, his voice distant.

'That's a stupid thing to say,' she said abruptly. 'You didn't know this would happen. And who's to say if Eynon had still been there the outcome would have been any different? But he'll want to go back.'

'No,' Lynan said emphatically.

'What do you mean? He has to go back.'

'You said yourself there were probably no more than a handful of survivors. What will he go back to?'

'But the enemy, whoever it is, may still be there!' she said, her voice rising. 'They have to be dealt with!'

'I need Eynon and his warriors here for the attack on Daavis. If he rushes off to the Oceans of Grass I will have to call off the siege and we lose the initiative. I can't afford to let Areava dictate what happens in this war. Besides, we don't know that the attacker is still on the plains.'

'But if they are they could overrun the Oceans of Grass!'

'I won't let it be overrun!' he snapped. 'There are still thousands of warriors on the plain—'

'The best are with you, Lynan. You know that.'

'I will do what is best for all the Chetts,' he said.

'You mean you'll do what's best for Lynan. The two aren't necessarily the same thing.'

'I will do what's best for the Chetts,' he repeated coldly. 'Having them retreat back to the Oceans of Grass serves no one except Areava.'

'Eynon will find out.'

'I can't stop you from telling him—'

'Oh, stop it, Lynan! He won't find out from me! But even if there were no survivors, another clan's outriders will eventually come across the battle site. Or worse, whoever the attacker is will strike at another clan. How long do you think it will be before a rider comes with the news? A month? Less?'

He glanced at the walls of Daavis. 'I only need a month.'

'And what then? All of Haxus and Hume under your heel, what's next on your list?'

'What are you talking about? This isn't just about Lynan Rosetheme. It's about revealing Berayma's murderers. It's about Areava sending mercenaries against the Chetts. It's about keeping free the trade routes between east and west. It's about putting Ager back in his captain's uniform.' He jabbed a finger at Jenrosa and his voice started rising. 'And it's about getting you back in the theurgia which is all you've cared about since we escaped from Kendra!'

Without thinking Jenrosa slapped Lynan's face. He recoiled from her like a released spring. She looked at her hand and for a moment thought she could see blood on it. She screamed and rubbed it against her vest and looked at it again. There was nothing there, not even a smear. When she looked up again Lynan was already gone, heading north again. For a long while she did not move. She was paralysed by what she had done. 'I'm sorry,' she said, too weakly for Lynan to hear.

CHAPTER 11

Night again. With a long sigh Amemun dug his way out from underneath his cloak. There was food being cooked nearby and he was drawn to it the way fleas seem to be drawn to him of late. One of the Saranah offered him a large piece of beef which he accepted gratefully. He had not been starving on the expedition to the Oceans of Grass, but he found the usual Saranah fare of mutton jerky, dried yogurt and seed cake about as appealing as parchment. As he chewed on the fresh meat Dekelon appeared, giving instructions to a group of wounded warriors. They were being sent back to the Saranah homeland with the surviving cattle and other prizes looted from the Chett clan they had butchered two days before. They could have carried more if they were mounted or just used the Chett's own horses as pack animals, but as Dekelon had explained to him, no Saranah had ridden for over a hundred years, and the desert country could not support a large number of horses. Still, even the wounded were carrying what seemed to be a small mountain of loot. Amemun could imagine the glee with which the train would be received in that poor country.

Dekelon grabbed some food and joined Amemun.

'Where to next?' Amemun asked him.

'West. The plains get drier and the clans are more scattered.'

'Less prizes for your people.'

'Less chance of being discovered,' Dekelon countered. 'And for the moment that is more important.'

'But with most of the Chett warriors in the east with Lynan Rosetheme you should not worry about discovery. You could handle any single clan—'

'As long as Lynan Rosetheme's army stays in the east,' Dekelon interrupted, his voice level.

Amemun eyed him warily. 'What do you mean?'

'A messenger came last night from your king.'

'Marin? What message?'