I removed Neesha’s sword from the stirrup strap and placed it carefully in my armpit, then pulled the saddle and blanket from the stud’s back. I was in the midst of arranging blade, blanket, and saddle when I heard Del’s call. I turned to it, hooking the saddle against one hip. And my jaw nearly hit the ground.
A man was with her. A sword-dancer. Blond, blue-eyed, tall. A Northerner.
The first thought that ran through my mind was that Del had accepted a challenge and had come for her sword in Mahmood’s wagon. But that shouldn’t apply, because in lacking her sword she wasn’t expected to accept a challenge. Which left the other possibility.
He’d come for me.
Well, I had two swords. One, wrapped in muslin, tucked under one arm; the other in harness across my back. He was far enough away that it was a simple matter to drop saddle and blanket and arm myself before he could reach me, and I think he recognized it also.
I looked at Del, tilting my head just a bit and giving her a wide-eyed, extremely pointed, questioning stare.
She smiled. “This is Eddrith,” she said. “Remember him? He danced with Neesha.”
“And defeated him,” Eddrith said.
I didn’t look at him. “I remember Eddrith,” I told her coolly, “but what is Eddrith doing here?”
“It’s not a challenge,” she explained.
“Well, not yet,” Eddrith clarified.
Del frowned at him. “You didn’t say that in the tavern.”
He smiled, first at Del, then at me. “You didn’t ask me in such a way as to require a complete answer.”
I dropped saddle and blanket into the mud, took Neesha’s sword from under my arm, and sliced through the muslin wrappings to free the blade. I looked a question at Eddrith, waiting for the challenge.
“No,” he said, alarmed. “No, no. That’s not what I’m here for, here. Not now. Wait. I promise. Let me draw my sword.”
“That’s a good indicator of a friendly intention,” I said dryly.
Del stood next to him. Together, they were so similar in coloring, two tall, pale-haired Northerners. But carefully, deliberately, she took the number of steps necessary to remove herself from Eddrith’s reach. My bascha was not happy, not happy at all. In fact, she was coldly furious. Probably more with herself, bringing a challenge to me when I was supposed to be elsewhere.
Eddrith showed me his palms. “No challenge,” he said. “No challenge. Let me remove my sword. I’ll drop it into the muck. Or hand it to her.” His eyes slanted to Del.
I smiled broadly. “Yes, give it to Del, why don’t you? It puts you close enough to attack an unarmed woman.”
That appeared to have never crossed his mind. Thoughtfully, he looked at Del, as if tucking away in his brain the action I’d suggested. Then he looked back to me. “In the muck,” he said. “I’ll toss it out of my reach.”
I smiled at him. And while he watched, I tossed Neesha’s sword to Del and unsheathed my own.
“All right,” I said. “Now you can remove your sword and toss it aside. In the muck. But be careful when you do so. Very, very careful.”
Eddrith was very, very careful. The sword slapped down into mud, well out of reach. Then he stood very still and looked at me. His demeanor had changed to worry. He was now facing the best sword-dancers in the South. Even if we were presently in the North.
“Now,” I said lightly, “why in hoolies are you here?”
Eddrith licked his lips. “I wish to help you defeat these raiders.”
I had expected nothing like that. “You what?”
“I wish to help you defeat these raiders.”
I looked at Del, once more asking a pointed question with my eyes.
She shrugged. “That’s what he told me.”
Eddrith said, “I hired on as a caravan outrider, once. Raiders attacked. One of them managed to stick a sword in me, jerk me off my horse. They thought I was dead. I thought I was dead. And while I lay there, waiting to die, they killed everyone in the caravan I’d been hired to protect.”
Chapter 28
I EYED HIM UP AND DOWN. “You do not appear to be dead.”
“Well, no. It wasn’t a killing strike, it just looked like one. And another caravan came along not long after.”
I nodded. “All right, let’s back up a little, shall we? Something you said early on. You know: about this not being a challenge yet. Yet.”
“Oh,” he said.
“Yes, oh.” I smiled at him cheerily. “Well?”
“Not a real challenge,” he said hastily.
“How do you make a challenge that isn’t a real challenge?”
“Yes,” Del said grimly. “How do you do that?”
Eddrith seemed somewhat puzzled by our ignorance. “Well, I challenge you to dance. But it’s not to the death. Practice, mostly, because I know you would defeat me.”
I’d decided Eddrith was younger than I’d thought at first glance. “You mean sparring.”
Eddrith nodded. “In exchange.”
“In exchange for what?”
“Help with the raiders.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Oh, there’s a price for your help, is there?”
Del took two steps toward him. He was now in range of her blade. In an icy voice, she told him, “You mentioned no price in the tavern. You simply offered to help.”
“I think it’s fair.” Now he was on the defensive. He looked at me again. “Don’t you think it’s fair?”
Neither Del nor I said anything. Color filled, then drained from his face.
What Eddrith didn’t realize was that he had actually put Del and I in the position of having to pay his price for his help. It wasn’t that we needed help, particularly, but if we chased him away, he might just go to the raiders and tell them where we were. I didn’t think he would, because of his story; then again, it would be a clever man to tell such a touching story, all to win our favor.
Maybe Eddrith was brighter than I’d thought. Or else a very good actor.
I glanced at Del. Her expression said she was leaving it up to me, probably because it was me Eddrith wanted. “All right,” I said. “You can help us. Afterward, you and I will spar.”
He nodded once, attempting a dignified acceptance, but the light in his eyes was pure anticipation and excitement.
Del remained in reach of Eddrith, though she spoke to me. “I stabled my horse. I took a room in an inn.”
I glanced briefly at Eddrith. “Did he recommend the inn?”
Del knew better than to do such a thing, but it was worth asking in front of the young man. “Oh, no. This was done before I began going into taverns.”
I looked again at Eddrith. “Meet us here tomorrow. We’ll discuss plans.”
He nodded, but remained where he was. Warily.
Ah. I walked over to his sword, slid my blade under his, and flipped the sword in his direction. Del was already in position to defend or attack, as was necessary.
But it wasn’t necessary. Eddrith caught the sword awkwardly, shook it to clear some of the mud, but did not sheath it. The blade would have to be cleaned, first. He backed up, then turned and walked away, attempting to avoid the deeper puddles.
“Why?” Del asked.