It was empty.
I thought of Ephialtes, the sutler, at the Crooked Tarn, and seen later at the camp of Cos outside Ar's Station. I supposed him to be traveling with the expeditionary force. He, rather like Temione, had been much abused by Borton, the courier. Indeed, Borton, wanting his space at the Crooked Tarn, a rather good space, a corner space, had simply thrown Ephialtes out of it, and taken it. It had been fairly neatly done. Ephialtes had later assisted me in discomfiting the courier. We had arranged that the courier, thinking himself at fault, would wish a bath in the morning, a circumstance which I turned to my advantage, making away with the fellow's uniform, belongings, tarn and dispatch case. Too, Ephialtes had acted as my agent in certain respects. He was a good fellow. Even now, I supposed, he was keeping four women for me, a slave, Liadne, serving as first girl, and three free women, Amina, of Venna, and Rimice and Phoebe, both of Cos. Amina and small, curvaceous Rimice were debtor sluts. I had picked them up at the Crooked Tarn. I had also picked up slim, white-skinned, dark-haired Phoebe there, who had muchly stripped herself before me, acceding to her pleas that I accept her, if only as a servant. She needed the collar desperately. As yet I had denied it to her.
In the morning I would break camp. I would trek south, toward Holmesk.
Suddenly I leaned forward. It was a very tiny thing, in the distance. I was not sure I saw it. I then waited, intent. Then, after a few Ehn, I was sure of it. On that road, that dirt road, that narrow road, almost a path, long and dusty, the dried grass on each side, a figure was approaching.
I waited.
I waited for several Ehn, for almost a quarter of an Ann. Gradually I became more sure.
I laughed softly to myself.
Then, after a time, I took a small rock and, when the figure had passed, hurled it over and behind the figure, so that it alit across from it, to the east of the road. As there was no cover on the east the figure did as I expected. It spun about, immediately, moving laterally, crouching, every sense alert, its pack discarded. It faced the opposite direction from whence had come the sound. The danger in a situation such as this, given the sound of the rock, surely an anomaly coming from the figure's left, most clearly threatened from the hill and brush, not from the grass. The late afternoon sun flashed from the steel of the bared blade. He was already yards from his pack. In moments he would move to the cover of the brush.
I stood up, and lifted my right hand, free of weapons, in greeting.
His blade reentered its sheath.
"I see they still train warriors well in Ar!" I called to him. "At Ar's Station!" he called to me, laughing. He recovered his pack and scrambled up the hill.
In a moment we clasped hands.
"I feared you had been taken," he cried, in relief.
"I have been waiting for you, here," I said. "What kept you?"
He reddened, suddenly. "I was delayed at the Vosk," he said. "I could come no sooner."
"Business?" I asked.
"Of course," he said, evasively.
I laughed.
"You were waiting to hear news of me, if I had been taken," I said.
"No!" he said, rather too quickly.
"You should have come south immediately," I said, "to the vicinity of Teslit, and from thence, after a suitable interval, expeditiously, toward Holmesk."
"Perhaps," he said.
"But you did not do so," I observed.
He blushed.
"That was our plan, was it not?" I asked him, with an innocence that might have done credit to a Boots Tarsk Bit. It was not for nothing that I had traveled with a group of strolling players. To be sure, I had been used mostly to help assemble the stage and free the wheels of mired wagons.
"It doesn't matter, now," he said, somewhat peevishly.
"But surely one must stick to a plan," I said. "For example, one must be willing to sacrifice the comrade, the friend."
"Of course," he said, irritably. "Of course!"
"It is well that there are fellows like you, to instruct sluggards and less responsible fellows, like me, in their duty."
"Thank you," he said.
"But yet it seems in this instance you did not do so." He shrugged.
"Thank you, my friend," I said.
Again we clasped hands.
"Hist!" said he, suddenly. "Below!"
"Hola there, fellows!" called a man from the road, cheerfully. There were two others with him, tall, half-shaven, ragged, angular-looking fellows. All seemed dangerous, all were armed.
The hand of Marcus went to the hilt of his weapon.
"Hold," I whispered to him. I lifted my hand to the men on the road. "Tal," I called to them.
"We are travelers," called the man. "We seek directions to Teslit."
"It lies on this road, to the south," I said.
"They are not travelers," said Marcus to me.
"No," I said.
"Far?" called the fellow.
"A pasang," I said.
"They have come from the south," said Marcus to me.
"I know," I said. I had been watching the road. Had they been following Marcus, on the road, in the open, I would have seen them. More importantly, from this height, with the sun on the road, one could see the tracks in the dust.
"They carry no packs," said Marcus.
"Their packs are probably in Teslit," I said. I was not the only one who could make inquiries in Teslit.
"They may have followed me," said Marcus, bitterly.
"I think it unlikely," I said, "that is, directly. Surely you would have been alert to such surveillance."
"I would have hoped so," he said. It is dangerous to follow a warrior, as it is a larl or sleen. Such, too often, double back. Such, too often, turn the game.
"Have no fear," called the fellow on the road.
"They may have anticipated your trek southward from the camp," I said. "They may have thought you had left earlier. In Teslit they would learn someone of my description had been recently there, but alone, and had then supposedly gone south. They may have hurried southward as far as they dared, but are now returning north. More likely, as I was alone in Teslit, they may have suspected a projected rendezvous, that I would be waiting in the vicinity for you to join me."
"We would speak with you!" called the fellow.
I did not blame them for not wanting to approach up the hill.
"Perhaps they are brigands," said Marcus.
"I do not think so," I said.
"What then?" asked he.
"Hunters," I said. "Hunters of men." Then I called down to the men on the road. "We are simple merchants," I said.
"Come down," he called, "that we may buy from you!"
"You fellows may be from Ar," I called. It would surely seem to them possible, I suspected, that Ar might have secret patrols in the area.
They looked at one another. Something was said among them. Then, again, the fellow lifted his head. "No," he called. "We are not of Ar."
"It is likely then," smiled Marcus, "that they are from the camp near the Vosk."
"Yes," I said.
"Do not be afraid!" called the man. "You have nothing to fear from us."
"We are simple merchants," I reminded him.
"We would buy from you," he called.
"What would you buy from us?" I asked.
"We have need of many things," he called. "Display your wares!"
"Come up," I called to him.
"Come down," he called.
"It will be dark in two or three Ahn," said Marcus.
"Yes," I said. It was not unlikely that we could hold this small camp until then. Then, in the darkness, we might slip away. I did not think they would wish to ascend the hill toward us. But, too, I suspected they would like to complete their work quickly.
"They could follow us in the morning," said Marcus.
"Yes," I said.
"Come down!" called the man on the road.
"Perhaps we should see what they wish," I said.
"Yes," said Marcus, grimly.