Relief washed over him when the boat finally began to slow. The lights from the Pentadrian shore were reassuringly distant. He turned and drew in a quick breath. The lights of Diamyane were unexpectedly close.
Mirar sent me much further than Ella did. He frowned. Does this mean he is stronger?
He sat there pondering this for a few minutes. Surely that wasn’t possible. Ella had replaced Auraya, so they must be about equal in strength. The gods wouldn’t have sent Auraya to kill Mirar if she was weaker than him.
A splash close to the boat brought his attention back to his surroundings. He peered over the edge, not expecting to see anything. Instead he found a pair of eyes staring back at him.
Paralyzed by surprise, he stared back. Then two dark hands shot out of the water toward his throat.
He jerked back and shoved them away at the same time, getting an impression of cold and slippery skin. The hands grabbed hold of the side of the boat. They were extraordinarily large and there was webbing between the fingers. He heard a slap and turned to see another hand appear over the other side of the boat, holding a strange weapon.
:Ella!
:I see them! Give me a moment to find you!
Heads appeared. Black, bald heads with strange filmy eyes. Terror rushed through Danjin. Grabbing an oar, he swung it at one. It ducked. He reversed the swing and jabbed the paddle of the oar at the other. It connected with a satisfying crack.
The man dropped into the water, then the first disappeared. Danjin wondered if he had caused a fatal injury. If he had wounded the man, his companion might have to take him away. If he hadn’t, or had killed the man, he’d have either one or two men coming back for revenge.
To his dismay, two heads appeared in the water nearby. One’s nose was bleeding profusely, dribbling into a mouth caught in a snarl of hate. The blood was a livid red against the man’s white teeth.
But a moment ago it was too dark for me to see this well...
The two men looked up and toward the shore, and their expressions changed to fear. They vanished underwater. Turning, Danjin saw a spark of light rushing toward him. He waved his arms, then tumbled into the bottom of the boat as it jerked into motion. Sighing with relief, he decided to stay there.
The journey to the shore was mercifully short. When he felt the boat slow he began to pull himself back onto the seat. Ella stood on the beach ahead, a white glowing figure of goodness. As the boat slid up onto the sand she strode forward, her dress and circ dipping into the water. He felt a sudden rush of affection for her.
“Are you all right, Danjin?”
He stepped out and looked himself over. “Fine. A bit bruised in places, but otherwise happy to be alive.” He glanced behind. “What were those creatures?”
“Elai,” she replied, frowning. “Several of our supply ships and a Dunwayan warship have been sunk tonight. That wasn’t a weapon you saw. It was a tool for drilling holes.”
Danjin nodded. Of course. Now that she had pointed it out, he recognized the tool as one used for ship repairs. In the hands of the creature it had taken on an exotic menace.
“We’ll have to work out a way to fight them, or we’ll never survive a protracted battle here,” Ella added.
“Well, I’m glad he didn’t get a chance to drill any holes in me,” he said.
She smiled. “And I am, too. I wish I hadn’t needed to send you over there, but the only other way we could have talked to Mirar was through Arleej, and there may have been something he’d agree to so long as his people didn’t know of it.”
“Did anything good come of it?” he asked.
She looked at him, then shrugged. “Maybe. We will have to discuss it. You should get some sleep in these last few hours before the army arrives.”
“I don’t think I will.”
“No, but you will try,” she said firmly. “I’ll need you alert and at your best tomorrow.”
Putting a hand on his shoulder, she steered him toward the town.
48
As Auraya grew aware of her aching body again she nearly groaned aloud.
At least when I’m asleep I’m oblivious. I don’t feel pain or frustration or boredom or worry or... What is that?
Something snuffled at her ear. She opened her eyes and turned her head. Round eyes and a pointed nose filled her vision. A narrow pink tongue licked her nose.
“Owaya,” Mischief said quietly.
“You’re back.” She nearly sobbed with relief.
“Msstf hunt. Msstf find.”
He moved something from his hand to his mouth and scurried up her arm.
Shifting position, she went rigid with the pain that shot down her arms. Breathing steadily, she waited for circulation to return.
The weight of the veez and the prodding of his feet didn’t help at all. As feeling returned his every movement sent shocks of agony along her arm.
“Ow! That hurts!”
He ignored her. Bending forward, she tried to see what he was doing.
And a wave of giddy, dizzy hope took her breath away.
Mischief was holding a key in his mouth. He was trying to insert it into the lock of the cuff around her wrist. Auraya gaped at him, but as she saw that he was trying to put the wrong end in the keyhole her wits returned in a rush. She glanced at the Servant guards. They were both leaning against the wall beside the gate, their heads lowered. Reaching out with her mind she saw that they were sulking about being left behind.
The strongest Dedicated Servant in Glymma and I end up a prison guard, one thought. I must have done something wrong. What did I do wrong?
Turning back to Mischief, Auraya touched his mind and sent the idea of turning the key around. He paused, then flipped it over, using both paws and his mouth.
It seemed to take forever for him to insert it in the keyhole. Once there she sensed he was unsure what to do next. Then he remembered how he normally undid locks with magic. There was usually something inside that turned. He tried to twist the key, but his paws weren’t used to the action. Hearing a noise, Auraya glanced at the guards again. Her stomach lurched as she saw one was peeing at her.
“You’d better hurry,” she told Mischief. “Or they’ll be eating veez stew tonight.”
As the guard reached toward the gate she felt a surge of desperation. Mischief must have sensed it, as he suddenly ran down her arm and licked her face.
“No, no, no!” she muttered.
He scurried back to the lock, to her relief. He paused to sniff at it. She heard the gate open and the voice of the second guard raised in query. Turning away she watched Mischief anxiously as he stared at the key. In the corner of her eye she saw the guards step into the hall.
Mischief took the key in his mouth and twisted.
The lock snapped open and Mischief leapt up onto the throne. Gritting her teeth against the pain of moving a wrist long held in one position, she slid her hand out of the cuff and twisted it around to take hold of the key.
The sound of footsteps grew louder, then more rapid as she pulled out the key and forced her arm around so she could insert it in the cuff around her other wrist. She twisted it. The lock opened.