Dave Duncan - Seventh Sword 2, Coming of Wisdom

He jumped. It was Lae, bony old Lae, her wrinkled, motherly face frowning at him. You all right? she demanded. He stopped his jaw rattling long enough to say, Yes, Im all right. I was just coming back. His eyes prickled, and he lowered his face as a slave should.

She frowned. Shonsu and your brother are eating the shutters in the deckhouse. You were very nearly left behind! I guessed youd be around the tower somewhere. Come on! He fell into step beside her, then remembered that he was a slave and fell back a pace. She twisted her head a few times to look at him. You look as if youve had a hard day.

Her voice was more gentle. He managed to grin, beginning to feel better. Ive been inside the tower. She stopped dead so that the other pedestrians had to dodge around them; it was a narrow street. Gods, boy! Youve got more guts and less brains than your brother! I did not think that was possible. He had more brains, but he did not say so.

And, yes, maybe he did have guts. Oh, it was not hard. Very interesting, really. I saw lots of things... He was going to start babbling and he had a crazy desire to laugh, so he bit his lip and forced himself into silence. Getting in might be easy, Lae said, but you got out again! You look beat.

Come on, then. They reached the dock road and walked along past the ships. Two patrolling sorcerers went by without a glance at him. Lae stopped again and asked some questions, studying him carefully. Im going to take you on board, she said firmly, and youre going to have a shower and then youll sleep in my cabin. Shonsu and Nnanji cant leave the deckhouse until were out of port, and Ill see they stay away.

Thanks, he said. Brota liked to think she was ship mother, but anyone with a problem went to Lae. A sleep would be good, but could even Lae hold off an angry Seventh? He saw both grins and glares as he went on board, but Lae kept the others away. She stood outside the door while he showered. His muscles began to knot up in lumps of agony as he worked the pump. He was trembling even more now, damn it! Then she handed in his kilt, and he stumbled along behind her, down to the cabins.

Hers was just like the others, a little box with a chest and a roll of bedding, but she had bright drapes beside the porthole, a little rug on the floor, and an embroidered bedcover. The air smelled of lavender, like his mothers closet. He unrolled the bedding and lay down stiffly and looked up at her. You need anything else, novice? Food? A drink of water, Sailor Lae, he said, and thank you. She smiled, thin-lipped. Ill see that youre not disturbed.

He thought he would go to sleep at once, but he lay there, and his shivering grew worse instead of better. He took off his kilt and pulled the covers over him and that did not help. He decided he had caught a chill. He ought to say some prayers, he thought. Then the door opened and his drink came in, but it was Diwa who brought it. She shut the door and bolted it.

When he put the beaker aside, she sat down and started sliding into the bed beside him. He gulped. No! Youll be missed! She chuckled. Dont worrythey know about us. Oooo! Youre cold as a fish! Lae said this might help. It did help.

It helped worlds. She put her arms around him, tightly. He pushed down her bra sash with his chin and cuddled his head between her breasts. They were big and soft and warm and smelled of fresh bread; lovely things, they were. He shed tears over them, because they were so lovely, and hoped she would not notice. Eventually he stopped shivering and began to feel warm.

He thought he ought to do the manly thing for Diwa now, because this might be his last opportunity, but then it was too late, because he was asleep... Of course it was Diwa who stopped Sapphire from sailing. Sniveling and shaking, she was thrust into the deckhouse ahead of an enraged Brota to repeat her confession to the swordsmen and explain that Katanji was ashore. Tomiyano was right behind, his face dark with fury. Others came crowding in, filling the dim, shuttered room with wet, furious people. The draperies of damp laundry were ripped down to make more space; voices were raised.

For the third time the ship had visited a sorcerer city. For a fourth time she had been put in jeopardy. The sailors were frightened and therefore angry. Wallie was horrified by the risk to Katanji. Nnanji was disgusted at the disgrace of a swordsman playing slave. Malolia stocky, heavyset man whose face was rubicund at the best of timeswas ablaze at the shame of it all.

Only the calming influence of his wife, Fala, was restraining him from words that would have forced Nnanji to take offense; and even the unexcitable Fala was thin-lipped and bitter. Katanji had been in their daughters cabin; she had been compromised. Everyone was shouting and arguing at cross-purposes. Quiet! Wallie bellowed, and there was quiet. Then he spoke quietly. Mistress, we can discuss blame later.

I ask you now to send out search parties. If hes been caught, then we must be able to leave quickly. How many can you spare? If hes been caught, then the demons may be here any minute! Thats true. But remember the sorcerers in the quarrythey did nothing to stop us sailing away, so their powers do not extend very far over the River. If he has been captured, then I shall offer myself in exchange A Seventh for a First? Nnanji shouted. Its my fault.

Be quiet, brother, please. Mistress? Had it been any one of the passengers other than Katanji, Brota would have cast off and sailed. Wallie knew that. But Katanji had charm. They all liked Katanji. As tempers began to cool, the sailors remembered stories they had collected about sorcerers and torture.

Reluctantly Brota agreed that they would stay and look for him, at least until there was evidence that the sorcerers had been alerted. If they had to leave swiftly, then anyone left behind would rendezvous at the temple at midnight and wait for a dinghy... The sailors trailed out. Wallie was feeling sick. If he had failed to control one novice, how could he ever run an army? I told him not to go ashore! You told him not to set foot on the plank! Nnanji snapped. He bared his teeth.

Disguise! A slave! I set the example there, Wallie admitted. At least you never tampered with facemarks. That was an inordinate sin among the People; their whole culture was based on facemarks. But then they were interrupted as crew members took shelter from the rain, and they could say no more. And time seemed to stop. A port officer came by and inquired why they had not sailed yet, if their trading was done.

The berth was needed. Brota spun a yarn of stomach cramps and a hurried trip to the healers. The rain grew worse. Wallies frustration grew almost unbearable. How long until the sorcerers extracted the truth from the boy? And what happened then? The ship was being jeopardized on a faint chance of saving one raw recruit. Cold mathematics suggested that Sapphire should sail while she could.

A good general would make that calculation and act on it. Wallie could calculate, but he could not act. Little Fia ran in, screaming with excitementLae and Katanji were coming along the road. Wallie relaxed with a huge sigh of relief and said a silent prayer to the Goddess, and to Shorty. Ill skin him! Nnanji muttered. But his eyes were shiny.

A few minutes later, a wan Katanji limped up the plank like a beaten dog and headed forward behind Lae. The sailors hurried to their posts, and at last the swordsmen were left alonetwo swordsmen and one ragged old priest, sitting on a chest and smirking. Now the blame could be distributed. Wallie pointed an accusing finger at Honakura. You knew what he was doing! The old man nodded smugly. You let that boy go into danger Danger? Nnanji shouted.

Thats his job! But to violate the lawsthats an abomination! Indeed? Honakura raised his eyebrows. Laws are tricky, adept. Unlike sutras, they have no exact words. What is the precise law in Sen that your protg has broken? I... exact? Oh? You dont know? Honakura beamed up mockingly. Nnanji was turning bright red with fury.