The ride out of the pass was a quiet and somber affair. There was no singing, no laughter, and the few words that were exchanged between the Raptors were hushed. The road was covered in a thick layer of mud with debris scattered throughout, and the cohort picked their way carefully through it. Even so, the horses legs, bellies, and chests were soon coated and mud splattered the Raptors as well. Tavan had reluctantly conceded to Jayza's suggestions, and she was now firmly tied to one of the warhorses, the reins held in Tavan's hand. After securing her, he had trotted down the line then back up the other side, making sure everything was in order. Satisfied, he took the lead, his back ramrod straight and his lips pressed in a thin line. Jayza remained silent as well, her face neutral and her feelings hidden. She had done her best to draw her legs up in order to avoid the mud, but the position was uncomfortable, and she soon gave up, concentrating on staying balanced now that her hands were tied again.
By the time they finally left Heaven's Stair, night had fallen. Jayza had expected them to stop soon after, but Tavan marched for several more hours and she began to fidget, unused to being tied up for so long. She tried to distract herself by picturing what the surrounding countryside looked like and failed miserably. Thick green trees with thin needle-like leaves had crowded in as they made their way out of the pass, only allowing her to see what was in the immediate vicinity. She sensed the road opened up once they entered Truscas and she could see some open land in the moonlight, but the darkness robbed it of any color and having nothing to compare it to, she eventually turned her thoughts inward, huddling in her cloak as Tavan continued to march on.
"Now that the General has tossed away his favorite toy, maybe he'll be willing to share," a voice whispered out of the darkness. Jayza roused herself, turning to find Commander Barint leering at her. She opened her mouth, a sharp reply on her lips, then shut it again. Engaging with him would only spur him on and she preferred he just leave her alone. Instead, she turned and faced forward, ignoring him and hoping he would just go away.
"You must be quite the little whore," he continued. "For a barbarian."
Jayza's temper rose. Clenching her fists, she dug her fingernails into her palms, focusing on the pain so she wouldn't say anything.
"Imagine. Our esteemed General, sworn to protect the Empire and the Emperor at all costs, has found himself besotted with a desert rat. An illiterate, dirty, inferior desert rat who committed treason. So, tell me. Why has he kept you by his side all this time? Because it certainly can't be because of how smart you are." Commander Barint's voice was dark and smooth, and he laughed huskily at her attempts to ignore him.
Jayza's rage overflowed. Slowly turning her head, she sneered. "Maybe I'm a witch. Isn't that what everyone is accusing me of?"
"Horse shit," Commander Barint declared, making a rude noise. "No such thing. Unless you bewitched him with your talents in bed." He leered again, running his tongue suggestively over his lips.
"Seems you'll never know," Jayza said, smiling evilly before turning forward again.
Commander Barint nudged his horse closer. Running a finger down the side of her face, he leaned over, his lips next to her ear.
"Oh, I think I will know. Matter of fact, I'm sure of it. And I'll have my answer very soon." He casually nipped her ear then ran his tongue down her jawline. Jayza jerked her head away, trying to urge the horse with her knees. Commander Barint chuckled, keeping his mount alongside. Transferring his hand from her face to her thigh, he ran it slowly up the length, stopping just short of her hip. Jayza fought the urge to flinch, stiffening her muscles. The action only made him laugh darkly and he squeezed hard enough to hurt.
"I look forward to finding out if you really are a hellcat. I much prefer a fighter than a woman who just lays there."
Jayza turned once more and spat, the gob landing on his cheek. His hand lifted suddenly, and he backhanded her, sending her head reeling and drawing blood where her teeth bit her lip. Tavan heard her cry and stopped, turning Samson around. Seeing the blood on her face, his look turned murderous, and he trotted back. Jayza warned him with her eyes, and he blinked in acknowledgement, not bothering to ask if she was okay.
"What's going on here?" He sat in front of Commander Barint, his face hard as he demanded an answer. Every muscle was tense and Jayza could sense the contained rage he fought to hide.
"The little whore spit on me," Commander Barint replied, sitting up straight at Tavan's approach. "I simply put her in her place." His tone was haughty, and he shot Jayza a dirty look before turning to face Tavan again. Jayza heard Tavan's teeth grind as he clenched his jaw. She lowered her head, hoping it wouldn't come to blows. Tavan protecting her would not help at all.
"The prisoner is to be delivered unhurt, Commander Barint. If you cannot handle her insults, then stay away from her. In fact, it's best if you do so anyway. This way, she can't taunt you and you won't be tempted to strike her again." Tavan's words were clipped and Jayza had the sudden feeling that if it weren't for the rest of his men, he would kill Commander Barint without a second thought. She shrank back, desperately hoping he could keep himself under control. And keep his feelings hidden.
"Yes General Enyo." Commander Barint saluted crisply, his tone deferential. "I just thought..."
"You'd do well to not think, Commander. That's my job. Now resume your place in line." Tavan wheeled Samson, taking his place at the head of the cohort again without bothering to make sure Commander Barint had complied. Tugging the reins of Jayza's horse, he took up the march, his body rigid. Jayza heard Commander Barint curse softly, then his horse's hoof-beats moved away.
"If you have something to say to me," Tavan called over his shoulder, "at least have the courtesy to say it to my face, Commander."
Jayza smiled inwardly at the statement. Tavan had just shown his men that even in his current mood, he was well aware of what was going on behind him. But the feeling didn't last long. If Commander Barint wasn't an enemy of Tavan's before, this little episode would send him further down that path.
Tavan marched for a few more hours before finally calling a halt. The cohort set up a rough camp alongside the road, leaving the lone wagon where it was. Tavan set two men to guard it, then bellowed to the rest that they would leave at first light. Pulling Jayza off her horse, he went to undo the bindings he had tied around her wrists.
"Don't," she whispered, pulling her hands away. "You need to convince your men you don't favor me."
"Are you hurt?" Tavan raised his hand, reaching towards her lip. His eyes were full of concern and Jayza glared, trying to get him to understand he needed to stop worrying about her. Or at least stop being so obvious about it.
"Leave it." She jerked her head away, warning him with her eyes. "I'll be fine. No worse than the one you gave me."
Tavan's hand dropped, and he flinched. He opened his mouth and Jayza shook her head slightly. She heard him sigh and he rearranged his face, appearing hard and unforgiving. Grasping her wrists, he led her into the open field, past the rude camp the men were making. Jayza stumbled along, her legs not wanting to cooperate, and she bit her cheek to keep from crying out. Tavan eventually stopped just out of sight of the camp. Turning to her, he lifted a hand to her face, lightly touching the bruise that was blossoming on her cheek.
"Are you out of your bleeding mind?" Jayza jerked away again, her voice low and angry. "I just said you need to convince your men. And instead of staking me to the ground, you lead me out of sight. What in the Seven Lands is wrong with you?"
"Piss," he ordered, pointing at the ground with a smile. "We don't have much time. But I needed to make sure he didn't hurt you."
"I'm going to be hurt a lot worse after the Emperor has me," Jayza snapped, holding up her tied hands. Tavan quickly untied them, and she dropped to a squat, staring up at him with fire in her eyes. "Might as well start getting used to it now."
"Jayza," Tavan moaned softly, flinching at her words again. "Please don't. You have no idea what this is doing to me."
"Tavan, I don't want to hurt you. Sands knows I'd do anything to keep that from happening. But pretending everything is going to be fine once we arrive in Culan is a fantasy. The sooner you harden your heart, the easier it will be. For both of us."
Tavan turned away, staring across the darkened field. Jayza rose and pulled up her pants. Tapping him on the shoulder, she held her hands out, wrists together when he turned. He leaned forward and Jayza turned her head, refusing the kiss he planned.
"Now I will be the one to say please don't," she whispered. "Do not make this any harder than it has to be."
Tavan gazed at her, his eyes full of despair. Jayza raised her hands, blocking her sight of him and he sighed. Wrapping them tightly, he grasped her wrists and tugged her back to camp. Jayza purposely stumbled, wanting to make it appear he was treating her roughly. When they arrived at his bedroll, she sank to her knees, her eyes downcast, and meekly curled on her side after he staked her to the ground. But as exhausted as she was, sleep proved elusive and when dawn streaked the sky, she rose with deep purple bags under her eyes. Tavan led her away again but turned away and remained silent as she attended to her needs. Hoisting her on her horse after camp had been struck, he mounted Samson without a word and waited patiently for the Raptors to form up. Raising his fist, he directed them forward and another day's march was underway.
Despite her fatigue, Jayza gazed around with interest. Truscas was as different from Kif Aljar as a camel was from a horse. Initially, she had the impression that everything was green. Green grass, green trees, even some of the lakes and ponds appeared green. But gradually, as her eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar landscape, she could see it wasn't actually all the same color green. Just as the desert varied in tone between the shades of gold or grey, the land around her differed also. The tall blades of grass were several shades lighter than those of most of the trees and bushes. And when she looked more closely, long stalks with light tan feathery ends could be seen. The trees were also of varying shades. Some were dark green, some light, and a few even looked silver in the rustling wind. Jayza was also amazed at the profusion of flowers. Tall stalks with white, purple, yellow, and orange blossoms lined the road and many of the fields were full of smaller flowers, colored yellow, white, and red. Butterflies, something she had only ever heard of, flew daintily among them and over all this, she could hear the buzzing of bees and the chirping of something she didn't recognize. Her amazement grew the further they went on. Everything seemed to grow wild here, something else she had no concept of. Flowers and most trees were carefully cultivated in Kif Aljar and the idea that there were so many things growing wild delighted her. Despite the fact that every mile bought her closer to the Emperor, she found herself entranced and actually enjoyed the ride.
As they traveled further into Truscas, her wonder continued to grow. A few hours after setting out, she began to see large houses in the distance. The houses amazed her. The buildings in Kif Aljar had been constructed from the stones quarried out of the cliffs, mortared with a paste made from the ground dust. Because of this, the houses were all the same uniform color, the only thing differentiating them were the decorations carved into their walls. Here, the houses varied in color. Some were white, some were gray or brown, and she even saw several red ones. She concluded Culan must be extremely wealthy if they could afford to paint entire houses one color. Paint was hard to come by and while Mehma had sometimes been able to buy supplies to mix some, it was only a small amount and was used sparingly. Fences now sometimes lined the road with cows, sheep, and horses contained in their borders. The cows and sheep ignored them, but the horses often came up to the fences, watching them with interest, then galloping gaily away when one of the Raptors called out to them. Sometimes, she could see men working in the distance, but they were too far away for her to determine their tasks. The temperature was pleasant as well, neither too hot nor too cold, even though it was midday during Full Heat. A soft breeze blew, the smell of grass and flowers scenting the air and keeping what little sweat formed to a minimum. Jayza continued gazing like a child, her head cocking at the constant birdsong that accompanied the bees and chirping, and she caught herself several times beginning to hum. By the time the cohort stopped for Second Meal, Jayza had decided she understood why the Emperor chose to live in Culan. If the city was even half as lovely as the countryside, it would be beautiful indeed.
Tavan called a halt to the march much earlier than usual, sending the men to hunt. Pulling Jayza behind a large tree, he leaned against it with his arms crossed. Jayza wondered what was up and she hurried through her toilet, facing him when she was done.
"If the weather holds, we should make Culan in three days," he said, his voice catching. "But the closer we get, the more chance there is of spies watching."
"I understand." She ducked her head and moved slightly away, refusing to look at him. "But I've been thinking about what may be following. We're out in the open now. It would be very easy for them to send something again." Jayza chose her words carefully. She was pretty sure they were alone but if they weren't, she didn't want to reveal what she suspected.
"And?" Tavan continued to stare straight ahead and kept his voice flat, not wanting to ask her for her suggestions out loud.
"Only this. We're exposed and our route is well known. An alternate might be something to think about." Finished with her recommendation, she moved in front of him and held up her hands, allowing him to bind them once again. Tavan nodded thoughtfully, then dragged her back to camp. Staking her to the ground, he sent one of his men to retrieve his chest, now looking much worse for the wear after being covered in mud and wet snow, and he dug out the map of Truscas. Laying it down, he placed himself so it appeared Jayza couldn't see but kept moving his arm so she could look through the gap. Jayza only needed one look and when she got it, she rolled over, feigning indifference, and closed her eyes. She heard Tavan talk quietly with one of the Commanders, but they spoke too softly to be heard. Not that it mattered anyway. Her days of advising Tavan were over and right now, all she wanted was sleep. She eventually heard him close his chest but instead of bedding down for the night, he walked away, leaving one of the Raptors to keep an eye on her. Slipping into unconsciousness, she fell into a land full of green grass and sparkling streams, a laughing Tavan at her side.
"I have decided to cross back to the Imperial Road." Tavan made the announcement at First Meal the following morning. "The Emperor would be insulted if we came in the back door like a bunch of slaves. We leave this road as soon as we reach the next fork."
"But won't that add more time? We've already been delayed by weeks." One of the Raptors spoke up, hoping the General didn't take his question as a challenge.
"Our delay will only be a day, maybe two at most. However, a small group of you, led by Commander Yago, will continue on this road so you can advise the Emperor of the reason for our delay." Tavan's tone indicated that while he would answer the question, he would not accept any further comments and the matter was closed. He turned away, dismissing his men and began preparing for another day on Samson's back.
Jayza smiled inwardly at his speech. Tavan had not only acted on her suggestion, but he was also still sending a small group down the main road. If the Wind Witches were still following, they would see the group and hopefully assume it was the remnants of the entire cohort. In addition, he had not chosen Commander Barint, forcing the man to remain under his watchful eye. She peeked at Commander Barint to see his reaction and was not surprised to see the man's look had gone dark. Quickly looking back down, she again feigned boredom, idly doodling in the dirt. But then she stopped herself, afraid one of the Raptors might mistake what she was doing for witchcraft, and instead stared into space.
The fork appeared after less than two hours. Tavan had drawn lots and sent five Raptors with Commander Yago. He had considered splitting the troop but then decided if Jayza was right, sending more men might result in more deaths, something he could not afford. He tried to appear upbeat although his heart was heavy. Unsure if he would ever see them again, he sent Commander Yago off with a hastily written message and hearty grip to his forearm. Not bothering to wait until they were out of sight, he led the remaining cohort down the side fork, heading north towards the Imperial Road.
Two days later, Jayza began to see glimpses of blue whenever they crested a hill. The color was a shade she thought only existed on birds and she found herself peering ahead for her next sight of it. The Raptors spirits continued to rise the closer to home they got and Jayza was happy for them even as she withdrew into herself as the miles flew by. When Tavan removed her bindings after taking her away when Second Meal was done, his look was grim, and he made no move to replace her bindings once she stood up.
"We reach the Imperial Road tomorrow, little one," he said softly. "We'll camp alongside so we don't enter Culan too late the following day. But once we reach the road, I will no longer have a chance to speak privately with you."
"We knew this was coming, Tavan. Better to get it over with than to keep delaying." Jayza struggled to keep her voice emotionless. Now that they were so close to Culan, her fear at what waited for her became a constant companion, robbing her of sleep and making her short-tempered.
"I want to speak with you tonight. For longer than these brief conversations we've been sneaking. I have a plan, but I need you to trust me no matter what I may say or do. And I need you to do exactly as I say and not be surprised. In short, I need you to become an actress. Can you do that?" Tavan either didn't notice her sharp tone or chose to ignore it. He watched her, eyes dark and a serious frown on his face. Jayza wanted to argue, afraid he was taking too large a risk. But his look told her he had something extremely important he wanted to say. Nodding, she allowed him to take her hands and bind her once more.
"Remember, no matter what happens, Jayza, I need you to trust me. And to listen. Because this will be the last time I will be able to speak freely with you before we reach the palace."
"Yes,Tavan. I will remember."