Sword Bound

Chapter 32

THE STUD RAN ON. I pulled myself up, settled back in the saddle properly. It was then I eased the stud toward a slower gait. When we hit it, I reined in, turned him. Down the walkway, running wild, was Del’s white gelding. Running with him, surprisingly, was Darrion on a gray horse.

Darrion?

“Ease off!” I shouted as they both ran right by me. And to Darrion: “Don’t chase him!”

And then I forgot all about Darrion and the gelding and thought only about Del. Either she was fine and the horse had been startled away—neither he nor the stud had been tied as we dismounted at Zayid’s tent—or she was in trouble.

Zayid’s body lay in the street. I spent no time examining it. I rode by it at a lope, not wishing to duplicate my mad rush down the middle of the walkway. Marketday folk in shock still pressed back against wagons and trade stalls. I caught the sound of a horse behind me, twisted in the saddle, saw Zayid’s loose mount coming up beside me. Loose horses all over, what with those Eddrith had run off after he cut their lead-ropes, and Zayid’s, and now Del’s. I wasn’t worried about any of them; horses are herd animals and, given a choice, will go to other horses once fear faded.

At Zayid’s big tent I heard the sound of swords clashing. While part of me wanted to drop down right in the middle of battle, I knew better. There was yet something to be done, someone Del protected.

I dismounted at the back of the tent. Zayid’s horse shied away, kept on going at a trot, reins dangling. A dead man lay there. I stepped over the body, yanked open the long slit Del had cut, and found Rashida immediately inside, pressed into a near corner as Del fought one of the raiders. Not a good place for a swordfight—too many things to foul a blade or your feet. But often you had no say in the matter.

“Rashida,” I said.

Terrified, she pressed herself harder against the corner. Brown hair, tinted with gold, was loose and tangled. Her clothing was torn. Neesha’s eyes, so large and melting, the color of cider, were fixed on me. “Rasha.” I gestured. “Come away. Let’s get you out of here. Del will deal with him.”

She hesitated a moment. While I wanted to shout at her to get out of the tent, I knew better. The last thing she needed was yet another stranger shouting at her. “Will she kill him?”

That caught me off-guard. “Probably.”

“Good,” she said fiercely. “What about the others?”

“Our plan is to kill all of them.”

And again, “Good.”

“Rasha. Your mother and father are with Sabir and Yahmina. They’re safe.”

I saw immense relief. Then recognition filled her eyes. “You’re the Sandtiger!”

“I am. Now, let’s go!”

This time she came. I sheathed my sword quickly, guided her hastily outside as blades rang, cut the rope at her wrists with my knife, then swung her up into the stud’s saddle.

“The reins,” she said, reaching. I grabbed the dangling reins and pushed them into her hands. I wanted her away from here as swiftly as possible. “Don’t forget to cut the lead-rope.”

She’d grown up on a horse farm; I figured she could handle him just fine. But I asked. “He’s a stallion. Will you be all right?”

She took offense. “I’ve ridden every stallion we’ve ever had at the farm!”

I had to laugh as I cut the rope. I should have known she wasn’t likely to be a fading flower. Not someone who matched wooden blades with her older brother. Knife put away, I unsheathed my sword again. “Go,” I said. “Doesn’t matter where. Just get away from here as quickly as possible. Go to the wagons.” A thought struck me. “I take that back…find the man with the beautiful fabrics and spices. Mahmood. He’ll hide you.” I gave her directions, then slapped a hand on the stud’s rump and sent him away.

I heard a blurt of shock even as I pulled aside the cut flaps of the tent wall. Del’s opponent was down, dying on the matting. Rasha would be pleased and I didn’t blame her.

Sword raised and ready, Del spun to face me as I came through the slit. Recognized me and lowered her blade. “Rashida?”

“I sent her to Mahmood’s.” Her face was tense, but she was unharmed. “Any others?” I asked.

“This one,” she said. “One behind the tent, and the one you killed in front.”

“And Zayid’s dead. That’s four.”

“Where’s Eddrith?”

“I don’t know. He cut the horses loose, and then I lost track of him.”

She shook her sword, found and used a cloth to clean her blade. We have to go after them.”

“On foot, then. Your white boy ran off—last I saw Darrion was chasing after him down the middle of the street—and Rashida has the stud.”

“On foot, then,” she said grimly. “We must find them all.”

“What we must do,” I said, “is get Rashida to safety, back with her parents.”

I heard the sound of hooves approaching at a smart trot. “Go out the back,” I told her. “I’ll take the front.”

Del nodded, ducked out. I went through.

The man on horseback rode with his sword unsheathed. Blood ran off bright steel.

“Oh,” I said.

Tautly, Neesha asked, “Where’s my sister? Where’s Rasha?”

“Safe,” I told him. “She’s on the stud, heading to Mahmood’s.”

He looked immensely relieved; tension bled out of body and voice. “I killed one. I recognized him from the caravan attack. And I saw Eddrith drive his sword through another.”

I added that to my mental tally. “Six. To my knowledge, that’s all.” Then, “What are you doing here?”

Del had recognized Neesha’s voice. She came around the tent. “What are you doing here?”

“Your father,” I said abruptly, envisioning death.

“Awake again,” Neesha answered. “In pain, but better than he was. My mother told me to come here. Apparently I was underfoot.”

“You must have ridden hard.”

“The hardest I ever have.” And indeed, his bay showed white lines of sweat, foam along the sides of his neck. Neesha twisted in his saddle to look down the line of wagons. “Is Mahmood where he was?”

I gave him directions, and he rode away. Del sheathed her sword. “We’ve accounted for all of them,” I said.

Del wasn’t so certain. “All of them unless Zayid has a camp elsewhere.”

“Zayid’s dead. If he doesn’t return, and the other five don’t return, either, whoever’s there will sort it out. Once they do, they’ll scatter.”

Del wasn’t happy. “Yes, they’ll scatter—to raid again.”

I shook my head. “We can’t rid the world of them all, bascha. Not even if we had a hundred men. We accomplished what we came for. Now let’s get Rashida home and settled. And then we can go home. I think Neesha, if he stays with them, will understand why we head back so quickly.” I sighed, grabbed the door flap, and ran an edge down my blade, rubbing it free of blood.

“What do we do about Harith’s horses?” she asked.

I looked around, searching. “They’ll be here somewhere. Neesha may have an idea. They should wander back at some point.”

“Bodies,” she said.

Two not far from us. Another behind the tent. Zayid in the middle of the street. And wherever Neesha and Eddrith had killed theirs. “I’m sure Istamir has a graveyard,” I said. And I was fairly certain Istamir also had a burial detail for inconvenient deaths.

“So, are we spending the night?”

I shrugged. “Guess that depends on Neesha. He may want to take Rashida home right away.”

Neesha did not wish to go home right away. It was late in the day, and dusk would arrive just about the time we reached the burned farmhouse. I could think of better places for Rashida to spend the night, and agreed with Neesha’s decision. Besides, while I had the stud and Neesha his bay, Del’s gelding was still missing—probably running farther than he might otherwise have done because Darrion had chased him. Del was seriously annoyed and wanted to borrow the stud to go see if she could track Darrion down, but there was Rashida to look after, female to female.

Tamar, to my surprise, said nothing at all to Del about washing any portion of her body before she entered the inn, nor anything to Rashida. However, Neesha and I did not enjoy the same reception. As Tamar directed Del to take Rashida to her own private room, she turned her customary testiness on us.

“Wash your feet.”

Neesha, who had not had the pleasure of meeting Tamar before now, blinked and stared. “What?”

Tamar narrowed her eyes at him. “You have been in mud. I see it on your sandals. Wash your feet, young man!” She glanced at me. “He’ll tell you.”

I sighed. “We wash our feet if we want to enter the inn.”

“My feet aren’t that dirty! I was on horseback most of the time!”

“But not all of the time,” Tamar insisted.

He scowled at her. “I have never, in my life, had to wash my feet before entering an inn.”

“That’s because no one cared,” Tamar said. “My inn is clean, unlike all the others.”

“Might as well just do it,” I told him. “You can’t win this battle.”

Tamar nodded approval of my comments. “I’ve got supper on the hearth. Clean up, and I’ll serve you.”

Neesha frowned. “Where’s my sister?”

“I’ve sent her to my room with Del.” She glanced at me, then looked at Neesha again. Her tone of voice changed to something approaching sympathy. “She needs time to talk to another woman.”

I understood. Neesha did not. “I’m her brother. She can talk to me.”

Tamar’s momentary kindness evaporated. “No, she may not. My rules, or you can take a room elsewhere.”

Neesha was completely nonplussed, but also growing angry. “I’m not leaving my sister.”

Tamar stared at me. Her message was clear.

I touched Neesha’s arm. “Let’s wash our feet. Rashida’s in good hands with Del.”

“I don’t understand—”

I closed a hand on his upper arm, swung him around. “Trust me.”

Tamar gave me a brusque nod and went back to her hearth.

I pushed Neesha to the bench, then shoved him down hard with a hand on his shoulder. He set his feet preparatory to standing up. I tightened my hand and pushed him down again.

“Think,” I said. “Just—think.”

He didn’t. “I have every right to see my sister. Gods, Tiger, she’s spent the last three days with raiders!”

“And that’s exactly why she needs to be with Del, now.”

“But—”

“Think, Neesha! Your sister with six raiders!”

I saw the dawning of realization in his eyes, followed immediately by horror. “Oh, gods. Oh no. Not Rasha!” He looked as if he might vomit.

“Del will talk with her. Tomorrow, she’ll be with her mother. I’m not saying you should ignore her, nor treat her as if she might break. Just let her come to you.”

Tears stood in his eyes. He pressed his lips together, fighting not to let them fall. “Will she be all right?”

“She’s your sister. That means she’s strong. Very strong.”

Neesha, at a loss, sat in silence with a world in his eyes.

He needed distracting. I picked up a clean washing cloth and dropped it in his lap. “Wash your feet.”

Amazingly, Tamar sent us to a different room instead of making us eat while standing up. There, Neesha and I perched on stools, holding plates, bowls, spoons, mugs, and the same kind of stew I’d eaten before. I wondered if she ever cooked anything else for her lodgers.

Del and Rashida did not join us. Neesha was clearly concerned by this, ready to protest, but I shook my head at him. He settled, but not before he aimed a ferocious glare at Tamar. If she saw it, she gave no sign.

After we finished eating, she took plates, bowls, mugs back and set them on a workbench beside the hearth. Then she turned to us, smoothing her hands down the front of her apron. “I have never, ever suggested this to anyone before.” She looked at us both. “Go get drunk.”

It startled Neesha, but not enough. “I want to see—”

“Not yet.” I caught his arm. “Let’s do as she says.”

Neesha yanked his arm out of my grip. “Will you stop pushing me around?”

I met his angry glare benignly. “Probably not.”

Neesha clamped his mouth closed. He brushed by me and went out the door.

Before I could follow, Tamar asked, “Your son?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Thought so. But the girl isn’t yours, is she?”

That startled me. “How can you tell?”

“Because if you were her father, you’d tear my door down to get to her.”

I digested that a moment, decided she was right. And it would not have been for the best.

“There’s a decent tavern at the end of the street,” Tamar said. “The owner is a friend of mine. Tell him I sent you.”

A friend. Tamar? “I take it he’s not an odious man? Or a reprobate?”

She fixed me with a sharp glare. I promptly went out the door to find Neesha.