The Night Bird

CHAPTER 1 THE NOMADS

The day Allegra lost her freedom, her world changed forever.

She had been riding all morning, until she stopped at a creek to wash up. In a few hours, she would reach Crofts Vale, home to the Song Weavers Guild. She grimaced at the thought. As much as she loved to sing spells, she felt unprepared for the guilds strict program of study. What if she failed? They might say she had no talent and send her home.

Just do it. She had delayed for three years. That was when the mage mistress from Castle Suncroft had come to southern Aronsdale in search of girls with mage ability. Everyone knew why. Prince Aron, the kings heir, had to marry a mage. Less than one hundred mages lived in all the settled lands, most with minor abilities. Allegra had been excited when she thought they might consider her for Arons bride, but it turned out she had neither the range nor strength they sought. Well, she shouldnt let it bother her. For all she knew, he was a mean-tempered grouch with bad breath. At least she had done well enough to receive an invitation from the guild. She had felt too young to go then, only sixteen, but now she was ready. She hoped.

She didnt want to arrive at the guild smelling like a horse, though. The creek burbled at her feet, gently frothing over blue-gray rocks, and the sky arched above, squirted with puffs of cloud. She stripped off her clothes, leaving only the pendant around her neck, and eased into the water. Long fronds from a bluespindle tree trailed into the water, forming a screen on the riverbank. She wasnt certain it mattered; people often bathed outside, at least where she lived, and everyone learned to respect privacy. Nor had she seen a person, farm or village during her entire ride this morning. But just in case, she chose an especially secluded spot.

Breathing deeply, Allegra inhaled the loamy smell of mud. She ducked under the sun-warmed water and shot back out, splattering drops that glistened like diamonds. She lathered up with the soapweed plants straggling on the bank and slid her hands over her sore breasts. Those folktales where women jumped onto their steeds and galloped off valiantly into the hills had to be about less endowed women; she always ached after a long ride.

Touching herself that way led to thoughts of Tanner, a boy back home. As children, they had often tussled together, learning throws. Although they had outgrown those games, lately he wanted to wrestle again. She smiled, thinking of his feigned innocence as he challenged her to a match. Up in the loft of his familys barn, they had wrestled in sunbeams slanting through cracks in the wood, laughing and tossing straw. Then he had kissed her. It had beennice. Odd, though. She felt more sisterly than romantic toward him. Still, she appreciated that he liked her just the way she was, a slightly plump dairymaid with wild yellow curls that never stayed tamed.

The urge to sing stirred in Allegra, and with it, her mage power. But she needed a geometric shape to create a spell. She closed her hand around her pendant, a garnet disk. She had worn it for ten years, since she had learned to make spells from a mage in her village. Today she slid into the “Song of the Lamp Dove, a lilt about the rosy imp who sent innocents chasing after each other.

Playful little scamp; naughty teasing dove

Spirit of the lamp; trickster of first love

You cause such a fuss with your lusty heart

Tempting young lovers; giving them your spark

The air took on a rosy tinge and light bathed the trees. The clarity of the spell pleased her. It was only color; she could do little more. But she liked it.

Bushes rustled farther up the bank. Startled, she stood up and peered toward the foliage while her spell faded away. A rabbit ran out and dashed down the river, disappearing into another bush.

Time to go, she thought reluctantly. She climbed out and dried off with her tunic. She felt as if her body were humming with a healthy glow. The linen of her shift caressed her skin as she pulled it on, leaving her arms and legs bare. She gathered her other clothes and headed back to Alto, her horse. The mare stood by a cluster of trees, more alert than usual, her ears pricked forward. Allegras pack sat on a nearby rock. She ambled past a line of trees, swinging her clothes

Someone behind Allegra jerked her back, the motion so unexpected that her breath came out in a huff. He held her around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides.

“Hey! Allegra shouted, annoyed. Was some boy she hadnt seen playing a trick on her? She rammed her elbow back and hit a rock-hard torso that didnt feel like a youths thinner frame. Startled, she twisted, turning his weight against him. She managed to roll him over her hip and flip him onto his back, which surprised her, because she had never been good at throws, which she had only learned for fun.

She had one moment to see a man in black and red clothes; then someone else yanked her backward. Frightened now, she kicked back, hitting his shin. Her blow knocked his leg out from under him, and he lost his grip on her.

Allegra ran for her horseand a dark blur appeared to her right. Saints, how many were there? She swerved to the left, but a fourth man came at her from that side. As she spun away, someone grabbed her from behind and threw her forward. They crashed to the ground, and she flailed, trying to free herself. She ended up twisting so she landed on her back, but it didnt help, for her assailant came down on top of her. He was long and lanky, with wiry muscles under his dark clothes.

“Get off, she yelled, and brought her knee up hard. He groaned as he curled into a fetal position on top of her. She wrenched out from under him and tried to scramble away, but he grabbed her ankle and dragged her back along the ground. Two other people hauled her up, and one of them lashed her wrists together behind her back. Her head spun, and she gulped in air.

The man she had kneed climbed to his feet in front of them, his face dark with anger. He backhanded her across the cheek, and her head snapped to the side. As pain shot through her face, her vision blurred. Her ears rang as if someone had hit a bell.

When he raised his hand again, she cried, “No!

“Dont do it, one of the other men said. “If you leave marks on her skin, it will lower her price.

Allegra was having trouble breathing. Details jumped out at her in jagged bursts. Her assailants had dark hair and eyes like almost everyone in the settled lands; they wore unfamiliar black clothes with red or green streaks; they had the rangy builds of the nomads in the country of Jazid, which bordered Aronsdale in the southeast. A chill went through her as she looked into their hard faces.

Someone behind Allegra shoved down on her shoulders, and she dropped to her knees. He bound her ankles together, and as pain shot through her legs, her stunned mind finally lurched into action.

Allegra inhaled and shouted, “Someone! Help! Any

Her yell cut off as one of the men shoved a cloth into her mouth. When he tied a strip of suede around her head to hold it in, a sense of panic swelled within her.

One of the men walked over to her mare and took the reins. Then he picked up Allegras pack. He was taller than the others, with black stubble on his chin. Stubble, she named him. As he brought the horse to them, he peered inside her pack.

The man who had hit herFist, she thoughtconsidered her horse. “We can get a good price for the mare.

Her protest came out as a muffled grunt. They couldnt steal her horse! She had ridden Alto for years, since she was nine.

Fist motioned at her pack. “Is it worth anything?

Stubble handed the bag to him. “Its mostly just clothes. Theyre worthless.

Her desperation surged. If they took her pack, she would lose her letters of introduction to the guild and the hexacoins she had saved for this trip.

Fist dumped her tunic and leggings onto the ground and tossed out the letters as if they were trash. When he found her bag of coins, he shook it, making the silver rattle, then unfastened the strings and peered inside.

“Not bad. Looking down at Allegra, he held up the bag and grinned. “A little something for our efforts, eh? Then he tied her money pouch to his belt.

Allegra swore at him, but the gag turned her oaths into grunts. She strained to pull her wrists free, and the ropes bit her skin.

One of the men leaned down and grasped her necklace. When he yanked, its cord snapped. He tossed the pendant to Fist. “Thatll be worth a bit.

No! She struggled futilely. Without the pendant, she couldnt make spells. Although she could do little more than make light, she felt even more vulnerable with that ability stripped away.

Fist studied the garnet. “Nice workmanship. He untied her coin bag and stuffed the pendant inside. Then he picked up her clothes and letters and crammed them back into the pack. “Well leave this on the other side of the border, as proof we found her in Jazid, in case anyone looks for her.

“She was by herself, another of the men said, incredulous. “Any man stupid enough to let a woman who looks like this bathe alone in a river deserves to lose her.

“Of course he does, Fist said. “But the laws here dont care what we think. Its only legal if we catch her in Jazid. He looked down at Allegra. “Pity you were foolish enough to ride there by yourself. But that isnt our problem, is it?

Allegra wanted to spit at him. As she fought harder against her bonds, the scrape of metal on leather came from behind her. Then what felt like a dagger pricked her spine. She froze, breathing hard, too scared to move.

“Calm down, Fist said. “Do as we say, and you wont be hurt.

They heaved her to her feet, and the man on her right turned her toward him. His face was wide and weathered by the sun, with lines at the corners of his mouth. His breath smelled of onions and whiskey. Grasping her around the waist, he hefted her up, over his shoulder, so her legs hung down his front and her torso against his back. Her bound wrists fell painfully downward, away from her spine, and she groaned. Someone looped a rope through the bonds and tied it around her waist to hold her arms against her body. The man holding her carried her through the trees, also bringing her horse. It all felt unreal, a nightmare that was happening to someone else.

Within moments, they reached a wagon with rigid sides and a cloth top dyed in green and black triangles. Gold tassels hung from the corners of its roof, swaying in the breeze.

Hanging over the nomads shoulder, she could barely see as they pulled aside a flap at the back. Inside, the wagon was filled with crates, chests and rolled-up rugs tied with tasseled ropes. When they laid her among the carpets as if she were just another rug, she lost what little calm she had left and struggled frantically with her bonds.

“Shes going to cut her skin if she keeps doing that, one of the nomads said.

Stubble took a small bottle and a cloth out of a pocket in his shirt. When he opened the bottle, the pungent odor of suffocating-salts wafted into the air. As he poured liquid onto the cloth, the smell intensified.

“No, dont! Allegras cry came out as a grunt.

Stubble leaned over, one hand braced behind her head, and pressed the wet cloth against her nose. She couldnt breathe. She gasped, and the repulsive smell of the salts saturated her. Panicked, she fought to pull away, but someone held her in place. The smell intensified until she truly was suffocating. Darkness closed in and she knew no more.

Allegra floated in a haze. Pain burned her wrists and ankles. Eventually one of the nomads untied the strap around her head and pulled out the gag. He offered her wine from a water bag. She drank thirstily, her mouth parched from the cloth. When he laid her down, dizziness took her and she fell back into the haze.

The next time she drifted awake, they were cutting the cords off her wrists and ankles. She groaned as they massaged the circulation into her limbs. The salve they smeared into the burns stung at first, but then soothed the pain. When she instinctively began to fight, though she was only half-conscious, they tied her wrists behind her back and bound her ankles again, this time with soft cloth that didnt bite into her skin. Stubble put another cloth soaked in the salts over her face until she lost consciousness.

Time passed, several days maybe. They tended her, gave her too much watered-down wine and too little water, and twice fed her a thick soup. She was dully aware of her hunger.

Allegra awoke into darkness. Groggy and disoriented, she took a moment to realize she was on her side with someone lying next to her. He had pulled up her tunic and was stroking her breasts. When she gulped in a breath, he put his hand over her mouth and pushed her onto her back, pressing down so she couldnt speak. Her wrists were still bound behind her, and pain shot through them.

He held a dagger by her face. “Quiet, he mouthed.

She froze, able to see the blade even in the dark, it was so close to her face. When the man shifted so he lay on top of her, the pain worsened in her arms and she cried out against his hand.

“Vardok? a voice asked. Someone dragged the man off her. She could just make out who had helpedStubble, the one with the salts.

“Leave her alone, Stubble told him. “I meant it when I said I wouldnt let you touch her.

“Why the hell not? Vardok said. “Theyll never know.

“Forget it, Stubble growled, rubbing his eyes.

Vardok scowled at him, but he moved away from Allegra, at least as far as was possible in the cramped wagon.

Stubble leaned over her. “Are you all right?

She stared up at him, too scared to answer, too dizzy from lack of food, and too drunk from the wine. He pulled her shift down over her body. Then he took that bottle out of his shirt, the bottle she hated.

“No, Allegra said. “Please. Dont.

“Shh, he murmured. “It will help you sleep.

She tried to turn away, but he held her in place while he covered her nose and mouth with the suffocating cloth.

Allegra groaned as she became aware of the bumpy ride. Each bounce added to her nausea. Opening her eyes didnt help; all she saw was a wooden wall a few handspans away. The carpet she lay on felt rough under her legs and smelled of the heavy yarns used in the Jazid rugs traded throughout the settled lands.

After several aeons, or maybe a few moments, she eased onto her back. Her eyes watered as pain stabbed her wrists. Her muscles had stiffened miserably, and the roof swam in her vision.

She rolled onto her other side, facing the interior of the wagon. The bottom half of the walls were wood; the top half had cloth patterned with green and black triangles, like a bizarre chessboard where the “squares were the wrong shape. Red dragons curled on the triangles, and red tassels hung from bars where the walls met the roof. Goods crammed the wagon: baskets of fruit and dried food, large chests with ornate fittings and bolts of cloth shot through by metallic threads.

The wagon also contained three nomads crammed in among the boxes. Stubble was leaning against a large crate, dozing. Vardok sat by a chest across from her, looking bored. The man who had carried her to the wagon was near the front, sprawled on a pile of carpets, holding a green bottle by the neck. From the strong odor of whiskey, she suspected he had been drinking for a while. When he burped and took a swallow from the bottle, she decided to call him Sot.

“What tribe? Allegras mouth felt cottony, and the rasp of her words trailed off. She wasnt certain how long they had been traveling, but it seemed at least three days.

“Whatd you say? Vardok asked. His Jazidian drawl was hard to understand.

She tried again. “What tribe are you from?

“You know Jazid tribes? he asked.

“A little. Are you the TAmbera?

“How did you know that?

“I heardthey steal women. She had never believed the stories. She kept hoping she would awake and discover this was some sort of delirium.

“What thievery? Vardok asked idly. “To steal, you must take from someone. We didnt take you from anyone. You were alone. Its our good fortune you were stupid enough to wander into Jazid.

“I was in Aronsdale. She couldnt absorb that they had taken her from her home, her family, everything she knew. In Aronsdale, selling people was illegal. Unthinkable. In all the settled lands, only Jazid allowed it. Aronsdale and Jazid had a treaty for that reason, forbidding exactly what these nomads had done. Such incidents couldnt occur often or she would have heard about it even across the country. She hadnt known Jazid nomads came into Aronsdale.

“You cant do this, she said.

“We seem to be doing it just fine, Vardok told her.

Sot spoke in a slurred voice. “The forbidden is that much more valuable. He motioned at her with his bottle. “With that yellow hair of yours and those pretty violet eyes, well get a fortune.

“You cant sell me! Im a citizen of Aronsdale.

“Not anymore, Vardok said. “We crossed into Jazid two days ago. But dont worry, we wont put you in a public auction. Weve private buyers. They asked for an Aronsdale girl. Exotic coloring like yours. Someone pretty. And curvy. Like you. He rose to his feet and stepped toward her. When the wagon lurched, he lost his balance and dropped to his knees next to where she lay.

“Come on, he said, sitting next to her. “You were made for a man, eh? Why else would the Shadow Dragon make you so beautiful? The smell of peppers on his breath wafted over her.

“Go away, Allegra said. For so long, she had wanted a youth to say he found her beautiful, but none ever had. She hardly saw anyone, given the isolated region where she lived. She hated that Vardok had turned the sweet words into something ugly.

“You dont like us, eh? he said. “You Aronsdale women think you can do what you want. Now you know youre wrong.

“Vardi, stop it, someone said. “Leave her alone.

Vardok turned with a frown. Following his gaze, Allegra saw Stubble pulling himself up to sit by the crate. His blocky face was creased along one cheek from sleeping against the box, and his eyebrows had drawn into a black ridge over his deeply set eyes.

“Why shouldnt I talk to her? Vardok asked.

“Youre frightening her, Stubble said crossly. “Why do you keep doing that? Cant you tell shes scared?

“I dont know why you wont let us touch her, Sot muttered. He took another drink from his bottle.

“She doesnt deserve to be mauled, Stubble said. “Its our good fortune we found her, but this cant be easy for her.

Vardok looked baffled. “So what?

Sot smacked a bolt of cloth next to him. “I dont ask if being sold is easy for this silk. He pointed at Allegra with his bottle. “Why would I ask her?

“Shes a person, idiot, Stubble said. “Not a bolt of cloth.

“How would you like it, Allegra asked Vardok, “if someone dragged you away from your home and put you up for sale?

Sot gave a rasping guffaw. “Damn sure no one would buy his ugly carcass.

“Shes a woman, Vardok told Stubble. “Not a person.

“For saints sake, Allegra said. “A woman is a person.

Vardok glanced at her. “Not in Jazid.

“Like hell, she said.

“Enough! Vardok raised his hand, and Allegra flinched.

“I told you to stop it! Stubble said. “If you keep hitting her, shell be black-and-blue by the auction, and we wont get horse manure for her. That mark you left on her face will barely be gone by tomorrow.

Allegra hadnt realized she had a bruise, but it didnt surprise her. Tears gathered in her eyes. Would her family think she had died? Surely they would search for her. Although her parents ran a dairy, which filled their days with work, two of her four brothers were old enough to travel. She knew her family; they would look for her even if her brothers spent many seasons traveling. But she couldnt imagine how they would find her in Jazid, the largest country in the settled lands. A long time could pass before they even knew she was gone. It took ten days for a letter to go from Crofts Vale to her home, and her parents didnt know when she would arrive at the guild or write to them.

“We cant show her to either of them if shes not in good shape, Stubble said. “It makes us look sloppy.

“Either of whom? Allegras voice shook.

No one replied. At least Vardok slid back to his seat.

Allegra closed her eyes, hurting too much to think. Hunger sapped her strength, and the wine blurred her concentration. If she had a shape to hold, and if she could sing, she could create a spell of succor for herself. But the only shapes here were distorted triangles. She was too groggy to remember why they were bad. Reasons swam in her head. Oh. Yes. The more sides to a shape, the more power it gave a spell. Three-dimensional forms were stronger than those with two dimensions. Triangles were the weakest; they could barely create anything, and these were probably too distorted to work at all. She needed her pendant.

“My necklace. She wet her lips. “Do youhave it?

“We sold it, Vardok said. “With your horse.

“You sold them? Even knowing what they had intended, it was too much. Those were her last ties to home. It crashed down on her then, that they had ended her life as she knew it. They would sell her to some stranger who could do whatever he wanted to her. She would never again see her home.

“No no. A sob choked in her throat.

“Oh, be quiet, Vardok said. “Its just a damn horse.

“Let her cry, Stubble said quietly.

She struggled to hold back her tears. “Would you untie me? she asked Stubble. “It hurts.

“Maybe we should unroll the carpets, too, Sot said with a belch. “Hell, why keep anything tied up?

I hope you rot into mold, Allegra thought.

Stubble gave them a disgusted look. “Carpets and cloth dont feel. She does. He stood up, swaying as the wagon bumped along, and stepped over to her. He actually smiled. “You should see the look on your face. Im glad Im not the one buying you. It might be dangerous.

“Heaven forbid, she muttered.

“Shell shape up, Vardok said. “Especially if the General ends up with her.

Allegra thought she must have misheard. A general? The armies of the Misted Cliffs had conquered Jazid two years ago. The Jazid soldiers who survived had sworn allegiance to the conquering emperoror been executed. And the people of the Misted Cliffs abhorred slavery. Surely their army here would protect the treaty with Aronsdale.

“What general? Allegra asked.

Stubble crouched down and rolled her onto her stomach.

“What are you doing? she asked, alarmed.

“Hold still. He pressed his palm on her spine, keeping her in place. “I cant untie you otherwise.

“Oh. She closed her eyes with relief as he went to work on her wrists. They fell free at her sides, and she groaned when pinpricks scored her muscles.

“Better? he asked.

Her arms felt as if they were on fire. But it would pass, so she said, “Yes. She looked up at him. “My ankles, too?

“Shell run off, Sot warned him.

Stubble scooted to Allegras feet. “She can hardly move.

“You should leave her tied, Vardok said.

Stubble ignored him. Allegras legs were so numb, she couldnt tell they were free until pinpricks started in them, too. Stubble returned to his seat and took a packet of dried meat out from his pocket. He settled back, eating.

“Can I have some food? she asked.

“Maybe later, Stubble said.

“But Im hungry.

His voice tightened. “I said, later.

Apparently his kindness went only so far.

For a while, she just lay, wincing as the numbness left her limbs, but eventually she sat up. Vardok and Sot watched her with curiosity and something much darker. Disquieted, she pulled her shift farther down over her thighs.

“Who is the general you were talking about? she asked. The more she knew, the better she could plan her escape.

“Youll find out soon enough, Sot said. He tried to drink out of his bottle, then squinted inside. With an annoyed grunt, he cast aside the empty container.

Allegra wondered if she could use his bottle to make a spell that would ease her discomfort, maybe increase her strength. The circular bottom might work as a shape, maybe even the neck. She needed only to touch it and sing. Of course, they could easily stop her. Although every mage needed a geometric shape, their ways of creating spells varied. She had always appreciated her need to sing for the pleasure it gave her; she had never realized before how easy it would be to stop her from making a spell.

Stubble settled against the crate, one arm on the box. “So many questions, he mused. “Most girls we catch are too scared or crying too much to speak. You Aronsdale girls are tarter, eh?

“What, youre afraid that will lower my price? Maybe if she made herself disagreeable enough, they would let her go.

Vardok laughed, but it was an ugly sound. “It will just make breaking you all that much more entertaining for the buyer.

“Women arent horses, Stubble said.

“Horses cause less trouble, Sot muttered. He was searching in a crate for another bottle, his body swaying as the wagon bounced.

“You know, Allegra said, “its amazing what youve done in Jazid.

“You think so? Sot grinned at the others. “See? Shes learning already.

Stubble regarded her with a narrowed gaze. “Whats amazing?

“Your population, Allegra said.

“Is it now? Vardok said.

“Well, actually, Allegra said, “whats amazing is that you have any population. Surely your own women grew disgusted with this place long ago and left. Its no wonder you have to kidnap new ones. I cant imagine any woman coming here of her own free will.

Sots mouth fell open. “I dont believe she said that.

Vardoks lips curled in a snarl. To Stubble, he said, “Damn it, Azi, let me hit her.

“Enough! Stubble said. He glared at Allegra. “You talk too much. Youll get into trouble.

Well, that had certainly hit a nerve. She knew such comments didnt help her, but they were her only shield against her fear that she had lost everything.