Wild Magic

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Areia One-eye tilted the stone jar over a mug, passed it along to Dossan, shook her head at Zinduki. “Teesee wouldn’t see them, you know. They’re over on Wood Bridge waiting for the Amrapake’s Herald.”

Zinduki nodded, cupped her hands around her mouth. “Never mind Fa,” she yelled up at Ma’teesee. “What else is happening?”

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Ma’teesee slapped at a moththerie she glimpsed from the corner of her eye, grabbed at a side branch as the limb shook under her.

The Lancers were riding at the Barrier, cutting at it with sabers, hurling their lances at it. The lances hit and came bouncing back at them, some of them slapping and pricking the horses who reared, screamed and bolted, some of them hitting heads butt first, knocking the men from their mounts. She enjoyed their misery, her laughter a faint snuffling at the back of her nose. It was chaos compounded by the ta-ras of the signal horns, the rattle of the cadence drums.

So excited that more than once she came close to falling off, Ma’teesee called down what she saw. The moththeries belonging to this Sequba flittered around her, sipping at her laughter like bees after nectar; she scratched absently where they landed. “And there’re people out on the roofs all along the Barrier,” she shouted, “far as I can see. High Kumm Penhari, she’s really choused ’em out this time. Looks like they having fun, can’t hear what they yelling, but I’m sure those potzes wouldn’t like it if THEY could. Choo-ee, there’s a bunch of fooffas riding up and yelling at them, must be the officers. Almost makes y’ sorry for the poor jeggers on the ground. Ooh! He took a whip at the jegger, the yatz. Hope he tries the Barrier… nayo nay, not him, he’s galloping back to the barges…”

“Ma’teesee, come on down, that’s enough.” Areia One-eye tossed out the dregs in her mug, pushed the cork into the mouth of the bottle. “Dance could start any time now. It catches you up there, you’ll fall and break your neck.”

“Vema vema. Nothing much left to see anyway. You hear that last horn call? They backing off, making circles like they’re gonna camp there till time ends.”

There was a violent shaking and rustling as Ma’teesee began back-crawling to the trunk. A moment later they saw her fitting her toes into the deep cracks in the bark, coming down almost as fast she’d climbed up.

She danced toward them, brushing herself off, scrubbing her hands along her body to get rid of bark fragments and sap. “Reea, Reea, pour me a drink, I’m dry from looking at all that dust.”

Areia One-eye snorted. “You would do it, Tees.”

Ma’teesee giggled, pranced before her, arms up, hands fluttering. “Gonna gonna gonna kick and scratch,” she chanted. “Gonna gonna gonna…” She danced away as Zinduki grabbed at her, circled around, and dropped to a squat beside Dossan. She took the mug her friend handed her; emptied it at a gulp. “You shouldda seen it, it was soooo funny.”

Dossan rubbed at her face. “What’s happening on Northbank, Tees? Could you see? Is it going to be worse for our Mums?”

“Not to worry, Dossy. Army’s sitting on Southbank. Didn’t see much doing otherside.” She put the mug down, wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “So? Reea, when do we start? I wanna stomp some Mal.”

Areia One-eye shrugged. “When Abeyhamal commands. Same as always.” She rose onto her knees, reached round behind her for the basket. “Come on, help me get this stuff packed away.”