"Let them enjoy their moment of happiness." Kelanus's pale blue eyes twinkled down at Tahena. "Talking of lovers, there are plenty of quiet corners."
"Yes, there are. Oh!" She giggled. "Is that a hint?"
Smiling, Kelanus swept her along the street and away.
***
Neptarik inspected the fruit on his plate for a few moments. Never before had he seen food like this: skins of bright yellow and red and green... Juice already leaked where a careless knife had sliced or stabbed. It smelled tasty enough and was certainly fit for breakfast. He ate hungrily, with little trace of table manners. He paused only to wipe dribbles from his chin.
"You were late last night," remarked Tahena. "What time did you and the ship's sylph return?"
"I came back with Mate Staffin," replied the sylph. "I do not even know if Cloudy is back."
Kelanus and Tahena exchanged a glance. "She wasn't aboard when we returned."
"Sent on ahead, eh?" Kelanus grinned. "Hope you haven't upset her."
"No. She wanted a word with one of the other ship sylphs. A private matter, she said."
"Good job you can handle rejection." Tahena gave the sylph a neutral look.
Neptarik shrugged.
"I'd like a word with you about your ability to read."
"That will be quick, I cannot." He grinned.
"Saw you do it with your collar," she countered.
"I got told what it reads."
"I'm sure you can learn. You seem bright enough."
Kelanus interrupted, changing the subject. "I wonder if Raldtu has found horses for us." He flexed his arms in a rare show of impatience. "We must press on." The Third Mate had been ashore since first light, trying to find someone prepared to sell or loan two horses.
All three turned as a quiet knock on the cabin door heralded Cloudy. She had probably been up all night, but looked as though she had enjoyed a full night's sleep. They stared as a second sylph followed her into the cabin. Tahena recognized the plainly-dressed infertile she had seen last night, the sylph with the permanently wilted earpoint. Still in the same clothes, she looked nervous.
Cloudy smiled at them all, though her gaze lingered a little longer on Neptarik. "I hope nobody is too badly hungover."
"Good morning," rumbled Kelanus.
Neptarik grinned at both sylphs.
Tahena raised her head. "Good morning, Cloudy. And hello to your friend."
The other sylph gave a shy grin and bobbed a quick bow. "I am Kytra," she said hesitantly, rubbing a hand up and down the plain material of her breeches.
"Another ship's sylph?" Tahena smiled.
Pain flashed across Kytra's face and her good earpoint sagged. "The vessel part of the ship is gone." She tapped her heart. "This part is still in me." She glanced at Kelanus and visibly tensed.
"A ship's sylph without a ship?" Kelanus kept his voice calm and quiet.
The sylph nodded and glanced at Cloudy.
The older ship's sylph smiled reassuringly. "It is all right," she encouraged, "you can tell him."
Kytra looked at Tahena to calm herself before turning her attention to Kelanus. "Cloudy tells me you seek Ranallic Eydren."
"I do."
"My ship knew him. He was an apprentice seaman in the Velvet Moon before the last one. He stayed two trading seasons before leaving to learn hunting and tracking."
Kelanus grinned and rummaged for a portrait. "This him?" He pushed one at the sylph, who cringed before taking it.
What has happened to you, poor child? Tahena wondered. Why so terrified of Kelanus?
"An old portrait?" the sylph eventually asked. "The ship tells me he must be more than seventy years old now."
Kelanus almost groaned. "You must speak of a different Ranallic Eydren," he said. "The man I know is barely in his forties."
Tahena interrupted. "This is too large a coincidence to ignore," she said. "The man we know as Ranallic hails from these parts or nearby. Sandev told me we would meet a ship's sylph without a ship who could help us and here she is. And one to whom the name Ranallic Eydren is familiar."
"But a different man," protested Kelanus.
Tahena ignored the General. "Do you know where Ranallic is now?" she asked. "Don't be frightened, we won't hurt you."
Kytra did not seem reassured by Tahena's promise. "The ship knows where he went to learn his skills," she replied, again glancing nervously at Kelanus. "A village named Pensdren."
"Can you take us there?" pressed Tahena.
"Yes," replied the young sylph. "The ship can guide us there."
Cloudy grinned and winked at the other ship sylph.
And what is your game? wondered Tahena.
"What's the point if we speak of a different Ranallic Eydren?" demanded Kelanus.
"The two must be related," argued Tahena. "They share the same surname. Father and son, perhaps? Either way, we'll only find out if we let Kytra guide us."
Kelanus turned his pale blue eyes on the sylph, who again cringed. "How far away is this village on horseback?"
"The ship says a day or two," answered Kytra. Nervousness thickened her voice. "She went there once for timbers."
"You frightened of horses?"
The ship sylph blinked. "Probably."
***
Matron Ceren of the orphanage looked far from impressed when Kelanus, Tahena and Cloudy, with Neptarik and Kytra in tow, entered her office. She was even less impressed when Kelanus explained why he wanted to borrow Kytra. Even Cloudy failed to allay the matron's suspicions.
"She is frightened," said Ceren. "I can tell."
"The ship within her can help us." Kelanus persisted. He doubted Kytra had anything to contribute and wanted to chase the lead down to settle the matter as quickly as possible.
The matron's slanted eyes narrowed. "The last owner abused his position of authority and treated this sylph abominably," she hissed. "She is frightened, so I will not let her go."
Now he had horses, Kelanus's impatience to be moving again bubbled to the surface. "We need her to guide us."
"Anybody can give you directions to Pensdren. All you need do is –"
"I will be all right with Cloudy," interrupted Kytra, her good earpoint slanted ahead in a show of determination.
"I am not coming, Vel." The other ship sylph shook her head. "Sorry, but I must remain with the ship."
The show of determination ended as the earpoint wilted.
Tahena touched Kelanus's arm, but she addressed the matron. "Will you excuse us a moment?" she asked. "I must speak with my companion."
Neptarik and Cloudy exchanged a look as the two humans left Ceren's office. The matron spoke to the male sylph.
"I suppose if I asked, you would tell me that your Master is a good man."
"My Master is a good man," retorted Neptarik, his silver eyes flashing in irritation, "but Kelanus-ya is not my Master."
"You do not belong to him?" Ceren looked surprised.
"No," interrupted Cloudy, "he does not. I say that Kelanus is a good man."
"And me, and I have known him for longer." Neptarik grinned.
"Why can't you come?" grumbled Kytra. "Why not, Cloudy?"
"You know why, Vel." She smiled at the younger sylph. "I must stay with the ship. You know that. Ask Lyrran."
Kelanus and Tahena returned, the General squaring up to the matron as if he might fight her.
"We are prepared to give surety for the sylph's safety," he said. "Gold, our weapons, whatever you ask."
"Surety?" Ceren's eyes narrowed. "You mistake me, sir; it is not for my benefit I refuse you the sylph, but because of her own fear. She does not trust any round-eyed human male. With reason."
"How about a normal-eyed human female?" Tahena's face hardened. "I will look after her if she fears Kelanus."
"And who will look after you?" Ceren's voice was very quiet.
Tahena's expression tightened further. "You believe I cannot look after myself?" she hissed. "This man is
a good man, and better yet, a true man. But if he was that way inclined..." She spread her hands and Kelanus gave a surprised yelp as he lifted a few incas from the ground, while all three sylphs went wide-eyed and hugged themselves. A moment later, she released him. "I can care for Kytra better than you can." Her dark eyes glittered.
"I hope that is Siranva's Gift, and not sorcery," said Ceren, as admiration thickened her voice. She turned to Kytra. "Well?"
The sylph's silvery gray eyes, solemn and wide, regarded Tahena with an expression akin to terror and respect and worship all mingled together. "If Cloudy cannot come, I will be safe with Tahena-ya," she said.
Ceren nodded. "Very well, the matter is settled." She gave Kelanus a stern look. "I hope."
***
Cloudy walked as far as the city gates, feeding Kytra encouragement the whole way. Both ship sylphs ignored the horses and even Neptarik walked with them, leaving Kelanus and Tahena to ride slowly through the streets. The General played the tourist for the moment, while his companion pointed out places of interest and gave a potted history.
"Hejiller is almost as old as Marka," he rumbled, at one point.
"The city it is built on is even older," replied Tahena. "Candoor held the knowledge of the ancients and was the last city to fall when the original civilization collapsed. What wonders hidden within Candoor are now lost?" Her voice grew heavy with sadness. "Lost."
"Are there many relics of the old civilization here?" Kelanus thought of the strange dish-shaped object near his old home, that seemed to follow the Ark Star whenever it was visible. And remained dormant the rest of the time, though it always came to rest pointing to the exact place on the horizon where the Ark Star would next appear. And the huge pyramid, outside Marka's gates.
Tahena paused. "I'm not sure," she replied. "We'll pass a couple on the way to Pensdren."
"A couple?" Kelanus whistled between his teeth.
"This is as far as I go." At the gates, Cloudy halted. "I cannot leave a town unaccompanied," she explained.
Kytra threw her arms around the other ship sylph's neck. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."
While hugging the other ship's sylph, Cloudy looked up at Kelanus. "May you find what you seek, Kelanus-ya, Tahena-ya." She grinned. "We will remain in Hejiller for a little time. We must wait for our cargo, as usual, and the crew deserves some proper leave. If your task is completed quickly, I will be pleased to carry you back to Cadister."
"Thank you." Kelanus smiled. "For a swift and safe voyage."
"Yes, very impressive," added Tahena.
Cloudy blushed. "You will be safe with these people," she told Kytra. "I promise."
Neptarik touched her shoulder. "Meet soon?"
The ship's sylph smiled. "I hope so."
Tahena moved her horse nearer Kytra. "Want to come up?" she asked. "Or would you prefer to scout ahead with Neptarik?"
The sylph gave the horse a wary look before she turned to the male sylph. "Scout?" she asked.
Neptarik inclined his head. "That is what I am."
"Can I stay with you?"
"Yes."
"As you wish." Tahena smiled at Kytra and gave Neptarik a warning look.
Neptarik gave her an innocent one in return as she rejoined Kelanus.
"Well," said the General, "if we don't move now, another day will be gone."
Cloudy watched them leave and stayed at the gate until she could see them no more. Her earpoints twitched as she stared at nothing, mulling an idea over and over. Smiling to herself, she returned to her ship.
***
Chapter 20
Truth Will Out
Tahena stood in her stirrups while she and her companion waited for another long timber wagon to rumble past.
"No sign of the sylphs," she said. "I hope we've not lost them."
"Of course not," replied Kelanus. "Neptarik will have his eye on us; he'll know exactly where we are."
The woman sighed. "Having them around complicates things."
Kelanus laughed. "It'd feel strange without sylphs here," he replied. "At least we'll have warning of any danger."
"You know what I mean."
"You mean you don't want Neptarik to think you're a hypocrite."
Tahena sniffed. She sat back down properly on her horse and glared at her companion. "How do you know which way to go to follow these sylphs?"
Kelanus smiled. "We're still following the road. If Neptarik left it, he would leave a patteran to show the way." He looked over his shoulder at the wagon, now safely past. "We can press on again."
Superbly built and maintained, the road had rutted paving, but no hint of weeds. It had lost its smoothness in places, where wagons had found weak points to depress, but was still in far better condition than any other road Kelanus had seen.
Unfortunately, the white stone reflected light and heat, as if the sun was not enough. Tahena had been born at this latitude, but had lost her acclimatization, thanks to her years living in the north. She sweated almost as much as Kelanus.
She stared at his back and smiled. The memory of the High Festival warmed her as she remembered his attentions. She loved a hard man with a tender touch; not that there had been many men in her life, of course. The Father's Gift tended to put them off. Thankfully, if Kelanus had concerns about that, he never showed them. Did he know how much she had fallen for him? She suspected not: this man kept his emotions hidden away for the most part. He probably found it difficult to see emotion in others. No, that was unfair; he had been emotional enough at High Festival.
She smiled again at the memory and looked at the dark patch between his shoulders. Perhaps he suffered a little more than she in the heat.
"This will take us straight to Pensdren," she said, filling the silence. "They built this road for moving ship timbers from the forest to the city."
"We'll find out soon enough," replied Kelanus. "Can't be much further now."
Kytra's ship had said two days, and today was the second day. Tahena had expected Kelanus to be more eager to push ahead, and learn if the two Ranallic Eydren's were related, or if Kytra had brought them here for nothing.
Kelanus seemed less sure that Kytra was the ship sylph they sought, but Tahena knew this road led to answers. Sandev had never been wrong in the time she had known her. If she said that a ship's sylph without a ship would help them, then that would happen. And a ship's sylph without a ship ran along the road with Neptarik. Even better, she knew a Ranallic Eydren! Coincidences this large did not exist.
"How long before we rest the horses?" she asked. "They feel heat too."
Kelanus glanced at the sun, climbing relentlessly towards its meridian. Only a fool rode during the hottest part of the day. "I asked Neptarik to find somewhere cool with water."
"There's one of them now," she said, pointing to a small figure standing in the road. "Kytra, I think."
Without looking Kelanus knew who stood in the road; Neptarik would never show himself like that. Of course, the small infertile with the damaged earpoint had never trained as a scout and couldn't know marshaling was unnecessary. Perhaps she had been asked, just to let her feel useful. Not his concern.
"The lad must have heard me," he said. "Here is somewhere for us to stop."
Kytra grinned at Tahena as she waved the riders off the road towards a copse of stunted trees and bushes. A runnel streamed through its own small rocky valley, tumbling from pool to pool, inviting them to taste it. The infertile walked alongside Tahena's stirrup, still too shy to acknowledge Kelanus.
Neptarik waved from a rock where he basked in the growing heat. He lay at ease and wriggled his toes while watching the surrounding countryside.
"Will this do, donenya?"
"It's a good place," Kelanus called back up to him. "No need to keep an eye out. There are no lawless wanderers here. Come down."
"Se bata."
The sylph slid off the rock and joined his companions. Tahena shared the food, which was little more
than dried vegetables. Kelanus produced some dried goat meat for the two humans. Neptarik and Kytra crouched side by side, slightly apart, but still in the shade of the bushes.
"I'm surprised your ship brought her sylph this way to view timbers," Kelanus remarked to Kytra. "The road seems clear enough."
The ship sylph's mouth worked soundlessly before she lowered her eyes. "Just a dirt track then," she replied. "They used to float the timbers round to Hejiller, but she wanted to choose her own." She looked around and shrugged, her good earpoint twitching. "They built the road during some trouble thirty years ago and have used it for the timbers ever since."
"You may as well try and get some sleep," suggested Kelanus. "I'll stay awake this time. Where are you off to, Neptarik?"
Neptarik paused, one foot off the ground. He put the foot down and turned. "If I am to sleep, I would rather sleep in the sun," he replied, and nodded towards the rock.
"All right." Kelanus nodded. He ignored the scout and watched Tahena.
Kytra submitted to Tahena's attentions as she massaged the ship sylph's damaged earpoint. The human muttered to herself.
"I could try healing this," she said.
Eyes wide, Kytra shrank back.
Tahena smiled. "It won't hurt, I promise." She guided the sylph away, probably for privacy.
Kelanus glanced up at the rock, but nothing of Neptarik showed, except a lower leg that twitched as the scout basked. Kelanus chose to keep watch as he could barely suppress his excitement. Given the obvious age difference, he had no idea how the two Ranallics could possibly be the same man. Might one be father to the other? Were there other surviving relatives? What might he find at Pensdren? He needed to know.
His thoughts turned to the ship's sylph without a ship.
That Kytra had been badly treated by the master of her ship saddened him. From what he had seen of ship sylphs, the creatures were usually indulged. Her mistrust of him came from suffering at the hands of one northern man, but that did not stop his concern. Though he shared no blame for her past, for the moment he must shoulder the problem. At least Kytra seemed comfortable around Tahena and, perhaps unsurprisingly, felt happiest with Neptarik. The two sylphs got along very well, much to Tahena's consternation.
In Kelanus's opinion, Kytra was good for Neptarik. The scout had shaken off the worst of his depression, if still not quite his old self. He looked over his shoulder as Tahena and Kytra returned.
"We'll try again later," said Tahena. "It's been damaged for some time. You probably won't get full movement back, but you should get some. A pity we did not meet sooner."