Anna stepped into a patch of shade to get out of the already warm morning sun, then glanced around the group—Jecks, Himar, Hadrenn, and Liende, with Stepan, Jimbob, and Kinor standing farther back. Behind them were her guards, and a full score of lancers surrounding the shaded grove where she had laid out the traveling scrying mirror on a fallen tree trunk. To the west, along the Syne River road, the column was forming, preparing for the ride eastward, to meet Bertmynn’s forces.
Finally, after a vocalise, she swallowed and cleared her throat, then lifted the lutar and sang:
Show me now and show me clear
a road to Bertmynn with no armsmen near,
Like a vision, like a map …
The mirror displayed an image, almost a topographical map with a light brown line that appeared to be the river road they traveled—until just short of the juncture of the two rivers, when the path veered south and around a line of hills.
Ulpp.
Anna suspected the gulp belonged to Hadrenn, but she continued to concentrate on the image. Himar was sketching rapidly on a sheet of crude brown paper, his eyes flicking from the mirror to the paper.
“If the glass is correct,” Anna said, “that will bring us out on the higher south side of the valley.”
“The last part of the way is narrow.” Himar kept sketching. “There are trees on both sides. We would not see any lancers until they were upon us.”
“Let me know when you have it drawn out.” Anna could feel the heat building around her, and within the mirror and its frame. After a short time, Himar lifted his head. “I have enough.”
Anna sang the release couplet, and then took a long swallow from the water bottle Jecks handed her. She thought about waving away the biscuit that followed, but took it instead and munched through it. Have to keep your energy levels up.
“Let’s see if Bertmynn has planned any surprises.” She cleared her throat and raised the lutar.
Danger from Bertmynn, danger near,
show me that danger bright and clear … .
The image showed a line of armsmen, arrayed on a hillside. There was a smaller group, barely a handful of figures, behind the armsmen, higher on the hillside.
“Are those archers?” asked Jecks. “Or players?”
“They don’t have as many players as we do, if they’re players, and less than a score of archers won’t change things.” Anna frowned. “Whatever danger there is … it looks like it will be when we meet.”
“I worry about those folk …” Jecks gestured toward the mirror, speaking in a voice meant only for Anna’s ears.
“So do I, but we can’t just ride away because we don’t feel things are quite right.” She forced a light laugh.
Jecks tightened his lips.
“I need to talk to Liende.” Anna motioned to the chief player, and then to Himar, and to Stepan, waiting for them to approach more closely before continuing. “As soon as we can get within vocal range of Bertmynn’s forces, we’ll use the long flame song—that’s the one for weapons that might be spelled against us.”
“The long flame song,” Liende repeated.
Anna looked at Himar. “Do you think his lancers will attack quickly?”
“Either quickly, or they will wait for us to attack.” Himar fingered his chin. “They would have to come down from higher ground and then charge uphill. I would wait, were I in their position.”
“Does it look like our bowmen can lift arrows far enough to reach their position? If we form on the southern ridge?”
“I cannot tell.” Himar shrugged apologetically.
“Well … we’ll hope so.” Anna looked back at Liende. “We’ll plan on the arrow song second. If the arrows reach them, we’ll do it several times.”
“The arrow song for the second spell,” Liende confirmed.
“And I may need the short flame song, almost at any time.”
A frown crossed Liende’s face, then vanished.
“And possibly the short arrow song, the one I used against Sargol.” Not that it did any good there. She turned to Himar. “Are we ready to ride?”
“Yes, Lady Anna.”
Anna nodded, and recased the lutar, then looked toward the mirror, but Jecks had already packed it and was strapping it to Farinelli.
Hadrenn took a long, thoughtful look at Anna, before turning to follow Himar.
Liende glanced at Anna as the others moved through the dappled shadows of the grove toward their mounts, then asked the sorceress, “You will not let Kinor ride with the lancers?”
“No … I told him and Jimbob that they had to help my personal
guards. There’s some danger there, but … less, I would judge.”
“Kinor … he would prove he is worthy.”
“I know. But he has to see what happens in battles, I think. People die, and most battles …” Don’t have to be fought? Except they do, because people’s beliefs aren’t the same, and someone always wants to force other people to believe differently. After a moment, Anna found the question coming back. Are you any different? Aren’t people dying because you want to force this world to treat women better?
“You are silent, lady.”
Anna sighed. “I’d like to think I’m different from others who rule, but I’m not. I fight for what I believe in, and so do they. I just have to hope that what I believe in is worth the deaths.”
“Life is not what we wish, lady, but I believe you do the best you can. That is why I ride with you.” Liende smiled sadly.
“Thank you,” answered Anna softly. “I try.” As Liende turned, Anna carried the lutar toward Farinelli, and Jecks.
“Can you bring your spells against the players—if that is what they are?” The hazel eyes of the white-haired lord radiated concern.
“You’re worried, aren’t you?”
“For you, my lady, not for me.”
Anna reached out with her free hand and squeezed his shoulder, firmly but gently. “I’ll try to think of something as we ride.” You’d better … when he’s worried, he’s usually right. She strapped the lutar behind her saddle, then patted Farinelli, and mounted.