with too much deference. The magus clearly liked and respected him, relying on him to enforce orders addressed to me. He’d probably be the one to use the riding crop if push came to shove.
As we left the town, it became clear why the magus hadn’t brought a cart. There was no road for it to travel on beyond this small nameless town, or nothing that a civilized person, used to the streets of a city, would call a road. The wagon track we’d been following since Evisa had been carefully maintained, its central grassy strip and its verges kept cropped by the goats of each small village we passed through. That route divided, turning east to head along the foothills, or west to intersect the main road that led to the pass through the Hephestial Mountains. We headed straight on the track that showed fewer signs of travel.
We passed a few more farms, and then the way narrowed even further to a skinny, overgrown path with high grass and scrubby oaks growing on either side, sometimes so close that pricking leaves caught at the fabric in my trousers.
The path climbed steeply in places. The horses worked hard. In single file they heaved themselves uphill with a constant clatter of small stones. I gripped the horse underneath as firmly as I could with my knees and worried about slipping off the back end of the saddle at every rise in the trail. I held on with both hands as well, but my arms were in no better shape than my legs, and by midmorning they shook with the strain.
“Hey, why don’t we stop for lunch?”
The magus looked at me in disgust, but when we reached the next open space, he directed his horse ontothe grass, and mine obediently followed. I tried to convince it to move into the shade before I climbed down, but it stopped next to the magus’s horse and wouldn’t go on.
“Why doesn’t this damned horse go where I want it to?” I asked, exasperated.
“Stop jerking on the reins like that. It won’t move,” the magus told me.
“So I’ve found,” I said as I slid down. “It must like your horse more than I like you.”
Sophos heard me and laughed. “It’s a packhorse,” he explained. “It’s trained to stop next to its leader.”
“Really?” I looked at the horse beside me in surprise. “Are they that smart?”
“Smarter than you,” said Ambiades, coming up beside us.
“I never heard of a horse that could steal a king’s seal,” I pointed out with a smirk of my own.
“That’s what I meant,” said Ambiades.
“Why don’t you eat hot coals?” I walked over to where Pol was taking food out of the bag. I noticed Sophos staring after me.
“What?” I snapped at him, and he looked away.
Ambiades put the words in his mouth. “He wants to know if you really are stupid enough to bet a man that you could steal the king’s seal and then show it as proof the next day in a wineshop.”
It had been a professional risk, but there was nopoint in saying so. I turned my back on them both.
We had more bread and olives and cheese for lunch. When I wanted more, the magus said no. “I can’t be sure that we will have more provisions until we get through the mountains.”
I looked at the packages still tied to the horses. “You didn’t bring enough.”
“We should pick up a little more tonight. You won’t starve.”
“No, that’s true,” I said. “You can always give me some of Ambiades’s food.”
The magus gave me an ugly look. “You’ll get your share and nothing else. No one’s going hungry so that you can eat.”
“I don’t see why not,” I said as I lay down in the grass for a nap. It had dried in the summer sun to crackling stalks that poked me in the arms and neck. “I’m a lot more important than anyone else here,” I told the blue sky above me.
No one replied, and after a few minutes I fell asleep.
C HAPTER F OUR
W E STOPPED AGAIN EARLY IN the evening. Earlier than the magus wanted. He grumbled but agreed to look for a campsite after watching me nearly slide
As we left the town, it became clear why the magus hadn’t brought a cart. There was no road for it to travel on beyond this small nameless town, or nothing that a civilized person, used to the streets of a city, would call a road. The wagon track we’d been following since Evisa had been carefully maintained, its central grassy strip and its verges kept cropped by the goats of each small village we passed through. That route divided, turning east to head along the foothills, or west to intersect the main road that led to the pass through the Hephestial Mountains. We headed straight on the track that showed fewer signs of travel.
We passed a few more farms, and then the way narrowed even further to a skinny, overgrown path with high grass and scrubby oaks growing on either side, sometimes so close that pricking leaves caught at the fabric in my trousers.
The path climbed steeply in places. The horses worked hard. In single file they heaved themselves uphill with a constant clatter of small stones. I gripped the horse underneath as firmly as I could with my knees and worried about slipping off the back end of the saddle at every rise in the trail. I held on with both hands as well, but my arms were in no better shape than my legs, and by midmorning they shook with the strain.
“Hey, why don’t we stop for lunch?”
The magus looked at me in disgust, but when we reached the next open space, he directed his horse ontothe grass, and mine obediently followed. I tried to convince it to move into the shade before I climbed down, but it stopped next to the magus’s horse and wouldn’t go on.
“Why doesn’t this damned horse go where I want it to?” I asked, exasperated.
“Stop jerking on the reins like that. It won’t move,” the magus told me.
“So I’ve found,” I said as I slid down. “It must like your horse more than I like you.”
Sophos heard me and laughed. “It’s a packhorse,” he explained. “It’s trained to stop next to its leader.”
“Really?” I looked at the horse beside me in surprise. “Are they that smart?”
“Smarter than you,” said Ambiades, coming up beside us.
“I never heard of a horse that could steal a king’s seal,” I pointed out with a smirk of my own.
“That’s what I meant,” said Ambiades.
“Why don’t you eat hot coals?” I walked over to where Pol was taking food out of the bag. I noticed Sophos staring after me.
“What?” I snapped at him, and he looked away.
Ambiades put the words in his mouth. “He wants to know if you really are stupid enough to bet a man that you could steal the king’s seal and then show it as proof the next day in a wineshop.”
It had been a professional risk, but there was nopoint in saying so. I turned my back on them both.
We had more bread and olives and cheese for lunch. When I wanted more, the magus said no. “I can’t be sure that we will have more provisions until we get through the mountains.”
I looked at the packages still tied to the horses. “You didn’t bring enough.”
“We should pick up a little more tonight. You won’t starve.”
“No, that’s true,” I said. “You can always give me some of Ambiades’s food.”
The magus gave me an ugly look. “You’ll get your share and nothing else. No one’s going hungry so that you can eat.”
“I don’t see why not,” I said as I lay down in the grass for a nap. It had dried in the summer sun to crackling stalks that poked me in the arms and neck. “I’m a lot more important than anyone else here,” I told the blue sky above me.
No one replied, and after a few minutes I fell asleep.
C HAPTER F OUR
W E STOPPED AGAIN EARLY IN the evening. Earlier than the magus wanted. He grumbled but agreed to look for a campsite after watching me nearly slide
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