Waterdance

Waterdance by Anne Logston Page A

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Authors: Anne Logston
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Atheris looked pretty exhausted to her.
    To Peri’s surprise, Atheris’s chant seemed short, almost cursory, but there was no doubt he’d done something; she felt a strange prickling, itching sensation that seemed to crawl over her skin so that she had to fight hard not to fidget and scratch.
    Atheris walked slowly but without any real stealth toward the caravan, beckoning to Peri to follow. She took a deep breath and gave a little mental shake—it went deep against her grain to trust magic (especially Sarkondish magic) when she could neither see its effects nor even had a clear idea of what it did. Still, Atheris had as much to lose as she did—or maybe more—if they were captured; to that extent, at least, she could trust him.
    Her trust was stretched to its limit, however, as they approached the caravan. There were indeed guards, more than Peri had originally thought; they’d simply stayed much closer to the camp than was customary in Agrondish or Bregondish caravans. The guards were neither idle nor careless and wandered steadily among the wagons, and Peri found that reassuring; at least it confirmed what Atheris had said.
    The first time Peri saw two of the guards turn in their direction she froze in fear, certain that discovery and attack was imminent; to her amazement, however, the men ignored her and Atheris completely. The guards continued past on their patrol, and Peri breathed out slowly again.
    Atheris peered into one wagon, then another, and Peri assumed he was looking for a wagon whose cargo wasn’t warded, with enough boxes and bundles to conceal them comfortably. This assumption proved correct, and when Atheris indicated a wagon and motioned her inside, she climbed in and rearranged the boxes as quietly as she could to make a hiding place. Meanwhile Atheris unwrapped his cut hand and opened the wound yet again, repeating the spell Peri had first seen him use and letting drops of blood fall along the slatted sides of the wagon bed. Peri held her breath again; if the caravan had a mage, as it must surely have, and that mage happened to be awake despite the lateness of the hour, Atheris’s spell might be detected. But no alarm was raised, and Peri helped an utterly exhausted Atheris into the wagon, quietly moving the boxes again so they were completely concealed. Atheris slumped back against her makeshift pack, barely conscious.
    “I know you’re tired,” Peri whispered. “But I need to know how long your spell—or spells, or whatever—will keep us hidden.”
    “Yes.” Atheris’s whisper was barely audible. “The Bone Hunters will not be able to sense us as long as we remain in the wagon. That spell will remain active as long as I remain within its boundaries to feed it with my energies. The spell that allowed us to bypass the guards and magical traps and the like, for that I drew on the power and properties of the Veil—borrowed a bit of it for ourselves, if you will. As long as we remain near the Veil, it will hold firm. But it does not precisely hide us; it only renders us less ... noticeable. So we must be quiet and cautious.”
    Quiet and cautious wouldn’t be difficult so long as nobody unloaded the wagon, and the wagon was, after all, traveling west, which was exactly where Peri wanted to go. All right, then. Tiredly Peri stood again, trying to figure the quietest way over the boxes.
    “What are you doing?” Atheris whispered. He was so exhausted that his eyelids were fluttering in their effort to stay open.
    “We have a little water,” Peri whispered back, “but no food and nothing to treat your wounds. If you’re too weak or sick to cast spells if we need them”—you’re useless to me—“we’re both in trouble.”
    Atheris made no answer; he had closed his eyes. Peri didn’t know whether he thought it wasn’t worth his trouble to argue or whether he’d merely passed out, but it made no difference. She’d followed his advice as far as she was going to. She hoped the

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