Battle Magic

“I beg your pardon?” Rosethorn asked.

Luvo made a humming sound full of rises and falls. The spider crouched low to the ground, then rose to the top of its toes. Luvo hummed louder and deeper, then turned toward Rosethorn. “If you will permit, Rosethorn, I wish to journey to this Emelan with you.” He turned his head knob toward the mountains. “No, my brothers and sisters!” His voice thundered against the rocky heights all around them. Everyone covered her or his ears. “That you have never gone forth does not mean I should not do it! My mountain is fine! Its waters and plants and creatures will do nicely without me, and I will wander where I choose!”

By the time he had finished, all of those near him but Evvy had moved away and were using their forearms to put as much flesh as they could between their ears and his thundering voice as it echoed in the pass. Evvy was crying. “You don’t have to do this,” she told the creature who had made her feel safe in those ugly hours after she fled her torturers. “You don’t have to leave your only home.”

Luvo turned his head knob up to her. “I have seen how your education goes, Evumeimei,” he said quietly. “It is well enough, but I can teach you other things. And I do not wish to sleep eternity away. I wish to see more. You and Briar and Rosethorn, and your friends, among you I have felt more awake than I have felt since the first humans came to Gyongxe. I wish to stay awake with you.”

“Well, if that’s settled, we still need to go.” Rosethorn opened a bag on one of the horses and pulled out some of the scarves the God-King had given them. “Will you ride a packhorse or with Evvy?”

“I will ride with Evumeimei for a time,” Luvo said.

Rosethorn and Briar quickly wound scarves around Evvy and Luvo until the living stone was tucked and secure in front of the girl.

Jimut handed Evvy the reins. “Give my greetings to the river goddess when you reach Kombanpur,” he told Briar. They clasped hands.

“I will,” Briar said. He bowed to Parahan and Souda and rode to Rosethorn, taking the lead rein for their string of packhorses from her.

Evvy waved as the twins and Jimut turned to gallop back to the main road to Garmashing. She waited until they were out of her view before she leaned over and spat on the earth of Gyongxe. “Pass that on to Yanjing, if you’d be so good,” she whispered to the gods of the realm. “I know at least a couple of you are listening.” She looked ahead. “C’mon, Luvo. Any place that gave us Briar and Rosethorn has to be interesting.”

“I look forward to it,” the heart of the mountain said.

“I look forward to going home,” Briar said. “Home! My sisters, and Lark, and a city where winter means rain and wool clothes, not furs!”

“Our garden,” Rosethorn added. “Winding Circle temple. The sea.”

“I have not been near the sea in a long time,” Luvo said. “It must have changed very much.”

“You will have to tell us,” Briar replied. “And the Kanpoja River will take us there.”

They set off at a trot, the road clear ahead of them.