LITMIR.BIZ

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they spoke. It was as if in shouldering the burdens left to him by his heritage, as if in announcing his true identity, Archer had grown physically as well as figuratively. The lines of care and suffering still carved his face deeply, but they only enhanced the sense of power about him.

      Tuzza offered him wine, and the two of them sat at the wooden camp table, the map of the Bozandari world between them.

      “I heard,” Archer said, “that the lady paid you a visit early this morning.”

      “Aye, she did. With eight white wolves.”

      Archer’s mouth lifted in a smile. “That must have commanded attention.”

      “I am not certain what commanded the most attention—the wolves or when she stopped the snow and drove away the clouds.” Tuzza, who had believed himself to be the most unsurprisable of men, nevertheless sounded awed as he spoke of the lady banishing the storm.

      Archer nodded and sipped his wine. “She is full of surprises, that one. Nor does she yet know all she can do.”

      “A wild talent?”

      “At times. For some reason, the gods deprived her of all memory when they brought her to me and my friends. Whatever she may have known before, all is lost. She knows only what she learns with each passing day.”

      “Then she has learned a great deal.”

      Archer nodded. “Quite a bit in such a short time.”

      “I hear the Anari guards referring to her as the Weaver. Do they mean the one foretold?”

      There was a glint in Archer’s eye. “What think you, Tuzza? Did she reach out and cast away a storm?”

      “I saw it with my own eyes.” He looked down into his wine and breathed, “The Weaver. I never thought to see such a thing.”

      “Few of us did. I do not mind saying that living in the times foretold by prophecy will bring little joy to most of us.”

      “No. These will be hard times.”

      “The hardest. We will all be sorely tested. Sorely indeed.” He caught Tuzza’s gaze and held it. “All we will have, brother, is trust in one another. I cannot tell you how important that will be.”

      “You call me brother?”

      “Aye, for you are about to share my burden. And no joyous road it will be.”

      “I am honored, my lord.”

      “Speak to me of honor when we have passed through this shadow and can clasp hands on the other side.” Archer shook his head. “I have known for centuries that this time approached, yet I am no more ready to face it than I ever was. And it grieves me that others must share my burden, for if I had chosen to act differently long ago, this would never have come about.”

      “And I might never have been born and never have seen my children grow to adulthood.”

      Archer smiled faintly. “You are very positive.”

      “One must be positive to lead an army.”

      “Aye, it is so.”

      They sat quietly together for a while, sipping their wine, a silent camaraderie growing between them.

      The first to break the silence was Archer. “Do you trust your men?”

      “Aye. We regard honor very highly.”

      Archer nodded, then leaned closer. “Watch them nonetheless, brother. For he has ways of taking over the minds of men. You have heard of the hives?”

      “Aye, but I have never met one.”

      “You will, before this is done. He draws men into his sway, then bends their will to his. He can even occupy one of them if he wishes. It is as if they have only a single mind, and it is strange to see how they work in concert. That is how he controls his armies.”

      Tuzza looked appalled and took a deep draft of his wine. “That will worry me.”

      “It should. Once he takes them over, they even lose their fear of mortality. It is unforgivable that he uses them thus, but he does and you must be prepared for it. And you must ever be wary that he might take control of some of your soldiers. For he will certainly try.”

      “How can I guard against it?”

      “I know of no way to stop it. But when it happens…Ilduin blood judges harshly. Be wary and tell your men to be wary. And know this. While your men may hesitate at the thought of battle with other Bozandari, those whom he holds will not hesitate to cut your men down like chaff.”

      After a few moments of clearly pained thought, Tuzza refilled their wine goblets. “Then tonight, my lord brother, we must enjoy the fruits of the earth and the gifts of the gods, for we cannot know when our hour will come.”

      Archer raised his goblet in toast and took a deep drink. “We need information about what is happening to the north of Bozandar. Since the rebellion, your armies have made it all but impossible to send scouts in that direction. If there is any way you can get news, I will be grateful. It is never wise to march blind to meet an enemy.”

      Tuzza nodded. “I will find a way.”

      “I’m sure by now an army marches to your rescue. Ponder on this, Tuzza, for I would not engage them in battle and waste lives needlessly. We must find a way to prevent the fight and convince them to join us.”

      “That will be even harder than today was.”

      “Aye. I have some notion of the stiff spines of the Bozandar army. And whether you believe it or not, the Anari are every bit as stiff-spined. I would avoid the bloodshed if we can. We are going to need every able man to fight the evil that comes.”

      Tuzza’s mouth framed a wry smile. “And apparently we will need some Ilduin as well.”

      “Aye, for he has corrupted at least two that we know of, and there may be more.”

      “Fire must be fought with fire.”

      “Sad to say. I would not corrupt these women in any way, had I the choice.”

      Tuzza sighed. “I think they will not be corrupted, my lord. They will see what they should not see, and perhaps do things they will regret, but they will understand why the choices were forced upon them, as any good soldier does.”

      “I hope you are right. The three who are with us seem somehow steeped in unassailable purity. I fear it will not last.”

      “War carries a heavy toll. But perhaps Lady Tess can travel with me to meet the advancing army. If she could do for them what she did for us today, my job of persuasion would be ever so much easier.”

      Archer lifted a brow. “You will not ride alone regardless, Tuzza. For I will not have you called traitor and carried away in shackles. You are no traitor, and we need you.”

      “Treason is in the eye of the beholder, Master Archer. My emperor will not see my actions as anything other.”

      “Then we need to enlighten him as well.”

      Tuzza almost laughed. “He is not an easy man to persuade.”

      “Perhaps he has never been swayed before by an Ilduin.”

      “Certainly not by the Weaver.”

      Archer’s expression grew grave. “She must be guarded at all costs, Tuzza. Ardred will stop at nothing to claim her. The mere fact that prophecy predicted her appearance is no guarantee of safety. The days and weeks to come hold no guarantees. At this point, the future is no longer writ, even for the most gifted of prophets.”

      Tuzza’s answering nod was grim. “I understand, my lord.”

      “Tomorrow I would take you into Anahar with me to meet my lieutenant Ratha. It is time for us to forge bonds between us, and we must forge them like the

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