Outcast Chronicles - Sanctuary Part 22

*All right. But a"'

He pulled her through the door onto the deck, leading her several steps before she stopped.

He turned back to find her staring up at the sky, eyes glistening with tears of joy. *Is anyone likely to check up on you this afternoon?'

*What? No, they wouldn't expect me to try to escape. I haven't done this since they shut me away, four years ago.'

He wanted to ask why she'd been shut away, but several Malaunje children ran past, playing and laughing, while their elders strung was.h.i.+ng on lines across the deck, obscuring the rowboats. It was a perfect moment to carry out his plan. *Come on, this way.'

He darted between was.h.i.+ng lines, making for the nearest rowboat. He reached up and undid the canvas cover. *Slip in here.'

He cupped his hands. She placed one elegant foot in his hand, another on his shoulders and sprang up, slipping gracefully into the boat.

He glanced both ways. No one was looking. The flapping was.h.i.+ng formed the perfect screen. *Wait there.'

Then he ran inside, grabbed a blanket and some left-overs from lunch, and rolled it into a bundle.

As he shoved the bundle into the boat he noticed two Malaunje lads of about ten watching him.

*Here, you two, work the pulleys.'

Just as he suspected, they were so used to obeying T'En that they didn't question him. Ronnyn slipped beneath the canvas and into the boat as the lads began to lower it.

He looked nervously to the girl. Her eyes glowed with a mixture of terror and excitement. With every heartbeat, he expected someone to lean over the side and demand to know what they were doing.

The boat's belly kissed the sea. He undid both clamps and waved to the lads, who raised the ropes.

They were free. He had her all to himself for a whole afternoon.

Feeling in control again, Ronnyn threw back the canvas and took the oars. *Where would you like to go?'

*Teach me how to row.'

He couldn't be happier.

ARAVELLE UNPEGGED THE bedding and went to fold it, only to discover... *I can still sense the male gift.' She inhaled the spicy, slightly confronting scent, and with it a rush of power ran through her body. *It's embedded in the weave of the fabric.'

*What did you expect?' Redravia's voice creaked with age. *The bedrolls belong to the all-father and his inner circle. Their gifts are more powerful than any others. We've only aired their bedding, we won't get rid of the gift tang without soaking and was.h.i.+ng.'

Aravelle finished folding the bedroll, then reached for another.

This summer just gone she'd ma.s.saged her brother's arm every day. His gift had begun to manifest and the instinct to revel in his power had been almost overwhelming. Now that same seductive gift essence was all around her.

As Redravia folded each bedroll, the old woman inhaled deeply. Already, her gaze was sharper and the stiffness seemed to have gone from her joints.

Aravelle felt a stab of anger. She'd thought Redravia offered to help out of friends.h.i.+p. Instead, the old woman was motivated by hunger for the male gift. On principle, Aravelle averted her face as she folded and tucked the bedding in the basket.

*You are so like your mother.' Redravia's voice held a mixture of exasperation and affection.

Aravelle tensed. She was nothing like her mother. Her mother had lied to her.

*Sasoria never accepted the limitations of being born Malaunje. She was always pus.h.i.+ng the boundaries. There is no point fighting your Malaunje nature, Vella. You will become addicted to the male gift. You will become a true brotherhood Malaunje.'

*How is that different from being a sisterhood Malaunje?'

*The female gift is different. You'll see what I mean one day.'

If she became a true brotherhood Malaunje.

But she wouldn't. She would never give up her independence.

*There.' Redravia dropped the last bedroll into the basket.

Aravelle bent down, picked up the basket and balanced it on her hip. Up on the foredeck, she could hear the T'En initiates practising under Hueryx's hand-of-force, wielding their twin long-knives. They began training with wooden blades; as they grew more skilled they moved onto real blades, the patterns becoming more complex and deadly.

Her gaze returned to the mid-deck, which was reserved for Malaunje. Saskar had already finished drilling the fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds.

She paused to admire Saskar's skill as he supervised the elite Malaunje warriors. Forbidden from picking up the T'En blade, their weapons were the bow and the staff. They moved with such precision, it inspired her. Everything Saskar asked of them, he could do himself, and more.

A shout from the other end of the s.h.i.+p made her turn. On the lower rear-deck, a big T'En warrior confronted a young initiate, who was being restrained. The big warrior demanded something. The initiate shook his head and raised his fist.

When an older T'En protested, the big warrior turned on him.*The big one is Kyredeon's hand-of-force,' Redravia said.

*What's going on?'

The hand-of-force tossed the youth aside and strode to the rail to address the Malaunje on the mid-deck.

*Devotee Valendia has disappeared,' he said. *If you are hiding her belowdecks, bring her out right now and you will escape punishment. If you fail to bring her out and I find her, it will go hard on you and all those you love.'

Aravelle shuddered. She watched, but no one came forward with the escapee.

*Right. I'm coming down.'

He strode down the steps to the mid-deck with half a dozen warriors. The Malaunje backed away as they approached.

*He's a bully,' Aravelle whispered.

*Don't let him hear you say that.'

Kyredeon's hand-of-force went below deck.

Aravelle hated bullies.

Saskar had finished the training session. She went over to him. Now that she was aware of his high stature, she felt shy about approaching him, but his lop-sided smile was as warm as ever. He wore his hair pulled back in a long plait, revealing the scar where he'd lost an ear.

*Teach me to be a warrior.'

*Patience, Vella. You'll begin lessons when you turn fifteen.'

*I can't wait a year.' She glanced to the four warriors from her choice-mother's inner circle. Like her, they were as tall as the biggest of the Malaunje men, and incredibly fast.

*Ah, it's an elite warrior you want to be, now? I thought you were a scribe?' He grinned. *The weapons master who trained me used to say deeds save lives, but without words to recall those deeds, who would remember them?'

*Words were no help to me when the Mieren...' She could not go on.

He nodded his understanding. *I can teach you how to defend yourself against most Mieren. But even though you are tall, you will never be as strong as a man. A woman must use speed and cunning. She must not hesitate to hurt, or she will not escape.'

*I won't hesitate,' Aravelle a.s.sured him.

He looked grim and went to say something, but changed his mind. Instead, he asked, *Have you ever shot a bow?'

She shook her head.

*I'll teach you. I'll a"'

*Saskar?' The hand-of-force beckoned from the foredeck.

With a nod to Aravelle, Saskar went up the steps.

She returned to the initiate's cabin feeling lighter of heart. As she unpacked the bedding and put the basket away, she vowed to practise her self-defence lessons until there wasn't a man a" Mieren, Malaunje or T'En a" who would dare touch her against her will.

She touched her mouth. The split lip had almost healed.

*You want to defend yourself?' Hand-of-force Reyne asked, startling her.

She spun to face him.

*Good reflexes.' He smiled as he let the cabin door swing closed. *Give me your hand.'

Why? She bit back the query just in time. Malaunje didn't question T'En; they obeyed.

*Come, I won't bite.' Reyne offered his hand.

She reinforced her gift defences before approaching him.

He grabbed her forearm. The speed of it frightened her. Instinctively, she pulled away.

*Don't pull against my strength. Pull against the weakest point.' He released her. *Grab my arm.'

Having seen how fast he could move, she was queasy with fear. Her heart raced and she was having trouble thinking clearly, but she grabbed his arm and, before she knew it, he was free.

*That's because you are so much stronger,' she said, annoyed.

He grinned. *No. I pulled upwards, past your thumb. That's the weakest point. Grab me again, as hard as you can.'

She did. This time he moved slowly and she saw what he meant. Even though she held on with all her strength, his forearm slid between her thumb and fingers.

*Now, you try.'

She offered her arm. He grabbed. She flicked up and out of his grasp. A smile lit her face.

*Now what?' he asked.

She didn't know what he meant.

*You got away, but he won't like that. He'll do this.' And he grabbed her around the body this time, lifting her off her feet, arms pinned to her side, against his body.

Shock froze her, then panic engulfed all coherent thought.

She writhed, kicking and twisting. Throwing her head back, then forward, she tried to smash the bridge of his nose. He jerked his head sideways, but even so, her forehead connected with his jaw.

It must have hurt, yet he laughed.

*Let her go,' Saskar urged, suddenly by their side. *For my sake, let her go, Reyne.'

Saskar placed a careful hand on the big warrior's arm, not daring to use force.

Aravelle went still, heart racing, blood roaring in her ears. Every muscle in her body trembled.

A strange, regretful smile illuminated Reyne's face. Aravelle stared as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

*I beg you.' Saskar's voice shook. *Let her go.'

The arms that held her slowly relaxed and Reyne let her slide to the floor.

As the hand-of-force stepped away, the strength went out of Aravelle's legs and she swayed; a roaring filled her ears.

*I'll see to her. Just go,' Saskar ordered.

Surely, he couldn't be telling the third-highest-ranked T'En in the brotherhood what to do? Aravelle wondered, before pitching forward. Saskar caught her and helped her to a chair. She was already pus.h.i.+ng his hands away when he sat her down. He leant against the all-father's desk, shaking so badly he could hardly stand.

As he collected himself, she studied him, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

He swallowed. *How are you feeling, Vella?'

*Fine,' she lied. Her head still spun. *I'm not weak. It's just... he surprised me.'

Saskar's gaze slid away from hers, as if there was something he wasn't telling her.

Aravelle waited and when he didn't speak, she asked, *Why did you ask him to let me go for your sake?'

Saskar turned away.

*I don't understand.'

*I know.' He sighed. *I'm sorry, Vella. He's got his claws into you now, and he won't let go.'

She shook her head. *I still don't a"'