Patternmaster

“I should have attacked him the moment I saw him.”

“You haven’t given up, have you?”

He looked at her, startled. “Of course not.”

“Good. Because I think he’s planning something for you. I got something from him while he was snooping through my thoughts. Not much, but it was hostile, and it was against you.”

“That’s not surprising.”

“But… I don’t know. It feels as though he’s lied to you about something.”

“About what? Letting me go on to Forsyth, or… ?”

“I don’t know. I have to think about it more. I’ll tell you as soon as I think I’ve figured it out. Hopefully, I’ll tell you before I have to tell Mm.”

Teray glanced back toward Coransee. “You think you’ll have to open to him again?”

She smiled tiredly. “If you were him, Teray, would you trust me?”

************************************

They traveled for the rest of the day, Teray offering Amber as much of his own strength as she needed. She accepted only until she found in her rations enough readily edible food to steady

herself. She refused Teray’s offer of his rations.

“If that sniper is still around, you might wind up needing them yourself,” she told him.

Teray’s awareness of Coransee’s link had dulled, was nothing more than an annoyance now. It kept Teray tense, made him do more looking over his shoulder than necessary, but that was just as well. The canopy of his awareness, spread as he had vowed it would be, covered even less of the area around him than it normally would have covered unassisted. This was not only because he had given part of his strength to help Amber, but because he was tired himself. He was worried about the Clayark sniper. If the creature fired again from as far away as he had when he hit Amber, Teray would have no chance of sensing him.

Then there was the possibility that Teray had not had time to think about. The possibility that Coransee had been more right than he knew when he suspected that the Clayark had been aiming at Teray.

They made camp that night against a long rocky ledge. They had not heard or sensed anything more from the Clayarks, but one of Coransee’s women had sensed a doe back in the hills and lured it out. After everyone had eaten, Teray called Coransee aside.

The Housemaster had apparently gotten over his anger—or he remained angry only at Amber. He followed Teray away from the group far enough along the rock ledge to be out of earshot.

There he told Coransee of the Clayark he had talked to before leaving Redhill.

“Lord, it recognized me,” he finished. “It knew me as a son of Rayal.”

“So you think the sniper today really was shooting at you specifically, rather than at the handiest Patternist.”

“I think it’s possible. And I think it might happen again—to either of us. After all, they’ve captured at least one of your mutes, so they probably know you’re a son of Rayal too. They might even know just how near death Rayal is.”

Coransee frowned, thinking. “They’ve captured more than one of my mutes over the years, but that last one… you’re right. He would have had quite a bit to tell them. But as for the Clayark who identified you, you did kill it, didn’t you?”

“No.”

Coransee raised an eyebrow.

“I should have, but I didn’t. No excuse.”

Coransee looked away, exasperated. “You know, those four extra years in school didn’t do a damn thing for you.”

Without a word, Teray turned away to go back to the fire. He had delivered his message. Only hours before, Coransee had made a mistake that had almost cost Amber her life. A mistake that the Housemaster not only did not want to be told about, but that he had not yet bothered to correct. He had certainly not linked with Amber to

widen the range of his awareness.

“Brother!”

Teray looked around at him.

“Back,” said Coransee simply. As though he were calling an animal, Teray thought. Or a mute.

“Brother.”

Teray trudged back.

Coransee leaned against the ledge, relaxed. “You will send the woman to me.”

Teray stared at him, speechless, for a moment. “Amber?”

“Of course Amber. You will send her to me.”

It was his right since he had claimed Amber. No woman of his House had the right to refuse him. His women could refuse any other man if they wished, but not him. “If you want her,” said Teray, “call her yourself.” Coransee could have called her without moving from where he was or saying a word aloud. But he preferred to humiliate Teray.

Coransee smiled. “She’s less likely to do anything foolish if you send her to me.”

“You’re the one who’s doing something foolish. You’re pushing her even though you know that if she attacks you out here, miles from anywhere, you might kill her, but not before she’s mortally injured you.”

“I’m pushing her all right. I’m pushing you, too, brother.”

Teray glared at him, hearing the challenge, ignoring it.