гOnly if you remain here,д said Tresa. Her eyes were chips of green ice. гWould to Marl you had not pledged yourself to sail!д
гIf they come after us at seaчд
гI do not think they will. You carry a hundred women and a few trade goods. The Sky People will have their pick of ten thousand women, as many men, and all our cityвs treasures. ОWliy should they take the trouble to pursue you?д
гAye . . . aye. . . .г
гGo,д she said coldly. гYou dare not linger.д
He faced her. It had been like a blow. гWhat do you mean?д he asked. гDo you think the Maurai are cowards?д
She hesitated. Then, with a stubborn, reluctant honesty: гNo.д
гSo why do you scoff me?д
гOh, go away!д She knelt by the rail, bowed head in arms and surrendered to herself.
Ruori left her and gave his orders. Men scrambled into the rigging. Furled canvas broke loose and cracked in a young wind. Beyond the jetty, the ocean glittered blue, with small whitecaps;
gulls skimmed across heaven. Ruori saw only the glimpses he had had before, as he led the retre~it from the palace.
A weaponless man, lying with his head split open. A girl, hardly twelve years old, who screamed as two raiders carried her into an alley. An aged man fleeing in terror, zigzagging, while four archers took potshots at him and howled laughter when he fell transfixed and dragged himself along on his hands. A woman sitting dumb in the street, her dress torn, next to a baby whose brains had been dashed out. A little statue in a niche, a holy image, with a faded bunch of violets at its feet, beheaded by a casual war-hammer. A house that burned, and shrieks from within.
Suddenly the aircraft overhead were not beautiful.
To reach up and pull them out of the sky!
Ruori stopped dead. The crew surged around him. He heard a short-haul chantey, deep young voices with the merriment of always having been free and well fed, but it echoed in a far corner of his brain.
гCasting off!д sang the mate.
гNot yet! Not yet! Wait!д -
Ruori ran toward the poop, up the ladder and past the steersman to Doflita Tresa. She had risen again, to stand with bent head past which the hair swept to hide her face.
гTresa,д panted Ruori. гTresa, Iвve an idea. I thinkчthere may be a chanceчperhaps we can fight back after all!д
She looked up. Her fingers closed on his arm till he felt the nails draw blood.
Words tumbled from him: гIt will depend. . . on luring them to us. At least a couple of their vessels. . . must follow us.
to sea. I think thenчIвm not sure of the details, but it may be. we can fight . . . even drive them offчд
Still she stared at him. He felt a hesitation. гOf course,д he said, гwe may lose the fight. And we do have the women aboard.д
гIf you lose,д she asked, so low he could scarcely hear it, гwill we die or be captured?д
гI think we will die.д
гThat is well.д She nodded, shivering. гYes. Fight, then.д
гThere is one thing I am unsure of. How to make them pursue us.д He paused. гIf someone were to let himself. . . be captured by themчand told them we were carrying off a great treasureч would they believe that?д
гThey might well do so.д Life had come back to her voice, even eagerness. гLet us say, the caldeвs hoard. None ever existed, but the robbers would believe my fatherвs cellars were stuffed with gold.д
гThen someone must go to them,д said Ruori. He turned his back to her, twisted his fingers together and slogged toward a conclusion he did not want to reach. гBut it could not be just anyone. They would club a man in among the other slaves, would they not? I mean, would they listen to him at all?д
гProbably not. Very few of them know Spaflol. By the time a man who babbled of treasure was understood, they might all be halfway home.д Tresa scowled. гWhat shall we do?д
Ruori saw the answer, but he could not get it past his throat.
гI am sorry,д he mumbled. гMy idea was not so good after all. Let us be gone.д
The girl forced her way between him and the rail to stand in front of him, touching as if they danced again. Her voice was altogether steady. гYou know a way.д
гI do not!д
гI have come to know you well, in one night. You are a poor liar. Tell me.д
He looked away. Somehow, he got out: гA womanчnot any woman, but a very beautiful oneчwould she not soon be taken to their chief?д
Tresa stood aside. The color drained from her face.
гYes,д she said at last. гI think so.д
гBut then again,д said Ruori wretchedly, гshe might be killed. They do so much wanton killing, those men. I cannot let anyone who was given into my protection risk death.д
гYou heathen fool,д she said through tight lips, гdo you think the chance of being killed matters to me?д
гWhat else could happen?д he asked, surprised. And then: гOh, yes, of course, the woman would be a slave if we lost the battle
afterward. Though I should imagine, if she is beautiful, she would not be badly treated.д
гAnd is that all youчд Tresa stopped. He had never known it was possible for a smile to show pure hurt. гOf course. I should have realized. Your people have other ways of thinking.д
гWhat do you mean?д he fumbled.
A moment more she stood with clenched fists. Then, half to herself: гThey killed my father, yes, I saw him dead in the doorway. They would leave my city a ruin peopled by corpses.д
Her head lifted. гI shall go,д she said.
гYou?д He grabbed her shoulders. гNo, surely not you! One of the othersчд
гShould I send anyone else? I am the caldeвs daughter.д
She pulled herself free of him and hurried across the deck, down the ladder toward the gangway. Her face was turned from the ship. A few words drifted back: гAfterward, if there is an afterward, there is always the convent.д
He did not understand. He stood on the poop, staring after her and abominating himself until she was lost to sight. Then he said, гCast off,д and the ship stood out to sea.
