Traitor's Moon

enough to make out Nyal kneeling beside her, face inches from her own.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” she gasped, wondering if she was still dreaming.
    â€œI’m sorry, talía,” he murmured, and Beka’s heart sank as she saw the armed men behind him.
    She pulled back, berating herself bitterly for being so easily caught.
    â€œBeka, please—” Nyal tried again, but she shoved him away and scrambled to her feet. How had they gotten so close without her hearing them?
    â€œTheir horses are here, but there’s no sign of them,” a Ra’basi told Nyal.
    â€œYou son of a bitch!” Beka snarled, rocked to the core as realization sank in. “You led them here!”
    â€œWhere are they, Beka?” he asked.
    She searched his eyes for some sign of hope but found none. Leaning closer, as if to confide in him, she spat in his face. “Garshil ke’menios!”
    Nyal’s mouth set in an angry line as he wiped his cheek with his sleeve. “There are others out looking for them, Captain, Haman among them.”
    Beka turned her back on him, saying nothing.
    â€œWe’ll get nothing out of her,” Nyal told the others. “Korious, you and your men get her back to the city. Akara, you wait until it’s light enough, then scour the surrounding area for signs of them. I’ll backtrack, then catch up with you.”
    â€œVery efficient, Ra’basi,” Beka muttered as they stripped her of weapons and tied her hands.
    â€œI assure you, Captain, you’ll be treated with respect by these men,” Nyal assured her. “As for your friends, it would be better for everyone concerned if I’m the one to find them. They’re both in danger: Seregil and your almost-brother.”
    Beka sneered at him, not allowing him to play on her fears. “Go to hell, traitor.”
    The mountain road grew worse as Seregil and Alec went on. Bare stone peaks loomed ever closer, stark against the cloudy sky.
    They reached the second village just before noon and found it as deserted as the first. No people meant no fresh horses, and Seregil’s mare was limping badly.
    Dismounting in the overgrown square, he ran a hand over the back leg she was favoring and found an angry swelling at the hock.
    â€œShit!” he hissed, gentling her as she shied. “She’s bog spavined.”
    â€œThe gelding is still sound,” Alec told him, inspecting Seregil’s other horse. One of Alec’s horses, a bay mare, was cow hocked and probably wouldn’t cover much rough country without coming up lame sooner or later, too.
    Seregil shifted his saddle onto the gelding, then pointed up toward a distant notch between two crags. “We should hit the trail I want a few miles further on, inside the magicked area. You can’t see it yet from here, but our pass is right up there. There’s a Dravnian tower near the top. If these nags hold out, we might just make it. I don’t want to be sleeping in the open tonight. There are wolves up there, and bandits.”
    â€œAnd smugglers?”
    â€œIf so, I hope they’re smuggling horses. I suspect the war’s put an end to that, though. Not much point in hauling goods to the coast if there aren’t any Skalan night ships waiting for them.”
    â€œToo bad. I was hoping to meet that uncle of yours I keep hearing about. What are you going to do about that lame horse?”
    In answer, Seregil smacked her hard on the rump and watched as she trotted awkwardly out of sight between the deserted houses. “Come on. Let’s see how far we get before we lose that bay of yours.”
    A mile or so past the village Seregil spotted a carved post half hidden by twining creeper and brush. “This is where you get blindfolded, my friend.”
    Alec took out a strip of cloth and tied it over his eyes. “There, I’m in your hands, Guide.”
    â€œNot in quite the fashion I like,” Seregil smirked, taking Alec’s reins and setting off again.
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    Alec leaned forward and braced himself against the stirrups as the ground grew steadily steeper. He knew by the smells around him that they were still in the woods, but the echoes of the horse’s hooves spoke of a narrow gap. From time to time he heard the rattle of loose stone, and for one heart-stopping moment his horse stumbled, scrabbling wildly for purchase. He clawed at the