Chapter 7: Escape and Evade

Tanda Havra tried not to let anything show on her face, even though her entire body ached with the need to spend a few minutes talking to Manistewa or Chief Verkan, anyone from Home Timeline at all.

In the fight for her life, there hadn't been time to pay attention to small details. But in the conversation afterwards, she realized the man she'd fought carried an Out Time weapon. She realized he was just learning the language and that too was a surprise. Everyone spoke Zarthani, or one of the Zarthani dialects. Mostly, everyone spoke Zarthani. Sure, there were regional accents; in the north people spoke with clipped consonants, while around Xiphlon in the south, the vowels were broad and lazy. The villagers spoke Ruthani, but all had at least a working knowledge of Zarthani.

Still, she was brought up short when she realized he had something in his pack that would render Smiling Fox's woman unconscious. She didn't think the man was stupid; he moved with assurance, he watched and listened to everything, and even if he didn't understand completely, he understood a lot. A force to be reckoned with!

But it was odd that he wanted to save someone pain, someone whose pain would be measured in seconds as she died. No one on Home Timeline would have cared in the least what happened to a lower level indigene. Yet, the man named Tuck had insisted on trying to spare Smiling Fox's woman the pain of her final moments.

Tanda respected that, even as she held the woman's nose closed. Smiling Fox's woman didn't struggle, just a steady gaze that transfixed Tanda's mind.

And when she held the bloody, slippery baby that had cost two lives and who stood to kill them all, something inside Tanda finally broke. She had been wrong, so long ago, back there in her village. The grandmothers hadn't done what they'd done for her so she could flee far, far away. They'd done it so she could live among her people. To have babies, to continue the village. And she, Tanda Havra, had walked away from all of that with hardly a second thought. They had done their duty to the village, but not Tanda Havra. She'd betrayed them.

Another shock came a few minutes later when there was a stir among the Hostigi as two more soldiers and some others arrived at the camp. The others were teenage girls, four of them, obviously with Tuck. Two of them seemed to be in shock, one seemed to be coping and the last seemed to be in angry denial.

Tanda contemplated her belt, where she kept the silver hair piece/communicator. Her orders in this sort of situation were clear: report, and then kill them. Or, if that didn't work, kill them, then report. But, in the final analysis, she was to kill them.

She'd had no trouble thinking about her duty when it was Tuck, an armed adult, from another timeline. But four teenage girls? Not so very different from her, once upon a time? Torn from their homes, set adrift in a violent environment not at all like they knew, having to adapt and cope with all manner of strange things?

Tanda had seen the horses Lieutenant Gamelin's men rode; she saw the pain and stiffness among the four girls. She could also see the almost open adoration Gamelin's common soldiers held for them. You didn't earn that sort of respect from rough men like these without doing something to actually deserve it.

Fingers tugged at her mind, demanding obedience. Woodenly, she walked away from the fires, into the night, far enough away from the bustle for a moment's privacy.

She fingered the communicator. "Manny, I need to speak to the Chief."

"Tanda, it's the middle of the night!" he replied, almost without a pause; obviously he was hovering over the comm link.

"I have an important message for the Chief. His ears only."

"Tanda, there is no possible way for you to have that kind of message. And if you did, you'd have the magic code word that guaranteed you access. Do you have a code word, Tanda?"

"Manny, get the Chief. If I'm in trouble, he'll fry my ass. You know he will. Chief's ears only, Manny."

"Wait one."

A few minutes later Chief Vall spoke to her. "Tanda, the sergeant says you have a code word message for me. Except you don't have any code words."

Tanda grimaced. "What I have are five involuntary transportees, Chief. From another timeline. A male, armed with a repeating carbine and a pistol and four teenage girls."

There was a moment of silence. "Let me guess, you think that if I knew of a case of involuntary transport, I'd have mentioned it, right?"

"No, sir. But, I think you'd tell me right now if this was a known case."

"Well, it's not known. You are, Tanda Havra, quite correct in reporting just to me. Because I know of no such case. Which means, once again, there are people traveling the timelines who have no business being there."

He paused, and then said, "Normally, about now, I'd tell you to kill them all."

"Sir, I've watched them only a short time. They don't talk about what happened to them. There are no rumors among the soldiers, none that they talk about."

"And I once gave Calvin Morrison the benefit of the doubt," Chief Verkan agreed. "Monitor, observe, report on the transportees only to me. Are you safe, Tanda?"

"No, sir. A party of Mexicotal scouts came upon our camp while I was away. We lost two of our people sir, and three more Mexicotal scouts are dead. Now we've joined up with Lieutenant Gamelin, the patrol leader from Outpost. He's headed back for the barn, sir. I think he's our best shot to get away."

"And that's important, right?" the Chief told her. "Getting your people away?"

"Yes, sir. Sir, the Out Time man; when he learned one of the village women was going to die in childbirth, he wanted to give her something to make her sleep. He knew it was a waste, but he wanted to make it easier for her anyway."

"I told you, Tanda. Observe and report. I know you have something vested in your people, and now, I suspect, these others. Just do your basic job, Tanda. That's all I ask."

"Yes, sir."

A second later Manny was back. "Well?"

"Well what?" Tanda replied.

"I guess I owe you an apology. Tanda, how can we get you out of there?"

"No way, the count is now fifty."

"Shit! I haven't got a conveyor on hand that big! I'll order up one, pronto!"

"Manny, don't bother. Either we make it or we don't."

Behind her, Tanda heard rocks move. She turned and saw one of the Out Time young women.

"Gamelin!" the girl said, pointed back at the camp. "Move soon!"

Meaning she had to get back to camp, because they were going to move out. Tanda was reasonably sure that the pace the Mogdai survivors would set was going to surprise not only Out Time Tuck, but local Gamelin as well.

Tanda looked the girl up and down. The girl was tall, taller than most men. She had dark hair, black as the night; her eyes were the same. Her skin wasn't as dark as Tanda's, but much darker than the Hostigi or Tuck's. The girl again gestured back at the camp and Tanda smiled inwardly.

Very odd! Why had this chit of a girl been sent to fetch her? They could have sent Tazi or one of the boys, so why this one?

Tanda touched her belt, pulling her knife, and then she held it point up, a foot in front of the girl's eyes. "Little girl!" Tanda sneered in her best voice.

The other was quick, quicker than a cat. She was holding a knife, her hand nearly touching Tanda's, the knife point up, just like Tanda's was. "Big girl, big knife!"

It was said in a fair approximation of Zarthani, too.

Tanda looked at the other's knife. It was four inches longer than hers and nearly twice as wide. And Tanda didn't think that the dark stains on the blade were fruit juice.

"You should take better care," Tanda told the girl, "blood pits the metal."

The girl looked at the knife, then back at Tanda. Obviously, she hadn't understood.

"Blood!" Tanda said, pointing at the girl's knife. "Hurt metal!"

She looked at the knife, then back at Tanda. "I meant to clean it. I was distracted."

Her words were in standard Hispano-American English, but Tanda let no sign of understanding appear on her face.

She took Tanda by surprise again, waving towards the camp. "Go now!"

A chit of a girl, not even as old as Tazi, telling her what to do? With a knife in her face? It took all of Tanda's self-control not to spit at her. The girl was the messenger, nothing more. So who was it that was trying to upset her? Tuck or Gamelin? Did Tuck know what sort of portent the battle between the two of them had been?

Tanda wasn't ignorant and neither were Gamelin's men. Just before the last big war had started Lord Kalvan had appeared. The first thing anyone knew about him was Kalvan sharing a meal with local farmers -- and then getting up from the meal to help repel a Nostori attack on their village. And how had the battle ended? When Princess Rylla arrived with two dozen cavalry troopers, hitting the already battered raiders from behind.

And in the confusion of the fight, the princess had seen a strange man in strange clothes with a strange weapon... and had shot him. And not only had Calvin Morrison forgiven her, he'd gone on to marry her, and father children on her. And here and now? More strangers, wearing strange clothes with strange weapons appear at the start of what looked to be a great war and who promptly took the side of Hostigos. And what did Tanda do? Attack the stranger.

Except, of course, she'd been intent on Gamelin, not Lord Tuck; it had been Lord Tuck who'd attacked her.

None of which answered the question -- who was baiting her?

Back at the camp, the grandmothers were taking care of the infant, a girl. Tuck and his charges had buried Smiling Fox's woman under a pile of rocks, like as not to keep predators away from her. Tanda had some doubts about what had been done to Smiling Fox. He had been placed sitting up, watching over the grave, one of the Mexicotal muskets in his hands.

Tanda asked Tazi who had done it. More mystery -- the old sergeant had done it. A sergeant who talked to the villagers in their own language.

As they started to move, Tanda watched everyone from her place well towards the rear of the column. Most of the troopers were walking; most of the old people were riding, as were Tuck's four charges. Tuck himself rode, sitting his horse easily and confidently. Tanda walked, not far from the old sergeant who walked beside the tall girl, Judybondi.

The pace was rapid, making those on foot have to trot to keep up. Some of the boys and a few of the girls of Mogdai, including Tazi and Tanda, trotted. Tanda thought they would stop once the sun was up, but they kept on.

It was clear that Tuck's four girls were in a bad way. Saddle galls aren't good and the girls were undoubtedly bloody raw. Still, they kept up the hardscrabble trail that led higher and higher on the ridge.

This was beyond where Tanda usually traveled; she had only the most cursory descriptions of the terrain beyond. A little later, one of the boys, about eight years old, stopped, unable to go on. Tanda simply picked him up, put him on her shoulders and kept going, ignoring the boy's tears of shame.

It was nearly two palm-widths after daybreak when they topped the ridge. Gamelin ordered the halt and everyone dropped in their tracks. Tanda watched carefully, noting that Judybondi saw to the others who had come with her, as did Tuck, before either saw to themselves.

As a cultural anthropologist, group dynamics were the bread of life to Tanda. She watched as Gamelin's men prepared their camp. In spite of their fatigue, proper pickets were set out the very first thing. The second thing was Gamelin, the old sergeant and one of the privates, flashing a mirror into the distance.

Well, Manny would hear about it in due course. With this many people around, getting far enough away to hold a private conversation would be difficult and dangerous, as she'd already learned. Manny would have to wait. With a grimace, she realized that old habits die hard: Manny wasn't the only one waiting. So was the Chief of the Paratime Police, Verkan Vall.

Truly, Tanda thought, the old saying was true. If you're to be hung, be hung for a sheep, not a lamb. Better yet, she thought, looking at the four girls sitting close together, to be hung for the entire flock.

Tazi came to Tanda. "Are you well, Tanda?"

"Yes. Tired a little."

Tazi looked at her in surprise and Tanda laughed. "What, I'm not supposed to get tired?"

"I saw what you did last night! You came alone against three of them!"

"One ran, one you and the boy killed and one I killed. And then, Tazi, I ran."

"At the Hostigi. To warn them."

Tanda sighed. "I ran, Tazi, because I thought they were Zarthani or Mexicotal troops. I was going to cut my way through them and keep going."

Tanda decided to change the subject. "That was a very cute Hostigi cavalryman walking with you the last palm-width."

Tazi blushed.

"He told me some amazing things!" Tazi replied, lifting her chin.

"Tazi, I am not your mother or your father. You must face the fact that you are now a woman alone. You had better stop to think carefully before a pleasant face and shared danger lead you to places you should go only slowly."

Tazi stuck out her tongue. "You sound like my father!"

"I told you who I am, Tazi. You know me. A spinster by the lights of the village. A woman who does things most women don't. But, even so, I'm not stupid. And while I'm not your mother or father, I am your friend. And a friend, Tazi, helps with advice.

"That young man may be very nice and very suitable. All know how well the High King rewards his soldiers. Six hundred paces of the finest land, in exchange for a promise to repay a small debt and a promise to marry. More to corporals and sergeants! Oh, you could do far, far worse! Still, take your time, girl!"

"They say that Lord Tuck and the four girls with him are from the High King's homeland." Tazi too, it seemed, wanted to change the subject.

"Oh? The Winter Kingdom?" Tanda asked, wishing Tazi would shut up. Then cursed herself for asking the question. If one of those girls had blurted out the Paratime Secret to Tazi, Tazi too would have to die -- even if neither the girl nor Tazi knew it was secret or its importance.

"Well, Hestius said it was confusing. Lord Tuck says they are from here. But he knows many of the same things the High King does and has weapons like the High King did. Hestius saw Lord Tuck fight, Tanda! He says he fights like a whirlwind! His rifle can shoot many bullets, one right after another!"

Tazi was treading awfully close to the Paratime Secret; too close. Close enough that Tanda had to say something to get the girl to change the subject.

"One of the four is pregnant," Tanda said. "Is this Lord Tuck the husband?"

That confused Tazi. "Pregnant? No, Hestius said Lord Tuck was their teacher. That they are daughters of nobles that were in his care."

"She is with child. The second tallest one."

"Elspeth," Tazi stumbled over the unfamiliar name and pronunciation.

Tanda shrugged. "I will find out who the father is. Right now, Tazi, you need to spend some time resting."

"And you too, eh, Tanda?" Tazi asked, a sly grin on her face.

"In a bit," Tanda told her.

In this distance, a series of flashes were visible, on a distant peak.

Tanda walked over to Gamelin and the sergeant. Not too surprisingly, Lord Tuck was there too.

Gamelin watched the heliograph repeat his message back to him. He sighed and turned to Vosper. "A palm-width until Count Tellan sees it, another palm-width until he sends back. Put two men watching for the signal, Sergeant."

"Yes, Lord. I think, though, this message will fly on wings of the fastest bird. I doubt if you will have to wait even a single palm-width, sir."

Tuck had been standing close; Gamelin knew Tuck understood a fair amount, and was learning more as rapidly as he could. Gamelin waved at the flashing heliograph, perhaps ten miles away. "My Lord commands, I obey, you understand?"