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speaks a few words in Sainnese, then switches languages. General
lives, she says. Need house now.
Karis has ceased to narrate events to the people in the room. She
rises to her feet and reaches blindly for the baby in the basket at her
feet.
Take these Sainnites to shelter! says the raven, who has traveled
again to the Paladin s shoulder. Clement is alive!
The Paladin turns, notices the Paladin irregulars behind her, and
utters an exclamation of dismay. The Wilton Paladins have weapons
in their hands, and they are facing the Sainnites. But now the
Watfield Paladins have put themselves between the armed irregulars
and the unarmed Sainnites.
Ronal steps forward, holding his people back with his open hands. He
and one of the black-dressed Paladins begin a shouted argument.
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Water Logic - Laurie J. Marks - Elemental Logic 03
In Watfield, Karis has blundered out the door and down a hallway.
Emil lunges after her, saying something, but she does not heed him.
In the garrison they were still on winter rations, which meant they
were hungry all the time. Seth dropped her entire roll of rock-hard
bread into her stew to soften, then with her fingers fished out a piece
of meat. Beef? She put it in her mouth and began to chew. It was like
trying to eat a wet piece of cheesecloth. Day watch had finally ended.
Prista s company, except for a handful of people on guard duty, had
spent most of the watch indoors, oiling the floors in a nearly finished
barracks. Then a freight wagon of furniture had arrived, and they
had hauled beds on their backs from the gate to the building, for the
passage across the restless remains of the wall was too cluttered for a
wagon to pass. Now every last one of them was soaked to the skin,
and the refectory smelled more of wet wool than it did of food.
Koura and Stel were arguing again. Prista came over and bellowed at
them. Both women stood up and moved to either end of the refectory
but continued to glare at each other. Stel had given Koura a black
eye two days ago, but three days ago they had been lovers and had
been wildly noisy about it, also.
Seth swallowed the hard lump of meat and tried to pick up a piece of
carrot, but it dissolved. By the time the bread had soaked up most of
the broth, the bowl would contain a pap of carrot mush. The potatoes,
however, held their shape well enough to be picked up.
After dinner, they would go to their barracks and entertain each
other for a few dull hours, while Seth studied a book by lamplight
she brought her own lamp oil from Travesty, for that, also, was
rationed here.
Her stomach growled, and she ate to quiet it.
She thought she heard someone shout her name outside. The people
sitting near the door picked up the cry: Seth! She left her half-eaten
dinner someone else would finish it and went outside into the rain.
A soldier Damon, whose shift at the gate often ended late and a
Paladin, both breathing heavily and wearing rain capes, awaited her.
Her heart sank. What has happened?
Please come with me, said the Paladin.
She started away with him, then remembered she was supposed to
be a soldier, and turned back. Damon, will you explain to Captain
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Prista
Damon gave her an ironic salute. Yes, Councilor!
The Paladin said in a low voice, Emil asks that we keep this matter
private. Clement has just been gravely wounded by her own people in
Wilton.
After a moment the Paladin took her arm. Shall we sit down
somewhere?
No no, I must go to Travesty.
She began walking, though her legs worked like the stiffly jointed
legs of a puppet. What happened?
I have told you all I know, Seth. Emil was in a hurry.
I see. In Travesty, she could put on dry clothes and eat a decent
meal, she thought stupidly. But Emil probably wanted her to do
something. To help bring the news to Ellid and Gilly? They would be
the entire garrison would be Clement is dying, Seth thought, with
a jolt of dreadful clarity. Her stiff legs stumbled her feet awkwardly
over the cobblestones. She focused her attention on them, in order to
make them move faster.
In Travesty, the Paladins directed Seth to Karis s bedroom. There
Gabian lay on the unmade bed, gabbling happily as clothing was
flung over him. Emil stood nearby, talking loudly to Karis, who
seemed oblivious to him, to the happy baby she was burying in shirts,
and to Seth. Wagah! said the baby, as Seth plucked him out of the
clothing. He showed her his pink gums.
Karis pulled a heavy wool shirt over her head without unbuttoning
it. She reached for her belt, from which dangled a pencil, a ruler, a
small knife in its sheath, and a pouch of the sort that usually
contained flint and tinder.
If we lose you, we lose everything! Emil cried. Have you forgotten
about the assassins?
She turned to him: plain face, hard eyes, square chin. Do you really
think I can t protect myself?
But when you sleep
I won t sleep. Karis sat on the bed and jammed her feet into heavy
boots. Emil sat in the big chair by the fireplace and put his head in
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his hands.
What s happened? asked Seth.
Clement went to the garrison, and it seemed they were going to
admit her, exactly as she said would happen. But then a member of
the guard shot her.
Karis, buckling her boot straps, said angrily, Clement lied!
Oh, I don t think said Emil.
At the same time, Seth found herself blurting, Of course she lied
she had to lie you made her lie!
They both looked at her in surprise.
The third choice, remember, Emil? You kept insisting Seth tried
to stop herself, but the words kept coming out. She told you there
wasn t a third choice; but you wouldn t accept that. So what did you
think she was going to do?
Emil put his hands over his face again. I thought she d argue with
me, he said. Like a Paladin.
Karis said in her harsh voice, Put that baby in a sling.
You re taking him with you? In mud season? Seth cried.
She is his mother, Karis said. She came around the bed and took
the baby. He is a child of Shaftal.
Something in Karis s voice stunned Seth into silence: a coherence, a
resolution. She lined a silk shawl with diapers and used it to secure
Gabian against the broad chest of the plain-faced, wild-haired
woman who had the power of Shaftal in her forge-blackened hands.
Karis went out. Seth and Emil chased after but could not keep up.
The dogs barked anxiously. Paladins appeared from all directions
and then Medric was there, clutching his spectacles with one hand to
keep them from falling off, grabbing Emil s arm and crying, Let her
go! And Norina, arrow-swift, strode beside Karis for a few steps,
saying a few precise words. A woman rushed in the front door with
Leeba in hand. Everyone came to an abrupt halt. Karis scooped
Leeba up onto a hip so they could talk eye to eye. As always happens
when children are urged to be brave, Leeba began to cry.
And then Karis handed Leeba away to J han, who also had arrived
suddenly from somewhere, and he dazedly answered the sharp
questions she asked him as she was going down the front steps, past
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the Paladins, while the people who hovered around the building
stared after her in dismay. Is that Karis? someone asked. Has
another person fallen under the ice? said another.
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