Tarashana by Rachel Neumeier (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

We rode through aspens and birches near the river, and then through a wide belt of young spruce and fir, and across a wide meadow where pink flowers danced on long stems. The tall white lacy ones were only just opening now, but the yellow flowers had already mostly gone to puffs of seed.

Though the winter lands were never warmer than on such a day as this, all the Lau wore light coats. I had expected this, but Rakasa rolled his eyes at me expressively. He and Bara carried short, powerful Ugaro bows for hunting and Ugaro swords slung from their backs. As he had said, Aras had not brought his scepter, but he carried the kind of long sword Lau prefer, straighter and longer than ours, slung behind his saddle. That is a weapon only used by Lau of a high rank. Geras and Suyet each carried a sword like that as well, though they did not know the weapons well and would have to practice with them as we traveled. Lau soldiers use spears from horseback, but on foot they stand in lines, shoulder to shoulder, and then their short swords and shields make them formidable. But we did not have enough men to fight that way.

As we came to the edge of the meadow and rode at last into the true forest, I signed to Rakasa and Bara to take the place in front. I knew they would watch for the great white tigers and the large bears and any other danger. Geras had the soldier’s habit of watchfulness as well, though less knowledge of the perils of the winter country. Suyet rode near Lalani, talking to her and making her laugh. Beside me, Aras rode quietly, without speaking. The breeze was fragrant with the scent of the fallen fir needles across which we rode. The morning was pleasant and entirely peaceful. Nothing could have been more different from the other time, when he and I had fled into the snow of the winter country.

He looked at me when I thought that. He was smiling. His expression was tranquil. It occurred to me now that this was one of the very few times I had ever seen him truly relax.

His smile deepened. He spoke quietly enough that his words would not carry to anyone else. “It’s not why I agreed to come; it was nowhere in my calculations. I’m not without a certain small responsibility even now; I realize that. But ...” he opened a hand and turned his face up to the sky. “I’ve been carrying that scepter for many years, until I ceased to notice its weight. Now, for a little while, that’s gone.”

“You should ask your king to take back his scepter sometimes,” I suggested.

“I really can’t. There’s always something urgent I need to deal with.” But after a little while more, watching an eagle drift in a slow circle through the clean and empty sky, he added, “Maybe I should.”

We rode in comfortable silence for a long time after that. The stride of a Lau horse is much greater than that of an Ugaro pony; Lau horses do not have the endurance of Ugaro ponies, especially in the cold, but they can cover far more distance in a hand of time. Very soon it seemed as though the winter country stretched out forever in every direction. I knew the land here, I knew how close behind the river still lay, but even to me it seemed the summer country already lay at a great distance.

When the Sun stood overhead, we paused in a wide meadow to let the horses graze—we had brought grain, but of course not enough for the whole journey. After slipping their bits, we turned the horses loose and sat down to eat some of the food we had brought—beef cooked with spices and rolled into soft, flat rounds of bread, and little cakes made with raisins and honey, and fresh fruit. None of this food would keep long, but it was good to have for a day or two. Lalani brought everything out of its pack—she knew exactly where it had been packed away—and laid it out for us. Then she began to step back. Among Lau, women do not eat in company with men. I stopped her with a touch on the back of her hand and gestured for her to sit down beside me.

“Sit and eat,” I told her. “Everyone will eat together, Aras even though he is Lord Gaur and you even though you are a woman. You are in the winter country now. Have I not explained how it is for my people? Because you prepared this food, it is yours to give to anyone. If a man displeases you, then you need not offer him anything. He may hunt for himself if he is hungry.”

Lalani laughed a little. I had told her this before, but plainly she had not thought of it for herself. She looked at the men to see what they thought. Aras had settled comfortably a little apart from the rest, but though he was not smiling, he was plainly amused. Suyet was grinning openly. Geras was frowning because he liked things to be orderly and proper, but he gave her a little nod and said, “I guess we’ll all have to learn Ugaro manners. Sit with us, Lalani.”

She turned, her eyes modestly lowered, to be very sure Aras did not object.

He said mildly, “Don’t look at me. Ryo has authority here.”

Geras and Suyet both stared at him, astonished, and then at me. I said drily, “You need not take that opinion too seriously. If Lord Aras considers some matter important, he will forget he said anything of that kind.” Aras started to protest, but I ignored him and shifted to taksu to explain