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

“I mean no offense, Gayata—”

“You will stay with me. Marya would not say anything else, and Tayasa would be disappointed if she did!” He was laughing at me, but kindly. “Our father seemed certain of his decision on the matter even many days after the sorcerer had gone back to his own country, and your mother agreed, so I am not very alarmed at the prospect of bringing this sorcerer to meet my wives.”

I sighed in relief. I had not been certain he would make that decision.

“How many? Four Lau? Is that one a woman? Marya will be so pleased a Lau woman chose to come with you. That must be Rakasa inGeiro and Bara inGeiro; Rakasa brought my wives a letter from your mother early this spring, so I am not surprised they are with you now. Who is the other young man?”

“That is Rakasa and Bara,” I agreed, ignoring his question. I said instead, “The Lau horses are not fit for cold weather, but they can run faster than the shiral winds.”

“I almost believe it,” he said, stepping back to consider my mare. “That is a fine animal of her kind. Good chest, plenty of slope to her shoulder, plenty of power to her quarters. Her head is pretty too, though that is less important. If she were mine, I might breed her to a pony stallion. A foal two generations on from that might be worth something. How is her temper?”

“All the Lau horses are too soft-tempered for you. Two generations on, a foal might be just as you prefer.”

“I will ask your sorcerer,” he decided. “These are all fine beasts. He has a good eye.” He glanced at me and added, “For a man as well as a horse, to see you had more worth alive than dead. I was very glad to hear you had not died, Ryo.” He passed over that lightly, saying at once, “He speaks taksu?”

“He does. They all do, at least a little.”

“Good.” Seizing his mare’s saddle, Gayata vaulted to her back and turned her toward the approaching company without bothering to touch the reins, which he had twisted around the hook at the front of the saddle before dismounting.

I pulled myself with more difficulty into my horse’s high saddle and followed. For the first time, it occurred to me that even if every lie Lorellan had put into my mind had been true, my feeling that all my people had been destroyed would have been wrong. Even during the war with the Lau, when almost all of the inGara warriors had gone south to fight, when even Gayata and many of the men here had gone south, all these women and children had still been here, on the steppe with our herds, safe from anything Lau could do. The lies a sorcerer puts into someone’s mind seem true even when one knows they are false. I knew that, but I thought the stupidity of that idea should still have struck me. Lorellan had not even put into my mind any lies about Gayata’s death or the deaths of his wives. I had not noticed that lack until now.

He was saying expansively to Aras, “You will all stay with me tonight, and as long as you chose. I am certain my wives will offer you the hospitality of their wagons. I am Gayata inGara, son of Sinowa inGara. Tell me all your names.”

We all rode slowly toward the wagons while Aras gave everyone’s names. When he came to Lalani, my brother smiled up at her—on his pony, an Ugaro man is very much shorter than a Lau woman on a tall horse—and said with obvious sincerity, “I have heard now and then of a Lau woman with the courageous spirit to come into the winter country, but very few brave enough to come as far into the north as this! My wives and my female cousins and the other women will be pleased to welcome a brave Lau woman into their wagons.”

Lalani blushed, the color hardly perceptible beneath her smooth brown skin. She had lowered her gaze modestly, forgetting that among Ugaro it is men and not women who must be careful not to give offense. Even as I thought this, she remembered, and raised her eyes to look my brother in the face. “I will be so happy to meet the wives of Ryo’s brother,” she said in her very good taksu. “I look forward to meeting your wives very much!”

“Excellent!” said Gayata. “And who is this? I do not know him.” He was looking at Tano, who was gazing steadily at the mane of his horse.

I said, “This is Tano inTasiyo, who swore to obey me as though I were his oldest brother and his warleader. I took him into my honor and swore to conduct myself toward him as though he were my younger brother.”

There was a short silence. Tano did not look up. Gayata finally asked, “How did this happen?”

I said, “It seemed to me an appropriate manner in which to handle a problem, so I decided to do it. I am perfectly certain no brother of mine would treat my younger brother with disregard or unkindness.”

“So,” said Gayata. This time the silence was longer. “No inTasiyo is a brother of mine,” Gayata said finally. “But if he is your brother, Ryo, he may come into this camp. You took him into your honor?”

“I did.”

Gayata shook his head, but he said, “Very well. If my wives offer this young inTasiyo a place by their fire and food to eat, I will say nothing about it. Marya will offer. She would feed anyone.”

I said politely, “The warmth of the hospitality of my brother’s wives is known to everyone.”

Gayata eyed me. “It will be known even better after this. How do you intend to