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

remained unseen. Take your son with you; he may learn something useful. Take these other young men with you as well. My wife, my guests, perhaps you will accompany me.” He walked away, back toward the main part of the camp. My mother gave Aras a thoughtful look, but she did not protest.

Once everyone else had gone, and Geras and Suyet and the inVotaro warrior had retreated a small distance, I said to Aras, speaking quietly in darau, “This woman is a sorcerer?”

“I knew you guessed that. I’m not entirely certain how I gave it away.”

“You cannot hear her thoughts. That could be because she is an avila, but it was that way between you and Lorellan, so I wondered as soon as you said that. Then when you sent everyone else away, it seemed likely. You want only me to stay with you because you think I may be able to resist sorcery better than anyone else here except you. I am not nearly so confident of that, as you would know, except perhaps you cannot see it because I am angry and frightened.”

Aras touched my arm, a rare gesture from him. He said, “And you’re encouraging your own anger and fear as an extra layer of protection. Well done. But I truly don’t believe there’s much danger. I don’t think she’s dangerous. She’s been here for a long time already and done no harm to your people, so far as I can tell. But I realize this wouldn’t be a good moment to suffer from overconfidence, and I could be wrong.” He gave me a slight smile. “Just ... pay attention and trust yourself, Ryo. I trust you to take very fast action, should that turn out to be necessary.”

“I could take very fast action now,” I pointed out. But I did not really want to do that. The woman had not moved. She still knelt there, her hands clasped together and her head bowed, not looking up. She probably did not know what we were saying. I could hardly imagine she understood darau. But she might know I was thinking of breaking her neck. I could do it as easily as a wolf breaks the neck of a rabbit. But she was so small, and a woman, and even though I wanted to do it, I would also have been ashamed of the act.

The reluctance I felt might have been sorcery. I could not tell.

Aras said, “There’s some sorcerous influence involved, I think, but definitely not enough to stop you if you decided to do that.”

“Are you shielding my mind? Is what I should feel different from what I do feel?”

“The tie I hold to you is so strong and deep, I don’t need to do anything else to protect you. No sorcerer should be able to influence you to any great extent without my noticing, and I should be able to stop any sorcerer who tried.”

I did not like to think of that tie. Usually I did not think of it very much. In taksu, there is another word for it, not so pleasant. We call it the sorcerer’s leash. It is used to compel, not to protect. But Aras used it to protect, not to compel. And it made me feel better to know this avila sorcerer could not do anything to me.

“Yes, I know,” Aras told me. “I’m endlessly grateful for your trust, Ryo. You could certainly kill her, but that would leave us with a great many unanswered questions. Leave her to me for a little while, please, and I’ll see if I can speak to her.”

Then he walked forward and sat down on the rugs, facing the Tarashana woman. He laid his long hands on his knees and simply looked at her, for a long time.

I stood where I was, my hand on my knife, wondering if I would suddenly draw the weapon and kill the Tarashana sorcerer without clearly knowing why. I might do that, if she tried to take me as her slave. Part of my mind would probably know if she tried such a thing and then I might move without thought.

If I felt my memories start to change, I would know exactly why I killed her.

Aras merely sat where he was, looking at the woman. By this time, she had lifted her head. She looked Aras in the face now, her expression intent. I thought suddenly that this might be dangerous. But as soon as I thought that, Aras said softly, “I’m perfectly all right, Ryo. I’m beginning to think she is actually quite powerful, in a strange way, but ... not very dangerous. Or not in the ordinary sense. She’s not mad ... or not in the ordinary sense.” He sighed, straightening. “She’s terrified of your father. For very good reason. When I tell him this woman is a sorcerer—”

“She is begging you not to do that,” I said. The woman had bowed her head and lifted her hands, palm up, in the gesture that ask for mercy.

“I know,” Aras said, glancing at her. He spoke slowly and clearly in taksu, using simple words. “This woman has been brave for a long time, but her silence can lead only to longer silence. She can only ask for help by asking. What better time will ever come than this time?”

The Tarashana woman raised his head. After a moment, she lowered his hands. She folded her fingers together, resting her hands on her knees.

“Yes. Better,” Aras said. “Think past your fear. You see I am here, even though I am a Lau and a sorcerer. The Ugaro have far less distrust of your people than of mine. Perhaps Sinowa inGara may not kill you if you give him a reason to be generous and no reason to be afraid.”

“You are giving this woman good advice,” I said. “You believe