Reclamation

She bit her lip and forced herself to think. The part of her that was still a Notouch and would never be anything else said run, get away, get out of here. The part of her that formulated enough rebellion and heresy to take her over the World's Wall shouted against a retreat, especially now that they had drawn her family's blood, first her sister's, now her son's. Storm Water was watching her with a young man's anger in his eyes. She wasn't sure how to answer that.

"We need to find out who's hounding us, at the very least, and what side they're on," she said at last. "Maybe we can talk some sense to them. They won't listen to Notouch." Her gaze strayed to Eric's hands. "As a Teacher, you could…"

Eric snorted. "A Teacher and a Seablade talk down soldiers from the Heretic city? Not likely."

She curled her free hand around her pouch of stones. "We cannot fight them. It's been tried. The costs are…too much."

"This is not some harvest rebellion we're talking about here," he reminded her needlessly. "This is the Vitae, or the Unifiers, and it's for the entire world. If we lose, it doesn't matter. If we win, then it will be remembered that the Notouch helped, and no one will blame you for anything."

Aria gave him a pained look. "Which shows what you know." She sighed. "But you're right. I'll talk to my mother. She'll go along with it." Just don't ask me why I'm so sure, Aria pleaded silently. "That will take care of the Seniors," she went on. "I know all the clan malcontents. We should be able to put together something. It might even be something useful." She let go of Storm Water's hand.

"Especially since whoever's coming from Narroways doesn't expect a fight," Eric added.

"Would you expect one?" she arched her eyebrows.

"I can't say. After all, what do I know?" He turned his face away.

Aria reached one hand toward him. "We can't be self-pitying now, Eric. We're about to start a war."

"I don't think so, Aria," he said, turning around so she could see the tired smile on his face. "If anything, I think we're about to finish one."

A hole broke between the clouds, dropping a broad beam of sunshine onto the huts. Aria dipped her eyes automatically and had to forcibly stop herself from beginning the Chant of Thanks for Another Day.

The oldest and the youngest of the clan were loading themselves onto the rafts and pushing off for the deeper marsh. Everyone else had set to work with a speed and decision that, she could tell, disconcerted Eric. He had expected a few knives to be sharpened, not kettles of boiling water and fat set out on fires. He hadn't expected to see the men tightening up slings that could take down a wild dog or do serious damage to a human being, or to see the women running whetstones over sickles for harvesting rice.

He hadn't expected the Notouch to know exactly how much damage they could do.

"We've had to fight before," Aria told him. "Every now and again, you get a band of rovers that decides it's tired and knows no one cares what goes on out here. We don't keep the land we tame by running away from that kind."

A shrill whistle sounded over the noise of the wind and the babble of voices. The soldiers were coming. Aria took her place, busily stirring the kettle of fat.

See, she thought toward the coming band. There's nothing unusual here. Just tallow we need to waterproof door blankets and ponchos.

Around her, men and women were cooking, or washing, or harvesting more reeds. There was nothing unusual to be seen anywhere, unless some sharp eye noticed that the tiniest children were all somehow invisible.

The soldiers came in on bald-legged oxen. Aria counted fast as she dropped to her knees and raised her hands in homage to the higher ranks. A dozen of them. Narroways Heretics, by the clothes. They were armed with swords and clubs and shields, but they didn't look particularly alert. She noted that Branch in the River had had the sense to keep herself out of their ranks. She was probably lurking behind them somewhere, wondering if her absence from the clan had been noticed.

Aria raised her eyes a little and caught her breath. A Skyman rode in the ranks. She recognized him. He'd been the one who sank the needle into her arm when Cor had taken her to their shelter. She glanced involuntarily toward Shaper's steps, where Eric had taken up his position.

He was not there.

Aria had no time to curse.

"We are looking for the family of Stone in the Wall," said the troop's leader. He was a big man with Nobility's swirls on his hands. Green and scarlet. Aria faced one of the rulers of Narroways.

Well, she thought with a mix of satisfaction and sourness, let's see how astute this Lord of Narroways actually is.