Reclamation

Eric leaned back against the support pole, fixed his gaze on the countryside that jiggled and skidded behind the sledge, and got ready to be bored. The noise and jostle of the sledge didn't make for a conversational atmosphere, especially with Heart struggling to keep them on dry ground. Supposedly, an ox had a nose for deep water and wouldn't stray off the dry paths, but Eric had more than once ministered to those who put too much faith in that theory, and so, he suspected, had Heart. It was much better to be silent and let his brother-in-law concentrate on keeping them out of the bogs.

It wasn't as if he needed any news of the House. He wasn't going to be staying in First City any longer than he needed to. He and Heart would deliver their information and then he'd be on his way to meet up with Aria. The politics of the house could go drown themselves.

I wish I'd had a chance to tell Aria the best part of It. He rubbed his palms thoughtfully together. With Jay here, we don't have to stay in the Realm. Neither of us.

Jay would most certainly be calling the Unifiers as soon as he got back to his dome. When the Vitae had been dealt with, a Unifier ship could take Eric and Aria back to May 16. From there they could go anywhere in the Quarter Galaxy. She could bring her children if she wanted to. They'd thrive over the World's Wall and they'd have what she really wished for. They would not be Notouch. The Little Eye and the younger boys wouldn't ever even be marked.

He probably wouldn't even have to see Lady Fire if he finished his end of this business quickly enough. Heart could stay behind to deal with the House and the Nobles.

Eric rested his elbows on this thighs. It'll be a few days of hard looks and long silences, at the worst. He dropped his gaze to the two lines of pulverized reeds stretch out behind the sledge. At the very worst.

He let his internal reassurances occupy him as the sledge rocked and rattled along. Outside, the ground dried out and the flat expanse of reeds and bamboo was replaced by tufts of grass sprouting between piles of boulders and thick puddles of moss. The Walls closed in overhead.

Balancing himself carefully and hanging on to the canvas's support poles, Eric sidestepped to the rear of the sledge and leaned out. Despite his claim that he had lost all his geography, he retained enough to see that they were almost to Midway Breach, a ragged escarpment between the Broken Canyon and the Dead Sea Canyon. He squinted up at the line of the Walls. The Pinnacle was an arrow-shaped protrusion listing toward the Dead Sea. They'd have to follow it all the way down the canyon and skirt the salt flats before they came to the main road to First City.

The sledge ran over a larger than average bump. The shock sat Eric down hard on the nearest box, jarring his backbone.

"Sorry," Heart called back.

Eric shifted his buttocks and started to say it was all right.

Heart cut him off. "We've been waiting for you to come back, you know."

Eric raised his head slowly. Heart had a quarter profile turned toward him so he could see Eric with one eye and the oxen with the other. His elbows pumped and strained in response to the team tugging at the harness.

"Who has?" asked Eric. Heart's blank look said he hadn't heard. "Who has?" Eric called.

"Friends," shouted Heart, dragging on the reins to force the oxen around a cluster of thorn trees. "Thinking men, discontented Teachers, our fellow Heretics."

Eric felt his forehead furrow. He stood up and moved toward the front of the sledge again.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, clinging to the rails of the driver's stand.

"We knew you'd gone over the World's Wall. We've been ten years hoping you'd come back and tell us what's out there." Heart was barely watching the oxen now and no amount of noise could disguise the eagerness in his voice. "When we get back to First City, I'll spread the word that…" The oxen ambled straight for a huge, moss-backed boulder.

"Look out!" Eric shouted.

Heart yanked his head back around. "Whoa!" he cried, pulling back on the reins until his elbows almost touched behind his back. The oxen snorted and stopped.

Eric ran his hand through his hair. "Keep your eyes on where you're going, Heart," he said, "and if you want stories, ask a librarian. They'll be much more entertaining."

"Garismit's Eyes!" Heart slapped the reins against the railing. "Have you had yours put out? Don't you see that this is our chance? After these Vitae are taken care of, there's going to be chaos in the cities. If we're ready for it, if we're armed with the truth about the World's Wall and the Words, we can gather support. You can talk to the ones who've got one foot in the stirrup. Tell them about the other Skymen and about how much they'd value…"