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.Within a few minutes, they were headed north up the road in themoonless dark, Macurdy and Melody on their own horses, the sixrebels doubled up on three others.None of them knew where they weregoing.The men were either from Wollerda s Company, off east, or Dell s Band,which had been broken.There was another band off north, Orthal sCompany, but they didn t know where it was.Macurdy grunted. We ll find it, he said.It took some four hours to reach forested hills; fifteen or twenty miles, heguessed.By that time there was a hint of dawn in the eastern sky.Half anhour later they left the road at a creek, splashing westwardthrough gray dawn-light, heavy forest on both banks.When they d gone ahundred yards or so, they left the stream, pushing through a fringe of osierand willow onto dry ground. We ll rest here a few hours, Macurdy said. Tie your horses and get dry woodfor warming fires. He and Melody helped, and after they d piled astock of branchwood, he built and lit a pair of fires.Then the two of themwalked back out to the roadside, carrying the oiled leather rain capes thatwere part of their saddle gear, and picked their careful way up the slope toan overlook forty or fifty feet above the road.At the top, Macurdy sat down on leaf mould just within the forest edge. What do you think? he asked. About what? Anything.Our evening s work.Our rebels.How we re doing. Macurdy, you re a magician, and I m not talking about how you makefires.Things go right for you. She shifted closer to him. All thatexcitement made me horny.If you had to separate Jeremid and me tonight, theleast you can do is kiss me.The very least. She held her face toward his, perhaps a foot away.He didn t close the gap. Melody, he said. I like sitting here with you, but. I know.You re married, with some kind of strange Farside vow. She sighed. All right, I won t push it.Who takes the first watch? I will. Wake me up if you get too sleepy.I don t want to miss the others. Shepaused and grinned wickedly. Especially not Jeremid.I may not be in lovewith him, but he knows how to please a woman. Macurdy managed to grin back at her. So do I.Take my word for it. Take your word? Melody sputtered. Bastard! He could tell she wasn tserious though, and as if to prove it, she chuckled, the sound reminding himof Varia. You know, Macurdy, I loved you from the first, before I knew youwell enough to like you.Now I like you, too. Then she wrapped herself in her rain cape and curled up on thecold ground.When her breathing and aura said she slept, Macurdy put his owncape over her and stood up.He was getting sleepy, and considered doingcalisthenics to stay awake and warm, then decided he was too tired.Instead he fingered his gums and broken front teeth.They d begun to hurt.He d assumed they d start to rot in time, but hadn t thought it would be sosoon.Presumably they had tooth butchers in this world, but he was willing tobet they were a bloody, painful lot.He sat down again.They were back barely within the trees; the sun, when itrose, would shine in his face.It ought to be all right to sleep till then.Heshould have three or four hours before the dwarves arrived.Page 121 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThe sun rose, but by then he d turned his back to it, as Melody had.An hourlater it was Blue Wing s raucous voice that wakened him, from a limb almostdirectly overhead. Macurdy! Macurdy! He jerked abruptly to a sitting position. Huh? Oh! Blue Wing! He turned toMelody; she was sitting up too. The dwarves are on their way, the bird said. Tossi sent me to tell you.Where are the others? In the woods, up the creek a little ways. Have you slept? A little bit. Humans are strange! Go back to sleep.I ll wake you when they gethere. He didn t need to urge them.They lay down again where they were,backs to the sun, letting it warm them.It didn t much make up for the cold,hard ground, but they quickly fell asleep again.The next time Blue Wing wakened them, Macurdy could see the dwarves coming, aquarter mile south down the road, Jeremid riding a little ahead as ifimpatient.Their pack animals trailed behind, along with three new horses.Macurdy waved, getting their attention, then he and Melody scrambleddown the side of the ridge and led them to the rebels, who still slept besidecold fires.While Macurdy and Melody stacked a new fire, Tossi brought out a huge summersausage, along with some potatoes that weren t too badly sprouted.The activity had wakened most of the rebels, who watched impressed asMacurdy lit the fire.They d seen him do it the night before, but they d beenhalf unconscious then; it could have been a dream
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