Page 167 of Swordheart
“And she can patch up injured goats,” said the female paladin, sounding very amused. “And occasionally injured paladins.”
The other Motherhood men quietly sheathed their swords and inched away, looking as if they’d rather be somewhere else.
“We are told she consorts with demons!” said the captain.
This was a tactical error, as even Halla could have told him. If there was one word guaranteed to suddenly focus the attention of a paladin of the Dreaming God, it wasdemon.The entire order was dedicated to demonslaying. It was all they did, all they wanted to do, and they were very, very good at it.
“Are you claiming that Mistress Halla is possessed?” asked Jorge. His voice was almost silky.
The Motherhood captain thought about it. Halla couldseehim thinking about it.
“Such a claim would place this entire area under the Dreaming God’s jurisdiction,” said Zale, examining their nails. “Anyone present could be conscripted to assist in their inquiries. Both the Temple of the Rat and the Hanged Motherhood have agreed to this, as you undoubtedly are aware.”
“Demons,” said the other male paladin, “areeveryone’sproblem.”
The captain inhaled sharply through his nose. His eyes flicked from Jorge to Zale and back again.
Then: “Perhaps my informant was mistaken,” he ground out. “You are, of course, the authority on demonkind. If you do not believe that this woman is a threat…”
The three of them looked at Halla, then back at the captain.
“I believe,” said the female paladin gently, “that the three of us together can probably take her in a fight.”
The Motherhood captain let out a brief, bitter curse, flung himself into the saddle, and rode away. His men scrambled to follow, one or two casting apologetic looks over their shoulders.
“Well, that was unpleasant,” said Jorge, watching the Motherhood men ride away. “How’d you get on their bad side?”
“They’re Motherhood,” said Zale. “They don’t have a good side. Their goddess hanged herself with her own hair so that she could punish a murderer who had been declared innocent, and frankly, I’m starting to think that poor soulwasinnocent and their whole religion is founded on persecuting unlucky bystanders.” They spat in the roadway, which was, for Zale, as savage a display of temper as Sarkis casually slaughtering a few bandits.
“Well, you’re not wrong.” The female paladin tapped her mailed hand on the pommel of her saddle. “Your gnole friend came and got us. Good thing, too.”
“A gnole knows when a priest is in trouble,” said Brindle.
“Some of their other priests were pestering us earlier,” said Zale. “And apparently they went missing, so now these fellows are convinced we’re hurling magic and demons and probably artifacts of the ancients in the bargain.”
This was, Halla thought, a remarkably edited view of the last week or two. On the other hand, as pleasant as they seemed, it probably wasn’t wise to inform a trio of paladins, protectors of the faith and servants of good, etcetera, etcetera, that they’d accidentally murdered two men and dumped the bodies.
The paladins rode alongside the wagon as they set out.
Well… they tried.
In actual fact, the ox moved slower than a walking horse and only marginally faster than a completely stationary horse, so they went back and forth for about two hours and then the woman—Halla had gathered that her name was Mare and she was nominally in charge—said, “Did you say you had to get somewhere in a hurry?”
“We’re trying to reach Amalcross,” said Zale. “We are merely… um… hampered by our ox. No offense to the ox.”
“An ox has other qualities,” said Brindle. “An ox went through the Vagrant Hills and didn’t paniconce.”
“Ah.” Mare turned back to her comrades and held a brief conference with them out of earshot. “Amalcross, you say?”
“That’s the plan.”
“At the current rate, it’ll take you… ah…”
“At least four days,” said Zale. “We know.”
“Believe me, we know,” said Halla.
“Well.” Mare dismounted and walked alongside the wagon. “We, too, have to be somewhere. But I don’t much like leaving you to the Motherhood’s tender mercies. If that captain runs across you and we’re not here, I don’t think he’s going to be in a very good mood.”
