and used one hand to steady himself with it as he slid down. Tavi followed suit, as did Fade.
"Doroga," said Hashat, coming toward them, frowning. "Are you ready?"
Doroga nodded, once.
Hashat said, "Word is abroad. The wolves were leaving, as I left to bring Kitai here. They attack with the dawn."
Tavi drew in a little breath and looked at Fade. The slave looked worried, though his eyes weren't focused on anything. He just stared out over the Wax Forest.
Doroga grunted. "Then this will decide it. If the Aleran prevails, we avoid the struggle."
"Atsurak will not be happy with you, Doroga."
The big Marat shrugged. "He may not survive the day. If he does, he does. That is yet to come."
Hashat nodded. "Then let us begin."
"Kitai," Doroga rumbled.
The figure at the edge of the precipice did not move.
Doroga scowled. "Whelp!"
Still, he did not move.
Doroga glared at Hashat. The maned Marat turned her face away a little too late to hide her smile. "Your whelp is growing up, Doroga. They always get moody before they bond. You know that."
Doroga rumbled, "You just want Kitai to be part of Horse."
Hashat shrugged her shoulders. "Speed, intelligence. Who wouldn't want that?" She lifted her chin and called, "Kitai. We are ready to begin."
Kitai stood up, idly dusted snow off of his smock, and paced toward them, his expression cool. He stopped not a pace away from Tavi, glaring at the Aleran boy.
Tavi felt a sudden fear, as his cut throbbed again, and then set his jaw stubbornly. He had never allowed a bully to frighten him. He'd been beaten often enough, but he'd never surrendered to fear. He took a step closer to Kitai, eyes narrowed, facing the other boy's opalescent gaze with his own. Their eyes were on a level, and the other boy did not seem to be much bigger than Tavi was. Tavi folded his arms and stared at his opponent.
Kitai seemed uncertain how to react to Tavi's stance and glanced at Hashat.
Doroga growled irritably. "You both know the trial. The first to recover the Blessing of Night and return it to my hand will be the victor." He turned to Tavi. "Aleran. The Blessing is shaped as a mushroom. It has a flat head,
slender stalk, and is the color of night. It is located at the base of the great tree, within its trunk."
Doroga turned to him and placed his huge hands on the boy's slender shoulders. He turned Kitai to face him, an effortless flexing of Doroga's shoulders. "Then be careful. Your mother would want you to be careful."
Kitai lifted his chin, though his eyes glittered bright. "My mother," he said, "would have fetched the Blessing and been back by now while you talked, sire."
Doroga's teeth showed, suddenly. "Yes," he agreed. One of his hands squeezed Kitai's shoulders, and he released the boy, to turn to Tavi. "We will lower you down and wait until dawn. Once you begin, there are no rules. The results are all that matter. You can choose not to face the trial now, if you wish, valleyboy."
"And go back to your camp and be eaten?"
Doroga nodded. "Yes. Regrettably."
Tavi let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, well. I'll take my chances with the Keepers, I think."
"Then we begin." Doroga turned to one of the lumps in the snow and dug into it with his huge hands, uncovering a great coil of rope of a weave Tavi had never seen before. Beside him, Hashat did the same with a second coil of rope.
Tavi saw Kitai step up beside him out of the corner of his eye. The Marat boy watched the two adults uncovering the rope and testing its length. "It is rope from the Gadrim-ha. From the ones you call the Icemen. Made of the hairs of their females. It will not freeze or break."
Tavi nodded. He asked, "You've done this before?"
Kitai nodded. "Twice. It wasn't for a trial, before. But I have gone in twice and returned with the Blessing. I was the only one who returned."
Tavi swallowed.
"Are you afraid, Aleran?"
"Aren't you?"
"Yes," Kitai said. "Afraid to lose. Everything depends on this night, for me."
"I don't understand."
Kitai sniffed "When I return with the Blessing before you, I will have defended my sire's honor in a trial before The One I will be an adult and may choose where I live "