The Nomad - By Simon Hawke Page 0,75
sense of perspective and self-preservation.”
“That is what the Guardian is for,” Kivara said indifferently. “I cannot be bothered with such things.
Not when I am flying!” And she jumped to her knees, throwing out her arms once more. The raft once again rocked dangerously on the wind funnel that bore them up, and Ryana grabbed her for support.
“I think that will be quite enough,” the Guardian said, taking over from Kivara. The voice was still Sorak’s, but the tone was completely different. The pitch had dropped slightly, and her voice was one of calm control and reassurance. Ryana could imagine Kivara protesting loudly within Sorak’s mind, but the Guardian had emerged now and taken firm control. “Forgive me,” she said. “She slipped out.”
“It’s all right, Guardian,” said Ryana. “No harm done.”
“I am not so sure,” the Guardian replied. Her tone sounded slightly concerned. “Kivara is growing more and more difficult to control. Each time she comes out, she more stubbornly resists going back under. She appears to be growing stronger.”
“You think there is a chance that you may lose control?” Ryana asked, unnerved by the idea.
“I do not know for certain,” the Guardian replied. “I certainly hope not. That would upset the balance of the tribe.”
“It could upset a lot more than that,” Ryana said, looking down at the raft uneasily. “She isn’t bad, I know that, but the trouble is she simply does not think.”
“She is very young,” the Guardian replied. “And in a full grown male body, at that. That makes things more difficult.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Ryana said. “Well, we can always look on the bright side. At least we’ve lost Valsavis. There is no way that he can possibly catch us now.”
“Are you quite certain?”
Ryana shrugged. “Even mounted on a fast kank, it would take him days just to reach the silt basins, and then he’d still have to go all the way around them to reach the peninsula where Bodach lies. By the time he gets there, we will surely have completed our task.”
“Perhaps,” the Guardian replied. “But then what? Bodach is still a long way from anywhere. If I recall the map in The Wanderer’s Journal correctly, the nearest settlement to Bodach is North Ledopolus, and the nearest city would be Balic, but it lies on the opposite shore of the Estuary of the Forked Tongue. We would still have to cover a great deal of ground to reach civilization, and that would give Valsavis more than ample opportunity to close the distance between us.”
“I had not thought of that,” Ryana said with concern. “Has Sorak considered this?”
“He has considered it,” the Guardian replied, nodding. “For the present, he is primarily concerned with surviving the undead in Bodach and finding the Breastplate of Argentum. And that will certainly pose challenges enough. Valsavis can be dealt with later, but you must not think that we have seen the last of him. He is too clever and resourceful a man to be so easily discounted. True, he will have a long journey to Bodach, but there is no telling how long it may take us to find the talisman. And we have no way of knowing how much of our time will be spent dealing with the threat of the undead. All Valsavis has to do is head for Bodach, since he already knows that is our destination. And he also knows that the only way back to civilization from Bodach is to the west.”
“We could just fly right over him,” Ryana said. “Perhaps,” the Guardian said. “But we do not know that Kara would be willing to convey us to our next destination. She has already undertaken much on our behalf. Or on behalf of the Sage, I should say. Either way, it would not be fair for us to expect any more from her. If she chooses to return to Salt View once she has done her part in conveying us to Bodach, that is certainly her right.”
“Yes, of course,” Ryana said. “I understand.”
“Don’t worry, little sister,” Sorak said, emerging suddenly. “We will manage. We always have.”
She smiled, pleased to see him back again, especially after her unsettling experience with Kivara. “Did you have a nice nap?”
“Yes. I truly needed the rest. But what of you? You have not slept.”
“You think I could sleep under these circumstances?” she said.
“I suggest you try,” he said. “You will need all of your strength and energy when we reach Bodach.”
“It should be morning when we get there,” she