The bowman’s eyes widened enough to reveal his fear.
“He can squish up both of you like rags,” said Legs.
Huh, Talen thought, that was too much squeak. It was one thing to threaten a Mokaddian. It was quite another to claim they had some Sleth monster on a leash. This mire just got deeper and deeper.
The boy tossed his short spear aside. “Don’t hurt us.”
“Put your bow down,” said Talen.
For one brief moment Talen thought he was going to have to kill the Shoka. He didn’t want to. He had nothing against him. And it would do their cause no good to add another Mokaddian death to it. Talen could see the calculation in the Shoka’s face. Then he relented. He released his draw, then dropped the bow and arrow onto the pine needles at his feet.
“Knives too,” said Talen.
Both Shoka unlooped the knives at their waists and cast them aside.
“On your bellies over there,” Talen said and pointed to a flat spot of ground.
Legs decided that was the time to step out of the brook bed. When he got to the top of the short bank, he walked, both hands in front of him, one high, one low.
“He’s the blind one,” the bowman said.
“Indeed, he is,” said Talen. “Now move.”
They didn’t have much time. The third Shoka could be returning this very moment to the road. He might have his dogs with him. Nevertheless, he waited for the two Shoka to move. By the time they were on their bellies, he stood by the Shoka’s bow.
“Legs,” he called. “Unstring this bow at my feet. We’re going to tie them up.”
Fifteen minutes later Talen and Legs were making their way toward moving water. There was at least one river and two creeks between them and the Widow’s and they’d have to use all three now that dogs might be involved.
The Shoka’s bow string hadn’t been long enough to bind both Shoka to different trees. So Legs had cut two strips off his tunic to use as rope and two more to use as gags.
“Do you think they will stay put?” asked Legs.
“Oh, I think your little eye show gave them quite a scare.” That and the fact that he’d married his freaky eye-rolling with odd gaggings and contortions. It was quite an effective method to cow the two so they didn’t try anything stupid while Legs tied them up. It had almost put Talen himself on the run.
And when the one Shoka had asked what was happening, Talen had played it up. And why not? How could the story get any worse? His family had already been caught harboring the hatchlings. They’d already been connected to the monster. And, despite the usefulness of claiming the hatchlings had enchanted them to do their bidding, there was no one else in the family who might be tempted to say such a thing. Truth be told, even he wasn’t going to give into that. Besides, they needed time. An hour’s head start might not even be enough if the dogs came.
“You know full well what he’s doing,” Talen had said.
The Shoka had taken it, as intended, for Slethery. And then the bright idea had come to Talen to say he believed Legs was calling the monster to watch them, to make sure they didn’t run.
Oh, yes. Talen was in this up to his neck.
Now the question was not if he was going to die. It was only, when? And would it include a lot of torture?
He thought of Da in Whitecliff. Surely, Uncle Argoth would protect him. Surely, Uncle Argoth would be able to convince Lord Shim. Because Talen certainly wasn’t helping him any.
Talen stopped before a clump of poison ivy. “We need to move faster.” Much faster. They needed to get to the first creek and wash their trail away. Then they needed to get to the river. Maybe float a bit.
“I can’t,” said Legs.
No, he couldn’t. His bare feet were already bloody in three places.
“Too bad you really can’t call that monster,” Talen said and unstrung his bow. He put the string in an oiled leather pouch that hung from his quiver and told Legs to hold the bow staff. “Raise your arm, brother Sleth. You’re going across my shoulders.”
Legs raised one arm.
Talen took it by the wrist, bent low, grabbed Leg’s ankle with his other hand, and stood up straight.
“Right,” he said. It was like lugging a sack of beets. That’s all this was. He adjusted