Page 84 of Sword Dance

Varazda and Nione walked over from the beach huts. Varazda slung an arm casually around Damiskos’s shoulders—not exactly a comradely gesture, but not exactly a lover’s, either. Nione beamed at them, and Aradne raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I think we’re finished our preparations,” Varazda reported.

“Just in time,” said Nione, pointing. “Look.”

There it was, a speck on the bright water, moving with the freshening breeze from the Tentines toward the coast of Pheme.

* * *

The women of Nione’s household went up through the vineyard to take their places around the house, following the instructions that they had all gone over carefully early that morning. Tyra and a couple of the indoor women stayed behind in the beach huts with the babies and younger children; the older children went with their mothers, serious-faced and intent on their grown-up task. Damiskos, watching them go, felt as confident as he ever had in any soldiers under his command.

Of course the women were not really going into danger, Damiskos reminded himself. Their job in the woods was crucial, but it was only those who were going into the house who faced potential violence. Much depended on the state of affairs inside the house, whether it was complete chaos yet, or whether Helenos had things under some sort of control.

Eurydemos, who had waffled and debated about the morality of their plan all the while they were discussing it last night and this morning, had finally made up his mind to participate and had been on the point of leaving for the woods with the women when he had a change of heart and decided to stay behind after all. Damiskos was privately relieved.

Now Damiskos stood on the jetty with Nione, Aradne, and Varazda, watching the postal ship approach. It would soon be time for him and Nione to go up to the front of the house, as they had planned, but something was worrying him now, something that had only occurred to him within the last few minutes. It was a feeling that was familiar to him, a kind of suspicion that crept up sometimes before a carefully-planned engagement. Listening to it had more than once made the difference between victory and defeat on the battlefield.

The sun was almost directly overhead, flashing off the water, making it difficult to look out at the ship for long. It had approached close enough to the shore now that Damiskos could make out the figures that crowded the deck.

“Are there usually so many passengers on the postal ship?” he asked.

Nione squinted out at the water. “I can’t see from this distance. How many would you say?”

“A few dozen,” Damiskos guessed. “It’s hard to say from here.”

Varazda shot him a worried look. Damiskos nodded grimly.

“You’re thinking … ” Varazda began.

“I’m wondering if Helenos is expecting reinforcements after all.”

“Blessed Anaxe,” Nione murmured.

Aradne muttered something much saltier.

“I miscalculated,” said Damiskos savagely. “I knew this was a possibility, but I didn’t properly take it into account.”

He cursed himself inwardly in worse language than Aradne had used. He had been too preoccupied last night with confessing his love for Varazda and then the dreadful fear that it wasn’t love at all. He should have done better.

“I thought of it,” said Varazda quietly. “Last night. But I thought the women would be safer hidden in the woods, if it did turn out that reinforcements were arriving.”

“You’re right,” said Damiskos.

He’d been on the point of panicking, doubting himself, falling headlong—and there Varazda had been to catch him. Yet again.

Chapter 22

“It might be as well for you and Aradne to go back to the beach houses, my lady,” Varazda said to Nione. “Keep everyone hidden inside if you can, and be prepared to throw stones again if you can’t.” He glanced at Damiskos. “Don’t you think?”

“Yes, I think that would be best.”

Aradne nodded smartly and took Nione’s arm. “Let’s go, ma’am.”

“Of course if it turns out we’re wrong and there are no more philosophers on that ship, we’ll send word,” said Varazda.

Nione let herself be led away by her steward, and Damiskos and Varazda were left alone on the jetty.

“They’ll have seen us by now, I expect,” said Varazda.