Free North Star Guide Me Home by Jo Spurrier Page A

them, too …’ Her eyes narrowed as she trailed off. He doubted there was anyone in Ricalan who didn’t know who and what he was. He’d heard that mothers frightened their children into good behaviour with his name.
    ‘How did you slip away?’ he said.
    ‘I … I stole a key from one of the Slavers when he took me to his bed, and I set as many loose as I could. Dozens of us broke away, but they must have found most of them by now.’
    ‘It’s a large party, coming from the east across the yellow plains?’
    The girl nodded. ‘You … you’re him, aren’t you? The Apprentice?’
    Rasten didn’t answer. He glanced up at the sun, judging how much time had passed. It was unwise to leave Isidro alone for too long … but a slave-train was simpler to deal with than a detachment of soldiers.
    He’d set them free. He knew too well what it meant to be a slave, to see one’s home destroyed and one’s family torn apart, to be taken far away from everything he knew and loved and to be forced to serve those who had brought it about.
    There’d be no more than a few dozen guards, and he’d be surprised if they had any mages — it would be no effort. Then Sierra would have people to feed her with power, and it would give them better defences against the Akharians when they did come.
    Rasten swung up into the saddle while Greska watched him with fearful, uncertain eyes. ‘I’ll deal with the Slavers,’ he told her. ‘Find your friends, the folk who were hiding with you. You can wait here or follow my trail back to the camp. Just don’t touch anything you find there … but you could probably feel the wards, I’d guess. But first you should see if these men had anything you can use. Oh, and come here. I’ll do something about that cuff.’
    At his command she crept closer. She’d been conditioned to obey, and the shock made her fall back into that learnt response. Trembling, she offered him her hand, and with a thread of power he pulled out the pin that locked the arms together, letting them fall to the rocks with a clatter.
    Greska watched him wide-eyed, and when he turned away, she seized his sleeve. ‘Wait! Can you teach me? To do what you did? I … I know my power is weak, or else they would have killed me, but there must be some way I can fight them. I’ll do anything, my lord, by the Bright Sun, anything at all.’
    Rasten fell still. Her power was a paltry thing … but he’d seen folk with weak power before, and seen what happened when Kell’s rituals sent energy tearing through them, blasting open channels that had petrified through lack of use. Only one of those had ever lived long enough for him to see the full effect of those rituals. Was he an outlier, or could such a transformation be expected each time?
    Rasten shook himself, and pulled his arm free. ‘I’ll speak to you about that later,’ he said and turned his horse back towards the dry river, booting it into a trot.
    As he rode, he reached out to Isidro, and found only an empty blackness. Sierra’s touch would keep the pain from troubling him for some time yet. Next, he reached for Sierra, and found her drinking thirstily from a water-skin, with her power running high and the air around her full of the scent of blood.
    Rasten, she said. What is it? Is Isidro worse?
    No, he’s fine, Rasten said. Something’s come up, but I can handle it.
    More soldiers?
    No, just some slaves and a few guards. I’ll deal with it. Have you found Cammarian and the woman?
    Yes, they’re safe. I’ve been hunting horses and gear for them, but we have it now. Rasten, please hurry, don’t leave him alone for too long.
    I’ll be quick, Rasten said. He broke the contact and kicked his horse into a canter.
    He was almost at the eastern edge of the gorges, with the yellow cloud of dust looming ahead. As he climbed the ridge it came into sight, a dark, sprawling line lost beneath the shadow of the cloud.
    Rasten turned his horse towards the head of the line and