Tanya Huff - Kigh 4 - The Quartered Sea

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

THE QUARTERED

SEA

Tanya Huff

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

Cover art by Jody Lee

For color prints of Jody Lee's paintings, please contact

The Cerndwen Enterprise

PO Box 10161

Kansas City, MO 64111

Phone 1-800-825 1281

DAW Book Collectors No 1121

DAW Books are distributed by Penguin Putnam Inc

All characters and events in this book are fictitious Any

resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly

coincidental.

First Printing, May 1999

DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED

US PAT OFF AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES

—MARC A REGISTRADA

HECHO EN USA

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

PRINTED IN THE USA

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

For Alex:

Not quite the sequel he wanted,

but I'm afraid it'll have to do.

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

THE

QUARTERED

TANYA HUFF

DAW BOOKS, INC.

DONALD A. WOLLHEIM, FOUNDER

375 Hudson Street New York NY 10014

ELIZABETH R. WOI.LHEIM

SHEILA E. GILBERT

PUBLISHERS

www.dawbooks.com

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

Chapter One

^ »

THE fishing boat rose to the surface of the bay like an abandoned

vessel of the old gods. Such was the angle that the masthead, draped

in pennants of torn and dripping sail, had barely emerged before the

bow broke through, water sheeting over the gunnels back into the

sea. A moment later the stern followed, cradled on the crest of an

unnatural wave. Long ropes of weed trailed off the rudder as though

the depths had attempted to hold their prize.

Ignoring waves and wind, the boat cut across the chop toward a

nearly identical vessel carrying four oilskin-wrapped people. Three

of the four watched the approach, openmouthed. The fourth, a

young man standing alone in the bow, watched the water and Sang.

A few moments later, the salvaged boat drew parallel with the other

and stopped, both boats keeping their position as though held by

unseen hands.

"That's her, that's my Second Chance." Leaning over the gunnels for

a closer look, one of the identical trio pushed her hood back off salt-

and-pepper hair and squinted into the spray. "Well, I'll be hooked

and fried, they even brung up both pairs of oars." Half-turned

toward the bow, she lifted her voice over the combined noise of

wind and sea and Song, "Hey bard! We're close enough to use the

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

gaff. Should I hook her in and make her fast?"

Still Singing, Benedikt shook his head and shuffled around on his

damp triangle of decking to face the shore.

Shoulders hunched against the chill, he changed his Song, and both

boats began to move toward the gravel beach at the head of the bay

where the tiny figures of the villagers paced up and down.

When the keels scraped bottom, he changed the Song again.

Two roughly human translucent figures rose up out of the shallows

on either side of the bow and brushed against the ends of Benedikt's

outstretched fingers like liquid cats. Closing his eyes, he allowed

the four notes of the gratitude to linger a moment or two after the

kigh dissolved back into the sea.

"Right, then!" The owner of the Second Chance took command of

the silence with an authoritative bellow. "Let's have some help here

before the tide turns!"

His part in the salvage completed, the bard stayed where he was

until it became obvious that there was nothing left to do but

disembark. Clambering awkwardly over the side, he winced as the

frigid water seeped into borrowed boots. The uneven footing threw

him off balance. He staggered forward, then back, then forward

again.

A sudden grip on his elbow kept him from falling.

The figure beside him, indistinguishable from all the others in the

ubiquitous oilskins, was considerably shorter than his own six feet.

Under his hood, he felt his ears burn. Bards were not supposed to

need rescue. Especially not from rescuers so much smaller than

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

themselves.

The hand remained around his elbow until dry land was reached,

then it released him and rose to push back the masking hood.

Fortunately, he recognized the face. Bards were not supposed to

fumble for names either.

"Lucija."

The woman who'd offered her boat for the trip out into the bay

smiled up at him. "Benedikt."

Wobbly on the slippery piles of beach gravel, he had no idea of

what he was supposed to say next.

As though she sensed his unease, Lucija's smile dimmed a little.

"That was an impressive bit of Singing out there; what with Tesia

swamping right over the cleft and all. I never knew bards could

control the kigh so deep."

He could feel the tension start to leave his shoulders. It had been an

impressive bit of Singing, and he was pleased that she'd noticed. "It

was nothing."

"Nothing?" Drawn around by the sound of her name, Tesia stomped

over and smacked the bard enthusiastically on the arm. "You've

given me back the fish, boy. That's an unenclosed sight more than

nothing. Now you head over to my place around dark, and I'll cook

you a meal that'll make a start at payin' you back."

"You don't have to…"

"I know that. I want to." She grinned around him at the younger

woman. "I can see what you're thinkin', Lucija. You may as well

come, too."

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Tanya Huff - The Quartered Sea

The entire village ended up at Tesia's cottage. From where Benedikt

sat, there seemed to be a man, woman, or child in every available

space—occasionally, two deep. Lucija had a seat close by, and the

heat in her pale eyes made him wish his place of honor wasn't quite

so close to the fire.

When they called for a song, he dried his palms on his thighs and

lifted his quintara like a shield. He wasn't good in large crowds;

there were just too many people to please.

"It's all right, these things happen." Up on one elbow, Lucija stroked

the soft triangle of golden hair in the center of Benedikt's chest.

"Don't worry about it."

It took an effort, but he kept his voice light. "Easy for you to say."

"Maybe you just need a little encouragement."

As her hand moved lower, Benedikt closed his eyes. When Lucija

had finally come right out and invited him to her bed, he hadn't been

able to think of a believable way to say no. He'd wanted to be with

her, but he'd been afraid that exactly what had happened would

happen.

It wasn't his fault really, it was the pressure. After his performance

in the afternoon, he'd known that she'd expect an equivalent

performance in the dark. He'd been magnificent out on the bay. The

need to be that magnificent again—and the fear that he wouldn't be

—had made him so tense…

It would've been easier to raise another fishing boat.

"Maybe you're just too tired."

There was sympathy in her voice, not blame, but he couldn't have

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