Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
saddle visible even from here.Ah, akribhan , she thought.Never moderation where excess will do .
Someone was on the ground, kneeling; she could hear the yelling from here.
Words in various accents came clear as she got closer. "Buk, why can't we scrag this fatbitch right
now? Why the fuck not?"—"One fuck-up after another, and now Shkai'ra!" The female voice with the
Aeniri lilt was almost screaming. "I swear, I fucking swearSecond Fire come I did not put fucking wadiki
in my water that was some other child of two pigs spiked it and I swearSecond Fire come she said I
could sleep!" A more even voice: "No, Buk, don't, what she's saying is possible, remember the rules: you
can't execute someone without witnessed proof, you ve got to get her truth-drugged." —"Ya,ya !" the
Aenir woman shrieked. "Get me truth-drugged! Get me truth-drugged!"
I think I know who put wadiki in your water, Megan thought, hiding it behind a stony mask.
Bukangkt—odd to see a brawny broken-nosed Lakan in Arkan plate— beckoned her. "I sent them
searching," he said, in bad Enchian. "Butkras said if she ever went missing, you her kreedo best to find
her. And do with Hotblood."
"I'll do my best. Spare an arm? I've got a leg-wound." He dismounted, and helped her off the pony,
half-carrying her to where the Ri was pacing.Wrongwrong-wrong redfurieadmare gone GONE want
want . She called him both with her voice and thought. He turned to look at her.
Smallsnippysharpdisagreeable , he acknowledged her, but turned his head with almost a snort of
disdain.Notimportant redfurmissMISS !
LISTENWEASEL-ASS! Her fury tinged her thought red. He hissed at her.Shkai'ra (redfur) wants this,
NEEDS this. To rescue Lixand (blondcolt) . She sent images of a Ri-mare—with red fur—defending
her young.
Disagreeable, he thought but stopped pacing, turned and lowered her head to stare into her face, the
eyes set for binocular vision strange in the horse's head, green with a hint of Shkai'ra's grey.
Listen. We'll take off the saddle. You pretend sneak-sneak to look for Shkai'ra. Hunt blondprey,
follow, don't come back till I or Shkai'ra calls you.
——— He tossed his head, breaking eye contact.No-nono —!
Sulk. He sidled around so Bukangkt could reach the saddle-girths. Once it slid off into a yeap the Ri
sprang away from it and her, reared and loped off toward the woods.
!Megan thought at him. He stopped near the edge of the trees, sniffing the ground.
Sneaksneak find redfurieadmare. Then he disappeared in the underbrush.
"I'll go over there, if you don't mind," Megan said, "and try to find her in my own way. Don't touch or
disturb me until I move again, you understand?" The Lakan nodded. "If the sun is down before I move,
have someone come over and call me; I might need it by then."
"Column still march," Bukangkt said. "Flank-riders not know, disturb you." More riders came in, having
heard the dispute, breaking the pattern. "Do you fuckneads or do you not fuckheads," he roared, "
have orders that not been changed?" They dispersed again at a gallop, what little of their faces showed
through their visors, reddening.
"All right, how long can you give me?" She translated hastily to the Arkan clock in her head. "A bead?