Taking a deep breath, she pulled her sword from her belt and urged the horse towards the stable door. Before pushing it open with her boot and exiting to the courtyard, she sat there and listened for a moment. She dared not reach out with her mind and it seemed they were being cautious on that account as well. It was too quiet outside. Or was it? Perhaps she had scared them off, or out-smarted them? Would they just give up and let her go? They did have Cargius, and what real threat was she to them unless she could complete the path of enlightenment? She recalled the look in Lea’s face when she had said this earlier and it made her wonder at the veracity of her reasoning on that account as well.
Either way she had to get help and quickly, and then find Cargius and these bloody catacombs Lea and the Druid Elders had talked about and somehow secure his safe release. Putting caution to the wind, Danielle kicked open the door and spurred the horse to a gallop. They raced across the courtyard and up the lane beside the blacksmith’s shop. She sensed more than saw the way ahead and the horse seemed to trust her skilled hand implicitly.
In front of her, where the lane opened to the street, the shadows of men loomed out of the fog ready to prevent her escape. Danielle had felt their presence even as she crossed the courtyard. But there was no turning back. She buried her heels into the horse’s flank and drove him all the faster. The cordon never stood a chance. She ran down the first man before he could bring his sword to bear. The second managed to avoid the horse’s hooves, but bounced off his rump and was sent smashing into the stone wall of a building, his sword scuttling harmlessly across the cobbles. The third man stepped aside and swung at the horse’s front legs with his sword. Expecting as much Danielle had leaned over the horse’s neck. She caught the blade with her own and threw it back before bursting out into the street, leaving her attackers behind her. Her horse shuddered and faulted slightly as his hooves slipped on the wet cobbles, but the stallion found his legs again and kept on galloping. They reached the end of the street and turned right. Without warning a troop of palace guards emerged out of the darkness in front of her. Danielle pulled back on the reins to avoid running headlong into them.
“Milady!” A capital of the guard gapped at her as he struggled to bring his horse under control. “We feared the worst.” His surprise turned to concern as he noticed her wounds. “You are hurt.”
“Not seriously. There more pressing matters.” She was struggling to find breath enough to speak. “Some of my abductors are back there. I want them taken alive. They’re attired in palace uniforms so don’t be fooled. The rest of my assailants were in a house a few streets from here. Last I saw, it was on fire. There are at least twenty of them in all and they may still be in the area.” She was shaking as much from shock as the cold.
The captain gave a curt order.
“You heard the ambassador. Get them!”
Ten of his men drew their swords and rode off into the fog.
His demeanour had hardened considerably as he turned his attention back on Dee “We’ll have them, Milady, never you mind that. He gestured to another of his men and said, “Joanlis, get to the gate and let the General know we have found the Lady de Brie. Also get a message to the palace. Any soldiers you pass on the way send them to me with all haste.”
“The General?” Danielle enquired.
“The Lady Galloway.”
Danielle nodded, relieved. “Please, have your man tell the Chancellor that they have Lord Cargius and they are escaping through the catacombs.” She hoped Leefton knew what these catacombs were for she did not.
The captain frowned at her. “Catacombs?”
“Please, just do as I ask.”
The commotion in the street had woken some of the residents and here and there light was glowing in the window and faces darkened against the foggy night appeared against the panes of glass. The front door to the house they were outside opened suddenly and a figure stepped out into the night and held up a lantern against the murky street.
“Can I be of assistance, sir?”
The light caught the armour of the palace guards and the fellow seemed confident to whom he spoke.
“The use of your hearth would be appreciated. Somewhere to warm a lady of quality while she waits for word from the chancellor.”
“By all means. I’ll have the missus put a kettle on.”
Danielle thanked the old man and dismounted, accepting the Captain’s coat, who was about to accompany her inside when the sound of an approaching horseman gave him reason to pause and Danielle with him.
A palace soldier emerged out of the fog and reined in his mount. “We have them, sir. They gave up peacefully.”
That didn’t seem right to Danielle. Larniusian Druids, at least in her experience, did not give up peacefully. She frowned and stepped back down to the street. “Captain. I want them brought here. I need to see them. And while you are at it, I want them all gagged.”
“Of course. Peters, Larry, Tomlinson, see that it is done.”
“They’re on their way, Milady,” the soldier said from atop of his mount.
“How many?”
“Six. Two are not in a good way, a seventh is dead.”
“I want a cart readied to take them to the palace.”
“Barac, see to the cart.” The captain glanced at the residents who were coming out of doors and gathering on the pavement. A church bell had started tolling loudly nearby. Danielle assumed that the fire she had started had finally been noticed.
That said, it was the sounds of approaching horses that held her interest most keenly. She didn’t have to wait long and the shadows of men and horses appeared through the fog. The prisoners, all on foot, were brought to a halt, flanked by mounted soldiers armed with crossbows. The captain gestured to two of his men who were holding torches to come forward so their lady could see more clearly the prisoners’ faces.
“These be your assailants, Milady?”
“Yes.” She recognised all of them, particularly the two older men. The one called Mason smiled at her. His damp hair hung about his face and his mouth and nose were bloodied; yet he seemed unperturbed by his predicament.
“A shame you had to involve others, Milady.”
“You’ll hold your tongue, and show the lady due respect,” the captain demanded. He gave a curt nod and three of his soldiers stepped forward and forced the two Druid Lords and their men to their knees.
“I want to know about these catacombs. Where are they?” Danielle said. The three men charged with gagging the prisoners were cutting up their cloaks.
Much to her annoyance Mason glanced sideways at Mr Bale and began to chuckle. His companions seemed equally amused, though be damned if Danielle could see what they had to laugh about. In half an hour they’d be in the palace barracks, begging for mercy under interrogation. Then she’d see them hung, quartered and drawn through the streets of the city as recompense for their crimes this night and for what they had done to the men of the Arkaelyus. It would be a good practice run for what she intended to do to the rest of Kane’s friends when she got back to Illandia. But right now they had to find Cargius.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell me what I want to know.”
Like drunks merry on wine they merely laughed a little louder.
Danielle bit back her annoyance. “Captain, your sword please.” She had handed her own off before dismounting.
As the officer went to draw his weapon from its scabbard, a breeze stirred the fog around them. Something icy and unseen brushed past Danielle’s cheek and she immediately felt Keira’s presence among them. Lord Mason was grinning at her, confirming what she feared.
“Kill them,” she said, her throat suddenly tight. She felt the malignance and danger they were in and when the captain looked at her blankly, she snatched the sword from his hand. But before she could wield it the metal turned red hot as if heated in a smithy’s furnace. Danielle yelped and dropped the glowing blade.
A superstitious chill went through the so
ldiers and they looked uneasily to their captain for orders.
“We’re all in peril. Kill them,” Danielle demanded.
The captain’s features hardened and he drew his dagger. But before he could give the command his eyes went wide in terror and he dropped the weapon and grabbed his throat. Blood poured from between his fingers as he tried to draw breath. He sagged to his knees, his men looking on in shock. The fog stirred again and another soldier had his throat slit by an unseen blade. A sickening gurgle escaped his gaping mouth, drawing his colleague’s attention, and he slipped off his horse and crashed lifelessly onto the cobbles.
“Sweet mercies, what is it?” a soldier asked, backing away in fear, his sword ready to defend against the darkness that stalked them. It was the last thing he said before his throat too was opened from ear to ear.
The man beside him turned to run, only to be the next to fall prey to Keira’s blade. Panic seized the remaining guardsmen and most turned to flee.
Several brave souls grabbed Danielle, and broke for the nearest house, but they died even as they urged her up the stairs towards the open doorway. A crossbow bolt took one in the back and the other gained a new mouth across his neck.
The street had turned to mayhem. The prisoners were free. Steel clanged in the dark as fleeing soldiers were forced to turn and fight, and residents screamed and ran in fear or escaped back inside, as the Druids turned their weapons on them as well.
Danielle grabbed the sword lying on the step of the house, and ignoring the plea from the old man standing in the doorway to come inside, she turned to rejoin the fray. She barely made it to the street before Mason burst out of the fog and levelled a loaded crossbow at her.
“All this innocent blood-letting wasn’t necessary, Milady. Now put it down and come quietly.”
“You need me alive. You won’t shoot me,” Danielle said, keeping her sword at the ready. What she needed was for him to come just a little closer.
But to her horror, the Druid lowered his crossbow slightly and pulled the lever. Pain as raw as any she had ever known exploded in her right side, just above her hip. The impact as the bolt ripped through her side, drove her backwards and she lost her footing and sat down heavily on the doorsill.
“You murdering bastards!” the owner of the house said, his voice a tremor.
Mason picked up a sword and pointed it at the old man. “Be on your way, or you’ll be next.”
The fellow backed up and disappeared inside.
Danielle couldn’t believe the Druid had shot her. She put her hand to her side and it came away wet with blood. The bolt had pierced her through and continued on its way. It was now lodged in the doorframe beside her.
She was struggling to catch her breath and fight the pain and had no strength to resist as the Druid elder crouched down beside her and checked her wound.
Two more Druids came running out of the fog, weapons in hand. Their attention immediately went to Danielle and their excitement at having turned the tables quickly faltered when they saw her wounded.
“What happened?” the one called Bale asked as he knelt down.
“It’s only a wound. She’ll live long enough for the ritual. Help me with the wards.
“We’ve got to go. Keira can’t keep us hidden or protected much longer. And at least four soldiers got away to raise the alarm.”
“I know. Take the vial in my left pocket and pour it over her head.”
Bale did as asked. He uttered a short rhyme in the Druid tongue as he performed the task.
Danielle screwed up her nose at the stench of the liquid and blinked it out of her eyes as it ran down her face and dripped onto her clothes. At least this time she knew what to expect for they’d done this to her when she’d tried to escape in the palace rose garden after killing one of their number. It was some sort of tonic that weakened her faculties, beyond that she didn’t know what its purpose might be.
She clenched her teeth together and stiffened as Mason took her arm and pulled her back to her feet. There were more hurried footfalls approaching from the foggy street, and then the rest of his band arrived, some nursing wounds, all armed.
“Find the cellar. You know what to do.”
Bale was already crossing the threshold, returning his sword to its scabbard. The men followed him inside without a word. Danielle stifled a groan as Lord Mason slung her arm over his shoulder and made to follow. She knew she should resist, but the pain had robbed her of all her strength and the tonic was affecting her will. They had passed down a hallway and were entering a small kitchen when a blinding blue light suddenly flared up from the direction of the adjoining pantry—the same pantry into which the Druid’s were entering. Danielle blinked against the glare. Her skin crawled with the presence of magic and even if it had not, she was well aware that no natural phenomenon could create such a light as this. Her dread was fast returning and when they entered the pantry and began down the stairs to the cellar and she saw the Druids filing into what looked like a ball of blue fire and disappearing into the stone wall, her fear turned immediately to panic and she began to struggle. Mason tightened his grip and manhandled her down the remaining stairs before tossing her into the ball of blue light.
For the briefest moment the world of sight and sound disappeared as numbing cold permeated every fibre of her being. Then her scream filled her ears again, at least until she landed on the dust covered flagstones of a tunnel and had the air driven from her chest by the impact with the cold rock. Wincing against the pain in her side she didn’t fight as strong hands sat her up. She opened her eyes to find Keira smiling at her. A glance beyond the priestess told Danielle she was in what she assumed were the catacombs Lea had mentioned. That this place existed was a shock. She hoped Leefton knew about it for right now she had neither the strength nor will to think about escape.
Danielle stifled a cry as Keira pushed a handkerchief inside her torn shirt and pressed it against the wound on her side. Mason had appeared, and with him the blue ball of icy fire had vanished, leaving the tunnel bathed in flickering yellow torchlight. There were at least fifteen men here, every one of them eager to be going. Mason pushed past and crouched, receiving a cold glare from Keira as she slipped a belt around Danielle’s middle and began to buckle it up.
“What were you thinking?” Keira said. “This will slow us down.”
“It subdued her didn’t it? And I’ll carry her if need be. It might even loosen her tongue a little and help get the name of her sister out of her.”
“If the brethren are to feed as they must, I need every drop of her blood.”
Danielle drew in a sharp breath as the belt closed around her middle holding the makeshift bandage against her side. She was discreetly eyeing the scabbard dagger hanging from Keira’s belt. All she had to do was grab it and get the blade to the priestess’ throat. These men would do whatever she wanted then; even reopen the portal, she was sure. She saw her opportunity as Mason shook his head and got up in disgust. But even as she lunged forward, grabbed a fist full of Keira’s long dark hair, and drew the dagger from its scabbard, the men fell on her with strong hands, wrestling her back. She lost her grip on the witch and then she was rolled over and unceremoniously forced face down on the cold stone floor of the tunnel. Mason put a knee on her neck, levered the dagger from her hand and then wrenched her arm up to her shoulder blade.
“Be still or I’ll break it.”
Danielle cried out and stopped struggling. She closed her eyes, as much against the tears welling up there as the pain. She knew her chances of surviving were fading quickly and she was keenly aware of what her death would mean in their endeavour to stop Kane.
“Give me that ring on her finger and get her up,” Keira said.
Danielle tried to resist, but it was no use. One of the men wretched her fingers open and slipped off the small silver band James had given to her. She was made to sit up and then Keira waved the ring in front of Danielle’s face. “You do anything like that ag
ain, and I’ll find the owner of this ring and slit his throat with the ease with which I disposed of your soldiers. Do you understand?”
Danielle nodded. She didn’t want this witch to see how much that pained her, but she felt a tear run down her cheek and drip off her chin, and she hated the cruel grin that crossed the woman’s face.
It was then that the ground began to tremble violently. Danielle started in fright and looked up to see dust and small cascades of stones filter down from the tunnel roof high above their heads. To her bewilderment, Keira’s grin had actually widened and she had started to laugh.
“And so it begins,” the priestess said ominously, elation in her dark eyes.
“What begins?” Danielle asked. She was terrified the tunnel was about to cave in. The two elders dragged her to her feet.
Keira said in answer, “The beginning of our new reign, my dear. Unfortunately for your beloved city, we need blood in order to successfully finish what must be done this night. A thousand throats slit before dawn. And in little over an hour yours will be one of them.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Atop of his galloping steed, the black robed horseman lifted his sword, ready to swing. Faith knew she’d never outrun him. Instead she waited until the last possible moment and then threw herself into a forward roll. Steel cut the foggy air a few inches above her head and hooves thundered perilously close to crushing her, but as she recovered to a crouch she swung her own blade at the back legs of the horseman’s mount. Where steel should have parted sinew and bone her blade passed through air, and the horseman galloped on into the fog in the direction of the gate without missing a step. Faith was stunned. The momentary lapse cost her dearly, for with the howling wind tugging at her clothes and hair she did not see a second horseman veer towards her until it was too late. Terror seized her as his sword arched back. She turned and tried to jump clear as it swung down at her, but there was no escape and the long curved blade slammed into her back. The blow sent her sprawling and almost knocked her senseless. To her utter bewilderment the wraith had struck her with the flat of his sword and was now riding after his captain, his mocking laughter carrying in the wind. Before another horseman could ride her down she managed to quickly gather her senses and scurried away into the swirling fog. Once she was clear she turned and watched as the last of the riders thundered past. Almost as quickly as it had come the howling wind and orb of blinding light ceased, and darkness enveloped them again. Faith blinked trying to get her bearings. A hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped in fright and spun round. To her relief it was James.
Maig's Hand Page 45
