“Let’s speak alone for a moment,” Rose suggested, walking back down the alley they were hidden in. Chad followed. When they had gained enough distance to avoid being overheard, she said in a low voice, “Are you well enough to take the guards alone?”
The ranger’s eyes widened slightly in shock. He knew Lady Rose to be a pragmatic woman, but he had never expected her to consider such a dirty solution.
She saw his surprise and responded before he could say anything, “She’s my daughter, Master Grayson. I would do far worse to see her safely out of here. Can you do it?”
“Those men are innocent, as much as any of us are,” he replied. “Are you sure about what you’re asking me to do?”
Rose arched one brow. “You’ve never killed innocent men before?” Her tone implied that she knew otherwise.
He grimaced, and his hand unconsciously went to find the empty flask in his jacket. He put it back down when he realized what he was doing, then he fixed Rose with a hard look. “I can do it, but remember this the next time you wonder why I drink so much. There’s a reason I have trouble sleeping at night.”
Lady Rose never blinked. “Make sure Carissa doesn’t see the bodies.” Then she walked back to the others. “We’re going to hide farther away. Master Grayson has a plan to draw the guards away from their posts long enough for us to escape cleanly. We’ll wait there until he tells us it’s clear.”
A few minutes later, Chad approached the gate, alone. He made no attempt at secrecy, pretending to be only what he was, a man seeking to leave in the dead of night. When he came abreast of the guards, one started to speak, probably to ask where he was heading, but the guard never finished his question. The second guard died almost as quickly, just as he registered that his partner was falling.
Chad swallowed, fighting back the bile that threatened to choke him as it rose up from his belly. Then he dragged the two men into the small guard post they had occupied. After a brief search, he found a blanket and used it to cover the bodies, doing his best to make it look more like a shapeless pile than what it really was, two lifeless corpses.
He went back for the others, and they said their good-byes to Roger. As they passed through the gate, Carissa noticed the blanket-covered pile. A dark stain was beginning to show through the wool. “What’s that?” she asked.
Rose tugged on her daughter’s hand. “Come along, dear. It’s probably just some contraband the guards confiscated. We don’t have much time.” Chad said nothing and avoided looking at his companions.
The night wind was cold on Chad’s face as they walked down the road that led away from Iverly. The sharp bite against his skin made him painfully aware of his wounds, within and without. His forearms throbbed and his heart ached. He wanted a drink, or ten, to wash away the sharp edges of sobriety.
The three women stayed close together, with Rose and Carissa walking on either side of Angela to support her. It made for slow going, but the sun was still far enough off that they should make the rendezvous with some time to spare. The hunter lagged behind, his eyes and ears open for any sign of pursuit. He dearly hoped there would be none, for he was heartsick and tired of blood.
They had covered a solid mile and left the empty fields behind. Trees now crowded the road on both sides, when the ranger’s ears caught the sound of horses behind them—many horses. “Fuck me,” he muttered to himself, hurrying forward to catch up to Rose and the others. “They’re after us,” he announced.
Rose looked at him worriedly. “How far are we from the meeting place?”
His stride increased, and he passed them. “Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Sunrise is still two hours away.”
“Slow down,” said Rose. “We can’t keep up. Should we get off the road?”
“Do whatever you like,” said Chad over his shoulder. “I’m going on ahead.”
“You’re leaving us?” asked Carissa, shock in her voice. “Aren’t you here to help?”
Anger welled up in Chad’s heart. After everything, they always assumed the worst. He was struck by the urge to swear at the girl, but instead he merely answered harshly, “I’ve done more than enough. When they catch up to you, tell them it was all me. They’ll still arrest you, but you won’t be harmed.” He broke into a ground-eating jog.
“At least take Carissa with you!” Rose yelled, but the hunter paid her no heed. Moments later his form was lost in the darkness. “Bastard,” she swore. Then she turned to Angela and her daughter. “We’ll get off the road. We might have a chance if we hide in the trees.”
They nodded and made their way to verge of the road, but the sound of loud hoofbeats came to their ears before they reached the trees. A shout went up behind them, “I see them!”
Seconds later they were surrounded by horses and men. Rose counted ten city guards and another man dressed in dark leathers who seemed to be some sort of scout. “That’s them,” announced the guide. “There was a man with them as well. He’s probably somewhere close by.”
“Please, sirs,” pleaded Rose, adopting a submissive tone, “we’ve done nothing wrong. My friend is injured.”
The guardsman in charge dismounted and directed them back toward the road with his sword. “Killing honest men at their duty isn’t a crime? Is that what you’re saying?” He sounded furious.
Carissa was bewildered. “What?”
But Rose lowered her head. “We are all women. Do you truly think we could have fought the guards and won?”
The man threatened her at sword point, herding them away from the trees. “Whether it was you or whether you’re accomplices, I’ll do my best to see that you all hang for it.”
“Hurry up!” one of the men shouted, kicking at Angela’s back with a booted foot, causing her to stumble and fall.
Carissa lost her temper and turned on the trooper. “Stop it! She’s wounded, weren’t you listening?” Her features were lit with righteous fury, though they changed as she saw the man lift his sword to strike her down.
“No!” screamed Rose, though in her heart she knew it was too late.
The sword seemed to rise in slow motion, but it never came down. It stopped in midair, and a strange gurgling noise rose from the soldier as he dropped his weapon and clutched at his throat. The fletchings of an arrow stood out in the lantern light.
The guard captain was the first to react. “Assas—!” He failed to finish the warning as a second arrow pierced his padded gambeson, directly over his heart. Chaos ensued as the horsemen turned their mounts, trying to spot the archer, but their efforts were too slow; two more were down before they had even determined the direction the arrows were coming from.
Horses screamed in equine terror as their riders fell, and several of the troopers spurred their mounts, some toward the source of the arrows and others back toward the city. Carissa watched the surreal slaughter with wide eyes, until Rose slammed into her, knocking her down and moving to cover her daughter with her own body.
One of the riders, a young man who had frozen in fear at the sudden attack, flew from his saddle as a heavy, yard-long war arrow slammed into his chest with such force that it emerged from his back. He fell less than five feet from where Carissa lay, and she watched him gasp unsuccessfully for air while he died.
Less than a minute after it had begun, it was over, and not a single rider had escaped. In the silence that followed, Carissa pushed her mother away and sat up, quiet tears upon her cheeks. Neither Rose nor Angela said a word as they regained their feet. There were no words that were adequate.
Eventually the quiet was broken as Chad Grayson returned, walking into the light of a fallen lantern, leading one of the soldiers’ horses behind him. A massive warbow was in his right hand. The expression on his face was harsh and unforgiving, and Carissa’s breath caught at the sight of him. Rather than relief, she felt fear in the presence of a man she had known for most of her childhood.
“It would have been nice if one of you fools had thought to catch some of their ho
rses,” intoned the ranger, his voice cold and angry.
Lady Rose started to apologize, “Master Grayson, forgive me. I misunderstood you when you…”
“Did exactly what you wanted,” he said cruelly, cutting her off. “But that’s what I am, isn’t it? A tool for murder. Are you satisfied with my work? This is what happens when you kill people for convenience. It’s just like lyin’. You kill one, then you have to kill ten more. If we stay here long enough, I’ll wind up killin’ the whole godsdamned city for you.”
Rose was not one to be silent. She had lived her life exercising her authority, and her intellect was such that she rarely had cause to yield ground to anyone, but she closed her mouth then. While Chad and Carissa helped Angela onto the horse’s back, she began searching the nearest bodies. By the time the time the maid was ready to ride, she had found what she was looking for, and she handed a heavy wineskin to the hunter.
He stared at her with narrow eyes. “Is this an apology?”
Rose shook her head, not quite meeting his gaze. “Would it matter?”
“No,” he answered, sparing no time to open the skin and take a long swallow. Then he gestured to one of the dead men. “Maybe ask him. He might give you a different answer.”
The rest of their journey to the rendezvous was uneventful, and they made better time now that Angela no longer had to walk on her injured leg. The hunter said nothing for the rest of the night, and though it took them less than half an hour to cover the last mile, he had drained the wineskin before they arrived.
Karen appeared as the sun crested the horizon, and she immediately felt the tension in the air. “You found them!” she said excitedly before changing her tone and adding worriedly, “What happened?”
“We’ll explain later,” said Rose as she, Carissa, and Angela gathered around the mage, more than ready to leave. Chad remained apart.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Karen asked the hunter, curious at his strange behavior.
“I’m done with this shit,” said the hunter. Turning his back, he began walking down the road to the east.
“I’ll come back after I take them!” Karen told him. “I can take you wherever it is you need to go.”
Chad stopped in his tracks, considering. “Washbrook.”
Chapter 28
Matthew, Gram, Karen, and Irene stood beside Zephyr, dwarfed by the black-scaled dragon’s bulk. Karen ran her hand down the dragon’s leg, marveling again at the cool, hard feel of his scales. Her eyes focused on Matthew’s when he tapped her shoulder, breaking her train of thought.
“You’re sure you can get us all in one trip?” he asked.
Karen nodded, she had returned with Lady Rose and Carissa that morning, but Matthew had insisted on making the trip to the capital. None of them had protested since Rose, Carissa, and Angela had obviously needed a good rest before facing the onslaught of questions they had for them.
“Why are we bringing Zephyr and not Grace?” asked Gram.
“This should be a peaceful trip,” answered Matthew. “I didn’t want to tax Karen by forcing her to bring a large entourage. If anything does go wrong, I can draw power from Zephyr, and he’s large enough to carry the three of us if we need to travel for any reason.”
“Grace is large enough as well,” remarked Gram.
“But I can’t draw aythar from her,” returned Matt, “while you fight just as well with or without your dragon.”
Karen frowned at him. “You just said this would be a peaceful trip. Are you keeping things to yourself again?”
“Should be,” corrected Matthew. “Nothing is certain, even for me.”
Karen twisted a finger in her dark curls, appearing uncertain. “Perhaps I should stay with you…”
“I want to keep our group small to simplify things,” countered Matthew. “If the others need to travel quickly, you’ll be there for them. We can return via a temporary circle since I put a new one down at the house.” He gave her one of his rare smiles. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen, and if it does Gram will be there.”
“And me,” put in Irene, taking Karen’s hand in her own. “I’ll be sure to keep him safe for you.”
Karen grinned. “I feel better now. I don’t trust these two on their own. Boys will be boys.”
Gram and Matthew glanced at each other, rolling their eyes. A moment later they all joined hands, and Karen teleported the entire group, depositing them at the main gate that led into Albamarl from the direction of the World Road. After a few quick good-byes, she left, and they prepared to enter the city.
A voice entered their minds before they could start moving. Matthew? Irene? Is that you? It was Cassandra, Moira’s dragon, her mental voice laced with worry.
Yes, it’s us, replied Irene, broadcasting her thoughts so the others could hear her response. Where are you? Is Moira with you?
No, came the dragon’s answer. I’m in the woods, near the river. She asked me to wait here, but I haven’t heard from her in days.
After a short back and forth conversation, Matthew sent Zephyr to join Cassandra while he and the others entered the city. The gates were open, and a healthy amount of traffic flowed in and out as merchants and farmers carried goods between the capital and the World Road. By all appearances everything was normal, with no sign of war or unrest. The guards watching the city gate barely spared them a glance as they walked through.
Irene put a hand on Matthew’s arm when they came to the first cross street. “Are you sure this is a good idea? We have no idea what’s happened here.”
“From what I’ve seen, the chance of physical danger is low,” began Matthew. “But I know things didn’t go as I had planned, or we’d have met Moira at home.” He paused, a pensive look on his features.
Irene could tell he was holding something back. “You’re worried about something. I can see that. Be honest with me.”
Matt looked at Gram, who shrugged, then back at his sister. “There’s bad news waiting for us. I haven’t gone deep enough to know what it might be, and the near future has grown more chaotic, so I’m not sure if it would help anyway.”
Gram growled faintly. “That’s pretty vague, Matt.”
He nodded. “I know. That’s why I wanted the two of you here with me, rather than any of the others.”
“You didn’t want me here at all,” reminded Irene.
“That’s not entirely true,” replied Matthew. “You’re my sister, and I’d rather you never have to face the things we’ve seen over the past few months, but deep down, I need your strength, Rennie. I have a feeling that whatever we learn is going to test my resolve. I think I’m going to need your support.”
Irene frowned. “Now you’re really starting to worry me.”
“Whatever happened is my fault, Rennie,” said Matthew at last.
“Now it makes sense,” observed Gram. “You’re afraid of what we’ll find, and you’d rather it be Irene than Karen who finds out what happened first.”
Matthew didn’t respond, but after a moment Irene took both their hands in hers. “Let’s get this over then. We won’t learn anything standing in the street.”
Gram pulled his hand away after only a second. “I need my hands free—just in case.”
They had gone only two blocks before a pair of uniformed figures met them, Royal Guards, one of whom was human while the other was one of Tyrion’s special krytek. Matt and Irene had both sensed their approach, but the look of sadness and recognition in the krytek’s face seemed out of place. “Matthew and Irene Illeniel, Sir Gram.” It nodded at each of them. “The Queen has given orders for you to be escorted to her.”
“Were they expecting us?” whispered Irene.
Gram nodded. “It seems like it.”
Matthew said nothing, but a deepening sense of dread filled his stomach. The guards escorted them to the palace, and they couldn’t help but notice the looks of fear and hatred directed toward their escort when they passed people on the street. Things impr
oved once they entered the palace, though. A number of the soldiers and palace guards there recognized Sir Gram, and there was no shortage of them calling out greetings to him as they passed.
Inside the halls of the palace itself, a few of the higher-ranking servants recognized Matthew and Irene, offering quick bows of respect, but no one addressed them. The two siblings did recognize a familiar presence as they walked, however. “She’s here,” said Irene quietly, elbowing her brother.
Matthew nodded solemnly. “I noticed.” Moira’s distinctive aythar was present a few hundred feet away, in a separate but unwarded portion of the palace.
“Why isn’t she coming to meet us then?” wondered Irene.
The two guards leading them stopped, and there was a sudden movement of aythar as the krytek raised a hand toward the human guard beside him. The man’s eyes went blank and he stared off into space. Then the krytek turned to them. “She’ll find you later. She hasn’t revealed her presence, so don’t mention her when you see the Queen.” The krytek turned back and the human guard’s eyes cleared, and they resumed their former pace.
“That was…” began Irene, but Matthew shook his head before raising a finger to his lips. Gram nodded his understanding, and the three of them followed their escort without saying anything else.
A few minutes later they were brought into a small sitting room furnished with cushioned chairs, and their escort left. A serving girl appeared soon after, bringing a tray laden with wine and bread, which she left for them. Irene looked at the others. “I wonder if Conall is here. Hopefully we’ll get to see him before we leave.”
Matthew blinked, then reached for his wine. There was a hint of nervousness in the motion that Gram didn’t miss. “I hope so too, Rennie,” said the young knight.
A quarter of an hour later, the door opened once more and Ariadne passed through it. Two knights in full armor stood behind her, wearing the enchanted plate that marked them as two of the four surviving Knights of Stone, though they were members of the Order of the Thorn now, Sir Egan and Sir Thomas. They started to follow her in, but the Queen stopped them with a gesture. “Wait outside, please.”
Transcendence and Rebellion Page 23
