Looking at them, Marsh had no doubt they’d go if she demanded it. I’m not that special, she told him.
He smiled and clapped her on the back. “Of course you are,” he told her out loud, and she blushed.
“They need to rest,” she answered, and several of those around the table relaxed.
Master Envermet patted her back, and they took the two empty chairs at one end of the table.
“How was your journey?” the shadow captain asked.
“The remnant have discovered the watchtower,” the caravan master replied.
She was a stocky woman with tightly curled black hair. Dust filmed her clothes, although her face, neck, and hands were clean. As she spoke, several of Obasi’s warriors arrived carrying platters of food.
The caravan master gave a brief, tight smile. “They said we should sit down before we fell down,” she explained as though embarrassed by the attention.
“That, and you were making the place look untidy,” one of the warriors retorted.
Marsh recognized him as Lioma’s second in command.
Hiram, Marsh thought and was surprised when he turned toward her.
You need something?
Marsh flushed, her face heating. Désolé. I didn’t mean to call on you.
He inclined his head in apology. “And I did not mean to intrude on your thoughts.”
What did you do? Master Envermet slid into her head but didn’t bother to hide the white of his eyes.
I thought his name. Marsh was grateful the shadow captain had kept their conversation private. I was only trying to recall it.
Is this the first time you’ve reached out to another mind? Master Envermet wanted to know.
And had them respond, Marsh admitted.
She watched as Hiram made sure the caravaneers had enough to eat and drink, surprised again when she and Master Envermet were served. The warrior grinned.
“We would not think of making them eat while you did not,” he told her. “It would not be right to make them uncomfortable.”
Marsh raised her eyebrows. Oh, so she and Master Envermet were being fed so the others didn’t feel uncomfortable? She shrugged. She could live with that.
“How many?” Master Envermet asked, and the caravan master regarded him with a steady gaze.
“Up until a week ago, their numbers were getting close to a hundred. They’d come at dusk and keep us up until dawn, and then one evening, they were gone.”
“Gone?”
She nodded. “Until two nights ago, there were none, and now there might be a dozen at a time, but no more.”
Marsh and Master Envermet exchanged glances.
“What?” the caravan master demanded, and Master Envermet explained the remnant force they’d defeated.
The caravan master nodded. “The timing is right,” she admitted and frowned. “But these mind bugs you mention? We haven’t thought to check for them. I’ll mind-speak Chaltuu and ask her to look out for them.”
“Be careful,” Master Envermet warned, and related Gerry’s encounter.
“Did he recover?” she asked.
Marsh stilled. With all that had happened, she had not been able to check on the warrior and see how he was faring.
“He is mending,” Master Envermet assured her, “but he will be returning to the Grotto until he is fully healed.”
Marsh let go of the breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding. Gerry had not been her fault, but she felt guilty anyway. She’d been the one to discover it.
They ate in silence for a moment, and Marsh studied the team. There were ten of them, which had seemed like overkill until the caravan master had mentioned the remnant. She could imagine the creatures dogging the journey’s every step.
The caravan master pushed her plate away and frowned. “I don’t believe I introduced myself,” she said. “Dera is my name.”
“Marsh,” Marsh replied.
“Levi,” Master Envermet answered.
They regarded each other for several long moments, then Dera spoke again.
“What time can you be ready to depart in the morning?”
“We are at your mercy,” Master Envermet told her. “Name the hour, and we will be there.”
“An hour before dawn,” she promptly replied. “We might encounter some remnant, but we’ll get to the Reach by nightfall. That would be preferable to camping out or arriving later.”
“We’ll be there,” Master Envermet assured her, and he pushed back his chair. “If you will excuse us. I will have my people prepare.”
Dera inclined her head. “And mine need their rest,” she replied. “It has been a long journey.”
Marsh rose with Master Envermet and followed him to where Henri, Izmay, and the others were waiting. She had to admire the fact Brigitte had managed to get the two children to sit quietly at the table—then she spotted the size of the cookie Aisha was holding in her hands.
The little girl greeted her by saluting her with the cookie and giving her a crumb-filled smile.
“I hope you ate all your dinner,” Marsh commented sternly.
Aisha nodded vigorously and took a large bite out of the cookie. Marsh might have doubted the child, but Tamlin was nodding.
“Cookie that size?” the boy demanded. “What do you think?”
Marsh might have taken offense, but there was a hollowness to the boy’s challenge that told her he was speaking more from habit than anything else.
“I’m wondering where you hid yours,” Marsh retorted as she and Master Envermet settled at the table.
20
The Ambush
They left Briar’s Ridge in the morning. The caravan didn’t have enough mules for everyone to ride, but they had enough so that the slowest and weakest didn’t have to walk. Aisha stoutly refused.
“Nope,” she declared when Dera tried to usher her into a saddle. “I have Dan.”
Dan? Marsh could see the question on the caravan master’s face. It was swallowed in brow-raised understanding when Aisha’s eyes flared green and the kat padded over to stand beside her.
The kat ran her eyes over Dera’s figure as though she was unimpressed by what she saw, then deliberately bumped Aisha with her head, sliding alongside so the little girl could scramble onto her shoulders.
“Well, then.” The caravan master looked from Aisha to Tamlin. “Looks like you’re all set.”
She walked the line of travelers, her eye traveling over them, the mules, and the guards arrayed on either side. When she’d gone to the end and back, she signaled the caravan forward into the pre-dawn dark.
The sun had just touched the horizon when the remnant attacked.
The only warning they had was when Mordan lifted her head and Aisha slid rapidly from the kat’s back. Perdemor bounded out of the rubble with Scruffknuckle. Cub and pup moved in silence, stopping before Mordan.
The three animals communed without sound, then Perdemor locked gazes with Aisha and Mordan moved to stand before Marsh. The kat lifted her head, and Marsh looked into her eyes.
What she saw would have alarmed her if Master Envermet hadn’t already been in her head. The shadow captain slid along the link between them the moment he noticed Perdemor and Scruffknuckle’s arrival.
Marsh didn’t care. As the kat shared what the youngsters had seen, she called a sword and buckler from the shadows. There were at least twenty remnant coming through the ruins and another ten waiting on either side of the road ahead.
She resisted the urge to look for another way around. It was no good; she already knew the answer to that. They only knew one viable path through a section of fallen buildings, and that was the road.
Mordan nudged her mind, and Marsh forced herself to focus. Perdemor and Scruffknuckle had outdone themselves. The pair had discovered the ambush party and circled behind it, observing how many there were and where they were placed.
They’d gone wide to make it back to the caravan safely, and that had been when they’d stu
mbled across the war party. Watching their memories, Marsh didn’t have to wonder if the remnant were being controlled by mind bugs.
She could see the lumps outlined under the ragged fall of their garments and caught a glimpse of one through a tear. This wasn’t a random attack.
Once she had seen all there was to see, the kat broke contact and bounded away, taking Scruffknuckle and Perdemor with her.
“They’re going to clear the left first,” Marsh told Master Envermet.
He nodded, patting her on the shoulder as he turned away.
Dera and Obasi were already moving through the guards, sending small groups in different directions. That puzzled Marsh.
How were they going to protect the settlers if the guards were somewhere else?
We need to find a hold point. Master Envermet’s explanation made perfect sense. We won’t be able to keep our people alive if we don’t.
At the same time he was speaking to her, he was calling the shadow guards over.
“We have remnant incoming,” he told them, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t carry.
Behind them, several of the closest travelers gasped, and Marsh heard soft murmurs as some comforted others. Master Envermet’s eyes flicked briefly toward the sound, but he continued with his briefing.
“Dera wants us to protect the civilians and let her warriors take on the bulk of the remnant. I want you to do what you normally do.”
His eyes rested on Marsh and then slid to her left. She looked down and discovered Tamlin had come to stand quietly beside her.
“No lightning unless we really need it,” the shadow captain admonished, and Tamlin nodded as the first howls and hoots split the air.
More gasps followed, and gear rattled as some of the civilians reached for weapons that weren’t there.
“I wish I could do that,” came an anonymous mutter as the shadow guards pulled weapons from the morning dark.
“Or that,” another voice added as Henri and Izmay set their blades alight.
The settlers huddled together, but Marsh noticed that the ex-guards had moved to the outer edges of the group. She didn’t know what they thought they were going to do, but she had to admire the sentiment. It was a relief when Obasi appeared out of the rubble.
“We’ve found a place,” he told them, surveying the settlers. “If we hurry, we can make it.”
The settlers didn’t need to be told twice. They shuffled forward as Obasi turned away. Marsh and the shadow guards parted so they could take up positions of the edges of the group. If the remnant hit them before they reached Obasi’s hold point, they’d be all that stood between them.
Fortunately, Obasi’s hold point wasn’t very far away. The impi had discovered a building with the first two floors still mostly intact and arrayed themselves around it.
“There are two entrances,” Obasi told Master Envermet as the settlers began to file inside, Gerry and Brigitte going with them. “All you need to do is hold them.”
Master Envermet surveyed the building. “Is there any way onto the second floor?”
Obasi gave him a speculative look. “We haven’t had time to look,” he admitted.
More howls shattered the pre-dawn air, and the first remnant broke through the rubble and bushes surrounding the building. The last of the settlers hurried into the shelter of the rooms.
Izmay and Henri exchanged glances and followed.
“You’ve got this entrance,” Izmay advised as she vanished inside.
Tamlin nudged his sister. “Get back a bit, Aysh.”
The little girl looked like she was going to argue and then dropped back to the door. “I can heal,” she declared, her tone daring them to disagree.
“And block the door,” Tamlin added. “Don’t let any get past us.”
Aisha nodded. “Don’t get killed,” she retorted.
Marsh wanted to reiterate that, but the first remnant had reached them. She took the first vicious slash on her shield and thrust her blade into the remnant’s middle. Tamlin blocked another blow and parried a club that would have taken his head.
The force of the blow would have knocked a normal weapon from his hand. As it was, the shadow blade was pushed back toward his head. Aisha gave an outraged cry, and stone encased its legs.
“Aysh! I’ve got this!”
“It nearly got you!”
Marsh might have laughed if two remnant hadn’t stepped up to take the place of the one she’d felled. Again she blocked with her shield, but this time she was forced onto the defensive.
“There’s too many,” Master Envermet grunted. “We need to hold them from inside the door.”
“Aisha! Move back!” Tamlin ordered. “Let us through!”
Aisha stepped out of the doorway.
“Not what I meant!” her brother growled.
“Apprentice, go inside,” Master Envermet ordered.
Reluctantly, the child gave ground.
“Tamlin,” Master Envermet began, and the boy reversed into the shelter. “Obasi.”
One by one, they retreated, with Marsh and Master Envermet going last. The shadow captain called more shadow, forming a barrier between them and their opponents. For a moment, Marsh considered the idea of having the shadow mages forming mobile walls between them and the remnant on either side.
She considered just how much energy that would take and quickly discarded the idea. Even if they had enough mages who were strong enough to sustain such a shield, they wouldn’t be able to hold it long enough for the caravan to reach its destination.
“Exactly,” Master Envermet concurred once they were inside and the shield blocked the door. Across the room, Izmay and Brigitte had formed a similar shield, and the shadow guards were taking a breather.
A moment later, Henri crouched beside them. “Not sure how long we can hold them, sir,” he reported, keeping his voice low.
Master Envermet pressed his lips into a thin, straight line, his eyes darkening with concern. He ran his eyes over the settlers and then over his guards. When he came to Tamlin, he stopped.
His mouth twitched, and he looked back at Marsh.
“I need you on this doorway,” he told her. “We need the lightning.”
Marsh nodded and moved to the door. Behind her, Master Envermet spoke again. “Tamlin, I want you on the door with Izmay and Brigitte.”
Marsh glanced back at him, but Tamlin was already moving, and the shadow captain had turned to Obasi.
“Warn your people that they need to get to cover.”
The Grotto warrior’s eyes shaded white but soon returned to normal. “Dera says that’s impossible. They can’t break off.”
Master Envermet looked at Marsh. “Can you have it target just the remnant?”
Marsh nodded. “I can.”
“I can try,” Tamlin answered before he could be asked. He gave Obasi an apologetic look. “I’ll do my best.”
The warrior nodded. “That’s all we ask.”
“What about the kat?” Obasi wanted to know.
“We’ll ask it to target the remnant,” Marsh assured him. “The kats and pup will be all right.”
Aisha looked anxiously from Marsh to Tamlin, but she bit her lower lip and stayed quiet. The settlers watched and listened with rapt attention. Outside, the remnant continued to howl and scream, battering the shadow barrier with their fists.
Master Envermet looked from Marsh to Tamlin. “Are you ready?”
When they nodded, he turned to Obasi. “Warn your people.”
Obasi bowed his head. A moment later, he said, “Done.”
“Call the lightning,” the shadow captain ordered. “Ask it to destroy every remnant—and remnant only—that it can reach. Ask it to stop when there are no more.”
Marsh turned to the doorway and hoped the shadow master could hold it while she rained down destruction outside.
I can hold it, he interrupted, but his mental voice sounded strangely distant.
Marsh didn’t have
time to find out why. Take cover, Dan, she sent and then centered herself behind Master Envermet’s shield. From there, she could see the battlefield outside, or she would have been able to see it if her presence hadn’t drawn a frenzy of attacks from several remnant at once.
It made her glad the once-men hadn’t learned to use magic. This was hard enough without having to fight someone for control of the lightning.
Focusing her concentration on the lightning outside, Marsh closed her eyes. It was difficult with three remnant trying to tear their way through the barrier between them, but a relief to find the energy surged and flowed through the sky above.
That was not surprising, given the clouds hanging low in the sky. They were heavy and dark, and the first light of dawn tinted their undersides the color of blood. Marsh guessed there was a storm in the making, if it hadn’t already arrived.
She hoped they could reach the fort before it broke. The thought of trudging along a muddy trail being soaked by ice-cold rain made her shiver. Maybe if they got rid of the remnant, they could camp here. The area was big enough.
Pushing that thought aside, Marsh looked at the sky. “I need you,” she told the lightning shuddering beneath the clouds. “The remnant and the bugs on them must die.”
Power crackled through the air, and the remnant renewed their assault on the shield. Their faces contorted with rage. Master Envermet groaned.
“Make it quick. I can’t hold them much longer.”
He couldn’t? Marsh wondered what else he was doing that made it hard for him to hold the shield.
“Never you mind.”
He was answering her out loud and not in her head. She’d have to get him to explain.
“Later, Leclerc. Later.”
Later it was. Marsh gathered the lightning. “Help us,” she requested. “Kill our enemies. Clear our path to Ariella’s Reach. Leave our friends alive.”
A crackling roar filled the air, and howls turned to shrieks. The lightning squirmed in her grasp, and Marsh gasped. Tamlin!
“Now, Leclerc!” Master Envermet grunted.
“Now,” Marsh whispered. “The remnant and the bugs only. Help us!”
A second roar followed the first, and the remnant in front of the door exploded. Blood sprayed against the barrier, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, and the shield disintegrated in front of her. Marsh dragged a shield from the shadows, even as she returned the lightning to the sky.
Trading By Stormlight (The Magic Below Paris Book 7) Page 17
