look for the traps if he knows there are traps. Surprise is—ah!
There!" He pointed to a line of bushes off to their right. At first glance they looked like any of the other scrub brush around them, but having had them pointed out, Xavier looked closer.
Each bush, knee high and more dead than alive, was like a
wooden skeleton with the faintest smattering of silver-green leaves.
More importantly, each bush had one branch which had been bent until it was broken but still attached to the trunk. Those branches all pointed, one to the other, marking a trail all the way up to the keep.
"Never see that if you weren't looking," Xavier said and felt his throat tighten on the last word as he realized that was not the route he'd taken on his escape. Still feeling ill, he followed Bayne toward the path.
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Chapter Eleven
"Get down," Bayne said, dropping to his belly on the hillside and, after Xavier did the same, crawled on his forearms toward the keep. Each inch brought him closer to Colby. That thought made his fingers tremble with anticipation and he paused. Taking a deep breath he held it for as long as he could then let it out slowly, trying to push thoughts of his sister out with the breath. He wasn't going to be able to get through this if he let it be personal, he had to pretend it was just another job. At least until Colby was safe. His body under control and emotions pushed to the back of his awareness, he
continued forward. As he neared the crest of the hill he slowed, taking his time to survey the situation as best he could.
While it may well have been shift change, there was no chaos.
In fact, it looked as though most of the keep's inhabitants were still waking. Only one small fire was lit, outside one of the ramshackle buildings Bayne now suspected were bunks for the hired men, and only one scruffy man sat beside it, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with grimy fists. He could hear dogs, from the sounds of it two were fighting, he hoped with each other.
The keep's wooden main door squealed a protest as it was
pushed open, and a woman swaggered out of it. She wore black
breeches and boots, and a dark vest over a white shirt. The way the early morning light shone on her clothing made it apparent to Bayne that the black items were leather. Two short swords swung, one on either hip. They didn't have scabbards and they glinted in the growing light, and shone orange by the fire as she reached it and extended her hands.
"That's Jaliena," Xavier whispered from behind him, as the woman began a conversation with the man beside her.
Bayne nodded, said nothing, and instead drew in another long, slow breath.
She's a luxury.
'I know, I'll take care of her if I find time. Right now we need to get Colby out.'
Seems best to go now, don't you think? When there are only a few people about?
"I'm worried," he said aloud for Xavier's benefit, "about how few people I see. You said he had a dozen or so on hire, so where are they?"
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"Maybe Tobias' group hasn't made it back from the swamp
yet?"
"Maybe. I just hope they're not all waiting for us just in there,"
Bayne gestured toward the main door, still open a crack.
You can't just stay here all morning.
"I'll go this way," Bayne gestured over the hill to the left, then made the same gesture to the right. "You go that way. If you stay on the far side of the buildings and only move when Jaliena and her friend are looking away, you should make the door in good time."
"And you?"
"I've got less cover, but it's still more than enough. We'll head for the keep and head for Colby. Once one of us reaches her we'll leave again and meet up at the cave you pointed out last night."
"Right," Xavier said with a nod. He looked like he wanted to say something else, then shook his head and turned his gaze toward the path Bayne had indicated for him.
Bayne clapped him on the shoulder, and when Xavier looked
back at him whispered, "Good luck." Then he bolted over the top of the hill, staying crouched down and moving as quietly as he could toward the nearest outbuilding.
Go, go, go, go!
He sprinted across the open ground, Teyat in hand, and
reaching the shack, rested his back against it, keeping it between himself and the two at the fire. His heart hammered in his chest, as much from exertion as adrenaline. He peered around the corner of the building. The man was still at the fire, but there was no sign of the woman.
Uh-oh
'Drek,' he thought back, then 'maybe she's just moved on…'
Still, after a quick check behind him to make sure no one was sneaking up, he returned his attention to the man at the fire. He didn't seem to be behaving as though he knew there were two men
sneaking up on his castle. Bayne watched as the stranger scratched at his crotch and then rubbed his hands and stretched them toward the fire. He saw Xavier dart from the cover of one building and duck behind the wheel of a nearby wagon, his weak shadow following just behind.
Interesting…
'What?'
Not now.
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Scanning the area around him and still not seeing any sign of Jaliena, Bayne dashed off toward the next building. This one was a longer run, and the sound of his feet hitting the ground made him wince, and drove him on faster. He skidded to a stop at the next building, very nearly crashing into it.
Careful, that thing will fall over if you look at it wrong.
Bayne nodded, and crouched on the ground, careful to keep his weight away from the structure. It didn't really look as precarious as Teyat implied, but still, better safe than sorry. His breath was coming in short bursts, and he adjusted his grip on his sword's handle more than once as he looked around his surroundings.
There was only one more piece of cover between himself and
the keep, a small pile of stone that looked like it may have been piled in an aborted attempt to clean up one of the crumbled towers. It was a long way away though, so he had to be exceedingly careful about his timing. He couldn't see Xavier, had no idea anymore where the man was, but there'd been no shout of alarm, no cry to arms, so he assumed he was still safe and following the plan.
Bayne rose to his feet and made his way to the far side of the shed and prepared to run. Just then, he a man leading two dogs step out of the keep's open door. He was dark-haired and wearing leather armor. Even more disturbing were the dogs which preceded him.
They were massive and black, wide at the shoulders with great square jaws which were wet with drool. Even across the distance that separated them Bayne could see them bark and snarl at shadows.
One snapped at the other and was attacked in return until a pointed boot buried itself first in the belly of one and then the other.
Shrieking in pain, the dogs broke up their scuffle, but the low growl never left their throats.
Worst of all, the man was beginning a circuit of the grounds
and heading straight toward him.
~*~
Xavier eyed the open ground between himself and the keep's
partly-opened doorway. He was crouched on the balls of his feet, in the shadow of the wagon, three fingertips and one tentacle lightly resting on the ground to steady himself. Taking a deep breath, he tensed, about to spring forward, when the muzzle of the first dog emerged from the keep.
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Heart hammering in his chest, he swallowed the gasp of
surprise that came to his lips and pressed his back tightly against the wagon wheel; tentacles motionless at his side. Turning his head to the side he could peer around the solid wooden wheel and just barely make out the form of Adrian, the houndsmaster, and his dogs. They looked more like creatures from the Abyss tha
n hounds to Xavier.
Pressing his hands together to stem their shaking he leaned his head back against the wheel, willing the man and his dogs to go the other way, to not see him. Though not an overly religious man, he even closed his eyes and offered a quick prayer to whatever god might be listening.
When he opened them again he deflated with relief to see
Adrian and his dogs heading in the other direction.
Shadow grunted. "If the dog man is goin' round the perimeter we're gonna be needin' cover."
"Right," Xavier nodded and looked back at the keep. After a last check over his shoulder to be sure no one was looking his way, he bolted from the wagon's cover to the keep.
Ducking into the doorway, he rested his back against the cool wood, half-expecting to hear a call of alarm. When none came, he uncurled his fingers from the fists they'd formed as he'd run and looked around himself. His eyes adjusted quickly to the change of light, allowing him to see the dimly-lit space clearly.
It was a relatively large room, but dusty and ill-used. The floor was earthen, packed so hard it was like stone and lacking reeds, furs or rugs. The smoke-stained walls were also nearly bare, only
adorned by sconces meant to hold torches, but even these were empty. Three doors hung crookedly from broken hinges, one to his right and two others in the far wall. Xavier's sensitive ears picked up the sound of an early morning conversation between three men from beyond them. The remains of a fire smoldered in the fireplace between the doors, and a rickety-looking staircase led up into the darkness to his left but the stairs to the other towers were missing, fodder for the fireplace, perhaps.
Thoughts of the tower and the horrors its rooms held chilled
Xavier. For a moment the thought, I can't do this, flashed in his mind, paralyzing him with its force. Then it was replaced by an image of Colby in a cage, in his cage, and he curled his hands into fists once more.
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To his left, the staircase creaked and the unmistakable sound of heavy boots descending them broke the near silence of the room.
"Not good," his shadow said, quietly enough that neither the men in the next room nor the one descending the stairs could hear him.
Xavier's gaze darted around the room, considering and
dismissing hiding places.
"Could fight."
"Could," Xavier said, so softly it was more a breath than a whisper, then darted through the door to his right. He was in a store room. Great barrels were lined up by the back wall, stacked two high and labeled with their contents. Sacks of beans, rice and flower filled the shelves. Apparently, Xavier thought, carefully pushing the door closed behind him, the rest of the keep could go to the Abyss but the inhabitants would be well-fed.
Breathing as slowly and shallowly as he could, so he could
better hear what was happening on the other side of the door, Xavier's heart rate increased steadily as, step by agonizing step, he heard someone approaching the door.
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Chapter Twelve
Bayne backed up, putting more of the shed between the dog
handler and himself and stole a glance toward the fire. The man there was using a knife to pick things out from under his nails, still oblivious to Bayne's presence. Quickly calculating his best odds, Bayne looked toward the handler and back at the fire before creeping around the corner of the shed.
Completely exposed to the man at the fire if he should become disinterested in his nails, Bayne forced himself to move slowly; any sudden movement was sure to catch the mercenary's attention. His back rubbed against the wall of the shed as he felt his way toward the door. At the flames the thug shifted his position and Bayne froze, even holding his breath, until the other man returned his attention to his hands.
He could hear the dogs behind the shack now, soon they would
be able to see him. As it was they seemed to be growling more, as if they had caught his scent.
You're just paranoid, but go already.
Bayne reached out with the hand that had been holding the flat of Teyat's blade, reaching along the wall for the doorway. He found it only a few finger-widths away and, with a sigh of relief, slipped inside the shadows of the shed.
The sun had risen enough to send tentative fingers of light
across the hill and one of those snuck in between two of the boards of the shack. Its beam illuminated dancing dust motes and flashed off the pair of short swords aiming for his head. Stiffling a cry of alarm, Bayne raised Teyat just in time to parry the blow. The hiss of metal on metal sounded in the little shack as the short swords crossed against Teyal and slid partway down his length before retracting. Outside the dogs began a riotous chorus of barking and their handler made a sharp sound of alarm.
Company's coming.
Bayne parried another strike of the short swords and quickly
assessed the situation. It was a woman who was attacking him, the one Xavier called Jaliena. She wasn't obviously gifted with her swords but she was more than competent and in the cramped space they were in, Bayne barely had room to move, let alone properly maneuver Teyat. Outside, where he'd be better able to dispatch her, there were two other men and dogs.
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The woman struck again, going low this time. Bayne blocked
her strong right attack and managed to partly deflect the left so it was turned aside by his leather breeches. Before she could
reorganize herself for another attack he stepped forward and
punched her hard in the throat.
She made a choking sound and bent at the waist, dropping one
of her swords and clutching at her throat. Before Bayne could capitalize on his advantage he felt sharp teeth dig into his right forearm and a heavy weight push him to the ground.
"'Liena, you okay?" a man shouted over the sound of the dogs growling and out of the corner of his eye, Bayne saw feet moving toward the injured woman and then all his attention was taken up with the snarling beasts on top of him.
One had a vice-like grip on his right arm and was not about to let up any time soon. It twisted its head back and forth, jerking his arm along with it and tearing it up more and more. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Bayne was unable to try to loosen its grip as he struggled to hold the snapping and drooling second dog's jaws away from his throat. Using both hands he pressed against its chest as hard as he could. Teeth tore down his forearm from the dog who still clung to it, and he grunted in pain but managed to shift it sufficiently down his body so that he could kick it. It cried out in pain as the force of Bayne's kick drove it straight back into its handler and Jaliena.
Bayne struggled to his knees and picked up Teyat from where
he'd fallen. The first dog still held onto his arm and at the other end of the small shack, he could see a tangle of limbs, human and canine, and hear the handler's curses. The dog on his arm shifted its grip, and in the momentary reduced pressure Bayne pulled away and pushed the beast from him with all his strength. It skidded across the dirt floor, its claws digging little trails into the ground, and then crashed into the wall by the door. The shack creaked and tilted menacingly.
Told you if you looked at it wrong— Teyat began.
'Good idea.' Bayne rose to his feet, ignoring the pain in his arm and the blood that dripped from it to soak into the ground. Just then the room grew darker as the man from the fire stood in the doorway.
Teyat in hand, Bayne lunged for the man while he stood blinking at the sight before him, his knife held uselessly at his side. Bayne ran him through with his blade. The man grunted, grabbing at the
growing patch of red in his belly as a wet gurgling sigh escaped his
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lips. Withdrawing his blade in one clean motion, Bayne thrust it into the ground outside
the door then grabbed the thug as he began to slump toward the dirt. Holding him by the shoulders, Bayne spun him around then released him, sending him sailing toward the
opposite wall.
He crashed into it and, as Bayne darted out the door, the
building creaked and leaned as precariously as the keep's tilted tower. Bayne took a few quick steps away, then ran toward the shack, slamming his shoulder into it with all the force he could manage. Accompanied by the sound of splintering wood the shack fell over onto its inhabitants.
After a moment the rubble and boards began to shift and move
and Bayne snatched the sword back up.
You—you stabbed me into the ground!
'I'm sorry. I had to. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Just not right now.'
Teyat growled in his mind, but Bayne felt him acquiesce and
knew he was going to be spending a very long time sharpening and polishing in the very near future.
So much for the element of surprise. The sword said, the change of subject the closest Bayne was ever going to get to an acceptance of his apology.
His arm burned with pain, and he held the sword awkwardly
with his dominant arm injured. 'Can you help me with this?'
Sure, I just cured your vampirism. I'm sure I can take care of that for you too, without resting up. Not to mention you stabbed me in the drekking ground.
'I was just asking, no need to be sarcastic.'
The rubble shifted again, and Jaliena emerged, coughing and
clutching one of her swords in her hand.
Bayne stepped forward. "Let's do this," he snarled and shifted his grip on Teyat's handle.
Sic em!
They began to circle one another warily. Bayne's right arm
burned and Teyat felt heavier than usual, but his left arm was unharmed. With his two-handed sword he had the advantage of
reach, but Jaliena's short sword was much more agile and just as lethal.
I'm getting dizzy. You going to do something other than dance with this girl soon?
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'Soon,' he thought back. 'Soon.'
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