The Hunt for the Three Roses

by Jason Hubbard

  The young mage had thought the team could catch up to the target, but apparently the captain wasn’t as confident. He needed to do something before the carriage tried to elude them, but what? He had no fancy tools like the constrictors Don Orlov had, and he doubted the undine could latch on somehow.

  Guess I’ll need to use one of the simplest tricks in the book. He brought out his wand from a leather holder by his hip and pointed it at the carriage. The tip caught ablaze, and Sean concentrated on giving the fire mass and momentum while also clutching his saddle horn for dear life. When he felt it was ready, he aimed at the left rear wheel and let the fireball fly. He expected the wheel to catch on fire and slowly disintegrate, but it instead exploded into a thousand flying pieces, causing the back of the carriage to slump. The pair of horses veered right to compensate for the shifting weight, and the rightmost one rammed into a lamppost, stopping it dead and causing its partner to trip and fall. The carriage lifted off the ground for a split second and swiveled clockwise before landing. It tipped over nearly enough for it to fall on its side, but it regained its center of gravity and remained upright.

  The horsemen pulled hard on their reins, and many leaped off before their steeds halted. Two of the princess’ captors ran from the carriage, shaken but none the worse for wear. Two guards fired crossbow bolts, getting one of them in the back while the other ducked into an alley. The captain ordered his men to let him go and apprehend the two coachmen, one of whom fell from his perch and broke his leg while the other had passed out from whiplash.

  Six men surrounded the carriage and opened both doors to reveal the last remaining fugitive—a man with a red bandana—and Princess Alyssa lying on the floor. The man was heaved outside and shackled, and the princess was closely examined by Captain Sutton and one other man. Sean watched from beside a door, noticing how lifeless she seemed even as the captain gently shook her. He feared she was dead, perhaps killed by the crash or murdered by her captors for being a difficult hostage. In either case, it didn’t bode well for Sean’s own wellbeing.

  But then Alyssa roused awake, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The guard who examined her suspected she was drugged, and that the effects would wear off in an hour or two. Alyssa was helped into a sitting position, and she cried and moaned about wanting to go home. The captain assured her everything was going to be okay, that she was going to see her father by day’s end. Not letting a kidnapping rearrange her priorities, Alyssa demanded a new gown to replace her tattered one, plus a new haircut and a meal at her favorite restaurant, and she wanted to write a letter to the friend she was going to see the other day—and she wanted all these things before seeing her father, so she could be presentable.

  The longer she talked, the more anxious Sean grew. He tapped on the captain’s shoulder and said, “Captain Sutton … I’m sorry, but if Rainer isn’t here, he must have Callie somewhere else. We don’t have much time to waste.”

  “Right,” the big man said, and he ordered five of his men to commandeer a vehicle to transport the fugitives to the palace dungeon and left the princess in the care of two others. The remaining men remounted and looked to Sean for directions. Sean pulled out the second seeking stone he’d made—one made with long dark hairs he had found on his person. Its light beam pointed east, towards the heart of the Red Borough.

  Hang on just a little longer, Callie. I’m coming for you!

  Twenty-nine

  Callie’s neck and legs were getting cramps in the small space, and Rainer was getting close to making a decision on how to start torturing her. She tried thinking of ways to stall him, to get him to talk. She looked around the room and saw no sign of Rainer’s little partner. “W-where’s your f-fairy?” she asked, her teeth chattering from the cold.

  “She’s somewhere,” Rainer said absently, examining a probing tool as a smithy would a newly made sword.

  “I, uh … n-never got her n-name.”

  “And you never will, ’cause she’ll never tell you.”

  “What h-happened to her?”

  He glared at her. “Never you mind. She’ll not bother you again.”

  She wrinkled her brow and lowered her gaze. Rainer must have killed the fairy for being discovered. Callie had come to pity her back in the park, for they had briefly formed a kinship through their mutual fear of this monster. She wished she had set the poor thing free from her magic cage, although that might not have changed her ultimate fate.

  Rainer came and knelt in front of her, spinning the probing device in both hands. It resembled a sextant, only with longer arms. One arm was fashioned like a needle while the other had a flat end used for grabbing hold of the skin that the needle sank into. “You should be proud of yourself. No one’s pissed me off like you have. You failed a simple job, didn’t inform me about it, then gave me the slip and ran a sword through me instead of receiving your due. Then I had to hire some guys and wait for over a day to get that tender cutlet of spoiled royalty, just to get you to surrender.”

  “Y-you c-could’ve—”

  He poked her shoulder with the needle, drawing blood. She winced and put a hand over the wound.

  “But as much as I hate you, I should thank you, too,” Rainer continued. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably never know how blessed I am. A sword through the gut hurts like holy hell, but it doesn’t kill me. I could put this thing here right through an eye, and it’d probably grow back. Not that I’ll test it, mind you, but I have a good feeling about it.”

  “Are y-you M-Micah?”

  He raised an eyebrow then grinned. “I might be. I could preach to the masses, tell them that everything they knew was a lie. I’ll say they should listen only to me, because I have all the answers. If anyone dares question me, I’ll fall on my sword, show how blessed I am, then call for their heads to roll. People will start licking the shit off my boots. How’s that for an idea?”

  Callie cursed herself. “No, I m-mean it, are you r-really Micah? D-did you forget who you are? If you t-tried, you c-could remember.”

  “What are you, stupid? Of course I’m not Micah. Wouldn’t want to be him, anyway. I like myself just the way I am.”

  She shut her eyes in defeat. Her suggestion had been unlikely to work, but it had been worth a try. If the Three Roses were as Sean had claimed, and Rainer truly was one of them, then there was a chance he could recall his true identity. If such a miracle were to happen, he’d surely free her and forget all she’d done to him.

  But no, Rainer was only one-third of a man, and composed of all that man’s negativity. Things like forgiveness and mercy weren’t part of his makeup.

  “Hold still, and this will go by faster,” he said. Callie shut her eyes even tighter, bracing herself for the unbearable pain.

  Just then, a mass of water fell on the roof and spilled through a hole near the front entrance, spattering on the dusty floor.

  “What the hell?” Rainer dropped the probing tool and sneaked towards the puddle. He peered out a window and apparently saw nothing, but he drew out his duel shortswords nonetheless. He held position for a moment with his back hunched and his legs spread, as if waiting for something. When nothing happened, he slowly made way back to Callie.

  Just then, a door slammed open in another room, and two men in leather armor appeared. They rushed past the cage and went after Rainer, who cursed and retreated through the front door. Callie heard more voices outside, indicating that Rainer met with more resistance. She cried for help, but none of the guards went back for her. She rattled the cage’s door in frustration then put her head down while pressing down on her wound.

  She lifted her head again at the sound of footsteps. Someone in a guard uniform had come from the back entry, and to her amazement, it was Sean’s face she saw when he removed his helmet. She grinned for the first time that day and reached out to him. He knelt down and grasped her hands in elation. “Sean, I can’t beli
eve it’s really you!”

  “Callie, thank God you’re still alive! I thought we were too late.”

  She gazed into his loving eyes, and the cold suddenly didn’t affect her so much. Her smile then faltered. “Please, get me out of here.”

  “Do you know where the key is?” he asked, letting her go.

  “I think he still has it. Can your undine do anything?”

  “I don’t know.” He appeared to mentally confer with his familiar, then rolled his eyes and frowned. “She doesn’t know how a lock works, but we’ll try it anyway.” He put a hand on the lock, and a small mass of water slipped from his fingers into the keyhole. “No, you just have to turn the chamber until the teeth are all in one place … aagh! She doesn’t know how!”

  “Do you know how to pick a lock?”

  “No … but let me try something. Close your eyes and look away.”

  She did so, though she peeked to see what he was doing. He slowly traveled one splayed hand across the top of the bars while the other hand did the same for the bottom. He then swung a fist across the cage, and all the bars were neatly sliced, kicking up a shower of sparks. Most of the bars flew off, and Sean and Callie yanked the leftovers out of position.

  As soon as Callie crawled out and got on her feet, she tightly embraced her rescuer. “Thank you, Sean.”

  “You would have done the same for me.” He laughed. “Hell, you already did.”

  She released him and favored her bloodied shoulder. He put a hand over the wound and magically disinfected it. “The princess was taken away by five men,” she said. “They’re going to sell her in Aldrüt.”

  “We have her already. She’s safe.”

  “Oh, good. I was afraid this was all for nothing. How many men did you bring with you?”

  “There’s Captain Sutton from the palace guard and five of his men. They should have already caught Rainer by now.”

  “I want to see. I have to know for sure.”

  “I think we should go back home. They’re well equipped to handle him …”

  “No, please, I have to see it for myself. Please, Sean …”

  He thought about it, then pressed his lips together and nodded. “I could use some peace of mind myself. Let’s try and find them.”

  They left the house, but not before Callie inspected Rainer’s worktable and picked up a shortsword with a golden hilt adorned with a ruby. She didn’t expect trouble but wanted to leave nothing to chance.

  Sean headed in the direction he believed the guards had chased Rainer into. The horses, no matter how well trained they were, would not venture into the Red Borough, so Sean and Callie had to remain on foot. As they rushed down a street, he glanced at Callie and shook his head. He had wanted her safety to be his top priority, but he should have known she’d want to go after her captor. He had promised the captain he’d leave Rainer’s capture up to Sutton and his men, but the captain probably wouldn’t mind seeing him and Callie at the scene.

  They stopped at an intersection and listened. Faint sounds of battle came from the north, so they followed their ears and found themselves on a pedestrian bridge overlooking a small plaza. They peered from behind the balustrade to witness Rainer taking on four guards and the captain. One of the guards had already fallen, a pool of blood spreading around the dead tree the man leaned on.

  The numbers were against the mad killer, and none of his opponents relied on magic, so ordinarily Sean would believe Rainer didn’t have a chance. But upon seeing Rainer in a real battle, he had doubts. The killer’s fighting prowess was extraordinary, not just in the way he jumped and skipped across the plaza like a dancer on a stage, but from the way he fought with both hands, keeping the guards at bay from more than one side. He never concentrated on one man for long, for his head repeatedly swiveled as he kept track of the flow of bodies in the confined area. He was like the eye of a hurricane, surrounded by furious energy and fighting to keep it all together.

  Captain Sutton wasn’t one to let his men do all the work, so he was part of the fray as well, anger over his fallen man displayed in his features. He was a tall, muscular man who was easily over ninety kilos, and yet Rainer managed him like a trainer confronting a lion with a chair and whip. The captain often waited till Rainer’s focus was off him before going in for a killing blow, but the killer always avoided his sword and stepped away even as his blades were busy striking others. He proved more perceptive than he appeared, keeping one eye on the big captain while the other was glued on the guards.

  But as skilled as Rainer was, his luck was bound to run out. He was dealing with two men at once when a third approached him and was met by Rainer’s righthanded sword. The killer tried stepping away from the opponent he looked away from, but the opponent quickly drew close and sank his blade below Rainer’s cuirass. Rainer ignored the wound as he fought for breathing space, then backed away and dropped by the plaza’s perimeter wall. His face was twisted in pain and his breathing grew haggard, and yet he kept a hold on his swords even as blood spilled over his trousers.

  The guards dropped their defenses and fell at ease, certain they had won. The captain ambled over to him with a grim smile, eyeing his enemy with disgust.

  “What are you waiting for?” Sean muttered from atop his perch. “Get him!”

  Captain Sutton raised his sword a little, ready to stab and finish his viscous opponent once and for all. “Any last words, you miserable bastard?”

  Rainer appeared ready to meet death with a smile on his face, even as his skin grew pale. “My only regret … is that I cannot give life … I can only … take it away. Because if I could … I would kill you again, and again, and again—as many times as it took before it drove you insane.”

  He chuckled, and the captain appeared almost sympathetic, believing Rainer was too mad to know what he was saying. The captain hesitated before delivering his final blow, and it was all Rainer needed to rise to his feet and begin the dance anew, moving like a man revitalized by the Fountain of Youth.

  Callie cursed and slammed a fist on the balustrade. Sean understood her feelings, yet he held onto hope that the guards could yet overcome Rainer and bring him in alive as the King wanted.

  But while Rainer had been fighting for his life before, he now fought like an enraged berserker high on the scent of blood. He thrust a blade underneath a man’s helmet and lifted it from his head, then slashed him across the face to leave him reeling. He then danced around a man to his left and kicked him square in the chest. The guard fell on his back and gasped as a blade plunged into his mouth. Rainer dealt with a man to his right and parried his last strike, then lifted his left sword and ended the fallen man’s screams with a thrust through an eye.

  The enraged captain wildly swung his falchion at the mad killer only to meet with crossed blades before he could split Rainer’s head in two. Rainer stepped back, disarmed a guard with a quick slash, then sliced the man’s throat and threw him at the captain. The captain tossed the poor man aside and went after Rainer again, not relying this time only on brute force. As good as Sutton was, he was no match for Rainer’s agility, his falchion constantly missing Rainer’s body and getting blocked by the duel swords.

  The man with the slashed face rushed at the killer in a desperate last attempt. Rainer jumped and delivered a flying kick into the man’s belly, knocking him off his feet. The captain yelled at him, but Rainer plunged a blade through the man’s throat and stomped on his face out of malicious pleasure.

  It was now the captain and one guard who stood against him. The guard was fearful and uncertain, but he stiffened his lip once Sutton nodded at him. Both men charged after Rainer, who sheathed his swords and skirted around trees. “Like hell you’re getting away!” the captain cried, but it appeared Rainer did not intend to escape. After deftly avoiding a few attacks, he pulled out a shiv from his cuirass and threw it at the guard’s head, its blade fi
nding its way to the left eye. The man dropped his sword and let out a bloodcurdling scream as his hands became spotted with crimson.

  Sutton stood his ground and warily examined his enemy. He had underestimated this man, and he finally understood how he had evaded capture for so long. Rainer was a crafty one who could read people’s movements as few could. He thought Rainer would let him go and have him deliver a message to the city guard, but the mad killer rushed at him instead, drawing his swords again to prepare for combat.

  Both men fought to the best of their abilities, their blades meeting each other like the fangs of wild dogs. It nearly seemed their fight would end in a stalemate, but then Rainer tossed his left sword at the captain and quickly pulled out and threw another shiv while his opponent was disoriented. The blade missed an eye, but it did badly cut Sutton’s upper lip. Rainer handily disarmed the wounded man and slashed the captain’s thigh, blood seeping through the cut on his trousers. The captain fell on his behind, and Rainer kicked the side of his helmet, bringing him down on his back. Rainer then pulled the helmet off with one swift motion and sank his remaining shortsword through Sutton’s right eye, ending his pitiable moans. He then turned to the guard who reeled from a wounded eye, halting his last breaths with a slice across the throat.

  Sean sank down and rest his back on the balustrade. “Unbelievable,” he said in a small voice. One man had taken down six opponents who were better armored. Without magic involved, such a thing was not meant to happen.

  He turned to Callie, and he knew what she was going to do just from the look on her face. “I can’t let him go,” she said, tightly clutching her sword. “If he gets me, at least I’ll be on my feet.” Before Sean could protest, she leapt over the balustrade to land on a stairway below and headed for the plaza.

  Sean grit his teeth and snuck off the bridge. He ordered the undine to keep an eye out for Rainer, adding that they were going to join Callie in confronting him. The undine’s sour feelings about Callie were well known, but to her credit she didn’t reiterate them while Callie’s life was on the line.