by Jamie Davis
She'd show them all the error of their ways.
Cari had to finish her man off as fast as possible. Stefan would need her aid before the three attackers advancing on him overwhelmed his defenses. She charged forward at her adversary to bring them into contact sooner.
Her rush into battle surprised the man she faced and put him on a defensive footing immediately. He was younger than the others and he stumbled over the uneven ground as he slowed and then backpedaled away from Cari's lunging attack.
He avoided the initial attack, but fell to the grass, giving Cari the opportunity she needed. She followed him to the ground with a second lunge, this time piercing his chest, her blade finding his heart.
* * *
1,800 experience awarded
* * *
The hair rose on her neck again and she dove forward, using her stabbing lunge at her initial opponent to propel her over the dead brigand's body.
The diving dodge caused the man attacking her from behind to miss by a mile.
Cari rolled over and bounced to her feet, jumping up and running back at the new attacker. He, too, didn’t expect her to take the attack to him right away and he tried to back away.
It was a mistake.
She delivered a slashing attack at the overbalanced brigand when he stumbled over the uneven ground. He was still trying to recover from his wild saber attack when Cari's sword whistled past his face.
The man screamed in pain and slapped a hand to his face. She'd managed to slash open his right eye and blood welled up between his fingers to run down his arm.
Not waiting for him to recover his wits, she ran at him, drawing her dagger. She raised her sword to block the return swing of his saber while punching her dagger forward into the brigand's throat.
Blood spurted around her dagger’s blade, liquid warmth running over her hands and splashing across her cheek as she twisted the razor sharp weapon and wrenched it free from her adversary’s neck.
The look of surprise froze on his face as he fell backward off her blade, his eyes glazing in death.
* * *
1,800 experience awarded
* * *
Two down, two to go.
By the time she’d finished off two of their attackers, Stefan already had a wound in his leg and the two brigands circled him like sharks around a drowning man. The guard officer limped as he tried to turn in place and keep both his adversaries in sight at once.
There was little time. She had to help him.
"Hey, fatso," Cari called at the rotund brigand closest to her. "I just killed two of your buddies. Why don't you try me on for size?"
The man turned towards her and his eyes widened.
She must have been quite the sight, standing there with blood dripping from her hands and weapons and splattered across her face.
Sensing his fear at the sight of her, Cari emphasized her purposeful stride as she stalked towards him, raising both her bloody blades to point them at him.
The fat brigand looked around for help but his companion had already turned to run away, realizing they were outmatched.
He didn’t get very far.
Stefan lashed out with his sword, cutting the fleeing brigand down from behind.
The sole remaining brigand dropped his sword and turned to run.
Cari was too fast for him. She leapt forward and slashed her sword blade across the man's hamstrings from behind.
The edge sliced through skin and sinew with ease.
The brigand’s legs collapsed under him and he fell to the ground. He scrabbled at the sod with his hands, sobbing as he crawled away through the grass.
Cari stalked up to him and kicked him in the ribs hard enough to roll him over.
The man whimpered and held his hands up to defend himself from the expected killing blow he saw coming at him.
Cari redirected her lunge at the last instant. Instead of running him through the heart, her sword’s point stabbed through the man's shoulder, pinning him to the ground.
The brigand writhed on the grass, blood welling up around the sword. His fingers clutched at the blade in his shoulder with his free hand, coming away bloody from the razor-sharp edge.
Cari leaned forward and twisted her sword.
The brigand screamed before his voice turned into sobbing pleas for mercy.
"Why did you attack us?" Cari hissed, unable to hide the anger in her voice. A distant part of her noticed her usual nausea at killing had not returned this time. She wondered if it had something to do with her anger.
"W-w-we were told to stop anyone who came along the trail today, to kill them or turn them back. Others from our band were hired to watch the main road. We were told to take the mountain trail just in case."
"Who told you that?"
"I don't know who he was. He was just a guy. He hired us in Tandon and gave us muskets. He said we could keep them along with the gold he paid if we did as he said."
"Where is he? How long ago did he leave you?"
"He left us here this morning when we broke camp, no more than a few hours ago. He headed up the trail and left us here to watch his back."
"Why did he want people stopped? Why us?"
"He said he was being followed by a raider captain, a woman with your description. He said he'd pay us twice what he gave us originally if we were successful in killing you and brought him your head."
Stefan hissed in anger at the open threat to Cari. He stepped forward with his blade raised.
"Stop, Stefan," Cari ordered, her captain's command voice staying his hand. "We need him. He knows who the assassin is."
The brigand stared up at Cari, a faint hope showing in his eyes.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the Dread Raider Cari. Remember the name and fear it. I’ll let you live but you're going to help me stop a murder."
She yanked her sword free from the man's shoulder eliciting a fresh series of whimpering cries from him. Cari didn't care.
He was a dead man for attacking them. No matter what she told him, if the Duke's justice didn't do the job, she would. She decided it was part of the persona she was building for her raider self though it was a side of her that was too brutal for her liking.
Stefan helped her tie up the man’s hands behind him while she slapped a simple bandage on his wound. They recovered the brigands' horses from the trees and set the captured man on one of them, using leather straps to tie him to the saddle.
Mounting their own horses, Cari turned to Stefan.
"He's not that far ahead of us. We might be able to catch him before he gets there if we’re lucky. We have spare mounts, so we can trade off for fresh horses every few hours and move faster than he can."
Stefan stood staring at her, disbelief playing across his eyes.
"What was all of that about you being a raider captain?"
"Look, Stefan, there are things about me you're better off not knowing."
"Like what? Like that ridiculousness about you being the 'Dread Raider Cari' or something? I've never even heard of that person."
"Maybe now you will. According to all the stories, including one in particular from my childhood, it’s all about reputation with these sorts of things."
"What sorts of things?"
"Being a raider captain."
"Wait, you were serious? You're the raider captain they waited for?"
"The assassin must have recognized my ship and known its previous captain. If he saw me leaving it and overheard me talking with the crew that would explain how he knew I was coming to find Prince Timron."
Confusion battled for control over Stefan’s expression with his surprise at what he’d learned about his travel companion.
"But you're a raider. The enemy of the Empire. Why are you trying to save the prince?"
"Not all raiders are what they seem. Some are solo entrepreneurs. Others are working directly for the Duke of Charon. I've seen the Letters of Marque he's given them. And at least one of us is
a loyal citizen of the Empire, trying to keep the Imperial family safe."
"The Dread Raider Cari."
"Exactly," Cari said. "See, that wasn't so hard to understand. Was it?"
She kicked her horse until it sped up to a trot, turning and calling over her shoulder.
"Come on. We need to pick up our pace if we're going to beat this guy to the estate. I want to take him alive and find out who paid him for this job."
Behind her, leading the string of remounts and their captured brigand, Stefan raced to catch up.
Chapter 32
The sun went down as Cari and Stefan rode through the mountains. They still hadn't made it to the Duke's estate and the treacherous terrain and the risk of serious injury to either themselves or the horses forced the duo to pause for rest and reconsider their plans to continue traveling in the dark.
A quick assessment showed one of the horses had developed a limp as they picked their way along the thin game trail in the darkness since the last break. Stefan called for a stop to rest while he examined the spare mount’s condition.
“Cari, I know you’re anxious about stopping when we might be close enough to press onward and arrive tonight. If one of the horses has already come up lame, I fear for the others and for us if we keep going.”
“I’m afraid we will be too late. The assassin might arrive and strike against the prince in the night before we can get there.”
“It’s not worth the risk. I don’t know this part of the trail at all and I could easily miss the turn off to the valley where the estate is located. If that happens we’ll be even later. Let’s rest for a few hours until dawn and start up again then.”
Cari stared out into the darkness then nodded. “Alright, but we start as soon as it’s light enough to proceed.”
“Agreed,” Stefan said. “Let’s set up a quick camp and see to the horses and our prisoner. The animals will be better for the rest, too. We’ll all be fresher in the morning when we start up again.”
After they settled the mounts, and tied their prisoner to a nearby tree, Cari and Stefan wrapped in blankets and fell into a fitful cold sleep. She didn’t think she’d fall asleep, shivering in the mountain chill like she was. Her fatigue from the long day’s travel overcame her, though, and she soon drifted off.
Rising early again the next morning, Cari discovered their prisoner had died in the middle of the night from his wounds. He lay slumped against the tree trunk, his eyes staring out of his pale, lifeless face. She had hoped he didn't have internal injuries and bleeding but she must have been wrong. Cari stared at him for a long time, her internal emotional struggle hidden behind an impassive visage she maintained on her face. Her anger welled up at the loss of the only person who knew what the assassin looked like.
Her cursing over the body woke Stefan.
He gripped her by the shoulders and spun her around.
"It's not your fault, Cari. People die. It happens," Stefan said in a soothing tone. His hand squeezed her arm in an attempt at reassurance.
She shrugged it off.
"For once, I'm not sad he died. I know he was going to be executed by the Duke at some point anyway for being a highwayman. I am pissed he died before he could identify the guy sent to assassinate Timron. Now we're back not knowing who the hell this guy is."
"So, what do we do?"
Cari was already moving towards the mounts and saddling her horse.
"We get back on the road and hope we're not too late. We can't be far from the estate now. The assassin probably got there last night. We can pray he didn't manage to kill the prince in his sleep. If he hasn’t struck overnight, we still might have a chance."
Stefan helped her saddle their horses and they got on the trail. They left the brigand dead beside the path. Let the animals have him. They didn't have time or the inclination to spend time burying him.
Barely two hours later, as the morning sun finally crested the eastern hills, they caught sight of the estate's buildings in the valley below, including the grand home built amidst the rolling hills beside a small lake.
Cari called out to Stefan, pointed down at the collection of buildings and kicked her horse into a gallop despite the fact she was scared of falling off at that speed. She managed to hold on as her mount sped down the mountain trail into the valley.
Reaching the estate’s grounds with Stefan close behind, Cari raced through the open gates of the manor house’s courtyard, reining her horse in and slipping off to the ground before it came to a full stop.
Rodrigo, seated on a bench in the shade of a fig tree stood staring at her with an astonished expression on his face. He waved to her as he ran over and wrapped her in an impromptu hug.
"Cari, you made it! We had all given up hope of seeing you again, assuming you'd been imprisoned in the capital. Well, all of us except for Chance. He seemed to think you’d find a way out of any predicament without much trouble at all."
"Rodrigo, where's the Prince? Is he safe?"
"What? I guess so, but he's not here, Cari. I saw him this morning before they left. He seemed well enough. At least he was his normal petulant and annoying self, but what else is new."
"Where is he if he's not here? Who's with him? Who’s guarding him?"
"Cari you don't have to worry," Rodrigo said. “We're safe here. The Prince just went out for a day of hunting with the Duke and a party of nobles who traveled here with us. There are plenty of gamekeepers and other members of the Duke’s staff to watch over them."
"So, none of you, none of the Dragoons are with him?"
Rodrigo laughed. "They're probably more than a little hung over. I heard from the servants this morning they spent most of the night carousing with some of the local ladies. I suspect they're all still asleep."
"No, no, no, this is all wrong," Cari said, pacing back and forth in the courtyard. "We have to find them. We have to go out and find the hunting party."
“Cari, your friend here is right,” Stefan added. “The Duke’s staff will keep everyone safe on the hunt. Nothing will go wrong, you’ll see.”
“Who’s this gentleman in the livery of the Duke’s guard, Cari?” Rodrigo asked.
Cari started to introduce her traveling companion when there was a sudden commotion and shouting over by the stables. Several servants rushed back and forth between the house and the stables, a few of them in tears.
Cari, Rodrigo, and Stefan ran over and intercepted one of the maids from the house who’d gone into the stable and came out moments later in tears.
"Miss," Rodrigo asked. "What is wrong?"
"He's dead, sir. The body’s half buried under a pile of straw in one of the stables. The head stableman said it looks like he was strangled to death. Who would do such a thing, sir?"
The woman started crying again and ran on into the manor house before getting an answer to her question.
"An assassin." Cari replied under her breath as she thought about what the maid said.
"What?" Rodrigo asked.
"An assassin would strangle a man to death. An assassin would strangle a random stable hand if he was discovered in some way. Stefan, he beat us here, even though we cut across country."
"Cari," Rodrigo said. "You're not making any sense. What assassin? It was probably a fight between two of the servants over money or an affair with someone’s sweetheart."
Liam, Chance, and Thad came from the manor. All of them were still in the process of getting dressed. Thad was barefoot and had his boots in one hand and his sword and belt in another.
"We heard the shouts of alarm and murder in the house," Liam said. "What is going —"
He spotted Cari, stopped and then laughed aloud, slapping his elven companion on the back.
"Chance, you bastard, you won the bet after all. Look who's decided to join us."
"I never doubted she would arrive when she was needed most."
"What a strange thing to say," Liam said. "She obviously was detained longer than we expected."
/>
The elf nodded a hello to Cari and shook his head.
"I suspect there's more to it than a late arrival. Am I right, Cari?"
"You are. I came because I've been following an assassin from Tandon who is bent on killing the Prince. Now there is a dead stableman, strangled and hidden from view. It all adds up."
"Why kill a stable hand if his target was the prince?" Liam asked.
"It's not a stable hand," Thad announced, coming out of the stables.
He'd kept going past the group and entered the stables. Now he returned.
"The dead man’s an assistant to the game keeper, according to one of the servants in there. He's also been stripped to his underclothes."
Liam seemed confused. "Why was he stripped? Maybe he had just come from his bed and wasn’t dressed yet?"
Cari snapped her fingers. "No, he was stripped to provide a disguise for the assassin. He's gone out with the hunting party. He means to make it look like a hunting accident. It's the only thing that makes sense."
"Cari, we must go after him. Let us ride out now," Stefan said.
“I’ll ask again, Cari, who is this man?” Rodrigo asked.
"This is Lieutenant Stefan Claridge from the Duke of Tandon's household guard. He came with me to show me the way to the estate. We were waylaid on the way here by brigands hired to stop anyone following the killer. The assassin has to know there's a possibility we're on his trail."
"Can you identify this man?" Liam asked.
Cari shook her head.
"No, I've never seen him. Judging by what we managed to learn from one of the men who attacked us, he knows who I am, though."
"Our young Lieutenant is correct, then," Chance said. "We must catch up with the hunting party and intercept this man. It will be a simple thing for him to put a crossbow bolt or even a bullet in the Prince's back if he’s disguised as one of the huntsmen.”
"Agreed," Liam said. He reached out and grabbed the arm of one of the stable boys passing by.
