by Jamie Davis
"Boy, we need our horses saddled immediately." Liam flipped a silver coin through the air to the lad. "Hurry and there's another for you and your helpers when the mounts are ready."
Thad finished pulling on his boots and stood, buckling his sword belt and settling his blade on his hip. His gruff voice broke the momentary silence.
"It's not going to be easy to locate them. The head stableman was in there examining the body. He said the hunting party could have gone to one of three different hunting areas on the estate and he's not sure which direction they went when they set out this morning."
The news deflated Cari's resolve. Three different directions meant they had yet another obstacle in the way of her rescue mission.
“It’s too late. I’m too late.”
Liam saw her shoulders sag at the news from Thad.
"Cari, you've made what I'm sure is an amazing journey to get here with this news. We don't know it's too late at all. At this point, no news is good news. If something had happened, a servant from the hunting party would have been sent back to us immediately. We just have to find them and stop the assassination attempt."
“But we don’t know where they are.”
"If there are three different directions to search then we'll split up and search each location."
He turned to their orc comrade.
"Thad, go and get instructions on where they might have gone from the Duke’s major domo. He’ll know if anyone will. Once you know where they might have gone, if you think we’ll need guides to get there faster, enlist them from among the servants."
"Chance, You and I will take the first and most likely destination. Cari and Lieutenant Claridge can take the second while Thad and young Rod here can take the third."
Rod deflated a little when Liam assigned him to go with the orc and not Cari.
Thad returned a few minutes later with three of the household servants in tow as the boys led their horses from the stables ready to travel.
Cari took the reins of a fresh horse from one of the boys as Liam passed out a silver coin to each of them. Then the Dragoon sergeant mounted and waited for the others to do the same.
"Remember, find the Prince at all costs and keep him safe until we can return here to make other arrangements for his safety."
Cari looked to the servant leading her and Stefan and pointed to the gate. He nodded and started out of the courtyard, followed by the other search parties.
With their mounted guides in the lead, three pairs of rescuers split off to search for the Duke's hunting party.
* * *
Quest accepted - Stop the assassin
* * *
Cari bent low over the horse's neck as it raced across the rolling hills, holding onto the saddle horn with a death grip lest she fall from the galloping horse. This was it. The fate of the Empire relied upon their success.
Chapter 33
Cari spent the entire galloping race to the northeast corner of the estate with her body tensed to the point she felt every jarring step of her mount's hooves. She envied the graceful ease and flow of Stefan's body as he seemed to move in tandem with the horse on the run, absorbing the up and down movement with apparent ease.
She knew she had to relax and try to emulate the relaxed carriage of her comrade or she was going to rattle the teeth from her head before they arrived. Cari took a deep breath and tried to start with her legs, relaxing her hips and knees a little.
Just as she settled into a comfortable middle ground in the saddle, her mount leapt over a small tree trunk laying in their path. The landing on the far side nearly pitched her off the left side of the horse. Her full-body tension came back as she returned her hands to a death grip on the saddle’s pommel. This time she couldn't banish it.
Cari had faced death in many ways during her time here in Fantasma. Not one of the other instances terrified her as much as falling to her death off a galloping horse.
Luckily, she was distracted from thoughts of her impending death by the distant, ragged crackle of scattered musket fire. The servant reined in his mount and turned, smiling back at them. He pointed ahead to an opening in the trees. They'd entered a small offshoot of the valley filled with tall, flowing grasses. A small river flowed through the center of the bowl, running north to south.
A cluster of people stood in a ragged line below them while a larger group worked back towards the line of musket-bearing noblemen from the opposite side of the smaller valley. Every now and then there'd be a flurry of activity as game birds flew from their cover. A few scattered shots rang out from the line closest to Cari, puffs of smoke rising from the muskets.
Cari realized what she was seeing. The people on the far side of the valley were driving forward, making noise and flushing out wild game while the static line of hunters stood and waited for a target of opportunity to launch into the air.
"Do you see the Prince?" Cari called out to Stefan and their guide, a young man named Trip. She scanned the line of hunters closest to them but didn't see him.
"No." Stefan replied. "Could he be with the other group on the far side, flushing out the game?"
Cari snorted a laugh.
"The Prince doing the work of servants and missing the chance to do the actual killing? Not a chance."
"He must be with the closer group then," Stefan said. "Come on."
He led the way now as the trio rode down into the vale.
The closer they got, the more certain Cari was the Prince wasn't present. She didn’t see him anywhere and started to wonder whether this group was from another hunting party altogether, perhaps from different estate nearby.
The group they approached consisted of a line of eight hunters. Behind each of the hunters were a pair of servants loading fresh muskets and holding them ready to hand off to the nobles in the hunting line.
A man in an officer's coat similar to Stefan's but with a lot more gold braid and decoration stood nearby holding a musket. He lowered it after firing at, and missing, a low-flying pair of geese spooked by the beaters from the area of the river bank.
When he turned to take another musket for his next shot, he spotted them approaching. He called out to them.
"Lieutenant Claridge, what on Fantasma are you doing here? Aren't you one of the officers left in charge of the palace guard while I'm gone?"
Stefan rode up to the other officer and dismounted before coming to attention. He saluted.
"Colonel, I became aware of a dangerous plot to harm Prince Timron while he was under the Duke's protection. I came to warn him of the impending threat."
Cari dismounted and her overly tensed muscled betrayed her making her limp. She moved over to where Stefan stood at attention, trying to work out her stiff muscles as she walked. They protested with repeated cramps and spasms, worn out from the tense ride.
"I see," the Colonel said as Cari approached. "Who is this woman with you?"
"This is Captain Cari Dix of the merchant ship Vengeance. She became aware of the plot during an engagement with a raider ship and brought the information to my attention at the palace as soon as she docked in Tandon. She is, apparently, an acquaintance of the Prince."
"This is most alarming, Lieutenant. I’m afraid the Prince is not here."
"Not here?" Cari blurted out. "Where the hell is he? We have to find him. Is there another hunting group out there somewhere?"
"Miss, I assure you, now that you have brought this to my attention we will deal with the matter. The Prince is quite safe. He and the Duke went off on their own with one of the Duke's game keepers. The Duke's man had spotted a rare white stag in the forest nearby and wished to lead them in a private hunt for the beast. There is no one else with them so I'm sure he's quite safe until he returns to rendezvous with us."
Cari turned to the two servants reloading the Colonel's muskets.
"You two. Who was the man who went off with the Duke and Prince Timron? Was he known to you?"
The elder of the two scratched his he
ad.
"You know, Miss, I don't recall ever seeing him before though I don't profess to know all the game keepers. He was wearing the right livery, though, so I suppose he was alright. Those huntsmen keep to themselves in the far reaches of the Estate."
"Captain Dix," the colonel said. "Why is it important if they know this game keeper?"
"A dead body was found hidden in the stable back at the manor. He was one of the game keepers and he'd been stripped of his clothing and livery. That has to be the assassin out there with them. He's going to stage a hunting accident to kill the Prince. I know it. It's the only thing that makes sense."
"Cari, are you sure?" Stefan asked.
"Trust me on this. That is where he is. I'm sure of it." Pointing to the servant who'd answered her, Cari asked, "Which way did the man lead the Duke and the Prince?"
"They went off to the northern end of the valley, near the falls where the river forms."
Cari turned and remounted her horse, ignoring her protesting leg muscles.
"Cari, you can't go alone," Stefan shouted.
"You're welcome to follow after me once you get some people organized here. I'm leaving now."
She spurred her horse forward with a few kicks of her heels. Soon, she was galloping across the valley floor, racing along the banks of the narrow river for the northern end of the valley.
Reaching the tree line, the horse slowed as it weaved its way through the broad, moss-covered trunks and underbrush. Suddenly the horse pulled up and reared, balking at jumping a broad rocky ditch in their path. Cari pitched backward out of the saddle. She fell head over heels into the brush beside the trail, landing with a jolt of pain in her chest. She'd cracked the freshly healed ribs again.
* * *
Health damage - health -10
* * *
Her mount reared again and rode off into the woods away from her.
"Damn," she called after the fleeing horse. "Come back you stupid beast."
Cari climbed to her feet, hissing at the renewed pain in her side. She really needed to start carrying a few healing potions around with her. These ribs were never going to fully heal at this rate.
She drew her sword and started forward afoot until she reached the rocky ditch. The horse had been right, she realized. If it had tried to ride at any speed across the uneven surface, it would have broken a leg for sure.
Cursing her rotten luck, she stepped down into the ditch, going as fast as she could. It was tough, but Cari picked her way across the treacherous ditch and reached the far side.
A distant roaring sound marked the water falls the servant talked about when she’d been back with the main hunting party.
Cari started forward at a jog, ignoring the jarring pain in her ribs with each step. She'd come this far. She wasn't going to be denied victory at this point.
Far ahead, in the direction of the falls, the crack of a gunshot rang out. Fearing the worst, Cari cursed again and broke into a run. She was going to be too late after all.
Chapter 34
Cari heard the voices first, the shouts of an argument drifting through the trees as she ran. She wished for more speed but between her stiff legs and sore ribs, she couldn't go any faster.
Her ragged breaths shot stabbing spasms of pain through her side with each inhalation.
The voices got louder along with the sound of the waterfall. A few seconds later, she stumbled into a clearing on the banks of a large pool formed by the water falling from the rocky outcropping above.
Beside the pool stood Prince Timron. His hands were raised in surrender. A man in the Duke's livery stood ten feet away, holding a musket pointed at the Prince's chest.
Another man, presumably the Duke, lay on the ground a few feet from the assassin. A soft groan sounded from the prone figure. He wasn't dead, at least not yet.
"Stop!" Cari called. "Put the musket down and I'll let you live."
The assassin turned to look at her and, to her shock, she recognize him. It was Quint, Merrick's man from back in the Crystal city.
"Lookee who it is. The would-be princess hero shows up again to save this man's pitiful life. I'm afraid he's not getting away this time. This time he dies. Then, I'm going to kill you, missy, slowly, for what you did to my brother."
"I don't understand. Why did Merrick send you here after he did all he could to help me escape the city?"
Quint laughed.
"Merrick didn't send me. He fired me when he found out I outed you to the city inspectors. That was all for the best though. I found a new benefactor who is going to make me rich beyond my wildest dreams and all I have to do is kill this idiot Prince. You're just an extra bonus I didn't expect. It makes all this the perfect ending to my long journey trailing after his Highness across half the Empire."
"You've got only one musket left," Cari said pointing to the one on the ground next to him. He must've used that one to shoot the Duke. "How are you going to kill both of us? You're no match for me in a duel with blades."
Cari had to keep him talking. Stefan couldn't be far behind her. Once he got here, they'd have the advantage. She just had to stall.
"Look, I get it, the Prince is a pain in the ass. But think about it. Whatever the Duke of Charon is paying you, Timron's grandmother will match it and more. Consider that before you pull the trigger."
"The Empress is not long for this world. She's ill and won't last out the year according to the Duke. He seemed pretty certain of it. Killing the Prince is the final part of the plan to put the Duke on the Crystal Throne. With the last heir dead, killed on the estate of Charon's biggest rival at court, there'll be nothing and no one to stand in his way. Once there, he'll have all the riches in the Empire at his disposal."
"That bastard double-crossed me?" Prince Timron muttered.
Cari shot a startled glance at Timron. What a curious thing to say.
She didn't think he knew she'd overheard him and Quint was still the main threat. She had to focus on him first. She’d figure out what was going on with the prince later.
Quint raised the musket again and took a few steps toward Timron. The Prince flinched back from the killer.
"Quint don't," Cari called and she started forward herself. She knew she'd never make it in time. All she could do was try to distract the thug with her charge.
Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, Quint closed with the Prince, jabbing him in the gut with the musket's barrel.
Timron doubled over and Quint met him with the rising gun butt.
The wooden stock smashed into the Prince's face, sending him flying backward. His limp body fell into the pool at the base of the falls.
Just as quickly, Quint turned and brought the musket up to his shoulder, snapping off a quick shot at Cari.
She only got a split second's notice from her prescience skill to warn her the attack was coming. It was enough, though, barely.
Quint was obscured by a cloud of gray smoke as he fired at her. She dove to the right, in a desperate attempt to dodge away from the point-blank shot. The bullet missed killing her by only a few inches.
Red hot pain lanced through her left shoulder. The bullet struck the bone, shattering the socket and exiting in a spray of blood out the back.
* * *
Critical hit
Health damage - health -22
* * *
The sword flew from her suddenly numb left hand, clattering on the rocky ground a few feet away from her.
Despite the pain racking her body, Cari scrabbled on the ground with her good arm trying to reach her sword.
A booted foot kicked her in the side, breaking more ribs and flipping her onto her back.
* * *
Health damage - health -6
* * *
Knowing a follow-up attack must be coming, Cari used the momentum of the kick to help her propel herself over two more times, rolling away just in time.
The smashing butt stock of the musket thudded into the earth an inch away from
her head as she flipped over.
Quint followed her rolling form across the ground towards the pool, raising the musket for another attempt at a killing blow.
Cari knew she had only one chance as she neared the edge of a small, rocky outcrop over the water.
Digging the toe of her boot into the ground as she rolled one last time, she pushed with all her might propelling her forward rather than to the side.
This time the butt of the musket delivered a glancing blow to her hip as she shot forward and somersaulted into the water.
* * *
Health damage - health -8
* * *
A second warning popped up this time as she plunged into the icy water from the mountain snowmelt from the north. It showed her health bar, a flashing red mark indicating she was just below half her available health.
She reached upward with her right hand while she kicked with her feet. Her injured left arm dangled useless beside her as she struggled to make it back to the surface.
Cari surfaced at last, gasping for air, bumping into something as she did. It was the Prince. Timron floated face down next to her.
Kicking with all her might while she grabbed at him with her one good arm, Cari managed to flip the Prince over to his back so his face was out of the water. The instant she did, she was rewarded with a spluttering cough from him as he gasped for a rattling breath. He remained unconscious otherwise.
Quint was nowhere to be seen on shore so Cari grabbed the semiconscious Timron by the hair and dragged him through the water behind her while she kicked for banks of the pool. It was hard work when fully clothed on a good day. Injured and with only one arm, it was nearly impossible. Somehow, though, she made it to the water’s edge out of sheer stubbornness.
