The Black Horseman ti-1

by Richard D. Parker

  Samantha hesitated a moment, unsure of how much to tell them. “He didn’t tie me very well, and when he went to get a drink I hit him over the head with an axe handle.”

  “He’s not dead?”

  Samantha shrugged. “I don’t know…maybe,” she added not wanting to mention her moment of cowardice while he was unconscious.

  “Should’ve made sure,” Wake said as he took off his apron, and dropped his tongs in the fire. “Should’ve killed him.”

  “I killed his horse,” she answered, suddenly mad at his presumptions.

  “His horse,” Wake answered with surprisingly high-pitched laugh.

  Sam nodded.

  “That’ll piss him off for sure,” Wake said still laughing as he led them back out into the street and next door to the stables. “Meet me at Bert’s on the top of the Scar. I’ll be along in an hour or so,” he added before moving into the stables. “I’d rather not be seen with you…no offence.”

  Samantha shrugged. “Of course not,” she answered and headed back to Bane. Tomm followed along. “Aren’t you worried about being seen with me?” Sam asked.

  Tomm shook his head. “I’m not from Lynndon, and will be gone soon. It’s not likely the soldiers will remember or take any notice of me,” he said as he mounted his own horse then led her slowly through town. There were Deutzani soldiers about, but not as many as Sam feared.

  “Aren’t they watching the bridge?” she whispered quietly after they had passed through town. The river was in sight, though it was dominated by the Scar that soared above them all. The Scar was a rift in the land, separating the lowland plains from the Plateau above, then finally the mountains. It was said to be over four hundred feet high in places, and ran from the Scar Mountains in the east all through Massi and finally ended at the Outer Sea somewhere in Deutzani.

  Tomm shrugged. “They should be, but they don’t have much of a presence here at Lynndon. They probably don’t think the Massi could raise much of a threat, or cross the western part of the land undetected. I’ve heard they have garrison at Manse.”

  Samantha nodded. Manse was home to the main crossing between the plains and the Plateau. Most of the main roads that crisscrossed the country of Massi led to the much larger town of Manse. Samantha held her breath, hoping that the Lynndon Bridge would not be closely guarded. She was not at all confident that she could pass a close inspection without giving her fear away, but she could see from a distance that the way was open, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  The bridge was made of stone with large arched piers going down into the water. It was not wide, but there was room for two horses to walk side by side. Even so, Samantha reined in Bane, who was a large horse and let Tomm proceed across in front of her. Samantha studied the bridge and the river below it as they crossed. On the right, the river was full of large rocks and flowed fast with a lot of white water, but on the left of the bridge there was a small roaring waterfall. At the bottom of the falls the river formed a deep, slow pool before finally continuing its journey to the east. The Scar dominated the view ahead and Sam had to crane her neck to see to the very top of the cliff face. It was magnificent, probably over two hundred feet high here. The rock face was filled with many shades of red and brown, and here and there was a bit of orange, yellow. She was surprised to see some green also, which came from stubborn plants clinging to the sheer cliffs like a climber suddenly afraid to move either up or down.

  Once on the far side of the bridge, the Scar loomed over them and Samantha had a moment of panic, worried that the whole Earth might fall down on top of her. But as they moved to the west along side the river the worry began to fade, replaced by a new one as they began to move up a narrow path. They went higher and higher at a steep angle and were not even a quarter of the way to the top before Sam had to force herself not to look down, though she never considered herself to be afraid of heights. However, by the time they were near the summit she was beginning to reconsider her fears, but the sure-footed Bane carried her safely up to the Plateau. Once on level ground she looked out in amazement over Lynndon and the Massi plains beyond. The view was incredible. The land and the sky above seemed to open up before her.

  Tomm stopped next to Sam and together they looked out across the land. “Never get tired of it,” he said.

  “It’s like you can see the whole world,” she answered. They stayed silent for several minutes, just looking, and then they turned in unison and headed for a group of buildings just up the road. All along the way there were wagons in various stages of repair, some were like new, some were broken and rusted out, and strewn all about were parts of wagons lying in the tall grass as if growing, like weeds. Out back, behind the main building, Samantha could see a corral of sorts. It held numerous pack animals, which were milling about, stirring up dust. They moved toward the largest building, which had two doors in front though they were not near each other, and in the middle of the porch roof there was a faded sign that said, “Bert’s Feed and Grain.”

  As Sam and Tomm approached they spotted no signs of life other than the pack animals out back, but just before they reached the front of the main building an old woman emerged. Hiding just behind her was a young boy, perhaps eight or nine years old. The woman glared at them for a moment, moving the unlit wooden pipe she had in her mouth from side to side. Finally her eyes gleamed with recognition as she looked at Tomm.

  “Seen you before,” she said pulling out the pipe and pointing at him with it. “Been a spell.”

  Tomm didn’t smile, but he did nod. “Over a year,” he answered. “Wake’s coming,” he added, but the woman only returned the nod. Without another word she turned and moved back into the building. Tomm looked over at Sam and shrugged. She wasn’t sure what to make of the meeting, but Tomm dismounted and tied off his horse and with only a slight pause Sam did likewise.

  “Since the Deutzani, Bert doesn’t like strangers much,” he whispered. The boy was still standing, half in and half out of the doorway watching them, but he fled inside as they moved up and onto the porch.

  “Lyle there, warned me you was coming,” Bert said from the dark recesses of the building.

  Lyle must be the boy, Sam thought as she followed Tomm inside. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did she saw a large room filled with more things than she would have believed possible. Heaped in stacks, everywhere, were all types of supplies, from grain, wood, and cloth, to barrels of ale, tools and just junk. There seemed to be no organization to any of it, some of it was piled higher than Samantha was tall. Tomm moved toward the back of the building following one of the narrow winding paths, which snaked through the mess like tendrils. Sam followed and spotted Lyle hiding behind a stack of barrels over to the right. They did not go down the path leading to him, however, and instead continued on toward the back. They went all the way to the very rear and through a door. It was like passing into another world. A small fire was burning in the fireplace on the far side of the room, which also contained a large, soft looking bed, a pair of over-stuffed chairs and a small table flanked by two benches. The room was extremely clean, brightly lit and remarkably free of clutter. Bert was sitting at the table opposite the doorway, her back to the fire. She motioned for them to take the bench opposite her, as she used a long thin stick to light her pipe. She puffed deeply a few times to be sure it was lit, and Sam thought she smelled a hint of sass-a-frass in the smoke.

  “You both running?” She asked and then began to pour them all hot tea.

  Tomm shook his head. “No, just her,” he answered. Bert studied the girl before her a moment. She could have been pretty, though it was hard to tell with her hair a tangled mess. She did have striking eyes though.

  “Lyle!” She yelled, causing Sam to jump and spill a bit of her tea on her hand where it burned for a moment. She set her cup down and sucked on the hurt until it went away. Lyle appeared shyly at the doorway.

  “Grab me a brush, then go and keep an eye out for Wake.”


  Sam heard small feet rush from the room behind her; they returned in a moment and the boy dropped a brush on the table, staring for a split second into Samantha’s eyes. He gave a quick smile and then was off again at a run.

  “It’s for you,” Bert said nodding toward the brush. “Don’t look like you’ve tended your hair recently.”

  Sam stared at the old woman for a moment then slowly picked up the brush. It felt strange in her hand, like something from another time. She began to slowly work the tangles from her hair. It took a good deal of brushing. She was a bit self-conscious at first but the other two just sat and talked softly until the boy finally rushed in.

  “Wake’s coming,” he said, happiness plain in his voice. He paused again to look at Samantha, who was still working at tangles, but now the brush was pulling through her hair much easier. Tomm stood, and she immediately did likewise. She made to hand the brush back to Bert, but the old woman just scoffed.

  “Keep it,” she said gruffly and hoisted herself to her feet. “Can’t have Massi women running about the land looking like savages.” She moved past Sam and Tomm and led the way through the maze of supplies and back out into the sunshine. Lyle was nowhere to be seen, but the woman didn’t seem worried. And after a few moments the boy appeared at the edge of the Scar running just ahead of Wake, who was riding a large mare.

  “Good luck,” Tomm said to Samantha; the statement came sudden and was very unexpected. “Keep moving as fast as you can. You get to the Scar Mountains and you’ll be safe.”

  “You’re leaving?” Sam asked, not realizing until this very moment how attached she had become to his company the past few days.

  Tomm nodded. “Have a farm to look after, and I can’t be gone too many days or the Deutzani might get suspicious. They’d take it out on my family. Wake will take you into the Briar, and one of the soldiers will take you on.” He paused for a moment, the hurt look on her face very clear to him. “You’ll be safe enough if you just keep moving.”

  Wake rode up just as Tomm began to move back the other way. “Follow a different route home,” he warned. “If she’s got an Executioner on her tail it wouldn’t be wise to bump into him.”

  Tomm chuckled as he went by. “I’ll take the round-about way for sure, and avoid anyone I see. You take care of her,” he added, tipping his head Samantha’s way.

  “Oh, I will,” Wake answered and then turned his attention to her as Tomm made his way back to the Scar. Wake looked at her for a long time, though Sam could only hold his eyes for a brief spell.

  “Quit ya staring,” Bert said loudly. “The girl ain’t growed another head.”

  Wake grunted but finally looked away. “She’s fixed her hair,” he said by way of explanation. “Come girl,” he added and started down the road away from Bert’s. Samantha hesitated for a moment, until Bert walked over and patted her leg. “Don’t pay him no mind. He don’t mean any harm. Mona…his wife, past a few winters back. She had hair like yours, reddish I mean. That’s all.”

  Sam looked at the back of the retreating man then turned and smiled at Bert. “Thank you…and thanks for the brush.”

  “Not a bother,” Bert answered then turned and headed back inside. “Lyle!” she yelled once she was out of sight, and Lyle came scampering from the Scar waving as Sam turned and headed after Wake.

  Wake led her about a mile up the road, and Sam contented herself to remaining just behind him to discourage any conversation or long stares. Wake seemed not to notice that she didn’t join him, and did not even look back as he veered left and into the thicket that lined the side of the road. She followed without a word and was surprised when he seemed to be taking her farther and farther into the tangle of surrounding bushes, all of which appeared to sport small red berries and long, sharp thorns. Wake finally stopped before a very imposing stand of foliage. Here the bushes grew tall, higher than even she was on horseback. Wake dismounted with only a glance back at her.

  “Why are we stopping?” She asked, growing uneasy once again.

  “Going into the Briar,” he answered curtly, as if the question shouldn’t have been asked. He pulled a thick pair of gloves from his back pocket, put them on then with relative ease began to move several large clumps of the briar bushes out of the way. Of course they were not bushes at all, just cleverly formed barriers woven to look like the surrounding foliage.

  “Keeps out the nosey,” Wake said, and led his horse through the gap in the sticker bushes. Samantha passed through also and then he put the camouflage back into place.

  He led her through the maze of bushes on paths just wide enough to accommodate the horses; several times Samantha received a sharp prick on her legs as they passed through some of the smaller gaps. Twice more he dismounted and moved false bushes, before they finally emerged from the tangle. Up ahead of Wake, Samantha could see a cabin of sorts with a few makeshift tents around it. There was a small fire burning in the center of the dwellings and around the fire sat three men. As they approached she saw the two of the men were older, one very old and the other less so. She couldn’t guess at their ages. She was not very good at estimating such things when the person was over thirty, but she could tell they were well past their prime, and both a good deal older than Wake. The third man was young, probably no more than five years older than she was. They remained seated and watched curiously as she and Wake approached.

  “Sath’s niece,” Wake said by way of greeting. “Samantha,” he added and gave her an awkward glance. Sam smiled back suddenly feeling guilty about her mistrust of him. All three men stood, and the eldest came forward with a smile of his own.

  “Samantha?” he asked.

  Sam nodded. “Samantha Fultan,” she answered softly. “My father was Thomas Fultan.”

  “Thomas Fultan!” Wake exclaimed. “I love his ale. Why didn’t you say he was your father?” He added, suddenly looking at her as if she were somehow famous.

  “You didn’t ask,” Samantha answered bemused by the turn in Wake’s face, for it was suddenly all smiles.

  “Samantha,” the eldest man said taking her right hand as she dismounted. She was surprised that his touch carried with it not even the slightest revulsion. “My name is Otter

  Bergman. You will be safe here until the scouts return, then we will take you to your Uncle.”

  ǂ

  Just before sundown Navarra came to the spot where Samantha had parted from her mule. At first he was confused, but quickly worked it out from the tracks that the horse that carried Samantha continued to follow the Clearwater Creek. He was positive she was following the waterway that eventually led to the Scar, and Lynndon. The mule she had foolishly taken with her was now being led back to the northwest but he was positive she had not fled in that direction. No, she would try to cross the Scar and move to the west, probably to Koshka and Afton Sath.

  Navarra found a suitable place not far along to make camp, and quickly settled down for the night.

  “Sleep well,” he said to his dogs, as they huddled close to him and the fire. “Tomorrow,” he added, having made the decision not to continue following the river but to break out across country, following a more direct route to the crossing, “we ride hard and fast to Lynndon.”

  XIV

  The Carol-Anne landed in Heron after nearly three days and nights at sea, and despite Jon’s misgivings and the healthy presence of Deutzani soldiers, no one paid Gwaynn or Krys any special attention. The ship was unloaded quickly with the help of the Massi Prince and his new Weapons Master. Gwaynn thought it prudent to stay with the ship and its crew as they got a feel for the area around the dock, plus it might look odd if two crewmen disembarked just as the heavy work was about to begin. Once the unloading was finished, however, Jon released nearly all of his men for a few days of land living. He kept a skeleton crew to watch over the ship, himself included, though he insisted on coming with the two young men as they traveled to meet up with Paulo and Karla.

  It felt strange t
o Gwaynn, walking the very streets he fled from over a year ago. In some ways it felt like a lifetime, but when they finally came across the house of Paulo, it seemed as if he had hardly been away.

  “Yes,” Karla said as she answered the door, at first not recognizing the young man who filled the frame, but then she looked past him, and saw Krys who had visited only a few weeks prior. Her eyes flew back to Gwaynn and darted about his face like bee looking for nectar.

  “Gwaynn?” She asked hesitantly, hardly believing that this was the same boy who had cried in her arms that awful night after Solarii’s fall. She started forward to take him into her arms once more but then hesitated. Gwaynn, reading her thoughts, stepped up and hugged her.

  “I’m sorry about Karl,” he said softly in her ear. “I know what it is like to loose family.”

  Karla hugged tighter as tears welled in her eyes. “Come in, come in,” she said breaking the embrace and discreetly wiping away the tears. “Paulo will be so happy to see how tall you’ve gotten…just like your father.” She led the way in and they all followed, but it was nearly an hour before Paulo got word and joined them. He arrived just as Jon was taking his leave to return to the Carol-Anne.

  “Watch yourself. I land at Heron, normally twice a year,” Jon said gripping Gwaynn’s hand firmly. “If you need me, leave word with Paulo, and I’ll get it.”

  Gwaynn returned the grip. “Thanks for everything.”

  As soon as the door shut Gwaynn immediately turned to Paulo. “Anything from Afton Sath?”

  Paulo shook his head. He was having a hard time with the fact that now he had to look up at Gwaynn. Paulo studied the young man for a time. Gwaynn was tall, but he was not just a skinny lad; his shoulders and arms had filled out during his time away. Except for the scruff of beard on his chin, he looked the part of a man, and a King. However, it was not the change of body that struck Paulo so acutely. When the boy had left his entire demeanor had been…soft, but now there was something hard in his eyes. There was also the way he carried himself, there was now an air of confidence about him that was lacking before. The boy had changed, of that there was little doubt.