He sniffed hard and shook his head but averted his teary gaze.
Orlla’s gut clenched. However much Brufus’s soldiers had pushed him around, he wasn’t about to snivel in front of a woman. He was Josef’s son through and through, just like his older brother.
“Have you seen Erdhan?” Orlla asked, looking intently at him.
Franz’s bottom lip trembled as he gave a hesitant nod. “He traded places with me.”
The words hit Orlla like a blow to the back of the head. She swayed back on her heels, and only for Franz grabbing her would have crumpled. Her worst nightmare had been realized. Brufus had Erdhan in his clutches.
Franz sniffed again and wiped a sleeve across his nose. “He told Brufus he was betrothed to you and that you would trade the Opal of Light for him.” Despite his resolve, Franz’s blue eyes filled with tears again. “Erdhan made me promise to tell you not to come after him. He said you must not deviate from your mission.” He choked on a sob. “But my brother is all I have left.”
Orlla forced a frozen smile at Franz. So he knew the rest of his family was dead. Had he been forced to witness the slaying of his younger brothers also? “We will find a way to rescue Erdhan,” she promised. “How far ahead is Brufus?”
“He has set up camp over the next hill and waits to see if you will bring him the Opal of Light. He believes you are in Wilefur.”
Orlla nodded distractedly as she reached for Franz’s horse by the reins. “Come, I’ll introduce you to Erdhan’s friends. Then we’ll hatch a plan to rescue him.”
When they reached the grove where the others were waiting, Khor and Akolom stepped forward and introduced themselves.
“This is Franz, Erdhan’s younger brother,” Orlla announced.
“Well met,” Franz said, shyly.
Samten greeted him with a cool nod and then turned to Orlla. “Where’s Erdhan?”
She swallowed the lump wedged in her throat before she answered. “He switched places with Franz after convincing Brufus that I would trade the Opal of Light for him.” She cast a quick glance at Akolom. “We brought the decoy stone along in case we needed it. I plan on giving Brufus what he believes is the Opal of Light.”
Akolom pressed his lips together in a thin line of disapproval. “Deceiving those who harbor deceit in their hearts is nigh impossible.”
Khor kicked at a clod of dirt. “Brufus is no fool. He’s far too dangerous to play games with. I’ll scout out the camp and see if there’s a way to rescue Erdhan instead.”
Akolom’s features shifted into an expression of relief. “A wiser course of action.”
Orlla gave a reluctant nod. “Scout it out and then we’ll decide how to move forward.”
As soon as Khor had taken off on foot, Orlla turned to Samten. “I need you to take Franz to the safety of the temporary camp in the woods beyond Wilefur and watch over him until we return.”
Samten narrowed his eyes. “I committed to helping you seek out and destroy the Onyx of Darkness, not to hiding like a coward until the mission was complete.”
“It’s too perilous for Franz to accompany us,” Orlla said in an urgent whisper. “Someone needs to make sure he remains safe until his brother returns, and I trust you more than anyone. It’s the least you can do in return for Erdhan’s tireless efforts to find you. Besides, a true Macobite soldier would be happy to guard his citizens. You can still sign up with the army once we return.”
Samten was on the verge of saying something more but clamped his lips shut at the look of censure Akolom shot his way. With a surly expression, he untied his horse and mounted up.
Franz thanked Orlla with a tremulous smile as he climbed astride his steed and trotted after Samten.
Orlla and Akolom watched them disappear in the direction of Wilefur before turning their attention to their overheated horses.
“Let’s find some shade while we wait for Khor to return,” Orlla suggested. “Our steeds are not used to the sun beating down on them.”
They led the sweaty animals to a well-shaded spot in a copse of trees and then threw themselves down on a mossy hillock nearby.
“A sensible move to send the lads back,” Akolom commented, pulling out some salted mutton from a travel sack. “Samten longs for adventure, but he is inexperienced and impetuous—a volatile combination. He will be safer at the camp and more useful too. His presence will offer some peace of mind to the women caring for infants and young children, and those too old and frail to defend themselves.”
“I didn’t want to risk endangering the lads’ lives in an armed encounter with Brufus,” Orlla said. “And it might take that to free Erdhan.”
Akolom frowned. “Our best chance of rescuing Erdhan is to follow Khor’s directive. Any attempt to deceive Brufus is fraught with problems and must be a last resort. He cannot be trusted to release Erdhan unharmed, even if you are able to convince him the decoy stone is the Opal of Light.”
“With runes veiling it, he will be none the wiser,” Orlla said.
Akolom raised a reproving brow. “Do not underestimate him. Brufus the Bonebreaker did not rise to power on a fool’s ladder.”
Khor returned a short time later and threw himself down on the grass next to Akolom and Orlla. “I found him. He’s bound hand and foot, well-guarded.”
“How do you propose we rescue him?” Akolom asked.
Khor’s eyes kindled with amusement. “Is the master mentor of the Conservatory asking a Protector to reveal the secrets of our trade?”
Akolom grunted. “I think it’s safe to say we have merged the methods of the Conservatory and the ways of the Academy to secure the success of this mission.”
“Your congeniality is duly noted.” Khor replied, pulling himself up into a sitting position and accepting the mutton Akolom held out to him. “Once night is upon us, we’ll move on Brufus’s men and pick them off one-by-one—swiftly and silently. I will don the attire of one of the perimeter patrols. That will allow me to approach the soldiers guarding Erdhan without suspicion.” He cracked his knuckles and looked off into the distance. “They’ll be dead before they hit the ground.”
Orlla arched a skeptical brow. “Pardon my boldness, but you couldn’t even track Samten or me down when we escaped. What makes you think you can pull off something this audacious?”
Khor angled a sly look her way. “Every Protector has a specialty, just like every Keeper.” In one fluid move, he whipped out a pair of throwing knives, the blades gleaming in his fists beneath the dying rays of the sun. “Let’s just say my specialty isn’t tracking.”
He got to his feet and tightened his scabbard. “I’m going to go back and mark Brufus’s camp for a bit before it grows dark. I’ll get a count on the perimeter guards and figure out their rotation. If I haven’t returned in an hour, get out of here before Brufus comes looking for you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” a rough voice scoffed, as the bushes behind them parted.
Chapter 5
Orlla and Akolom scrambled to their feet just as Khor collapsed in the dirt, stunned by a vicious blow with a club to the side of his head. Soldiers burst out from the bushes and surrounded them, swords and pikes pointed menacingly in their direction.
“I wouldn’t attempt anything you might regret if I were you,” Brufus drawled, gesturing to the dagger Orlla held in her hand. “Someone very important to you could get hurt.” He signaled behind him with a snap of his wrist, and a short, stocky soldier dragged a bound and gagged Erdhan into their midst. Several more soldiers in chain mail filed silently into the clearing after him, armed with crossbows and longswords, followed by a wave of mounted horsemen.
“Drop your weapons,” Brufus ordered, holding the tip of his sword to Erdhan’s neck. After a moment’s hesitation, Orlla and Akolom unbuckled their baldrics and tossed their swords and daggers on the ground in front of them.
Orlla’s throat pulsed with fear when she opened her mouth to speak. “I know what you want, Brufus, and I am will
ing to trade it for the life of my friend.
“A friend, indeed!” Brufus gave a mocking laugh, his voice dripping scorn. He turned to Erdhan and waved a gauntleted glove at him in an amused fashion. “Methinks the lady doesn’t favor you quite as much as you led us to believe.”
Erdhan writhed beneath his bonds to no avail, his gag permitting him only a muffled grunt in response.
Brufus wheezed with laughter again before turning his attention back to Orlla. “You have rightly discerned the purpose of my unexpected visit. Where is the blessed dragon stone?”
“In my safekeeping,” Orlla replied, reaching down and lifting up the sack containing the granite stone from the Angladior mountains. “Release the Macobite and it is yours.”
A slow, condescending smile curled across Brufus’s face. He took a step toward Orlla, his voice dropping to a menacing level. “It strikes me that you are in a weak bargaining position to be dictating terms.”
Akolom stepped between them, raising himself up to his full sinewy height. “The dragons serve whomever is in possession of the stone, so our bargaining position is not as weak as you purport it to be. We will not hesitate to call down the light dragons to consume you and what is left of your men if you take another step in our direction.”
The smile slipped from Brufus’s face. He threw an uncertain look at the sack in Orlla’s hands. His voice grew testy. “I will release the prisoner after you prove to me you have the Opal of Light.”
Akolom tilted his chin knowingly in Orlla’s direction.
Heart pounding a dirge-like beat, she walked up to Brufus and held out the sack to him. “The veiling runes we have encased the dragon stone in render it invisible to the naked eye. You can reach inside and touch it with your fingers to confirm its presence.”
A tense silence followed. The soldiers shifted their feet, fingering the hilts of their swords as Brufus peered tentatively into the mouth of the sack, frowning in concentration. Slowly, he extended gloved fingers and slipped them inside, feeling all around the granite orb. “How do I know this isn’t a common rock rendered invisible? You Keepers practice the ancient art of runes. You could have applied such sorcery to any unexceptional stone.”
Orlla narrowed her eyes at him and thrust her hands skyward in dramatic fashion. “I am happy to call down the light dragons if you require additional proof.”
“No!” Brufus backed away, holding one gloved hand out in front of him, a wary glint in his eye. “That will not be necessary.”
He signaled over his shoulder to the guard standing over Erdhan. “Release the prisoner.”
A ripple of anticipation ran down Orlla’s spine as the guard loosened Erdhan’s bonds and removed the gag from his mouth. Their bluff had worked, at least momentarily. Now, they just had to make their escape. Erdhan tugged the rope over his wrists and tossed it at his feet before making a beeline for Orlla. His sorrowful blue eyes searched hers with an intensity that took her breath away. “Where’s Franz?” he hissed in a low and urgent tone.
She masked a flicker of disappointment that his first concern had not been for her, yet some part of her warmed more to him at witnessing how deeply he cared for his brother. “He’s safe. Samten is accompanying him to the camp at Wilefur.”
Erdhan’s features relaxed a little. “I’m sorry I led the soldiers right to you. I didn’t think they would follow Franz.”
Brufus held out his hand for the sack. “And now the dragon stone, as promised.”
“Not so fast.” Akolom gestured to their horses. “First, we mount up, and then you get the sack with the stone.”
Brufus made an odd clicking sound with his teeth, his expression hardening. A new edge underpinned his voice when he spoke. “Regrettably, I can’t allow both of you to ride out of here with the prisoner. I need someone at my disposal who is capable of wielding the runes to control the stone.” He ran a disparaging eye over Akolom. “No offense, old wise one, but I’d prefer a Keeper who isn’t knocking on death’s door.”
Before Akolom could respond, the pummeling of horses’ hooves on the hard-packed dirt road reached their ears. One of Brufus’s soldiers came racing over. “King Hamend and his men riding in, armed for battle!”
“Stay here and guard the prisoners!” Brufus barked. “On pain of death if one of them escapes.” He turned and shouted to the rest of his men. “Mount up. Hamend seeks to avenge our pillaging.”
The Pegonian soldiers leapt into their saddles and steered their prancing warhorses back out on the road, swords and crossbows at the ready as they fell into formation.
Through the trees, Orlla watched with mounting trepidation as Hamend and his army slowed to a halt a short distance from Brufus’s soldiers.
“What do you want with us, King Hamend of Macobin?” Brufus called out. “There is no war between us now.”
“That would ring true to my ears if you had only returned to Pegonia and left us in peace,” King Hamend roared back. “Instead, you razed one of my towns in your wake. Blood cries out for justice in the streets of Wilefur!”
Brufus moved his jaw back and forth as if calculating his next words. “An unfortunate misunderstanding. We sought only food and shelter from the townsfolk for a night. They attacked us and tried to steal our coin and horses. A vicious bunch, particularly the blacksmith, their ringleader.”
Erdhan growled a rough breath. The Pegonian guard raised his sword and directed it at his throat. Erdhan curled his hands into fists, his chest rising and falling with waves of barely repressed fury.
“You were never a welcome guest in Macobin, Brufus, even for one night,” Hamend snarled. “What you have done to my subjects must be avenged.”
In the pulsating seconds that followed, Orlla couldn’t be sure who let loose the first arrow. In an instant, the road was a seething mass of chain mail and bucking horses, and the air filled with the clang of metal on metal and the distressed whinnying of wounded animals.
“On your knees!” the guard yelled to them, throwing nervous glances at the battle waging out on the road.
Orlla studied him furtively, wondering if she would be able to dive and take his feet out from under him before he could drive his sword into her. Just when she had resolved to chance it, she detected a flicker of movement behind the guard. Khor! Her muscles tightened. He was conscious! She immediately dropped her gaze, not wanting to risk giving away anything in her expression, and sank obediently to her knees next to Akolom and Erdhan. She peeked up again in time to see Khor stagger to his feet and swing his sword at the guard. The man let out a guttural scream and toppled, clutching at air as he collided with the ground. He lay there shuddering for several seconds until Khor drove another blow through his stomach and put the man out of his misery.
Akolom and Orlla snatched up their baldrics and strapped their weapons back on.
“Make haste!” Akolom said, reaching for his horse’s reins. He turned to Khor. “Are you fit to ride?”
Khor grunted, gingerly peeling away the black Protector mask from his bloodied head. “Fit enough.”
Orlla stared curiously at the brown-eyed man with heavy brows and sallow skin, handsome despite the contusion on the side of his head that lent his face a lopsided appearance. She had never seen a Protector without his mask before, but it felt right—like the final barrier between them had been broken down. King Ferghell’s malignant legacy had no place among them anymore.
“Once we are safely out of here, I’ll apply a healing rune to that wound,” Akolom said, swinging himself into his saddle.
The others quickly mounted their steeds and galloped away from the highway and the fray of battle. Blood pounded a furious beat in Orlla’s ears as they rode. At any minute, she expected an arrow to bring her horse to its knees or take out one of her companions. Brufus needed her alive to control the stone—but she had no doubt he’d sacrifice anything or anyone else to get to her.
They galloped without slowing until they had left the sounds of battle far behin
d them. The soldiers were far too preoccupied with the ferocity of the fight at hand to realize their prisoners had fled and that the guard assigned to watch them was long since dead.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Orlla called to Erdhan who had assumed the lead.
He slowed to a trot and waited for the others to catch up with him so they could talk more easily. “We’ll have to avoid the road and take a longer, more convoluted path north to the sinking bogs to avoid detection.”
“Are you familiar with this route?” Akolom pressed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I can take us as far as the sinking bogs, but I’ve never passed through them.” Erdhan paused, before adding pensively. “Macobites fear the bogs.”
Khor threw him a sharp look. “Because of the mercenaries?”
Erdhan ploughed a hand through his hair. “And fugitives, mad mortals, and other undesirables, not to mention the fact that the bogs are inhospitable in every possible way. The weather there is more brutal than in Macobin.”
“And conditions may have worsened now that the Onyx of Darkness has been exposed,” Akolom mused. “But it matters not. We cannot turn back now.”
“How long before we reach the sinking bogs?” Orlla asked.
“Two days ride.” Erdhan flicked his reins. “If we don’t squander our time bemoaning the weather.”
By the time they made camp the first night, Orlla was so sore she could scarcely sit. She promptly fell asleep in front of the campfire before the quail that Khor had caught for their supper was fully cooked. Erdhan nudged her awake when it was ready and handed her a portion. She groaned at the delicious flavor, waking up when her body reminded her how hungry she was. “How’s your head, Khor?” she asked through a mouthful of food.
Onyx of Darkness: An epic dragon fantasy (The Keeper Chronicles Book 2) Page 4
