Vieri trailed back along the ridgeline for nearly an hour. Finally she reached her destination. The cliff top was the perfect location to access most of the plain below and the wind here was strong. No matter where the vessel’s camp lay on the southern bank, Vieri would easily reach it. The old man and his group would make it easy for her. Their campfires would tell her exactly where to go.
The Windrider crept down the broken slopes above the cliff and surveyed the windswept granite slab. There was still the girl’s comrade to think of, but Vieri was confident the Elves had only intended to scout the river this evening and not the cliffs above.
The Borz girl scrambled down the remainder of the rocky slope and slid to a halt just inside the trees at its base.
Cefiz started from slumber. The journey North had been strenuous and the Guardsman’s last memory was fighting sleep from his eyes.
The noise came from the slopes above. Keeping his movements to a minimum, Cefiz trained his eyes on the stunted pines. There in the dark shadows Cefiz barely discerned the familiar black figure. The assassin hugged a pine trunk and scanned the cliff top before her. The Guardsman held his breath. She wasn’t close enough yet. If he betrayed himself now, she would disappear.
Slowly the figure crept from the shadows and moved across the open space. With each step he watched her confidence grow. She craned her neck to see the floor of the plains below.
Cefiz smiled to himself. Her plan impressed with. This assassin felt so sure of herself. She knew her target. She guessed correctly that the riverside would remain unguarded. She removed Lilywynn. She held confidence that her task would be completed tonight. Cefiz knew otherwise.
The Windrider closed to within ten yards of the cliff’s edge when the Guardsman rose and stepped from his hiding spot. He trained the crossbow on her and she froze. Once again Cefiz smiled. He stood between the assassin and her usual method of escape. He let her get close, but only close enough so his crossbow was assured its target. For the Windrider to leap from this cliff she would feel the steel of his bolt in her chest first.
“That is far enough, Borz!” called Cefiz over the gusting wind. “The boy will not fall victim to your blade tonight!”
The assassin’s dark brown eyes bore into the lieutenant. Her entire body tensed. Slowly the eyes shifted from Cefiz to the cliff’s edge and back again.
“You are ten yards from the bolt I aim at your chest.” stated Cefiz calmly. “I can assure you that I am an excellent shot with this device. Your first step will be your last.”
The Windrider assessed her situation and accepted her fate. Her muscles relaxed and a slight smile played in her eyes. Slowly her left hand moved toward the top of her head. Cefiz raised the crossbow in warning. The Borz wrapped her fingers around the top of her silken hood and slowly pulled it from her head.
As the hood came free, her long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. Cefiz was taken aback by the beauty of something so sinister. The assassin lightly shook her hair from her eyes and laughed.
“You are a thorn to me, Guardsman.” said the assassin. “A thorn I cannot shake.”
“My wish is that all believers continue to be a thorn to you and your kind, assassin!” growled Cefiz.
“Believers!” scoffed the Windrider. “Is that what you call yourselves?! Believers in what? Death? Destruction?”
“Yes, destruction!” snapped Cefiz. “The destruction of what you and your master plan for this world! I have faith that one day we will overcome you.”
“Do not stamp your beliefs with the term ‘faith’, Guardsman!” shouted the assassin with fire in her eyes. “You degrade the idea! Do you honestly believe you are motivated by some twisted faith, or are your actions derived from fear, stupidity and greed? Will Amird the Deceiver reward you for your service with the riches of the spirit, or the riches of the flesh which you so desperately crave!?”
Cefiz remained stony faced, yet questions raced through his mind. What was she talking about? Amird? Who did the Windrider think he was? Was this a last desperate attempt to save herself?
“Don’t talk in riddles, woman!” shouted Cefiz. “You won’t march to Kel Izgra with the head of the boy tonight, or ever!”
“Now you talk in riddles, traitor!” accused the Windrider narrowing her eyes and standing tall. “I care not for your games! I’ve failed my people and accept my death. Do it now so I may be done with you and stare into the eyes of my Creator!”
Cefiz couldn’t hide his confusion. This proud creature spoke like a martyr of Avra. She defied him and challenged him to take her life. A servant of Amird carried no such belief in the afterlife. They greedily clung to this world thinking it all there was for them.
Cefiz heard a clatter up the slope behind the Windrider. His vision shot past the tree line and discerned the hulking shapes of Ulrog Hackles clambering down the rocky incline toward his position. The Windrider followed his stare and locked eyes on the Ulrog. She turned back to Cefiz and the Guardsman recognized shock and fear in her face. Once again her body tensed and she shifted her sight to the cliff’s edge. Cefiz clenched his teeth. His fate was sealed. He would not be able to escape the Ulrog and would find death here on the barren cliffs. However, he couldn’t allow their ally, the Windrider, to fly to the camp and kill Kael. He must finish the girl before the Ulrog finished him.
“I thought you proud, Windrider. I guessed you would desire the boy’s death for yourself and would not willingly share it with these foul beasts!” shouted Cefiz. “I must have guessed incorrectly.”
The Ulrog neared the bottom of the slope and moved slowly within the tree line. Cefiz braced himself for their attack but hesitated on killing the Windrider in cold blood. The confusion of their conversation nagged at him.
The attack never came. The Ulrog seemed befuddled by the scene they stumbled upon. Cefiz attempted to reason out their hesitation. Perhaps they realized the woman was the best opportunity to eliminate Kael this evening. They needed her and therefore exercised caution in order to prevent her death.
The Windrider continued to glance from Cefiz to the Ulrog. Fear built in her face.
Several Hackles reached the slope’s bottom and slipped between the pines some thirty yards behind the girl. Cefiz raised the crossbow higher.
“Remain within the tree line, Ulrog!” shouted the lieutenant. “I will kill your assassin if you advance. With her death you will lose the opportunity to reach the boy tonight.”
The Windrider’s eyes went wild.
“I tire of being played with, Zodrian!” snarled the woman. “If you hold any remnant of decency within you, finish me now and do not leave me in their hands!”
Cefiz was dumbstruck. The fear in the Borz woman’s face wasn’t directed at the crossbow before her, but at the stone men lurking in the shadows thirty yards behind. She anxiously looked in their direction then turned back to Cefiz with a plea in her eyes.
“I know you were once a man of exemplary training. It’s evident in the way you have carried yourself to this point.” cried the Windrider. “I beg you. Search for the honor your corps once instilled in your heart and give me the last bit that might reside there. My life is forfeit tonight no matter the outcome. Honor me and take my life with the crossbow so that I might not die at the hands of the beasts.”
Cefiz was wide eyed. What was happening? The Windrider thought him in league with the Ulrog! He quickly glanced to the beasts. More made the descent down the slope and crowded in amongst the trees. An unusually large Hackle covered in robes descended the slope and conferred with his subordinates. Did the girl truly believe Kael’s death was for the good of her people?
The Ulrog in the tree line cautiously moved forward. The Windrider’s eyes widened in alarm as the Ulrog slowly stalked in on her. She spun back to Cefiz, her body agitated. She would break for the cliff, he knew it. This woman truly preferred to die at the hands of Cefiz over the Ulrog. The Hackles closed to within ten yards of the girl. Cefiz leveled his crossbo
w.
Immediately the woman’s body relaxed and her eyes gained a peacefulness. Cefiz was convinced she prepared to die. The Guardsman slowly tugged on the trigger of the crossbow.
Clunk! Strum!
The Windrider slammed her eyes shut and gulped in air. Her entire body jumped as the bolt sprang from the crossbow and hummed through the air. The missile covered the distance between Cefiz and Vieri in a heartbeat. It passed over her shoulder and slammed into the head of the lead Hackle stalking forward from the trees behind.
A howl rose from the Hackles as the Windrider’s eyes sprang open and her body shook in terror.
“Come to me!” shouted Cefiz as he reloaded the crossbow.
She looked over her shoulder to see a Hackle topple forward, a crossbow bolt protruding from his head. The remainder of the pack scrambled to find cover behind rock and tree. The beasts roared and howled in anger. Cefiz reloaded and moved toward the protection of his original hiding place.
“Come to me!” he shouted once more as he steadied the crossbow across the top of the boulder with his right hand.
The Windrider awoke from her shock and rushed to the Zodrian. As she came within a yard of Cefiz, he lurched forward, produced a blade and deftly held it to her neck.
“Against the boulder!” he shouted, glancing back to the Ulrog position. “Keep your hands from the folds of your cape!”
The Windrider threw herself against the face of the boulder and held her hands high.
“Why do you seek the boy’s life!?” shouted Cefiz as he frantically glanced between the Ulrog and the Windrider.
The woman clenched her teeth and glared defiance.
“WHY?!” howled Cefiz pressing the blade closer.
“Because he is meant as a gift for Amird the Deceiver!” snarled the assassin. “He will act as a vessel so the demon might return to this world!”
Cefiz recoiled in shock.
How could this girl become so misguided? Cefiz looked to the Ulrog. They edged toward his position. Several Hackles slipped along the tree line and advanced from the East. Cefiz looked into the defiant eyes of the Windrider.
”If you believe what you say,” said Cefiz calmly. “Then I can only conclude that you and your people have been duped by the Master of Lies and his emissaries. I pray that you find the truth Windrider.”
A roar from the slope warned the Zodrian that the Hackles were being ordered forward. Cefiz sheathed his blade.
“You claimed your life forfeit this evening, but you were wrong.” continued Cefiz. “It is I who will forfeit his life on this bluff tonight. Your escape lies before you.”
The Guardsman waved an open hand in the direction of the cliff’s edge. The girl’s face fell and she stared at the Zodrian for a moment. Finally, she set her jaw, nodded lightly and turned toward the cliff. Before she left, Cefiz grabbed her arm.
“I give you your life and ask only that you spare the boy in return.” said Cefiz softly.
The Windrider looked over her shoulder at the gray haired Guardsman.
“I don’t understand what is going on here tonight, Guardsman. If you’re not in league with the Ulrog, why do you bring the boy to be delivered to the servants of Amird. Certainly he will use the boy as his vessel to reenter the world.” said Vieri shaking her head in dismay. “You give me my life tonight and sacrifice your own. I owe you a life debt. But my loyalty must remain with the house of my father. I pledge you this. I will not harm the boy for a fortnight. In that time another will have taken your place to guard him. Know that I will follow him wherever the Ulrog take him. His death sentence was passed down by Rada himself. May Avra judge you favorably when you meet him, Guardian.”
The Guardsman held her arm a moment longer then nodded his head slowly in agreement. Once she was released, the Windrider quickly retrieved the sturdy reeds from within her cape and affixed them along its edges. A crash from the slope caught Cefiz’ attention. As he turned back to the girl he glimpsed the great black wings unfold and disappear over the edge of the cliff.
A group of five Ulrog lumbered across the massive granite slab howling in rage at the Windrider’s escape and wielding their cleavers before them. Cefiz rose and leveled the crossbow at the lead Hackle. The lieutenant firmly squeezed the trigger and instantly dropped to one knee to reload the device, not waiting to view the results of his shot.
The lead Ulrog caught the bolt mid torso, slowed and stumbled to the ground. The pair behind him could not halt their progress and tumbled over their prostrate comrade. Cefiz rose once more and released bolt into the head of another Hackle. The remaining Ulrog halted and scrambled back to the tree line, roaring in anger. Quickly, Cefiz glanced to his right and spied a blur of movement as two Ulrog crept in from the East.
The boulder afforded Cefiz protection from arrow and spear, but it blocked his view of the entire battlefield. The Guardsman needed a clear field of fire. If he remained against the huge boulder the Ulrog would flank him and attack from both sides. The cliff sealed his fate by cutting off any escape, but it would also serve as protection for his rear. Cefiz reloaded the crossbow then slowly backed from the group of boulders toward the cliff’s edge.
The pair of Ulrog to his East halted, surprised by the Guardsman’s move into the open. Cefiz quickly turned, took aim and released a steel tipped bolt into their midst. A howl of agony rewarded the Guardsman and he dropped to a knee once more to reload the crossbow.
As he looked up, Cefiz saw two Hackles lying in a heap twenty yards in front of him. A pool of black, oily blood spread out in front of them. To his right, another lay splayed across the face of the cliff top. The remainder of the pack must have sought cover. The boulders now caused Cefiz concern. Had the pair that tripped over their mate found protection behind the huge rocks? Cefiz inched backward and he checked his distance to the cliff’s edge. The more space he put between himself and the boulders, the better his field of fire. The Guardsman thanked Avra for giving him the opportunity to take some of the beasts with him.
Kael glanced to the sky, a habit he adopted ever since their night at the Pedestal. The winds picked up and tore away the ragged clouds, exposing the camp to the piercing moonlight.
Ader and Teeg sat near the edge of the grove in hushed conversation. Granu paced several yards from the fire reading silently from an old, leather-bound text of scripture held close to his face. Eidyn sat opposite Kael staring blankly into the night.
Kael tossed a few twigs into the fire and watched the hungry flames consume the tinder in a burst of light. Suddenly, the Elf prince looked up and stared at Kael questioningly. Kael froze. Was that an animal call he heard faintly over the ever present sounds of the gusting wind and roaring river water? He waited.
It was slightly louder the second time and Eidyn jumped to his feet. Ader and Teeg halted their conversation and stared at the young men. Granu let his prayer book fall to his waist.
Kael stood and slowly moved North, pushing through the thickets. He approached the Frizgard River. The noise of the water and the rush of the wind nearly deafened the boy. He focused and picked the sound up once more. A howl of anger?
Kael searched both shorelines of the rushing river, then raised his sights to the cliffs above. Faint whispers of noise drifted from the heights carried by the gusting Northwest winds streaming across the cliff top.
“A battle rages above. I hear shouts.” came a voice just behind the boy’s shoulder.
Kael turned and looked into the face of Eidyn.
“Who?” questioned Kael.
“To the West!” shouted Granu as the giant rumbled past the pair and pointed to the cliffs above.
Kael narrowed his eyes and focused on a tiny black figure silhouetted in the light of the moon. It hesitated on the precipice for a moment then leapt into the void above the river. The figure plummeted for a moment then burst to twice its size as a pair of great black wings caught the mountain air and expanded around it.
“The Borz.” whispered Kael
.
Eidyn sprang from the boy’s side and sprinted to the camp. As the Elf prince crashed through the thicket, Ader and Teeg fought their way past him to the river’s edge. Kael moved next to Granu and the pair stared at the blackness slowly turning wide, slow circles three hundred yards above the churning Frizgard.
“What is she doing?” questioned Teeg.
“I don’t know.” replied Granu. “But the sounds of battle still fall from the cliff top.”
Eidyn immediately appeared at the giant’s side clutching his longbow.
“We will end this tonight.” growled the Elf prince.
Cefiz knew the end was near. The gusting wind carried the insults and demands the Ulrog priest hurled at his battle Hackles. He attempted to drive the pack toward the Guardsman. A small group followed the priest’s commands and now they huddled behind the broken boulders from which Cefiz retreated. They gave up on flanking the Zodrian. An advance from the East left them too vulnerable for too long. Instead, they methodically added to their numbers behind the boulders and Cefiz knew it was only a matter of time before they rushed his position. He looked to the small quiver on his belt and noted two bolts remaining.
The priest remained back in the tree line threatening his Hackles to move forward. Cefiz exercised patience with the crossbow, realizing the Ulrog would most likely attack after his next shot. He edged slightly backward only inches from the cliff’s edge, trying to get a line of sight on the hidden Ulrog.
Kael watched the dark figure circle on the air currents. The Windrider plunged toward the plains below then shift her wings and soared up above the cliff line. Eidyn notched his bow.
“When she descends again, I will bring her down.” snarled the Elf.
Kael remained puzzled. The assassin depended on secrecy in the past. Why was she making this display? Did she spy his group arrayed in the darkness along the river’ s edge?
The Pool And The Pedestal (Book 2) Page 25
