Near the center of the town was its largest inn: a stone building, and one of the few that had a second floor. That was where Shiun and Uzo had gone to search for Damaris. But Uzo turned away, leading them down a smaller side street towards the edge of town.
“She was not at the inn?” said Loren.
“No, though we wasted a fair amount of time searching there. It was only by chance that we saw two dark men passing through the town. They did not wear green cloaks, but they looked and moved like trained fighters. Mayhap they had been sent to fetch supplies for the next stretch of the journey. In any case, Shiun followed them to one of the finer houses on the edge of town. There we saw many more guards and some horses in the stables, and soon we spotted Damaris in one of the windows.”
“It is her, then,” said Loren. A thrill of excitement ran through her. Their long hunt that had now stretched across two kingdoms might finally be over.
But not yet. First they had to capture Damaris, and that would be no easy feat. The merchant traveled with several guards—hardly an army, but more than the paltry five of Loren’s party. And there was always the threat that Gregor had rejoined her.
Gregor. The bodyguard had not been in the stronghold of Yewamba. But if he had heard what happened there, Loren knew he would cross the sky and the darkness to be by Damaris’ side again. His devotion to her dwarfed even his massive size. He was a terrifying fighter, and Loren feared to face him even with all her friends at her back. If Gregor was here, Loren knew they might not all survive—if any of them did.
Uzo stopped them behind a cobbler’s shop, and he and Loren peered around the corner. Before them was a home that would have been modest in any of Underrealm’s great cities, but it looked like an opulent jewel here in Sidwan. Loren smirked to herself. Even when on the run, it seemed Damaris could not help her taste for finery. Two guards stood at the front door, and though they did not wear the family Yerrin’s colors, they had the right look.
“We saw her upstairs.”
Loren jumped. Shiun’s voice had come from nowhere, and now she crept up behind them. The woman was a scout beyond peer, and Loren still marveled at her ability to move silently, to see even the smallest sign of her quarry’s trail in the wilderness. Chet had grown up a hunter, and he had taught Loren the ways of tracking a beast in the woods, but Shiun’s knowledge eclipsed even his.
Gem’s face had paled. “You move more quietly than an Elf.”
“I doubt it, though I have not seen one,” said Shiun.
“Are you certain it was Damaris?” said Loren.
“No,” said Shiun. “I have never seen her, either. But she was a Yerrin woman in fine garb, and the others certainly seemed to obey her commands.”
“Very well,” said Loren. “We should take the house, and quickly.”
“One thing more,” said Shiun. “There is a man I have not seen before. He is large, and he wears more armor than the other guards.”
Loren shuddered. “Gregor.”
Shiun’s mouth twisted. “I thought it might be, from the description you gave.”
“He is only a man,” said Uzo. “Even a giant may be taken by surprise.”
“You do not know him,” said Loren. “We must be cautious. He is twice as vicious as he is large, and he will defend Damaris with his dying breath.”
“Then I will make him take that breath.” Uzo’s hand tightened on the haft of his spear.
Loren’s jaw clenched. “Kill only if you have no other choice. The more of them we capture, the more information we can gather about the High King’s enemies.”
Uzo rolled his eyes, but Shiun nodded and spoke for them both. “As you say, Nightblade.”
There was a long pause. After a moment, Shiun and Uzo glanced at each other, their brows raised. At last Uzo cleared his throat. “It might be best to secure the bottom floor first. That way we can watch to make sure she does not slip away.”
Of course. Loren was supposed to come up with the plan of attack and tell the rest of them what to do. In Feldemar, Niya had given orders when it came to fighting, and Loren was still unused to it. Her cheeks flamed, and she hoped they attributed it to the cold air.
“That seems wise,” she said. “Do not climb to the second floor until the first is in our hands. And Gem—you must run into town and summon the constables.”
“What?” said Gem. “But there are only two of them, and they hardly seemed to be trained fighters. They will be of little help.”
She fixed him with a hard look. “They represent the King’s law, and we will need them to restore order once the fighting is done.” She extended a hand to Uzo. He gave her his Mystic badge, and Loren placed it in Gem’s hand. “Give them this so that they know you are not some urchin boy.”
He folded his arms and pouted at his feet. “I am an urchin boy,” he muttered. But he turned and left them, slipping through the buildings back towards the town’s center.
Loren motioned the others off, and they spread out to attack the building from both sides. Loren approached the left corner of the manor with Chet close behind her. She drew one of the throwing daggers from her belt.
One of the guards was only a pace away. Loren leaped from her hiding place and brought the hilt of her dagger crashing down hard on the back of the woman’s head. The guard fell senseless to the ground. The other guard whirled, scrabbling for his sword. Before he could muster the wits to shout, Uzo pounced from behind. His arm wrapped around the guard’s throat, and he squeezed. The man’s eyes rolled back, and Uzo lowered him to the ground.
“Two taken care of, and easily,” said Chet.
“Do not gloat until it is done,” said Loren. “Fate despises the boastful.”
“The back door,” said Shiun. “Less chance of a heavy guard.”
Loren nodded. “Uzo, stay here to prevent escape through the front.”
The rest of them moved single file around the building. No guards were posted at the rear. Peeking in through a window, Loren saw a small sitting room with a fireplace. Two guards sat on chairs there, holding their hands out towards the flames.
She looked back at Shiun and Chet and held up two fingers. They nodded. Loren gripped the door’s latch and looked at the crack of the doorjamb. There was no lock or bar. She lifted the latch and threw the door open.
Both guards shot up from their chairs with a cry. One was a spindly woman, the other a stout man. Chet struck first, his quarterstaff cracking down on the spindly one’s shoulder. She grunted with the pain, but she managed to draw her sword before he swung again.
The stout man launched himself at Loren. She sidestepped his first swing, but it was no wild attack. These were disciplined soldiers. His reverse swing almost caught her arm, and she had to drop to her knee to avoid it.
Shiun leaped in to the fray, landing two quick punches at the man’s throat. He fell back, gasping. Loren took advantage, shooting up to kick him hard in the groin. He wheezed and fell. She kicked him full in the face, and he rolled over, unconscious. The two of them leaped in to help Chet, whose opponent was forcing him back with wild swings. In a moment Shiun had disarmed her, and soon she went down to a punishing strike of Chet’s quarterstaff.
They heard a commotion from the front of the house. Two guards burst into the back room, swords already drawn. They paused in shock for half a moment.
Shunk
The tip of a spear burst through one of the guards’ chests. She looked down at the spearhead, eyes wide. The other guard only had a moment to be surprised before Shiun leaped forwards and planted her short sword in his gut. Both of them sank to the ground, their last breaths gurgling. Behind them stood Uzo, a grim smile on his lips as he gripped his spear.
Loren glared at him. “That was not necessary.”
Uzo shrugged. “You said we needed to be fast.”
Shiun said nothing, wiping her sword clean on one of the guards’ cloaks. Loren shook her head and made for the stairs.
The staircase was sh
ort and open at the top, so she crept up carefully. There was little chance that anyone upstairs had missed the noise of all the fighting, but no one had come down. She hoped that meant there were no more warriors above. Mayhap Gregor was not here after all, but that seemed too fortunate to hope for.
She reached the top of the stairs. A large foyer stretched before her, and at the other end of it was a guard. There were no lamps lit here, and the windows cast him in a large silhouette.
Loren’s steps faltered, and her throat went dry with fear. But it lasted only a moment, and then her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The man before her was large, truly, and he carried a sword and shield. But it was not Gregor. He did not have the ice-grey eyes, and a thick beard covered his face. Though he still stood taller than any of Loren’s party, he was nowhere near the size of Gregor.
Relief washed through her just as suddenly as the fear had. It seemed the bodyguard had not yet found Damaris.
“Leave now,” said the man, “and you may live.”
Loren could not help herself. She snorted. “I have heard the same promise from foes far more dangerous. I have never taken them up on their offer, yet here I stand.”
He growled and stepped forwards. But there was a hiss, and an arrow planted itself in his thigh. He roared and fell to one knee. Glancing back, Loren saw that Shiun had taken her bow from her back and was already drawing another arrow.
Chet stepped forth. When the man tried to swing his longsword, Chet blocked it with his staff. Another strike knocked the blade from his hand, and then he cracked the butt of his staff right between the man’s eyes. His head snapped back, and he fell.
Uzo snickered. “‘Leave now and you may live.’ Honestly.”
Loren allowed herself to share a smile with him. She motioned them all forwards. “Come. It is almost over.”
The final door opened easily under her hand. Loren stepped through it into the master bedroom. And there she stopped.
A woman stood before her. But it was not Damaris. She wore clothes just as fine as the merchant, and there was something similar in the haughty tilt of her head. Mayhap she was another Yerrin. But Loren had never seen her before.
Loren growled in frustration. “A ruse. Darkness take that woman. She knew we would follow her here, and she set a false trail to lead us to this impostor.” She shook her head and gestured at the woman. “Capture her. She may still have information that can help.”
But the woman did not recoil in fear. Instead she smiled.
And then her eyes glowed black.
“Stop.”
Everyone in the room froze. Loren frowned, her eyes flicking to her friends. They stood rooted in place as though held by some unseen force. Uzo was even in mid-stride, but there he remained.
The woman spoke again. “Kill each other, but leave the Nightblade alive.”
Slowly, Chet, Uzo, and Shiun turned towards each other, raising their weapons.
Loren’s blood ran cold. The woman was a wizard, and she had eaten magestones—the black glow in her eyes said that much. But this was some magic Loren had never seen before, and her mentor, Jordel, had never told her of it.
But her dagger kept her safe. This wizard could not know of the weapon—an ancient tool of the Mystic mage hunters, and proof against all spells. It had saved her life from a mad wizard before, and it kept her from enchantment now.
She drew the dagger and leaped forwards. The Yerrin woman barely had an instant to look surprised before Loren brought the hilt crashing down on her temple. Her eyes rolled back, and she folded like parchment.
Loren whirled. Shiun had eschewed her bow in such close quarters and was attacking Uzo with her sword. Uzo managed to keep her at bay while also trying to strike Chet with his spear, but Chet was defending himself well with his staff—at least for now. Their movements were slow, sluggish, as though they fought to throw off the mental commands they had been given.
“Stop!” she cried. “The woman has no power over you.”
They acted as if they had not heard. The command had been planted, and they would not stop until they carried it out.
Loren leaped and took Chet in a flying tackle. She winced as his head cracked on the wall. Chet cried out, groping gingerly at the back of his head. Slowly his eyes focused on Loren.
“I … what happened?” he said.
“I do not know,” said Loren. “But stop the others!”
She leaped up and dashed at Uzo and Shiun. With Chet out of the way, they had turned their full attention on each other. Loren thrust herself in between both of them.
They both froze, weapons held high. The wizard had commanded them to leave the Nightblade alive, and now they could not attack each other without striking her.
Chet gripped Shiun from behind in a tight hold. Her sword arm dangled, useless. But her other hand came up, scrabbling for Chet’s eyes. She scratched his face, and he grimaced.
“Chet!” said Loren. She lunged, trying to pull Shiun’s hand away.
Uzo took advantage of her distraction to move around her, and slowly his spear came forwards, poking for Shiun’s gut. Then, from outside the room, Loren heard the pounding of footsteps making their way up the stairs.
More guards, she thought. Her heart sank. She and her friends could not fight their way out while two of them were determined to kill each other.
A voice came from outside. “Loren?”
Her pulse skipped. “Gem! In here!”
The boy burst into the bedroom. On his heels were two constables in red leather armor. Both of them huffed and wheezed mightily. It appeared they had run all the way here.
“Uzo and Shiun are enchanted!” she said. “Stop them, but do not hurt them badly!”
With the help of Gem and the constables, she and Chet managed to pry Shiun and Uzo apart. Then Loren remembered how Chet had come out of the enchantment. She went to Uzo and punched him full in the face—not as hard as she could, but hard enough. He recoiled from the blow—and then his eyes cleared. He rubbed at his jaw.
“What … did you hit me?”
Loren sighed with relief. “I did, and you will have to forgive me.”
She went to Shiun, who was still trying to fight off Chet and the other constable. Balling a fist one more time, Loren struck her. Shiun blinked hard as the enchantment passed away.
“You all were gripped by some spell,” said Loren. “It came from the wizard. I have never seen anything like it.”
“Mindwyrd.” Shiun spat on the floor. “A mentalist power, gained by eating magestones. It lets them control the will of others.”
Loren shuddered. “I am glad we rid you of it in time.”
Uzo gave Loren an odd look. “It did not seem to affect you.”
Loren kept her face carefully neutral. Jordel had often warned her against revealing her dagger to anyone. “It must have been a weak enchantment.”
“It was,” said Shiun. “Else we would not have been freed from it so easily. And her magic must have been weakened further by trying to control more than one person at a time.”
Uzo’s curious expression lightened, much to Loren’s relief, and he shook his head. “Sky save us from wizards. We should have brought a mage hunter.”
Loren had nearly forgotten about the constables, but now one of them stepped forwards—a large man with a drooping mustache. As he studied the prone Yerrin woman, confusion made his lips twist and jump, and the mustache shivered like a dying squirrel’s tail.
“I beg your pardon, but what exactly happened here?”
“Everyone in this house is a member of the family Yerrin,” said Loren. “They are criminals under the King’s law, and that one is an abomination.” She pointed at the wizard.
Both constables blinked at Loren before giving each other an odd look.
“An abomination?” said Loren. “An eater of magestones?”
They jumped and took an involuntary step away from the woman.
Loren sighed. “She is harmless
now. Blindfold her and bind her before she wakes. That will keep her from being able to use her magic. But do it quickly, and do not remove the blindfold for any reason. Do you have a jail here?”
“I … yes. Yes, my lady, and we will secure them right away.” The large constable motioned to his companion. “Fetch some helping hands from the village, and be quick.”
“I leave it in your capable hands,” said Loren. She beckoned to her friends, leading them down the stairs.
“Capable hands?” said Gem once they were out of earshot. “I do not know that I share your assessment.”
Loren frowned at him as she led them out behind the house. “We will remain here for a moment, at least until all the Yerrins are taken into custody.”
Chet shuddered. “That woman … her magic was terrifying. It was if my body was not my own.”
“Be thankful she was a weak wizard,” said Shiun. “Else it would have taken more than a simple knock on the head to remove her spell.”
Loren pursed her lips. “You know something of this … mindwyrd. Are you a mage hunter, then?”
Shiun shook her head with a wry smile. “No. But in my time in the Mystics, I have met many who are. Some of their secrets are not for others to know, but they loose some of the smaller details from time to time—if you get them drunk enough.”
“I am glad to know it,” said Loren. “There may be more dark wizards ahead in our future.”
“There are too many in our past, if you ask me,” muttered Gem.
Loren looked away from the house, over the snow-covered farmlands that ran to a forest in the south. A long breath escaped through her nose, and her hands formed fists before she managed to relax them.
Chet saw the movement, and he frowned. “Damaris was not here.”
“No,” said Loren. Did he think she did not know that?
“We will find her.”
Loren almost snapped at him, but she restrained herself just in time. “I need a moment.” She began to walk south.
Chet took a half-step forwards. “Where are you going? You should not be alone.”
Yerrin: A Book of Underrealm (The Nightblade Epic 6) Page 2
