Dist came back as the guards reached the top of the stair. “Jump!” Surnal shouted.
Dist vaulted over the merlons and landed dead center in the cart bed. Nerris followed and jumped as carefully as he could, trying to minimize the impact of landing for Len-Ahl’s sake. Dist and Surnal caught his arms as he landed in the cart, bracing him so he did not fall.
“I found you a bow,” Jhareth told Dist. “It’s somewhere back there.”
Dist dug through the hay, unearthing a short bow and quiver as Jhareth snapped the reins. Their mounts took off for the gate, but the guards were wise to them. They began to lower the portcullis, but Dist nocked an arrow and drew back on the bowstring. It twanged as he released, and the man operating the winch keeled over as he suddenly sprouted feathers.
Jhareth whooped with joy as their cart approached the gate. Dist got another guard on the wall with an arrow, and they were through, careening down the streets of Palehorse. Arrows hit the ground around them and one even embedded itself in one of the cart’s wooden posts, but they soon passed out of the sentries’ range.
“Slow down,” Nerris told Jhareth. “Let’s not give the City Watch reason to come after us too.”
Jhareth grunted in assent and pulled back on the reins. Finally, Nerris handed Len-Ahl off to Surnal. “What happened?” the Nateus asked.
“Qabala took a knovim to her,” Nerris said. Now that they were out of immediate danger, he had a moment to fully contemplate what had befallen this innocent girl, and he had difficulty keeping his voice from cracking. “She’s lost a lot of blood, Surnal. Can you help her?”
“Without my staff and my herbs and roots, I can only do so much,” he said. “Much of my magic depends on materials from the earth, just as Len-Ahl’s music depends on the wind. I promise you, I’ll do everything I can.”
Nerris nodded, too choked up to speak. They lay Len-Ahl on her stomach as Dist pitched some of the hay over the side to give them more room.
“Where did you get this thing?” Dist asked Jhareth.
“The stables,” Jhareth said. “It’s lucky you showed up when you did. The entire palace guard was heading toward the dungeon. A few more minutes and you would never have gotten out.” He looked back at them. “Did you get the medallion?”
Nerris took Jinn’s medallion out of his tunic and showed Jhareth before putting it away again. “Now what?”
“We head southwest toward Lesta,” Surnal said. “Hopefully I can gather materials in the forest to ease Len-Ahl’s suffering and stop her bleeding, but she won’t be able to truly heal until we find a safe haven.”
They wound their way through Palehorse, keeping off the main roads. Surnal unwrapped Len-Ahl’s bleeding back and put his hands over her, muttering in the Xenean language as they cantered along. His hands glowed, and her bleeding seemed to slow, though it was hard to tell. Judging by the way Surnal sweated as he worked, even doing that much cost him a great deal of effort without his instruments.
Jhareth came to a halt as they entered the square inside the south gate. As they assessed the situation, Nerris noted the city guard was checking any person or cart which wished to go through.
“Looks like word from the palace has reached the city guard after all,” Dist said.
“Hang onto something,” Jhareth said.
“What are you—”
Jhareth snapped the reins and their mounts charged ahead, emitting shrill neighs. Dist fell to the floor of the cart bed as Nerris wrapped his arm around one of the posts. Even with all the jostling, he still managed to see the surprised faces of the guards as their cart came bearing down on them.
A man with a pack mule who had been in the middle of his inspection dove out of the way as they tore through the gate. The guards didn’t even have a chance to order the portcullis lowered this time. As they tore down the southwest road, more arrows rained down around them, getting stuck on their cart.
“Here we go again,” Dist muttered as he ducked down.
“I hope these horses are fast,” Nerris said. “After that stunt, the sabres are going to be on us in minutes.”
Jhareth grinned back at him. “You know I have an eye for good horses, Nerris. How’s Len-Ahl doing?”
Surnal sighed. “I think I can stop the bleeding once I have the proper materials, but she has already lost so much. I’ll be honest, Nerris, if we can’t stanch the lacerations and get her to a more comfortable spot soon, Len-Ahl is going to die.”
“But you can heal her, right?” Nerris asked.
“Absolutely, though she will be bedridden for a while.”
Nerris breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. To the west, mountains rose in the horizon, hazy and beautiful. To the south, Nerris could see the forest Surnal had been referring to. Once they were within the trees, only the road would be open to them while they were in this cart, and with Len-Ahl incapacitated, they had no choice but to stay there.
Dist had apparently had the same thought. “How soon until your friends can find us?” he asked Surnal.
“It’s hard to tell,” he said. “I don’t know how far away they are, and I have no way to signal them.”
“We can’t count on their help,” Nerris said. “If soldiers come after us, we’ll have to defend ourselves.”
They entered the forest, and their path became even more narrow. The road cut straight through a vast ravine, making evasion impossible while in their cart. Surnal tore pieces of his sleeve away, using them to wipe the blood from Len-Ahl’s back so he could see the source cuts better. Jhareth slowed down to rest the horses, but their respite was short lived.
A short time after entering the ravine, two horsemen galloped into view at their rear. Upon spotting them, they drew their sabers with a shout of triumph.
Jhareth snapped the reins more frantically, picking up their speed. “Any chance of taking an alternate route?” he asked Surnal.
“The road is like this all the way to Lesta,” he said. “All forests and mountains and ravines.”
“Just keep driving,” Dist told him. “Me and Nerris will handle these whoresons.”
Nerris nodded and moved to the right side of the cart, while Dist took the left. The first sabre thundered up to Dist’s side, his mount’s hooves kicking up dirt. Before he could even reach them, Dist sent an arrow into his chest and the rider tumbled from his saddle with a surprised cry.
The second rider came up on Nerris, challenging him with his saber. Nerris twirled Noruken in response and their blades clashed. It felt good to have the katana in his hand again. He ducked a swipe from the rider, then blocked his wrist as he slashed back at him. Nerris turned and cut clean through the man’s arm with Noruken. The rider cried out in terrible pain, looking upon his bloody stump. His horse slowed, and they soon left him behind.
“Only two?” Dist asked.
“Young men,” Nerris said. “Overeager. Here come some more.”
Five more riders rounded the corner they had just passed and closed the gap fast. Dist nocked another arrow, aimed, and loosed in one fluid motion. It caught his target in the shoulder and the man recoiled in response, losing his balance. He fell from the saddle right into the legs of the mount of the man next to him. The horse tripped and tumbled headlong to the ground, throwing its rider to a like fate.
“Nice shot,” Nerris said.
“Actually, I was aiming for the horse,” Dist said. “If someone could keep from hitting every bump in the road, I might be more accurate.”
“Do you want to steer this thing?” Jhareth asked.
An arrow whistled past them, causing them all to shy away. “Watch it, one of them is an archer,” Nerris said.
The horse archer hung back as Dist took aim at him. The other man sped up to reach Nerris, taking him by surprise. Nerris flinched back from the man’s saber, but took a cut under his shirt. His torso warmed as blood seeped out, and Nerris turned his full focus to the rider. He did not even bother to block the man’s next stroke and inst
ead caught his arm and wrenched down on it. The rider dropped his saber with a cry and Nerris slammed Noruken’s hilt into his face. Nerris shouldered into the man to send him careening off his mount and down a steep ledge, kicking up the brush in all directions.
“Remind me never to make you angry,” Dist said, grabbing Nerris’s tunic to keep him from going over the side. “Are you all right?”
“He only grazed me.” Nerris put his hand to his chest, where blood seeped through his garments. “Think you can get that archer?”
“Of course.”
Dist grabbed the quiver and stood. At that moment, the cart shuddered, sending everyone tumbling. The quiver flew from Dist’s hand and landed on the road.
“Sorry,” Jhareth called.
“You idiot!” Dist fumed.
“What do you want me to do? I can’t dodge every rock on the road at this speed!”
The horse archer galloped alongside them, staying out of Nerris’s reach. Instead, he went past him and rode parallel to Jhareth. He drew another arrow as Jhareth stood.
“Take the reins!” he shouted.
Nerris dove forward and managed to grab the reins as Jhareth launched himself at the rider. He landed in the saddle behind the startled archer, drawing a knife. He plunged it into the man’s ribcage and shoved him from his horse. The nimble thief pushed off the horse’s back and into the saddle, snapping the reins harshly. Once he caught up with them, Jhareth swung his leg over and stepped off into the driver’s seat of the cart, taking the reins back from Nerris as if he had never left.
“No matter how many times I see you do that, it never ceases to amaze me,” Nerris said.
“Thank you,” Jhareth said. “I’ve been stuck in a dungeon so long I’ve forgotten how good it feels to have the ego fed.”
They waited a few minutes, but no more riders appeared behind them. “Did we lose them?” Dist asked.
“I doubt it,” Nerris said. “That was most likely a vanguard. If they’re sending this many men, they know by now that it’s us who escaped the city.”
Dist looked back down the road, and his eyes went wide. “Get down!”
They hit the floor as a stream of arrows thunked into the cart. Surnal cried out, and Nerris saw a shaft sticking out of his leg. He moved to help the Nateus.
“It’s all right,” Surnal said, waving him off. “Help Dist.”
Behind them, a detachment of horsemen were bearing down fast. Dist had resorted to pulling arrows out of the cart and shooting them back at their pursuers. However, these men were keeping a safe distance, and only one of Dist’s missiles found a home.
Jhareth swore. “They saw what we did to the others and now they’re going to wait for our horses to tire. They know we can’t go anywhere.”
Nerris grunted, looking at the rocky terrain around them. “We’re going to have to make a stand.”
“If we do that, we’re dead,” Dist said.
“That’s not important right now,” Nerris said. “What is important is that Len-Ahl survives and finds the Elemental Stone. The world depends on it.”
Dist’s look was stricken, but his nod was determined. “I’m with you.”
“Surnal, if we give you some time can you keep Len-Ahl safe until your people find you?”
“I can try,” Surnal said, glancing at the arrow in his leg. “What about you, Nerris?”
Nerris shrugged. “I’m just the Catalyst. I swore to protect Len-Ahl, and that’s all I can do now. Our chances for success are small, I know, but we don’t have a choice.”
“There.” Jhareth pointed to a small outcropping of rock and directed the horses toward it. The reins snapped relentlessly as he gathered speed and left Qabala’s sabres behind. They came to a stop at a sheer rock face, and Jhareth drew two knives.
“I had to leave my favorite knives at the palace,” he said. “I took these off of some guards. They’re not the best steel, but they’re yours, Nerris. I’m with you.”
Nerris put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, my friend.”
Surnal stumbled out of the cart and Dist helped place Len-Ahl in his arms. “What will you do?”
“I may not have the instruments of my magic, but I know a few tricks,” Surnal said. “I am the Nateus of the Earth Clerics, you know.”
“You need medical attention yourself as soon as possible,” Nerris said. He took Jinn’s medallion from his tunic and put it inside of Surnal’s own tattered garb.
Surnal nodded. “We’ll hide until it’s over. After that, I’ll have to rely on my own savvy to get me to Lesta.”
He limped to the rock face, still holding Len-Ahl. The Nateus closed his eyes and began chanting in Xenean. The rocks around him rumbled and scraped together. After a few moments, they broke open, leaving just enough room for two people to hide within. Surnal stepped inside the fissure with Len-Ahl, and the rock closed in around him.
Jhareth whistled. “That’s some trick.”
Satisfied they were well hidden, Nerris turned back toward the road as the riders came within sight. Others had joined them, making the force perhaps two score. A man in full plate led them. Nerris recognized the armor of Dume Quin and held his breath. Perhaps there was hope yet.
Dume Quin’s men formed up in front of them, and archers moved to the sides to prevent any attempt of escape. Nerris held up a hand and slowly approached his old comrade. “Quin!”
Quin put a hand up to stay his forces and lifted his visor. “Nerris. So it was you who escaped. I thought I was chasing stories until I saw what you did to my advance guard.”
“Qabala is out of control,” Nerris said. “Surely you can see that. It doesn’t have to end like this. Len-Ahl is beyond her reach now.”
Quin smiled. “No doubt she and that woodwitch are hiding somewhere. It’s over, Nerris. Even if you three somehow manage to cut through all of us, more will come and we will find the girl. Give her up now and we will spare your lives.”
“Why do they always say that?” Jhareth complained. “They know we know they’re lying.”
Nerris shook his head. “Qabala will fall, Quin. You’re a reasonable man. You’ve seen how she behaves in her position.”
“She behaves that way because you spurn her,” Quin said. “Why, Nerris? Come back to her and help make this country great again.”
“The rot began when she absorbed the Doom Rock,” Nerris said. “You witnessed it, same as I. Yagolhan can only be great again when she and her Tattered Man are gone for good.”
Quin shook his head. “Everything I am I owe to my Eternal. I will follow my orders.”
Nerris let his breath out. Quin had always been stubborn, and he could see there was no turning him. He raised Noruken as Dist and Jhareth prepared for battle beside him.
Quin cast them a regretful glance. “So be it, then. You’re a fine warrior, Nerris, one of the best I have ever witnessed. I hate to do this.”
“I hate to be done,” Nerris said. “Thrillseekers!” he called to his friends. “Battle on!”
Dist and Jhareth cried out and charged, with Nerris leading the way. The archers at the edge of Quin’s force took aim, but some foreign arrows suddenly thunked into the ground next to them. Their horses shied away as more arrows sailed into the Dume-General’s men. Some found their marks and the sabres shouted in surprise as their comrades were picked off.
Nerris, Dist and Jhareth stopped in their tracks as a torrent of arrows sailed over them to fall amongst the horsemen. Many fell with multiple shafts protruding from their hauberks.
Another force of men rushed out of the trees to the east. They were dressed in leather painted to look like the colors of the forest, and brandished swords and clubs. They fell into the group of riders, hacking and slashing at the startled horses. The sabres began to fight back, but Dume Quin was a practical man to the bone and saw they were outnumbered.
“Fall back!” he ordered as an arrow bounced off his plate.
After sharing a relieved look with Ne
rris, Quin shut his visor and wheeled his mount around, galloping back up the road. Many of his men followed him, while their rescuers cut down the few who remained.
Nerris looked at these men and estimated their force to be four times that of the Dume-General. One of the foresters approached Nerris, Dist and Jhareth. He was a thick-bodied man with short, brown hair, and held up one hand in a peace gesture.
“Well met, Nerris Palada,” he said. Nerris lowered Noruken as Dist and Jhareth relaxed beside him.
“Are you Surnal’s friends we’ve been hearing so much about?” Jhareth asked.
“That we are,” the forester said. “I am Captain Kerin, officer of Prince Lahnel Y’Ghan, the true King of Yagolhan.” He looked around. “Where is the Nateus?”
The rocks hiding Surnal and Len-Ahl opened once more, and Surnal emerged. “Kerin!”
“By Yala’s sharp teat,” the captain said, observing the prone and bloody Len-Ahl. “What have we here?”
“This is Len-Ahl,” Surnal said. “The Stonechaser.”
Kerin gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Captain Kerin, it is imperative we reach Lesta as soon as possible,” Nerris said. “Len-Ahl’s life hangs by a thread until Surnal can properly heal her.”
Kerin nodded. “Of course. Surnal mentioned he would have the Stonechaser when he set up his capture, but I never imagined...” He shook his head and called for his attendant. He issued a few orders, and gestured to the Thrillseekers. “The hospitality of Prince Lahnel is offered to you, Thrillseekers. I set out with over fifty men to collect Surnal once he escaped, but those opposed to the rule of Qabala have swelled our ranks to over a hundred. My men will discourage any pursuit while you make your way to Lesta.”
“Whew,” Jhareth said, shaking his head. “I thought we were done for sure.”
“We must leave quickly,” Surnal said. “More men will no doubt be upon us once the Dume-General regroups.”
“Right.” Kerin cupped his hands. “Listen up! The battle we were sent to fight is upon us! Our only purpose is to keep this cart safe! I don’t want anybody wearing the sash of a sabre to come within ten leagues of these five people! Any man who dies better get up and keep fighting, or I’ll send you to Hell myself! Now move!”
Secrets of the Stonechaser (The Law of Eight Book 1) Page 32
