"Maybe," Carson allowed. He shrugged. "We'll call it a draw then?"
"A draw," Alto agreed. "Now get some sleep. I don't know what tomorrow brings but with our luck, I'm sure it will be exciting."
"I believe you," Carson said as he put his equipment on his bed and then wadded up a blanket and lay down on the floor. He stuffed the blanket under his head and shifted a few times until he was comfortable.
Alto watched the strange man as he bedded down on the hard wooden floor. He unbuckled his belt with his sword and leaned it against the wall beside his bed. This time, Alto was ready for the slump he felt when he let go of his sword. He shook his head and stripped off his shirt before blowing out the lamp and lying down. His thoughts strayed to Patrina almost instantly and caused him to toss and turn. Carson was breathing heavily after a few minutes but Alto lay staring into the darkness.
She'd asked him to leave and he had, but it had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. Harder than jumping off the mountaintop and killing Sarya. Harder than fighting Beck after the evil knight had butchered his family. Harder than breaking it off with Aleena when she had been insistent that they were destined to be together. But Patrina had asked him and he had gone. She'd practically begged him to go. He thought back to the moment when she'd whispered, "Alto, please…"
Alto's eyes flew open. She said please; she hadn't said what the please was for. Was it please leave, or was it please touch me? Please take me? Please love me? Alto groaned and rolled over, shoving his face into the lumpy mattress.
Was it too late? Alto rolled back over and stared at the door beyond the foot of his bed. A long time had passed. He'd even dozed once or twice until he woke up with a fresh thought. They were thoughts he imagined, not things she'd said. But maybe if he went to her she'd understand. Maybe she still felt that way. Maybe she was having as hard a time sleeping as he was?
Alto heard a muffled noise through the wall. He turned and looked at it. Then he heard something again. Was it a gentle knock? Was she knocking on the wall, summoning him? He sat up and took a deep breath to quiet his nerves. He looked for his shirt in the dark but wasn't sure where it was. It didn't matter. If he was right and she really did want him, he wouldn't need it!
Alto stood up and took a step in the darkness. His toe jammed into Carson's side, waking him with a snort and causing Alto to stumble into the other bed. Carson rolled away and flailed about, trying to find his swords. He crashed into Alto and fell back down, and then lay on the floor, breathing hard.
"What's going on?" Carson asked. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Alto hissed. He straightened and got his bearings. "I'm going to the jakes," he said.
"Use the pot," Carson said.
Alto frowned and stammered, "Uh, no, you, uh, wouldn't like it if I did."
Carson chuckled. "Well then, thank you for thinking of me!"
"Yeah, uh, sure. Go back to sleep."
Carson grunted and lay back down while Alto moved to the door. He opened it and peered down the dimly lit hallway, and then stopped when he saw the two men coming down the hall from the stairs that led to the common room. They were moving fast and had dark clothes complete with the strange coils of scarves wrapped on their heads and around their faces. Kar had said they were called turbans and were used to block the sun and sand. He didn't know why they'd wear them at night, though.
Alto nodded and was about to step back out of their way when he heard something crash in Patrina's room. He whipped his head around towards her door and then heard the scuff of a man's foot against the ground. He spun back and saw both men running towards him, daggers in their hands.
"To arms!" Alto shouted as he stepped into the hallway and met the men racing towards him. He kicked the hand of the man on the left and fell back, grabbing him as he fell on top of him. The other man hesitated, unable to attack him cleanly.
Alto managed to grab the hand with the dagger and twisted back so that he was partly on top of the killer that attacked him. Alto drove his elbow into the man's neck and held it there, pinning him against the floor. He slammed his hand holding the dagger into the floor above his head until the knife fell free.
He felt a tug at his pants and then it was gone. He grunted and pushed again with his elbow and then felt something pop in the man's neck. He pushed himself back and turned to see Carson standing with a sword in each hand and the other killer lying in a spreading pool of blood on the floor.
"My sword!" Alto hissed.
Carson turned and grabbed it, and then tossed it to him. Alto grabbed it and was filled with energy that sharpened his mind. He stepped up to Patrina's door and smashed it open, only to drive it into someone on the other side. He heard a grunt and another crash but the door swung back towards him.
Alto pushed it open again, drawing his sword as he did so, and saw a man next to an overturned table with a dagger stuck in the hollow under his jaw. As the door opened all the way, he saw Patrina scrambling to her feet with her axe in hand and nothing else save for a loincloth.
"Alto!" she hissed.
"Trina!" He glanced around her room and then back at her. She was covering her breasts with her arm while her right hand still held her sword. Blood dripped from a scratch on her left arm. "I, uh, couldn't sleep. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. He's not," she said with a glance towards the man on the floor. "How are the others? Were you attacked too?"
"Patrina!" Carson gaped as he peered around Alto's broad shoulders.
Patrina's brow furrowed as she stepped to her right, using Alto to block the man's view of her. Alto sheathed his sword and then turned and pushed Carson back. "Check on the others," he said.
"But, um, I mean, is she okay?"
"Yes," Alto stated.
Carson nodded and smiled. "Okay, I'll check on the others."
"Good idea," Alto said without moving. He waited until Carson turned and went to the next door before he turned back and looked into Patrina's room. Her back was to him, and she was just slipping the shoulder straps of her armor back on. She finished tightening the clasps at her waist and the armor seemed to shift on its own until it fit her like a second skin.
Patrina turned and looked at him. "How is everyone?" She asked as though nothing had occurred.
"Uh, fine, I think. I stopped two more. Well, one of them. Carson got the other one."
"Did they break into your room?"
Alto shook his head. "No, I, uh, couldn't sleep so I was going to go for a walk."
"Is that my fault?" Patrina asked him.
Alto frowned. It was his fault, not hers. Even worse because he'd mistaken the noises he'd heard as her wanting him to come to her. Now he knew that she'd been fighting. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. She glanced at the dead man and then at the door behind him. She stepped closer and hugged him, holding him tightly to her. "I thought it was you at first," she whispered. "I was scared."
"Scared it was me?"
She nodded.
"But you told me to go." Alto was confused.
"But I wanted you to stay."
"I don't understand."
She backed away and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "I'm glad you don't, or he might have found us asleep and witless."
"I'm not a child, you know," Alto said with an edge of anger in his voice. "I know what a man and his wife do. I just don't understand you."
"Oh, Alto," Patrina said. "I love you so much. I can't wait to be with you, but I must be a maiden. That's my problem."
He nodded. "I know what's proper but look at Caitlyn. She's no maiden yet she was still fit to be a bride."
"Um, guys?" Carson asked from the doorway. "The owner of the inn is asking what's going on. There are a few dead people lying around. Shouldn't you show a little more concern?"
Patrina leaned over and met Carson's eyes. He glanced away, a blush evident even with his tan cheeks in the dim light. She put her mouth next to Alto's ear and whispered, "Later."
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Alto let Patrina slip past him and step into her boots. She knelt down and tied them while glancing at the two dead men in the hallway. She looked back at Alto, jarring him into action.
He stepped around her and hurried to his room. "Tell him what happened," Alto said.
Patrina looked at Carson first. "You're right, we should be more concerned. We've just seen a lot of troubles and a lot of battles. I guess we've grown calloused."
"I woke up when I heard someone come in my room," Patrina said. "I saw the knife in his hand and struggled with him. He cut my arm but it's nothing to worry about."
"Not compared to where you cut him," Carson added.
Patrina smiled and nodded.
"What happened?" Karthor asked as he and his father asked from the hallway.
"And you didn't wake us up for the fun?" Mordrim added from farther down the hall.
Alto called out from his room. "We don't know the why of it, just that Patrina was attacked and we came to her defense. See if you can find out who they are."
Carson nodded and turned away. Before he could make his way into the hallway, Kar spoke up. "I'll take care of the innkeeper."
Carson stopped and glanced down at the dead men. He shrugged and knelt down and then began to go through their belongings. Alto slipped his shirt and boots on, and then pushed past the crowd in the hallway. Patrina hurried after him and caught up as he made it down to the second level. On the first level, she tripped on her boot as she tried to walk beside him but she caught herself on his arm.
"What's this nonsense? It's late and my guests shouldn't be disturbed," he growled as they approached. "Trouble's not welcome here. I run a clean and safe inn."
Patrina still clutched Alto's arm, though her grip softened. "We didn't bring trouble here," Alto said as he looked at Kar. The wizard shrugged and glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on the empty bowls stacked on the bar.
"People don't just try to kill people in my inn!" the innkeeper seethed.
"Relax," Alto said. "And I won't take offense to you letting thugs from the streets in."
"Alto!"
Alto turned and saw Mordrim and Karthor rushing across the room towards them from the staircase. The dwarf held a ring in his hands. "Look at this!"
The innkeeper saw it and his eyes widened. He backed away a step. "You need to leave. Now. I'll give you back your money."
"What is it?" Alto asked, sparing only a glance for the owner of the inn.
"This man's reaction confirms it. I've never seen one, but I heard about them. These rings are worn by Stalkers, the assassins of Shazamir," Mordrim said.
Alto shrugged. "Not so dangerous. We killed them."
The innkeeper shook his head. "You fool! There are many. They won't stop once they take a contract. They always get their target. And anybody foolish enough to help them! You must leave!"
"Aye, to the boat," Mordrim said. "We can defend it and deal with this during the day."
Alto shook his head. "No, there was only one man who knew I was back here."
"Anyone who looked at you knew you were back," Patrina reminded him. She paused to yawn and then shook her head. "We haven't been hiding."
Alto acknowledged her correction with a dip of his head. "Yes, but he was the only one who would have the resources to do this."
Patrina yawned into her shoulder and then lowered her axe to the ground so she could use it as a support. With a voice slurred with fatigue, she said, "Alto, they came after me, not you. Why would Sulim want me d—"
Alto grabbed Patrina as she slumped beside him. He was able to slow her fall but she ended up crumpled on the floor beside him. "Patrina!" Alto cried out. He reached for her head and turned her face. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted. Her chest rose and fell in her armor but she was fast asleep.
"Give me some room," Karthor said as he knelt at her other side.
Alto rose up and turned to glare at the innkeeper. "Hold him," he snapped.
Mordrim moved past him, his hammer in his hands even though the dwarf wore only his nightclothes. He backed the wide-eyed innkeeper into the corner and kept him there, raising his hammer whenever the man even glanced in the wrong direction.
"Her wound is poisoned," Karthor said when he looked at the scratch on her arm. It was red and inflamed.
"Can you heal her?" Alto asked.
Karthor nodded. "Some, but without an antidote to cure her, she will suffer."
"Do it!"
The priest nodded and grabbed his holy symbol that hung from his neck. He removed the radiant sun emblem and began to chant. With each passing verse, a brighter light grew from the pendant until it seemed he held a miniature sun in his hands. He pressed the glowing icon against her forehead, her lips, and finally her chest over her heart. Patrina shuddered and relaxed, breathing deeper and easier.
"I've done all I can," the priest said. "A virulent poison. I only held it at bay. We have to find out what it is."
"Stalker poison," the innkeeper said. "They've got several and most have no cure. This is the sleeper. It's their kindest one. She'll never wake up again. Death will come to her. Let her go and maybe you can save yourselves."
Mordrim slammed his hammer into the ground between the man's feet, making him jump with fright. Alto stormed over to him and grabbed him by the shirt, twisting it up in his fist. "You let these men in?"
"No! They can pick any lock, hide in any shadow. They're like ghosts!" he stammered.
Alto's hand was trembling. He clenched and unclenched his fist and then let it go. "It's the Order," he said.
"How can you be sure?" Kar asked.
"Beck promised me they would take everyone I care about from me," Alto said.
"Lady Patrina's going to be okay," Mordrim insisted.
Karthor glanced at the dwarf and then up to Alto. He nodded. "I can keep her like this until we find a cure, but I suggest we hurry."
Alto turned on the wizard as Carson and Garrick came down the stairs and then stopped and stared. "Kar, the wizards. Would any of them know what this is?"
"What happened?" Garrick asked.
Kar ignored the barbarian's question and answered Alto. "Perhaps, but I cannot say. Few would, and even few of those would be the men who would speak with me. Their fear of the Stalkers might make them even less likely to help me."
"They're wizards!" Alto fumed. "What fear do they have of thieves?"
"The Stalkers aren't mere thieves," Kar said. "They number wizards and witches among their ranks. Even some priests of dark saints. Some say they have demons among them."
Alto sneered. "I will brave the greatest demon Hell has to offer."
"Yes, I think you would," Kar said. "I will ask, but do not hold out much hope."
"Then how are we to find it?" Mordrim demanded.
Alto turned and stared at them, letting his eyes catch each of his companions. "Thork. Thork will know."
"How will you find him?" Karthor asked.
Alto frowned and looked around, hoping for inspiration. The last time he'd gone looking for Thork, it had taken him over a month and had still practically been a fluke. He couldn't get away with butchering people in Shazamir in the hopes of scaring them enough to draw the troll. "I don't know. His note said he was coming south, though. Perhaps he knew we'd be here soon?"
Kar shook his head and turned to look down on Patrina. "Do you have the dagger still?"
"I have it." Carson stepped forward and produced the dagger that Patrina had driven up into the assassin's brain.
Kar scowled. "You wiped it clean?"
"It was dirty." Carson shrugged. "Sorry."
"Worthless," he said before turning away.
"Stay together, everyone," Alto said. "We'll take Patrina to the boat for now, but then don't venture anywhere in the city by yourself."
"What about Namitus?" Carson asked.
"Namitus will be able to find us," Alto said. "He knows this city better than any of us."
Kar looked at Alto through lidded eyes. "You have a plan?"
"It's not a plan, it's a list," Alto said. "A list of men I'm going to kill until I get the answers I need."
Chapter 8
Aleena watched a mountain fox stop and sniff the trail that led to their camp. The silver and red fur blended into his dark surroundings in the pre-dawn hours. She wouldn't have noticed him at all if he hadn't moved and pawed at a fallen tree, searching for something to eat.
The sky had lightened as it neared the horizon in the east. The mountains would keep her from seeing direct sunlight for hours yet but she knew Celos would want to be roused soon. She fantasized of a few different ways she could wake him, from cold water to a boot in the side. Another thought came to her, one that made her gasp in surprise. She could wake him with a kiss.
Aleena shook her head and turned away. The fox started and crouched low while his ears perked up. He looked around and sniffed the air, and then stared past Aleena along the trail they were on to the ridge ahead of him. A moment later, the fox turned and raced away, kicking up fallen pine needles with his haste.
Aleena watched the fox go and frowned. Had she made that much noise? She'd learned to remain as still as possible in her armor to keep the noise it made from traveling to a minimum.
"Well, what's this?"
Aleena twisted, all thoughts of stealth gone. She lurched to her feet and reached for her sword, her training making her react even though her mind was fogged with boredom. She saw a man wearing dark leather walking a brown horse that climbed over the ridge on the path. He stared at her as he walked but kept his hands clear of the sword at his side and the bow on his back.
"Who are you?" Aleena demanded, speaking loud enough to wake Celos.
"Who am I? Who are you?"
Aleena stiffened. "Dame Aleena, Paladin of Leander."
The man stopped. "I remember you," he said. "Thought you was a squire?"
"I don't remember you," Aleena said.
"Why would you? I was just a man at Highpeak, nobody special."
Celos climbed to his feet from where he'd been sleeping and grabbed up his sword. He clipped his scabbard on his belt and walked over to see what was going on.
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