Lord of the White Hell book Two lotwh-2 (30 page)

The clash of blades rang out as one of the bishop's men swung his sword and Elezar parried the blow and then struck back with such force that the other man tumbled from his horse. Kiram glimpsed Elezar's expression then. He looked terrified. Following his glance, Kiram saw why.

The man pursuing Nestor was almost on top of him and Nestor didn't even know it. Elezar rode for his brother, but Ki- ram could see that he wouldn't arrive before the soldier's naked blade drove through Nestor's back.

Kiram's heart felt like it was ripping apart in his chest. Fury and frustration at his own helplessness coursed through him. And then Kiram realized that there was something he could do, must do. The thought terrified him-but not so much as watching his friend die.

He urged Verano ahead and gave him free rein, trusting the horse's training and instincts. In a quick shrug he swung his bow from his shoulder and drew an arrow. Kiram concentrated on the man riding down on Nestor as if he were just another of so many targets Kiram had struck. The chaos of the street, Elezar's wild howls of rage, even his own pounding heartbeat seemed to fade.

He released the arrow. It punched through the man's neck. The rider jerked. Then his sword dropped from his hand and he fell beneath his own horse. Only as the horse whinnied and veered to the side did Nestor see it. His face was ashen as he peered through his gold spectacles.

Kiram met Elezar's gaze for just an instant and Elezar nodded to him. Then Elezar closed the distance between himself and his brother. Kiram concentrated on the men pursuing Javier.

Kiram had eleven arrows left and ahead of him rode eight men. No, eight targets. He couldn't think of them as men with faces and families. They were things, things that would kill Javier if they weren't stopped.

Kiram shot two men down before a third turned back from his pursuit of Javier. When the solider laid eyes on Kiram and saw the bow in his hand, his wary expression turned to rage and he charged. Kiram loosed an arrow. But he missed the exposed gap at the man's throat and instead his arrow punched into the thick leather protecting the man's chest. The strike only seemed to enrage the soldier more.

"Haldiim coward!" the soldier screamed. He was close enough that Kiram could see his pale face clearly. Kiram fired a second arrow and this time it drove deep into the soldier's mount, burying up to the fletching in the animal's unprotected leg. The horse fell, throwing its rider like a rag doll into the flagstones of the street. The soldier didn't move again, though the horse struggled piteously to rise.

Kiram felt sick but raced on. The street curved and as Kiram rode past abandoned carriages and overturned flower carts, he saw the bloody bodies of two more of the bishop's men. Just ahead of him, the bishop's three remaining men closed in on Javier.

Javier wheeled Lunaluz around and met the nearest of the soldiers head on. Their blades crashed and rang as they passed and circled each other. Then the other two soldiers attacked Javier's back.

Kiram screamed a warning but still one of the soldiers landed a blow across Javier's shoulder. Kiram buried a black arrow in the man's skull. The remaining two soldiers were already on Javier and he parried their blows with a blinding speed. But Kiram saw Javier's blood spill across Lunaluz's white hide.

The combat was too close for Kiram to dare release another arrow. He raced to reach Javier's side.

Javier swore in Cadeleonian and Haldiim. Lunaluz reared back, striking at the other horses. Then Javier plunged his sword into one of the soldier's chests. The man rocked back and toppled from his saddle. Javier spun his blade back, parrying a blow from his one remaining attacker. The soldier thrust for Javier's thigh but Javier moved faster, driving his sword up through the man's leather armor and severing his neck.

The soldier's head struck the ground a moment before his body. The flagstones of the street were slick and red with blood.

When Kiram reached Javier's side he could see that Javier had received at least two deep slashes, one across his right shoulder and another just above his left knee.

"I'm fine," Javier said before Kiram could ask.

"Their swords were poisoned."

"That would explain the familiar tingling." Javier flashed a hard smile, all teeth and bravado. "Honestly, I'm beginning to find muerate poison a little passe."

"I'm serious."

"I know. But let's not frighten the children. We've still got a city gate to get past." Javier pointed and Kiram turned back to see Elezar and Nestor round the corner. All semblance of gold dust was long gone from their faces and Elezar's coat front was spattered with blood, though as far as Kiram could see he looked unhurt. They drew to a halt beside Kiram and Javier.

"How bad?" Elezar asked, taking in Javier's injuries.

"I'll live. You two?"

"Safe and whole, thanks to Kiram" Nestor responded. "Good shooting."

Kiram just nodded. He was glad to have saved Nestor and Javier, but the fact that he'd murdered five men wasn't something he was ready to feel proud of.

"The two soldiers who went after Atreau and Morisio apparently lost them and came back for you," Elezar informed Javier. "They've been dealt with."

That explained the blood on Elezar's coat. Nestor looked a little queasy.

In the relative quiet Kiram could hear alarm bells ringing. People watched them warily from balconies and the doorways of shops.

"The men we lost at the Grunito house will probably have regrouped by now. They'll follow us up from High Street, I'll bet," Kiram commented.

Javier nodded his agreement almost absently. He scanned the discarded and abandoned carts, wagons and barrels that littered the street around them.

"Any thoughts about the city gates?" Elezar asked Javier.

"One." Javier offered them all a smug smile. "What do you say to dazzling them with a little hellfire?"

Kiram knew better than to point out that the 'hellfire' hadn't been all that dependable or that Javier didn't seem to be in any condition to control the shajdi even if he could summon it. Javier gave him a glance as if expecting an objection.

"Hellfire sounds good as anything else at this point," Elezar replied. Nestor nodded his agreement.

"All right. Then we need those jars of oil." Javier pointed to the red clay jars in a cart. He glanced at Kiram. "You don't by chance remember the name of that lieutenant who's waiting for us with his pikemen, do you?"

"Montaval," Kiram supplied.

"Good. Then I think we're ready to depart Anacleto."

The huge northern gates of Anacleto stood open, but a slow moving sea of merchant's wagons, farm carts and carriages filled the wide street. Herders directed flocks of goats, sheep, and even geese around their fellow travelers. Ahead Kiram recognized the purple crosses and gold bars on the uniforms of the bishop's men. The city guards stood aside, looking annoyed, while the bishop's men harassed traders, travelers and beggars alike in their search for Javier.

When a Mirogoth musician attempted to ride past, he and his horse were nearly impaled on the long pikes that the bishop's men held ready. Even at a distance Kiram could see that the musician was simply drunk. Still the bishop's men knocked him to the ground and searched him for coins and trinkets before allowing him to pass.

Kiram took a deep breath and gauged the route he would ride between carriages and wagons one last time. Nestor, Elezar and Javier would be charging down behind him and he knew he wouldn't have the luxury to pause or slow his ride.

"In the name of the royal bishop, make way!" Kiram shouted. He urged Verano down the slight hill and between two black lacquered carriages.

"A message for Lieutenant Montaval! Make way!" Kiram roared. Men and women bolted out of his path. Kiram didn't dare look back to see how well the confusion in his wake masked Javier, Elezar and Nestor's passage through the crowd.

"Make way!" Kiram drew as much attention to himself as he could. "A message for Lieutenant Montaval! In the name of the royal bishop, make way!"

Hearing his name called, the lieutenant commanded travelers to the side, just as Javier had said he would.

Verano dodged a slow-moving old man and nearly threw Kiram as he leaped past two snarling Mirogoth hounds.

Ahead of him a path cleared. The city guards looked curious but made no attempt to approach. They left Kiram to Lieutenant Montaval and his hulking pikemen. The portly lieutenant started towards Kiram. The pikemen studied him, some with curiosity, others with suspicion. But not one of them watched the movements to Kiram's left.

"Message for Lieutenant Montaval!" Kiram hollered as if he could some how fail to recognize who the lieutenant was.

"What's your damn message!" the lieutenant demanded.

Verano pranced and snorted beneath Kiram, seeming to catch Kiram's nervous energy.

"Javier Tornesal is on his way!" Kiram pointed back through the crowd and out to his right, where a group of horse traders mingled among carriages and carts.

As the lieutenant and his pikemen turned to the right, Nestor and Elezar hurled their oil jars at the pikemen. The clay shattered, spattering oil, and Javier charged forward. White flames gushed from his hands and wild sparks sprayed out. In an instant the oil caught fire and the pikemen fled or fell burning. Lieutenant Montaval spun on Kiram and Kiram kicked the man back into the wall.

Javier charged past the burning gates and Kiram joined Elezar and Nestor behind him. Mounted city guards lit out behind them but gave up the chase soon after the road turned into the wild northern woods. Kiram suspected that the speed with which they abandoned their pursuit had more to do with their resentment of the royal bishop's troops than the threatening shadows of the forest.

Still the shadows gave Kiram a chill and sped his heart as they seemed to snake and dance between the wind-tossed branches.

As they continued riding, fatigue and a growing familiarity with the forest darkness wore away the edge of Kiram's nervousness. As much as the surrounding shadows seemed to move and watch, the road they traveled seemed always the same. Hours passed. Hunger gnawed at Kiram's stomach. The sunlight dimmed and cold evening winds whipped over the open expanse of the road. At last Javier signaled them to halt.

Kiram's legs almost buckled beneath him as he swung off Verano. Nestor moaned softly and rubbed his own back.

The four of them stumbled off the road and found a small glade where the horses could feed on wild grass and flowers.

The only bedding to be found were mats of soft moss and saddle blankets. Nestor had brought several wedding cookies and a goat-skin of water but there was nothing else to eat or drink. Kiram knew that hunting now would only waste his remaining arrows. It was far too dark to find any animal, much less hit one.

"Help yourselves to my share of the bounty. I'm too tired to care." Elezar dropped down onto his saddle blanket and closed his eyes.

"Wait!" Nestor dug into his dusty coat. "I have a couple marzipan pears, as well. Here, Elezar, you love them."

Elezar gave no response, but Javier took one and thanked Nestor. Kiram frowned down at Elezar's still form. In the dim light he couldn't be sure but it seemed to him that some of the blood on Elezar's coat was still wet.

"Here, Kiram." Nestor handed him a golden cookie studded with candy rosettes. Kiram ate it thankfully and drank a little of Nestor's water.

"Should we make a fire?" Kiram asked.

"It's not cold enough that we'll freeze without one. And the light will only attract unwanted attention." Javier winced as he knelt down on his blanket. He ran his hand over his thigh. The deep shadows didn't quite hide the look of pain on his face. Then a little light flickered beneath his hands and Javier relaxed back against the trunk of a tree.

"We all just need to rest right now," Javier murmured and then he fell silent. After a few more moments, Kiram heard his breathing deepen and slow to the rhythm of sleep.

"I feel like one of us should keep guard, or something," Nestor said quietly.

"Do you think you could stay awake?" Kiram asked.

"No," Nestor admitted.

"Me either," Kiram replied. "At least if we sleep we'll all be rested by the morning."

"True," Nestor agreed. They both settled in their blankets. Kiram watched the overhead stars. Nestor nibbled the last of his marzipan pear.

"Hell of a honeymoon," Nestor sighed softly, almost speaking to himself.

"I'm sorry about that."

"Couldn't be helped, could it?" Nestor responded.

"You could have stayed at the Grunito house."

"Nah." Nestor shook his head. "Even Riossa knew that I had to stand with my friends when it came to a fight." Nestor lay back in his blanket.

Kiram could think of a lot of men and women who wouldn't have agreed with that sentiment. Certainly Musni wouldn't have put a friend's welfare before his own pleasure.

"You're the best friend any man could hope for, Nestor."

"Thanks." Nestor sounded touched and being a Cadeleonian no doubt the sentiment embarrassed him a little. "No point in falling in love with me, though. I'm a married man now."

Kiram laughed and then he wished Nestor good night. Nestor gave a groggy response, already settling into sleep.

Kiram's blanket reeked of animal sweat but he didn't care. He was just relieved that they had all gotten away. He glanced again to Elezar. He lay so still, his chest hardly rising with breath. Kiram wondered if he should wake him. Elezar would hate that. Doubtless he'd call Kiram some filthy name. Elezar shifted a little and Kiram let go of his worry.

He slept and dreamed of screaming horses and the sound of arrows plunging into living flesh. Blood spilled, turned black, and moved like a dark stream as it pooled around Kiram. Something cold and terrible pierced his flesh, plunging deep into his chest. A dark hand held him against escape. He tried to cry out but he couldn't draw a breath.

Kiram.

The voice was soft and familiar. The pain of his dream seemed to lift.

Kiram, you must wake up.

Alizadeh, Kiram thought and even in his sleep his hand curled around the lotus medallion he wore.