by Peter Wacht
"This is what I was talking about," said Thomas, pointing with his hand back down the path they had just climbed. "We'll let gravity do the job for us."
"Thomas, could you do me a favor and explain just a little bit more?"
Oso found it hard to keep the irritation from his voice. After everything he had been through, he was not in a very good mood.
"Sorry," said Thomas. "It's simple, really. The arrows have bought us some time, but not enough. We need something that can buy us a few more hours. If we can do that, then Anara and the others will make it to Raven's Peak."
Thomas spun and pointed behind Oso.
Turning around, the large Highlander grinned, then laughed. He realized what his friend had in mind. About three hundred feet away, the path continued to meander higher into the mountains, but he and Thomas stood on a relatively flat plain, albeit a small one.
The cliff in front of them was barren of trees, but dotted with boulders and smaller rocks, many of which had congregated on the other side of the plateau. All he and Thomas had to do was move them into position, then let gravity do their work for them. It was a brilliant idea, and Oso couldn't help but laugh at the simplicity of it.
"How did you ever come up with an idea like this?" he asked. "It's perfect."
"I've got some experience with this," said Thomas, who was already walking over to the rock pile. "But then I was at the bottom of the slope, rather than above it."
Oso stared at his friend's back. Thomas was one surprise after another. He'd have to ask him a few more questions about that, but it would have to wait until later. It was time to help Anara and the others. He refused to let his people, and her, down.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Warning Unheeded
Kursool and his men had made up a good amount of ground in the past two hours. He still might catch his quarry. Considering the condition of some of the women and children, they could be no more than an hour ahead. But he was worried. It had been more than an hour since the last attack by the Marchers. It had to be Marchers, he kept telling himself. It couldn't be just two boys!
When his four lead scouts came running back with their tails between their legs and blathering about an ambush by dozens of Marchers, he had almost wished for it to be true. At least then he'd know what he was facing. But when they reached the latest ambush site, and saw his men punctured by arrows through the hearts, Kursool knew his scouts were lying. If it really had been a squad of Marchers, those four scouts would not have survived. That's what the part of his mind he didn't want to listen to told him. After the last two attacks, he had pulled his scouts back into the main body of his troops.
Kursool could hear the rumblings of discontent from his men now. Their fear was beginning to take control of their thoughts and actions, which was the first step to disaster for a soldier. At least his men were on their toes. After seeing what had happened to so many of their friends, they had no wish to join them. And they knew they were in much the same situation as Kursool himself. Killeran's anger often had a wide range of outlets. Though they probably would not bear the brunt of it, they would not be immune to his rage.
The path they followed steadily grew steeper, which Kursool actually saw as a good thing. It would slow the Highlanders down even more and give his men more time to catch up. But something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. Though they were out in the open, the rocky terrain to either side did not lend itself to an ambush. Still, something was not right. The voice in the back of his head was screaming at him now.
Glancing up the steep incline, everything seemed normal. His men had begun the climb up and were making good time. They at least realized the urgency of their situation. Wait. What was that up at the top of the slope? A flash of metal? Perhaps, but he couldn't tell from where he stood. The alarm going off in his brain increased in intensity. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong! But what?
When the ground began to rumble and shake, he finally figured it out. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to do anything but run.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
A Little Push
"Now?" asked Oso.
He was knelt behind a huge boulder they had rolled across the plateau and placed at the edge of the cliff face. They hadn't moved it any closer for fear it would be spotted from below. To the side of the boulder were a few more, though none as large as this one. Oso had inserted beneath it a large tree branch as a crude lever. It had taken them almost an hour to move it because of its awesome weight, but it would be perfect for its task. In front of it were several dozen smaller rocks of various sizes.
"Wait just a moment longer," replied Thomas. He was at the very edge of the cliff, using some of the boulders to hide himself from Kursool and the reivers. "They've just started their ascent. I want them farther up so they can't escape."
Oso grinned. Thomas had a mean streak in him. Oso liked that. He readjusted the lever slightly, trying to dig it deeper beneath the boulder.
Thomas scrambled back from his position on the slope. "Let's do it. They're right where we want them."
He and Oso both took hold of the lever and pushed down with all their might. The trunk of the small tree bent slightly under the pressure, but the boulder refused to budge. They redoubled their efforts, but still no luck. They were losing time. The reivers would be up the slope in only a few minutes. If they didn't get the rock moving, they'd have no chance to escape.
They tried again, throwing everything they had into it. Thomas draped himself on top of the lever, trying to use his body weight to nudge the boulder forward. Still it refused to move. He couldn't believe it. After everything they had gone through. Even Oso, with his massive strength, couldn’t budge the huge rock.
Opening himself to the Talent, Thomas realized just how weak he was as a wave of exhaustion ran through him. What he had done at the fort had taken more out of him than he thought. He was at the very limit of his strength.
Delicately taking hold of the power surging within him, Thomas fashioned a large lever in his mind and inserted it beneath the boulder. Ever so slowly, he exerted pressure on it. Finally, the huge rock began to move, inching forward slightly before settling down once again. The reivers were almost to the top of the cliff. Thomas and Oso had to hurry. The boulder had to move now!
Oso's face turned a dark red, the veins in his neck straining to the point of bursting. His eyes were closed in desperation as he tried to will the rock down the slope. It had inched forward before, then returned to its original position. He too knew that if it didn't budge, their efforts would be wasted. Kursool would have no trouble catching the Highlanders once he had gotten past them. Oso pushed down on the lever with all his might. The trunk of the tree cracked ominously as it resisted the two forces being applied to it.
Gathering his will a final time, Thomas poured as much of his energy as he safely could into the lever he had created with the Talent. He was losing his strength rapidly, but he refused to stop. The boulder had to move. It had to! The reivers were almost to the top.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the huge rock inched forward slowly, then inched forward some more. Thomas gave the boulder a final nudge with the Talent. After teetering on the edge for what seemed like an eternity, the boulder started rolling slowly down the hill, the smaller rocks tumbling down before it. The screams that traveled up the cliff face told Thomas and Oso all they needed to know.
They moved to the other boulders they had lined up next to the larger one. It was much easier to get these moving because of their reduced bulk. Soon four more large boulders followed the first down the slope to crash into whatever stood in front of them. Not bothering to look at the result of their handiwork, Thomas and Oso trotted across the plateau and began the arduous climb up the trail. Both were exhausted from their efforts, yet they pushed themselves onward.
The weakness that Thomas thought he had conquered after he had destroyed the fort had returned. His muscles didn't want to obey him
anymore. He didn't blame them a bit after everything they'd been through. Thomas and Oso had done everything they could to slow down Kursool and his men. Now their only hope was reaching Raven’s Peak before the reivers.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Unstoppable Force
As the huge boulder balanced on the edge of the incline before beginning its rapid descent to the bottom, Kursool stared in horror at the scene unfolding before him. The screams of his men trying to escape the onslaught washed over him, yet there was nothing he could do but run back the way he had come until he reached the relative safety of the trees.
His men fled in all directions, doing whatever they could to get out of the way of the huge stones bearing down on them. The smaller rocks were dangerous enough. Though no larger than a man's fist, one of those rocks would easily crush a man's skull or chest.
The men who had almost reached the top of the slope fared the worst. They had nowhere to go but down, and their frenzied efforts to do so were no match for the speed of the boulders. The smaller rocks knocked dozens of his men to the ground, and those who were lucky enough to rise were crushed by the huge boulder that followed in their wake.
The boulder swept the trail clean of his men as it hurtled down the slope and crashed into the trees below, finally coming to a stop after plowing several dozen feet into the forest. Kursool sighed with relief. It could have been much, much worse. But why was the ground still shaking?
Looking back up the slope, his worst fears were confirmed. A smaller boulder had begun its descent, followed by another, and yet another, each one knocking dozens of smaller rocks before it. The men who remained on the slope were doomed as the stones pounded over them. Those who had stepped from their cover dived back, often not in time to escape. Kursool himself dodged behind the tree he used as a shield as several smaller rocks hurtled past him. Cries of agony echoed around him as he hunched down in fear.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Help Arrives
"How much farther do we have to go?" asked Thomas.
He and Oso had caught up with Anara and the Highlanders an hour later and everyone had stopped for a much-needed break. Many of the Highlanders looked as if they were on their last legs.
"Two hours," said Anara, sitting on a rock next to Oso. She didn't like to be very far from him when he was around.
"That's too long," said Thomas. "Even with the rock slide, the reivers are no more than an hour behind us."
Extending his senses to locate the reivers had given Thomas a splitting headache and was almost too much for him. Kursool certainly was persistent. He had lost about a third to half of his forces to Thomas and Oso's latest ambush, yet he kept coming. Of course, if Thomas was in the same position himself, he'd be doing much the same.
Thomas organized his ragged group. The determination was there. He could see it in the eyes of the Highlanders. They had given everything they had left during the day, and still refused to give up, despite their weakness. Anara had done an excellent job, pushing them to their very limits. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough.
"We'll have to fight a rearguard action, then," said Thomas, unable to think of any other solution. It would mean lives lost, but it could also lead to the freedom of many. "Those who are able to fight will retreat slowly and try to give the women, children and injured time to get to Raven’s Peak."
"That won't be necessary, Thomas," said a soft voice from behind the rock on which Oso and Anara were sitting.
Thomas smiled. He had been waiting to hear that voice for quite awhile.
In a flash Oso was on his feet, sword in hand, having pulled Anara behind him. A tall man and a petite woman stood before him. The man was a head taller than he was, which unnerved him. He was the most intimidating person Oso had ever seen. There was a fire in his eyes that matched the one he had seen in Thomas' on occasion. How could these two have snuck up on him so quietly? It was unnatural. Oso felt a strong hand on his own, forcing his sword point to the ground. Thomas stood next to him.
"Oso, don't worry. These are my grandparents, Rynlin and Rya."
Oso stared at the two for a moment, still trying to figure out how they had appeared right behind him without any hint of movement or sound. "But how—"
Thomas gave his friend a meaningful look. "They taught me everything I know."
Oso nodded and slipped his sword back into its sheath. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.
"Completely understand," said the tall man, the one Thomas had named Rynlin. "We probably should have announced ourselves."
"You've been busy, Thomas," said Rya, stepping around the rock to take a closer look at her grandson. He certainly did look the worse for wear. "Very busy indeed."
She knew he was exhausted and in a great deal of pain. But he stood there stoically, ignoring his injuries. She wanted to run over and hug him. But he was too old for that now and had been through too much. Rynlin was right. He had grown up faster than most. She regretted his having to do that, but as she had often told him, you must do what you must do.
"Busy," snorted Rynlin. "Looks like he's gotten himself into trouble again."
His grandson grinned at him in pride and Rynlin couldn't help but return the smile. Thomas looked just like a rogue, reminding Rynlin of himself.
"These Highlanders were forced to work in the mines," Thomas started to explain. "Oso and I have been trying to get them to safety, but we can't seem to get rid of the reivers behind us. We—"
"We know, Thomas," said Rya. "We got here as quickly as we could. We saw much of what was going on, even from our great distance."
Thomas had taken entirely too many risks, and she meant to have a word with him about that. She saw that Thomas understood her hidden meaning, and his grin disappeared.
"You and your friend there," said Rynlin, motioning to Oso, "make quite a pair."
"Thomas," said Rya. "Why don't you get everyone moving again. Rynlin and I will take care of things for you."
"But don't you need any help?" asked Anara. "Thomas said there were at least a hundred reivers still after us. I'm certain that most of the men here would be happy to—"
"Child, don't worry about us," said Rya. "We'll be able to handle things quite easily."
"But—"
Oso took hold of Anara's arm and pulled her toward the rest of the group, many of whom were already rising to their feet having overheard snatches of the conversation.
"I'll explain it to you later, Anara. If Rya says she can take care of things, I wouldn't doubt her."
Anara gave Oso a withering look. She didn't like being manhandled, but she made no effort to remove her arm from his grasp. Yes, Thomas was right. His friend was in for more trouble than he knew. And when he realized what he had gotten himself into, it would probably be too late for him.
"Thank you," said Thomas. "If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what we would have done."
"It sounded like you had everything figured out, Thomas," said Rynlin. "We just wanted to get in on some of the fun."
"Now what are you doing still standing there," said Rya, placing her hands on her hips. "As I said, Rynlin and I will take care of it. You're too weak to be of any use to us right now anyway." She surveyed him with a critical eye and he winced under her inspection.
"Yes, grandmother," said Thomas resignedly. There was no arguing when Rya used that tone of voice.
"Now get going and we'll catch up to you later."
"Yes, grandmother."
Oso and Anara had already gotten the Highlanders back on their feet and headed deeper into the Highlands. Anara was once again in the lead, but this time Oso was with her, his hand still on her arm. He wondered how long it would take for his friend to figure out exactly what was going on. Thomas waited until the last of the Highlanders had passed him before following after the group. He certainly didn't envy what Kursool and his men were walking into. If they thought taking on Oso and him was frightening, just wait until he met his grandparents.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
A Cold Dish
"So, what shall we do?" asked Rynlin, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Rya looked at him with a wicked gleam in her eye. "I think these reivers deserve a few more surprises.”
Rynlin grinned. "I've always liked the way your mind worked, my love."
"Really," she said in mock surprise. "I always thought you married me because of my body."
"I did," replied Rynlin with a straight face. "Then with time I learned to love everything about you."
Rya took a playful swipe at her husband. "How did I ever fall for such a scoundrel?"
The fear of not knowing what had happened to her grandson had left her. He was all right, if a little worse for wear. She couldn't stop smiling. And best of all, she could exact her revenge upon those who had hurt him. She did not consider revenge to be a useful emotion, but giving in to it once in a while did wonders for the spirit.
"I don't know, my love. I really don't know." Rynlin offered his arm to his wife. "Why don't we go a little farther down the trail. When we were looking for a place to land I saw the perfect spot for our surprise."
"There they are," said Rynlin, peering down from a hill that was off to the side of the trail.
"Yes, I see them," replied Rya.
Thomas and Oso had done a very thorough job of whittling down the reivers pursuing them. Less than a hundred black-clad men had appeared at the edge of the forest and made their way out into the open, following after the Highlanders. Yes, Thomas and Oso had done an extremely thorough job. Most of the reivers kept scanning their surroundings as if they were about to be attacked. One of them finally pointed in the direction of the hill, having seen Rynlin and Rya standing there.