The Last Falcon: Book 1 of the Cael Stone

by Colleen Ruttan

CHAPTER 17

  Quinn didn't return to the road, instead heading south along the ridge. Erynn tried to glance back, to see what was happening with Adena, but he was holding her tight around the waist and she could barely move. The barking behind them intensified, as if the dogs had just realized their prey was getting away, and amid the noise she could hear her friend struggling. Then came the loud "thwack" of a blade and the barking changed. A dog whined and went quiet. And then another "thwack."

  Quinn urged his horse on, riding hard, and soon Erynn couldn't hear anything but the pounding of hooves on the forest floor. Then another horse came up fast behind them and she saw Adena, sitting in the saddle in front of Briggs and looking anything but pleased. She saw no sign of the other men — or even any of the dogs.

  The light was fading quickly. Quinn continued south, and soon the ground beneath them sloped downward and the ridge grew less steep. Then he turned east and headed down into the valley.

  Erynn still had her pack, wedged under her arm, but as they headed down the hill it slipped loose and the sack of coins bounced noisily against her thigh. She tried to pull it up, but he had pinned her arms with his and she was still limited in how much she could move.

  "Is that your life savings or did you steal it?" Quinn said.

  "I didn't steal it," Erynn snapped.

  "Sounds like a lot for someone who works in the kitchen."

  "Maybe my father left it for me."

  "Or maybe you stole it from the king the night I caught you in his study."

  Erynn didn't bother to respond. She didn't see the point. She couldn't exactly tell him the truth about the coins and once he searched Adena's pack and found the map he wasn't likely to believe her anyway.

  They emerged from the trees onto the valley floor and continued east.

  Erynn glanced up at the darkening sky, wondering if Krystalix would come to her aid. He had before — in Galia, and earlier at the lake. But she saw no sign of the golden dragon anywhere.

  Soon a road appeared, cutting east across the valley towards the trees. Back to Caraden. Erynn expected Quinn to take it, but instead he rode over it and continued on, heading in a southeast direction. Then they came to the same river she and Adena had crossed earlier, miles to the north. He followed it south a while and eventually guided his horse across and on through the trees and up the hill to the edge of the forest. Here he stopped, to wait for Briggs to catch up. It was dark, but several miles to the north, the flickering torch-lights marking the outer towers of Caraden Castle could be seen high up on the cliffs.

  Erynn was so tired and sore from the ride and her long journey from the castle that she could barely sit upright, but as soon as Briggs arrived, Quinn continued on, riding through fields of wheat and over numerous low hills before finally coming to a stop in a clearing near the edge of another wood.

  Erynn was relieved the ride was over, and too exhausted to even think about running, but Quinn didn't appear to be taking any chances. He pulled her down from the saddle and marched her over to an old fire pit in the center of the clearing. Three old logs sat around the pit, the area littered with the bones of several small animals.

  "Sit," he said, motioning to one of the logs.

  Briggs was having some trouble with Adena, but he finally managed to drag her over to the pit and forced her to sit next to Erynn. Then he reached for their packs.

  "They killed the dogs," Adena said to Erynn. "Sliced their heads clean off."

  "I know," Erynn said, her eyes still on Quinn. "I heard." The mercenary didn't look particularly worried, given what his men had done, and she found that puzzling. Marik wasn't likely to have been too far behind the dogs, delayed only by the steepness of the hill, and if he found out who killed them he'd likely have their heads. Unless Quinn thought he could make money off her somehow? But she didn't get the sense he knew who she really was.

  Briggs searched Erynn's pack, laughing as he pulled out the sack of coins. "Must be 50 coin here. Looks like we do have a couple of thieves on our hands."

  "I didn't steal it," Erynn said, annoyed that they kept calling her a thief.

  "Then where'd you get it?"

  Erynn sighed and rubbed at her forehead. "The king gave it to me."

  "Gave it to you?" Briggs laughed. "Now why would he do a thing like that?"

  "I don't know, maybe I really am his daughter. I'm sure you've heard the rumors."

  Briggs cradled the sack of coins and continued rifling through her pack.

  "Anything else?" Quinn asked.

  "Three letter tubes," Briggs said. "One still bearing the king's seal." He handed the tubes to Quinn.

  Quinn opened the one with the king's seal. The same one she'd shown him in the hall outside the study. He shook out the letter and read it, his face remaining its usual blank self until he reached the bottom. Then one brow raised. "Silas Caden killed Davy Taylor." He looked up. "Is that true?"

  "Of course it's true," Erynn snapped. "Why else would I write it?"

  "Your addition?"

  "Yes."

  Briggs seemed confused. "I thought your father was killed by thieves?"

  "He was killed by a thief!" Erynn shouted. "Lord Caden stole the king's horses and killed my father. And one day I'll make him pay for it."

  Briggs laughed. "Someone's gotta tell that to Marik."

  Quinn didn't seem amused. "Why didn't you give this to Faris?"

  "Because I didn't see the point. He doesn't take orders from the king anymore."

  Briggs frowned. "What makes you say that?"

  Erynn sighed. "Because I saw him give one of the king's letters to Marik, that's why. Everything goes through Holden now. That's why he's got guards in the falconry. Holden probably isn't even sending any of his father's letters. Or giving him the ones that come in. Even from Gareth."

  Briggs looked at Quinn, but the mercenary was still focused on Erynn. Then he slipped the letter back in the tube and opened another.

  Erynn knew which one it was. Tears came to her eyes and she gazed down at her feet, blinking hard and praying he wouldn't read it out loud.

  "A letter from Gareth," Quinn said with a slight snort. "How thoughtful of our fine prince to write."

  Erynn waited for him to say something more, to make some comment about her father, but he stuffed the letter back in the tube and opened the last one.

  "Task accomplished. Did not find book. Returning to castle. S." He glanced up. "What's this?"

  "Ask Lord Caden," Erynn replied. "I found it after he killed my father. Krystalix ate the rest of the falcon it was attached to."

  Quinn remained still, staring at her. Then he returned the letter to the tube and handed them all back to Briggs. He motioned towards Adena's pack. "That one next."

  Erynn felt her friend tense as Briggs stuffed both the letter tubes and the sack full of coins back in her pack and reached for Adena's.

  "Why have you brought us here?" Adena demanded. "And why did you kill Marik's dogs?"

  "We'll ask the questions," Quinn said.

  Briggs grinned as he pulled the map from her pack. "And what might this be?"

  Adena scowled. "None of your business."

  "I'm making it my business," Quinn said, taking the map from Briggs and turning it over a few times in his hands. "And I'm guessing it's a map. And a pretty valuable one at that." He handed it back.

  "Did the king give this to you, too?" Briggs asked as he slid it back in Adena's pack and set it down on the ground.

  Erynn stared at Quinn. "What do you want?"

  Quinn smiled. "Answers. That's what I want. And real answers this time. Like the real reason Marik's hunting you. What it is you know about the Galians?"

  "Marik will kill you when he finds out what you did," Adena said. "You really care that much?"

  Quinn shrugged. "I like to know what's going on. In my line of work it helps keep you alive." He stepped closer, his face serious. "I know the Galians aren't here for a friendly visit and rig
ht now I don't have a lot of time. Tell me what you know now or neither of you are leaving this wood."

  Briggs shook his head. "They don't know anything, Quinn. They've obviously stolen these things." He motioned to Erynn. "She has access to the king's study."

  Adena turned to Erynn. "Might as well tell them what you heard. Like I said, it's not like this can get any worse."

  Erynn wasn't so sure. She didn't like the look on Quinn's face at all. He might just kill them once he had what he wanted, considering what they knew about the dogs. But she didn't know what else to do. Telling them who she really was might help keep her alive — if he thought he could ransom her somehow — but she didn't want to do that unless she absolutely had to. "You were right the other night. I was hiding and I did hear something."

  Briggs glanced at Quinn, but the mercenary hadn't moved, his eyes still on Erynn.

  "Tell me," he said.

  "The Galians are going to kill Gareth. Holden's made a deal with them."

  "That's why Marik's after you?" Briggs said with a laugh. "The Galians have been trying to kill Gareth for four years. And it's not exactly a secret that Holden's hoping they succeed."

  "They're going to do it at a banquet in Sarda," Erynn said, glaring at him. "Twenty-five days from now." Just saying the words made her feel worse — a reminder that the days were ticking away and she still hadn't done a thing to warn him.

  "How?" Quinn asked.

  "I don't know how."

  Briggs still didn't seem convinced. "Doesn't make sense, Quinn. We're talking about a couple of girls. Why send the dogs?"

  "Because we could warn him," Adena said, sounding a little insulted. "If Gareth found out, Naedra's plan would be ruined."

  "And how are you going to do that? You got a falcon? I didn't see one in your pack."

  Adena shrugged. "We could find another way."

  "Really?" Briggs laughed. "You going to deliver the message yourself? Sarda's an awfully long walk. Even with a horse, you'd be awfully pressed to get there in twenty-five days."

  Adena rose to her feet. "I'm not scared."

  Briggs leaned forward and pointed a finger at her chest. "You should be. You might have saved Lord Caden's horse from that fire, but the road can be a pretty dangerous place. Especially for a couple of girls."

  "I know what the road's like," Erynn snapped.

  "Then maybe you want to explain that to your friend."

  Adena was about to say something, but Quinn raised a hand.

  "Enough!" he said. He glared at Adena and motioned towards the log. "Sit." Erynn thought she might refuse, but he didn't take his eyes off her and after a few moments her friend finally sat back down. He turned to Erynn. "Now. Did you tell the king about this little plan?"

  Erynn shook her head. "I didn't see the point."

  The men remained quiet for a while, watching them. Erynn hoped they were finished with their questions and would just get whatever it was they were going to do with them over with, but then horses approached from the west.

  Quinn and Briggs both tensed and reached for their swords, but seconds later the rest of their men rode into the clearing and they relaxed. Quinn left Briggs watching the girls and went to talk to them. Minutes later, two of the four men slid down from their horses, one producing some rope from his saddle bags, while another rode off through the trees, heading south. As the fourth man waited on his horse, Quinn walked back to Briggs and whispered something in his ear, while the other two went to the girls and proceeded to tie their hands behind their backs.

  Quinn and Briggs turned and went to their horses.

  Erynn realized they were leaving and tried to stand up, pulling against the man still binding her hands. "Wait. You're leaving us here?"

  Quinn gathered up his reins and guided his horse closer. "I'm going to find out if your story matches the one I get from Holden."

  Erynn didn't like the sound of that. If he talked to Holden, he might find out who she really was. "But I told you why he's after us. They're going to —"

  "Marik was watching you long before I caught you outside the study," Quinn said, leaning forward in his saddle. "Which tells me there's something else going on here. Something you're still not telling me. Perhaps it has something to do with why the Galians are really here, or why Krystalix suddenly seems to have gone crazy, but neither of you are going anywhere until I find out what it is."

  It was dark now, but Erynn thought she caught a certain look in his eyes — like maybe he had some notion of the truth but still wasn't sure. He seemed to be waiting, giving her a chance to change her mind and tell him everything, but she wasn't even sure Holden would tell him the truth. So she remained quiet.

  He straightened in his saddle, nodded once at the two men he'd obviously ordered to stay behind and guard them, and rode off with Briggs and the other man through the trees.