by Sam Ferguson
“Come, we’ll have to get you on the sled now,” Garrin said.
William nodded and the two made their way back to the sled. William sat while Garrin reached for the traps. The metal clinked and clanked as they smacked together.
“What are you doing?” William asked.
“We need to buy ourselves more time,” Garrin said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and I can catch one of their horses too.”
The trapper moved to a space in between the sled and the dead horse. He studied the ground, searching for a spot that was next to the sled tracks, but still had enough snow to cover the trap. Within minutes, he set seven traps and covered them with snow. They were staggered and varied in distance from each other so as to cast a wider trapping area. He could only hope that it would work. There was no way Rux and Kiska could outrun the horsemen while pulling three people with the sled.
Garrin ran back to the sled and let out a sharp whistle as he leapt into place. The split-tails burst into action and the sled once again was moving through the forest. Unfortunately, they were now not only dragging three people on the sled, but the slope had turned against them as well and they were moving uphill. They passed the trees much slower now, and Garrin could see that Rux and Kiska were struggling. Their panting breaths came out in puffs of steam and their tongues dangled out the sides of their mouths.
The next mile seemed to take an hour, and each step brought the split-tails closer to full exhaustion. There was no way Garrin could ask them to keep this pace up. As they came to the next landing and rounded a large fallen tree, Garrin pulled the sled to a halt.
“What are you doing now?” William called out angrily.
“Can’t go further like this,” Garrin replied. “Rux and Kiska can’t manage.”
“And how well will they manage if they are dead?” William countered as he jumped up from the sled.
Garrin waved him off and moved to prop his spear against the fallen tree. “We ambush them here,” he said. “If they come at us full speed, we should have the element of surprise. If Kiska and Rux can rest for even just ten minutes, they should be ready for a fight. Hopefully the traps will take one of the riders down.”
“You said they had magic,” William pressed. “What good is your spear against magic?”
Garrin shrugged and glanced back toward Richard, then locked eyes with William. “The two of you can go on ahead, if you like. Sometimes, though, the prey has to fight back if it wants to live.”
“I see,” William huffed. “Name one animal that strategy works for.”
Garrin smiled his sly smile and arched a brow. “Worked for us against the bear.”
William opened his mouth to protest, but stopped short of saying anything. He jogged back to the sled, whispered something to Richard, and then grabbed his rapier and returned to the fallen tree while Richard ran another twenty yards away and then climbed into a thickly-branched pine tree.
“Are you certain the animals can’t run anymore?” William asked.
Garrin nodded. “Not with the extra weight. I’d send them ahead with you, but I doubt you know how to steer the sled.”
William sighed resignedly. “I doubt they would obey me even if I did,” he said with a nod toward Rux and Kiska.
The Trapper motioned for William to squat down and then he ran to Rux and Kiska to loose them from the sled. As soon as the animals were free, Garrin pointed to the trees near the position where Richard was hiding. The animals obeyed and bounded off into the snow, albeit somewhat slower than they usually would if they had not already spent their energy for the day. The trapper then pulled the sled up near the tree and tipped it over onto its side.
“What are you doing?” William asked in a harsh whisper.
“Go over there and see if you can see this,” Garrin said without bothering to answer the question.
William did as he was told, moving to the position Garrin indicated and then strained to look around the fallen tree. “No,” he said.
“Good, let’s hope the riders won’t see it in time either. They come racing around this bend, and either slam into the sled or trip up their horses trying to avoid it, then we spring up from behind the tree and take them down.”
Just then, the canister hanging from Garrin’s belt popped open and out came Kaspar. The little animal quietly leapt out onto the snow and buried itself near a tree on the opposite side of the trail. William pointed to the animal questioningly, but Garrin held a finger up to his mouth and nodded with his head toward the tree. The two men got into their hiding positions and crouched low with their weapons.
They sat in the silence, hearing only the wind and seeing nothing more than the now quickly fading sunlight. Then, a horse cried out. The sound was only barely audible, but it was distinct. One of the traps had worked. William thunked Garrin’s shoulder with a soft backhand and nodded as though to say he was impressed.
“Won’t be long now,” Garrin said in a whisper.
They clutched their weapons and remained still in the snow. A few minutes passed before they could hear the tell-tale sound of hooves clomping along the trail. The hooves became louder, falling in perfect rhythm as they brought the riders closer to the trio. Soon Garrin could hear the heavy breathing. The horses were tired. He hoped that that fact, combined with the slick ice and the nearly faded light would be enough to win the day.
A moment later the first black nose raced around the end of the fallen tree. The rider was bent low over the neck, quiet as the animal galloped along the trail. Neither saw the sled in time. The horse crashed into the contraption, splintering the rails as its legs became tangled and the horse crashed to the ground. Garrin rushed out and drove his spear down into the fallen rider’s back. He felt his sturdy spear bite between vertebrae and then plunge deep into the softer tissues. The rider convulsed and then went still.
A flash of blue light erupted from the side. Garrin turned to see a quickly-freezing bolt of blue lightning flying toward him.
A patch of snow exploded on the opposite side of the trail and a mess of fur and teeth seized the second rider’s outstretched hand. Kaspar bit into the rider’s hand and wrist at least a dozen times in the span of two seconds. The rider lurched to the side, crying out in agony as the lightning spell fizzled away into nothingness.
Out of the corner of his eye, Garrin saw William racing gracefully down the fallen log, rapier out and dagger in left hand. The nobleman leapt from the mess of roots at the end and flew in a graceful arc over the rider who was still wrestling with Kasper. William struck down twice, in incredibly fast stabbing thrusts through the rider’s neck. The second rider fell to the ground, squirming and weakly trying to cover his neck with one hand while trying to shake Kaspar off his other arm.
William ceased his attack, and instead turned his attention to calming the rider’s horse.
Garrin moved quickly to finish the second rider, but he needn’t have worried. Kaspar found the man’s neck and finished the job.
The trapper looked down the trail, but he couldn’t see the third man.
“Should we go back and look for him?” William asked.
Garrin shook his head. “Let the winter finish him off. If we go toward him, he could just as easily set a trap for us. Besides, you have gotten us another horse. That should help us get away. If he is on foot, even with magic, I wouldn’t give him more than a night or two out here.”
William nodded his agreement. “Let’s check the other mare over here.”
Garrin turned around and they walked to the first horse that had run into the sled. The animal was struggling to stand, but didn’t appear to have any broken bones. Finally it stood on its legs, but it was shaking and it whinnied and shrieked as if panicked.
“Something’s wrong,” Garrin said as he moved to stand in front of the animal. That was when he saw it. One of the sled’s rails had snapped off and was protruding from the horse’s chest. Slick blood covered the animal.
“No, this one’s no g
ood,” Garrin said. The trapper raised his spear and moved to put the animal down, but the horse spooked and bolted off into the woods before Garrin could get close enough for a sure strike.
“Sorry about the sled,” William offered.
Garrin looked down and sighed as he saw the wreckage. “Better the sled than us,” he said calmly. “Besides, we wouldn’t be able to take it all the way over the pass anyway. There are parts you have to climb. No way around it. Either way, we still have a horse to carry our things, and it should still help us be faster than the last rider.”
“If he is still alive,” William pointed out. “He might have been thrown into another trap when he fell from the horse. Maybe it caught his neck.” William reached up to grab his throat and he rolled his eyes into the back of his head.
Garrin thought it odd that the man could make such a joke so quickly after being attacked. Either this was something the nobleman expected due to the attempted kidnapping, or perhaps it was a lifestyle William was accustomed to for other reasons. The trapper glanced back to the tree where Richard was slowly making his way down. Rux and Kiska stood guard at the trunk, surveying the area and protecting the child.
“That should be the last of them,” William said as he moved in closer with a big smile. “I mean, if they sent out a few men in each direction, then that would mean these were the only ones close enough to find us. We should be in the clear.”
Garrin nodded absently. “We need to find shelter, fast.”
*****
Seidrif reached up and felt the knot growing on the back of his head. It stung a bit, but it wasn’t serious. He followed his brothers’ tracks in the snow, studying the sled marks as well. He thought it was curious that someone would choose to use a dog sled out here, rather than employ a sturdy horse. Then again, the dogs he had seen standing with the man on top of that hill were very large. He would have thought they were actually split-tails, but that was impossible. No human could ever tame such a beast.
As he trudged up another ice-covered hill, the wizard grunted his displeasure. He understood why his brothers had gone on ahead without waiting for him, but he was still set on having words with them. They had better not be planning on taking credit for returning the child by themselves either. Just the thought of them doing that was enough to light the fires in his eyes and quicken his step.
The sun was dropping quickly, and the shadows were stretching out over the forest. Seidrif pulled his hood back slightly, opening his peripheral vision as much as possible without letting too much of the biting cold near his head. This was prime hunting time, he knew. The wild animals of the mountains would be coming out for their prey. With the scent of fresh blood not more than half a mile behind him where his horse had fallen, and another horse had been slain, it was not too outlandish to think that he might be attacked by an animal tonight.
As if fate could read his mind, he no sooner thought about the possibility than he noticed a movement off in the trees to his right. He turned and freed his right hand, ready to blast an animal into oblivion should it try to make a meal of him.
Instead, a slight deer came bounding out from behind a pair of pines and stopped in the trail as she turned her head so that her left eye could study Seidrif. A moment later, she leapt away, disappearing back where she had emerged from. Seidrif sneered and then continued along the trail. As the last of the sun faded away, he pulled a small crystal out from under his tunic, pulling the chain up over his head. He hung it over his left wrist and whispered to the white stone. A brilliant light appeared, chasing away the shadows and also creating a sphere of warmth around him.
The light helped him navigate along the trail, and if there were any beasts in the trees beyond, they never came close to the bright magic.
He came to a large, steep hill where the trail ran up and then around to the left. He thought he saw a large fallen tree as well. He kept to the left, where the snow was fresh and better for walking upon. He climbed up, hunching forward slightly and concentrating on his feet until he reached the top. He reached out, seizing one of the roots and pulling himself around the tangled mess.
His eyes caught a puddle of frosted crimson upon the ground. His heart stopped in his chest and his tongue felt as though it swelled three times its size as he surveyed the scene before him. His brothers lay upon the ground, dead. Blood covered the area. A broken and wrecked sled was mixed in with the carnage, but there were no other bodies.
A yellow-eyed wolf with black fur lifted its head from the carcass of a dead horse and bared its fangs. Two white wolves were with the first. Seidrif wasted no time. He pointed his right palm at the animals and a great wave of air slammed into them, picking them up and dashing them into a pair of large trees. Their bones crunched and cracked as they yipped and groaned. Another wolf came into Seidrif’s field of vision then. This one had been chewing on Bolgrif’s arm. Seidrif conjured a massive force and crushed the wolf into the ground, squishing him as though he were nothing more than a furry insect under foot.
Tears filled Seidrif’s eyes and an anger boiled within him that he had never known before.
He had been sent by his king to find a traitor.
He had been hired to find and return the child.
This was no longer simple business.
The traitor was going to die by Seidrif’s hand.
Chapter 10
Garrin stopped in the dark woods. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and none of them could see well, except for Rux and Kiska, but they couldn’t lead the trio.
“Why are we stopping?” William asked.
“I’ll get my flint and tinder kit,” Garrin replied. “We need light.”
“No, what if the third is still hunting us? A torch would be seen from a great distance away.”
“If I can’t see my way, then I can’t lead us to safety. We need light.”
“Your pouch,” Richard’s voice called out from the shadows.
A moment later, a soft, red glow illuminated William’s face and a small area around Garrin. The trapper looked down and saw that his pouch was glowing. The crystal inside was offering its light.
“The crystal is magic!” Richard exclaimed.
“I don’t care. Cover it up, we can’t afford to be seen,” William said.
Garrin pointed down to his closed pouch. “It is covered up. Even inside the pouch it’s wrapped in cloth.”
William opened his mouth to say something, but his jaw hung low and his eyes narrowed on the bag. Finally he shook his head. “Then we should hurry. Do you know a place around here?”
Garrin opened the pouch and reached in, but the crystal floated up and began to spin slowly in the air. The trapper reached for it, but the crystal started to fly through the air toward the north.
“What are you doing?” William asked.
Garrin shook his head. “I’m not controlling it, it’s moving on its own.”
“Let’s follow it,” Richard suggested. Garrin and William looked back to the boy. Richard pointed to the crystal. “If the sorceress wanted us dead, I think she could have managed that without tricking us with a cursed crystal. Maybe it is meant to help us. Let’s follow it. I mean, if it was bad magic, wouldn’t Kaspar be attacking it?”
“Richard…” William looked to Garrin for support.
“Why not?” Garrin said. “All right, Richard. Let’s follow it for a bit and see if it leads us somewhere useful.”
William huffed and pointed at Garrin, but the trapper shrugged and gestured for Richard to lead the way after the crystal, which was now hovering twenty yards in front of the group.
“Grab the horse’s guide rope, will you?” Garrin said to William. “I’ll keep an eye on Richard and Kiska and Rux can protect our flanks.”
The three of them walked for the space of an hour through the forest. Whenever the snow or fallen logs slowed their progress, the crystal would hover in place and wait for them to catch up before moving along. Its red light illuminated the
forest around them much in the same way a large fire might, casting orange and red hues across tree trunks and reflecting off the white snow sitting upon the branches.
William followed along silently, but Garrin knew his patience was running thin. The moon was now peeking out from behind the clouds just enough for him to know that it was getting late. They would need to stop soon and rest. The trapper hoped that Richard was correct, and that the crystal was helping them, but he was also keeping his eyes peeled for any area that might make for a good shelter for the night. The problem was, all he saw was snow and trees. Under normal circumstances he could easily make a lean-to, with tree boughs for a bed and a fire out front to keep animals and the elements at bay, but this was no ordinary night. They were being hunted by a wizard. They needed a cave, or some other location where they might be able to defend themselves from attack. Yet, even after another hour of following the floating crystal, he saw nothing that was even remotely suitable.
It wasn’t long after that before William was insisting they should set up camp.
*****
Seidrif walked along the ridge of a hillock, eyes fixed on the red glow a couple hundred yards off to his left.
Foolish of you to use a fire while being hunted. Seidrif sneered wickedly. He had himself extinguished his magical light when he had first seen the orange and red glow. It made for much slower progress, but he had all the time in the world. In fact, if it took him three hours to reach them, so much the better, for they would likely have fallen asleep near the fire and would be easy pickings. It wouldn’t of course, take hours to cross a couple hundred yards, but it was pleasing to know he wouldn’t have to hurry in order to catch his quarry.
He picked his way through the snow carefully, ducking under branches and weaving around tree trunks as his eyes alerted him to their presence. More than once he had to fight against a stick that would pop up in front of his leg, but he moved slowly and methodically to ensure that he wouldn’t break them.