The Wolf On The Run (The Wolf of Corwick Castle Book 3)

by Terry Cloutier

  The other Cardians laughed and one of them called out, “Who are you trying to fool, Baylan? No woman would spread her legs for you, even for all the gold in Cardia.”

  “A bald-faced lie, you bastard!” Baylan spit back. “I’ve bedded my fair share. Just ask anyone!”

  The man on the ship cupped a hand around his lips. “Sheep don’t count!”

  Laughter rang out again as Baylan turned, casting a baleful glance behind him.

  “My father was the man who guided Rorian here, you fools!” Sabina said harshly, cutting through their merriment.

  “The tracker is your father?” the tall Cardian asked, clearly caught off-guard as his grin faded.

  “Yes,” Sabina said. “Now tell me where he is.”

  The Cardian studied her thoughtfully. “I see the resemblance now,” he said grudgingly. He pointed to the north, where a dark mass of limestone cliffs cut off our view of the sea. “He just passed around those rocks out there.” His grin returned. “If you can swim fast, little lady, then maybe you can catch him.”

  Sabina pressed her lips together in anger. “You’re lying,” she said. “I know my father. He wouldn’t have gotten on any ship.”

  The Cardian shrugged. “Believe whatever you want. It means nothing to me.”

  Sabina looked to the empty sea as surging waves topped with foaming crests rolled across its murky surface. The wind had picked up even more since we’d reached the shore, turning the waters mean and angry. I could see dismay and indecision on the girl’s face at the news her father had left on the ships. It was a surprise to me too, but regardless, the problem of the Cardians remained. I knew I had to do something now before they became any more suspicious of us.

  “I’m Alwin of Witbridge,” I said, introducing myself.

  “What of it?” the Cardian grunted back in disinterest.

  “Your name?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

  The Cardian frowned. “Burel,” he replied coldly as he studied me.

  “Burel,” I repeated with a weary nod. I took my helmet off and rubbed my hair vigorously. “Well, Burel, we have a problem. My companion and I were told to bring the girl here because she has important information for Rorian.” I glanced at the sea and frowned. “They were supposed to wait for us.”

  “He never mentioned that to me,” Burel said, looking unimpressed. “What kind of information?” he added.

  “Something for his ears alone,” I replied. I tried to keep my face blank, afraid the Cardian would see the distaste I felt for him there. “All I can say is it involves gold.” Burel perked up at that, as did his men, just like I knew they would. Cardians were so predictable.

  I could see an equal amount of suspicion and greed fighting for dominance in Burel’s dark eyes. “Tell me what you know,” the Cardian finally said, “and if I think it’s worthwhile, I’ll pass it on to Rorian.”

  “I can’t do that,” I said with a firm shake of my head. I glanced at the boat as the stern rolled and pitched on the waves. The tide was rising quickly, I saw, and I needed these men to turn their backs on the cliffs soon before the ship was free. The eight of us were outnumbered, but I knew my men would be more than a match for the Cardians. I just needed to get them across the beach first. “Take us to Rorian on your ship,” I said, hoping to draw the Cardians toward the water, “and I promise he will reward you once he hears what we have to say.”

  “A Gander’s promise is like a fart in the wind,” Burel grunted. “Gone before you even know it was there. Besides, our orders are to stay right where we are.”

  “Then tell us where Rorian is heading and we will find another way,” I said.

  Burel just blinked at me, saying nothing. Finally, he nodded to himself. “I think you’re lying. There is no gold.”

  I raised my hands in exasperation. “What would we have to gain by lying about it?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Burel said. “But something’s not right about you, and I’m going to find out what it is.” He put his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Tell me what you are really doing here, or I’ll poke holes in the girl until she squeals the truth.”

  I’d had just about enough of the bastard and I stepped in front of him. I was taller than Burel, which meant that he had to look up at me. I could tell he wasn’t used to that and didn’t like it at all. “You couldn’t slit the throat of a drunken old cripple snoring in his bed,” I growled down into his face.

  Most Cardians, I’d come to learn, were cowards at heart, preferring overwhelming odds rather than equal terms. I was reasonably sure that Burel would be no different, but there is only so much a man can take. If I could goad him into fighting me, I figured I could toy with the man long enough for the others to approach unseen. The gamble was that Burel might have no honor at all and just ignore my insults, setting his men on Jebido and me instead.

  “Be careful, Gander,” Burel warned, his eyes flashing with anger.

  I could tell the man was close—he just needed an extra push. “You are one ugly bastard,” I said with a snort, my hand on my sword. “It’s a wonder you are even allowed to walk around without a sack over that face.”

  Burel cursed and began to draw his sword just as Sabina surprised me by stepping between us, putting a hand on each of our chests.

  “Enough of this nonsense!” she snapped. “My father is getting farther away by the minute while you two engage in a pissing match.” She poked a finger against Burel’s breastplate. “Who do you think it was that helped Rorian escape from Springlight?” she demanded. Burel’s eyebrows rose. “That’s right,” Sabina said. “Of course I know about that, because it was my father and me who got him out of there.” She waved a hand at Jebido, then motioned to me. “And these two helped us, so stop being an ass and accept that we are all on Rorian’s side here.”

  Burel paused, looking taken aback. Sabina brushed past him without another word, hurrying across the shale toward the boat.

  “Hey!” Burel shouted after her. “Get back here!”

  The other Cardians stood shifting from one foot to another, muttering uncertainly, but none moved to stop Sabina. Burel started after her, cursing, his face black with anger as Jebido and I followed closely behind. Sabina reached the water’s edge, which had risen dramatically and was beginning to curl around the grounded ship's bow. She waded into the surf, then paused by the rope ladder as she glared up at the Cardian leaning on the railing.

  “Don’t just stand there, you witless oaf, help me aboard!” she ordered.

  The heavily-bearded man stared down at her in astonishment, a slice of apple halfway to his lips.

  “Where do you think you are going!?” Burel yelled as he reached the shoreline.

  The tall Cardian stomped into the water, clutching at Sabina’s shoulder, but she slipped nimbly away from his grasp just as a wave crashed against her legs. She stumbled awkwardly and then fell to her knees as a second, larger crest washed over her. I started forward to help, then paused as Jebido laid a hand on my arm. I looked at him, but all my friend did was shake his head imperceptibly and hold me back. I watched in growing alarm as Sabina struggled to stand up, spitting out a mouthful of seawater even as the tide swept over her again. She pitched forward from the force of the wave, disappearing beneath the water, then resurfaced, swinging her arms wildly as the surging tide dragged her farther from the shore.

  Burel stood with his arms folded over his chest, watching dispassionately, while the rest of the Cardians ran to the waterline. They began to laugh and point as Sabina floundered helplessly. I looked at Jebido. My friend had a slight smile on his face and it dawned on me what was really going on. Sabina had given us our distraction after all.

  I glanced over my shoulder at the wall of darkness beyond the fires. Had Malo made it across the beach by now? Would he see this as the opportunity that it was? I pointed at the back of a short Cardian dancing with excitement along the shoreline, then I waited. I didn’t hear the hiss of the arrow o
ver the noise of the surf, the wind, and Sabina’s convincing cries of distress, but the dancing man suddenly arched his back, then tumbled forward into the water. I grinned. Tyris or Baine had understood what I’d wanted. The Cardian next to the fallen man bent over and tugged at his companion in surprise, then he grunted, reaching for a quivering shaft sticking from his neck as he fell. A clatter of boots on shale sounded behind me as my men swept around the bonfires. That’s all the incentive I needed, and I drew Wolf’s Head.

  “Kill the bastards!” I screamed as I rushed forward. “Kill them!”

  It took a moment for the Cardians to realize what was happening to their rear before they turned, pulling desperately at their weapons. Burel whirled in the knee-deep water, his ugly face dropping in astonishment as my men attacked. Before the tall Cardian could even take a step, two arrows thudded simultaneously into his chest, flinging him backward. Burel landed in the water with his arms spread wide as the sea eagerly snatched at his body, dragging it away.

  I caught a fleeting glimpse of Sabina’s stark white face as she clung to the boat’s hull near the stern, then I reached the line of Cardians bracing along the shore. I snarled, finally letting the pent-up rage inside me free. A quick backslash with Wolf’s Head and the first man to attack me with a clumsy swing fell writhing at my feet. I barely glanced at him as I pressed onward. More Cardians were converging on me, screaming their hatred. I lifted my shield, blocking a powerful sword thrust from my left that rang loudly off the shield’s metal boss. Then I ducked and whirled as a second Cardian attacked from my right. That man’s blade swept past my head harmlessly as I shoved him off-balance with my shoulder. I dropped to my knees, gutting the man to my left. He squealed as I twisted my blade savagely in his flesh and yanked it free even as I threw my shield into the face of the off-balance Cardian, knocking him flat on his back. I bounded toward him as he lifted his sword, cursing at me. I kicked the weapon from his hand contemptuously, then plunged Wolf’s Head into his chest.

  Weapons clashed all along the beach as men screamed and died. The sounds of the battle seemed oddly muted as the wind howled and the surf roared. I pulled my sword free from the corpse, then straightened, suddenly free of adversaries. Tyris and Baine stood in front of the bonfires, their dark silhouettes framed by the flames as they shot coolly and calmly at the Cardians. Malo, Putt, Niko, and Jebido fought together in a shield wall as they forced a dark mass of Cardians toward the water. Sim fought alone twenty paces farther down the beach, swinging an axe wildly at two Cardians retreating into the sea in panic beneath the big man’s furious onslaught.

  I heard Baine shout something, the words lost to me on the wind, and Sim stepped back just as one of his opponents sagged with an arrow in his chest. Sim roared as the man fell, throwing himself at the remaining Cardian. He smashed against that man’s upraised shield with a vicious blow of his axe and I saw the blade lodge firmly in the thick wood. The big outlaw wrenched at the weapon, then let it go as he flung himself on top of the Cardian. Both men disappeared beneath the waves just as I heard a faint scream coming from the direction of the ship.

  I whirled to see the apple-eating Cardian hanging far over the gunwale of the boat with a long fish gaff in his left hand. He’d just used it to snag Sabina beneath the armpit and was dragging her slowly upward against the hull as she thrashed wildly in its hooked grip. I cursed and leaped over the body of the man I had just killed, racing toward the water. The Cardian had Sabina high enough now that he could wrap his free hand in her wet hair. He tossed the gaff aside, then grabbed her with both hands while Sabina beat ineffectually up at him with her fists. I could hear the man laughing as Sabina bucked and twisted in his grasp. I ran for the prow of the boat, but the Cardian had had the foresight to pull up the rope ladder. I tried leaping for the railing, but my searching fingers didn’t even come close. I cursed and glanced at Sabina again. I knew I only had moments before the bastard got her over the side. I grunted in frustration, then plunged into the sea.

  I could feel the surprisingly cold current swirling around me as I pressed forward, tugging at my legs with every step. I glanced behind me at the beach, hoping Baine or Tyris would notice what was happening, but all I could see from my vantage point were unidentifiable shadows locked in combat. I realized I should have called for the archers help right away and cursed myself for reacting without thinking. Now there wasn’t time to go back to alert them. I also knew that with the wind and surf, it was unlikely Baine or Tyris would hear me if I shouted out to them from where I was. I had to assume that I was on my own.

  I moved deeper into the water, clutching Wolf’s Head in my right hand, and wiping my eyes with the other as each successive wave splashed spray into my face. The floor began to slope dramatically beneath my feet, and after two more steps, I was up to my shoulders in seawater, coughing up salty brine and stumbling over uneven rocks. I was surprised at how quickly the water had deepened and deathly afraid it would be over my head at any moment. I glanced up at the Cardian, whose face was set in fierce concentration as he struggled to lift Sabina. He seemed completely unaware of me making my way toward them in the water. I thought about trying to throw Wolf’s Head at the man, then discarded the idea. My balance on the slippery rocks was precarious at best. I might hit Sabina by accident.

  The Cardian had reached an impasse, I saw, unwilling to let her go, but also unable to get her fully over the gunwale. I could hear his agonized groans of effort as he fought to maintain his balance on the deck and hold onto the girl at the same time. I had to get Sabina away from the bastard before he got her over the side. Once he had her, the Cardian would have a hostage that he could use as leverage against us.

  I took several more cautious steps and finally stopped beneath the struggling girl. I reached up with my left hand, trying to latch onto her as the cold seawater rose over my mouth and splashed into my eyes. Finally, I managed to grasp one of her kicking feet and I yanked on it just as a powerful wave rocked the stern of the boat and swept around the hull. This one was three times the size of any other that I’d had to deal with so far. I turned my face away and spread my legs, bracing myself for the impact that I knew was coming. I felt the Cardian above me tugging harder on Sabina as we fought over her, and I heard her agonized howl of pain just as the wave crashed into me. I staggered from the force of it as my right boot slipped on the slime-covered rocks. I lost my grip on Sabina’s foot and fell just as rushing seawater swept over my head, filling my mouth. Then the current took hold of me.

  I twirled head over ass, feeling myself being drawn farther out to sea. I fought against it, helpless as a cork in a waterfall before suddenly the flow of the tide reversed. It swept me backward almost contemptuously to where I had been moments before, then released me. I immediately sank downward like a stone, battered, and stunned as I found myself dropping to the bottom of the seabed. I flailed my arms until I got my legs under me and fought to stand until finally, I broke the surface. I lifted my face to the sky and sucked in air greedily as I twisted my neck to look up at the boat. The Cardian had managed to pull Sabina halfway over the railing now. He had one balled fist still entwined in her hair and his other hand wrapped around the back of her neck as he pushed down, while she clutched madly at the gunwale.

  I looked up at the hull, but there was nothing to grab for a handhold. I cursed in frustration. I only had moments left before he had her, and desperate, I reached as high as I could and stabbed Wolf’s Head deep into the side of the oak planking. I unsheathed my father’s axe and held it in my right hand while I grabbed the hilt of my sword with my left hand. Then I waited.

  The Cardian was cursing over and over again, tugging at Sabina. Finally, he lost patience and pounded her several times across the back with his fist. I saw the girl sag weakly under the blows, then the Cardian leaned far over the gunwale and grabbed her legs to flip her over the side. My opportunity had come. I flexed my knees, squatting in the water as far as possible while still gripping the s
word hilt. Then I thrust upward with my legs and pulled on the sword at the same time. The Cardian’s eyes widened in fear as I burst out of the water and swung the axe one-handed, catching him with a meaty thunk on the side of his head. I heard his neck snap with a satisfying crunch and saw blood spray outward as he fell backward out of sight, then I dropped back into the sea.

  Sabina flailed her arms and legs above me as she lost her balance and tumbled after me, splashing awkwardly into the water five feet away. I struggled to my feet and sheathed my axe as I fought my way through the waves, then grabbed her arm and drew her to me. I lifted her slight form into my arms and carried her toward the shore as I coughed and hacked up seawater.

  We reached shallower water and I lowered Sabina to her feet as I peered anxiously into her face. “Are you all right?”

  Sabina looked up at the boat and shuddered, then pressed herself against me. “You saved my life,” I heard her mumble. “Again.”

  “He wasn’t going to kill you,” I said with a weary smile as I held her. “He just needed a hostage.” I didn’t bother to add that once the bastard had gotten away, he probably would have slit her throat and thrown her body into the sea. I didn’t see the point. Instead, I tried to urge her toward the shore, but she resisted, shaking her head. “But we need to get you warm,” I protested.

  “Just a moment longer,” Sabina said. She looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Please, Hadrack.”

  I sighed in discomfort as I shifted my gaze to the shore. The battle was over now, I saw, and my men were combing the beach with torches from the bonfires as they called out my name. I realized we must be nearly invisible with our bodies pressed together and the dark bulk of the ship behind us.

  “We’re over here!” I shouted.

  “Hadrack?” Jebido hollered back. “Is that you?”

  “Yes. Sabina and I are fine.”

  Jebido moved to the water’s edge, lifting his torch. “What are you two doing out there?”