The following day, his vigil at the window resumed, and at midday his worst fears were realised when a squad of Trelath's troops rode into town and questioned people in the street. When they reached the inn, the proprietor would betray the trio. He toyed with the idea of bribing the innkeeper, but he seemed like the sort of man who would take the money and betray them anyway, and Blade's funds were running low. While the soldiers were still on the far side of town, he slipped across to the livery and got the horses, taking them to the back of the inn. Minna and Kerra met him there, leaving the tavern through the kitchens to avoid alerting the proprietor, who sat in the front room. The soldiers would waste time searching the inn, giving them a longer head start.
They rode hard for several time-glasses, using whatever firm ground they could find. Minna's horse had recovered from its wound, proving itself to be a hardy and vigorous animal. Myasha scouted behind, finding no sign of the soldiers. Nevertheless, Blade rode well into the night, heading for a town two days ride away, since Jadaya was six days journey to the east, and they did not have sufficient supplies to reach it.
They set off again at dawn the next day, but were soon forced to stop and endure several time-glasses of misery when a sandstorm found them. They sat with their backs to the wind, their eyes shut and cloths over their noses to keep out the stinging sand. By the time the storm passed, Blade was certain he had lost several layers of skin, although the queens looked unscathed. The sand storm had delayed them, but it had also erased their trail, and when Myasha scouted, he found no sign of Trelath's men.
What he did find was a band of nomads to the west, on a parallel course. Blade set off at once, hoping to avoid them, and they came no closer, apparently heading for the same town. When they camped that night, Blade was uneasy. Had he been alone, he would have continued to ride, but the women needed rest, especially Minna-Satu. He kept watch for several time-glasses, but was forced to join the women in the tent and get some sleep. He found sharing such a confined space with two women disturbing, for he was used to sleeping alone. Even though he was tired, the uneasiness nagged at him, keeping him awake for a while.
Blade woke with a jerk and sat up in the darkness to listen. His nerves jangled, and familiar frissons of alarm went through him, subtle warnings that had dragged him from a deep sleep. Distant, muffled hoof beats reached him over the women's soft breathing, and he turned his head towards the sounds. Minna and her daughter shared a blanket, while he slept as far away from them as he could in the small tent. Their soft sounds had dulled his senses to the slight noise that had woken him far later than it would have, had he been alone. He listened to the hoof beats, which approached at a walk, and were still quite distant. Mingled with the thudding hooves was the jingle of harness. The uneasiness that had plagued him earlier was far stronger, and all his instincts warned of impending danger. He woke Minna, placing a finger on her lips to still her questions.
Leaning closer, he whispered, "There is someone outside. Stay here, no matter what you hear, and keep Kerra quiet."
Minna nodded, and he crawled to the tent's opening, where he paused. All his instincts and training warned him that danger lurked outside, and he did not want to be caught in the tent. As he slithered from its shelter, he sensed the presence of several men close by in the darkness. Their stealthy approach was due to the soft sand, which muffled their cautious steps and had allowed them to get so close without him hearing them. The moon had set, and only starlight illuminated the night.
Pulling the daggers from his belt, he moved forward on his belly, seeking cover. There was none in the desert, however, and all he could do was keep close to the ground. A few paces from the tent, he stopped and listened to the furtive footsteps of several men, straining to spot them in the moonlight. A figure revealed itself, no more than a dark shape in the gloom, and he raised himself, took aim, and threw a dagger. The man collapsed with a gurgle, clawing at his throat, and Blade sank down, remaining still as everyone froze.
Several minutes passed, then a shadowy figure crept towards the fallen man, whispering a query. Blade flung his second dagger, and a blood-curdling scream followed the thud of its striking as the man fell backwards with a black hilt protruding from his chest. Blade reached for the daggers in his boots, and the night erupted into a confusion of shouts and running figures as the attackers sought the enemy in their midst. Taking advantage of the commotion, he rose and confronted a man, no more than a shadow himself in the darkness.
The stranger died with a hand-span of cold steel through his heart, his eyes wide with surprise. Blade jerked the weapon free and turned to find another victim, picking them off like a wolf in a herd of sheep. Two more died before one saw his intent before he struck and shouted a warning, leaping back to avoid the dagger aimed at his heart. Blade went after him, the soft sand hampering him, and his opponent drew a dagger and stood his ground.
The assassin paused, surprised to find himself facing another dagger man, then threw a dagger, and the man dropped with a cry of pain. After retrieving his weapon, Blade slid down the dune to the harder ground at the bottom, drawing the attackers after him. He longed for the protection of his leather garb, for he wore only a cotton vest and cloth trousers, and the night air was freezing.
Lying in the shadow of the dune, he listened to his pursuers' shouts, reflecting that he was always the quarry in these situations. Two men ran over to the body of the man he had just slain, cursing and muttering. Blade waited for them to come after him, since his footprints were clearly visible in the sand next to the corpse. To his surprise, they went back towards the tent. Blade cursed and started up the dune after them.
Screams ripped through the night, and Blade broke into a run, labouring through the soft sand. A group of bandits stood near the tent, and two dragged the struggling women from it. Usually the assassin would have slipped away into the night, uncaring of those he left behind, but now they were his responsibility, and although the temptation to leave was strong, he fought it.
Walking into danger was not something he made a habit of, however, it tended to be bad for the health. The situation was hopeless. More than a dozen men stood around the tent, far too many for him to defeat. The bandits lighted lamps to inspect their prizes, and Kerra screamed his name at the top of her lungs, shouting obscenities and insults in between. Blade crouched behind the crest of a dune, watching the men.
To walk in there now would be suicide. He had a far better chance of freeing the queens if he hid until an opportunity presented itself. The crack of a hand on a cheek put an end to Kerra's shrieks, and Blade winced and peered over the dune. The men examined and bound the queens, while Shista prowled amongst the crowd. Minna had wisely prevented the sand cat from taking action, it seemed. He searched for the direfalcon, wondering if Kerra had as much sense as her mother, but the bird was almost blind in the dark, and still perched atop a saddle.
A shriek made Blade's scalp prickle, and a string of obscenities from Kerra followed, then her shout, "Blade! Blade, show yourself or they will hurt me again!"
The assassin cursed foully as he was thrust into a quandary, but one he should have expected, had he thought about it. Normally such tactics would not have worked on him, for no one was important enough to force him to do anything to save them. If he did not save the queens, however, the kingdoms would be plunged back into war, and he would not get his reward.
Yet if he gave himself up, the bandits would surely kill him. He had just slain six of their comrades, so they would not spare him, and he had no taste for self-sacrifice, especially since they would torture him before they gave him a slow and painful death. Another shriek from Kerra made his hair bristle, and he moved around the dune, keeping low.
Since giving himself up would achieve nothing save his demise, he must try to free the queens while he had the chance. Creeping along like a shadow, he circled the camp towards the horses, which he could use for cover, and where his crossbow resided in his pack. The bandits argued am
ongst themselves, and a woman's voice amid the deep male murmur surprised him.
Reaching a point beyond the horses, he crept towards them, his eyes on the packs that lay close by. He had almost reached them when the sand on either side of him erupted. Two men burst from it and lunged at him, knives in their fists. Blade leapt back, straightened and lashed out with a foot, sending one man spinning away with a grunt. The other rushed at him, and Blade spun aside, his dagger slicing the man's arm. The bandit shouted, and his cohorts rushed towards them as the assassin turned to run.
The deep sand slowed him, and the bandit he had cut charged after him, tackled him around the legs and brought him down with a grunt. Blade twisted and stabbed the man in the shoulder, struggling to free himself before the others reached him. The brigand lunged at him, trying to pin him down. Blade slashed at his throat, but the man's up-flung arm blocked him. Blood splattered over the assassin, and his opponent growled and aimed a punch at his head.
Blade jerked aside, narrowly avoiding the blow, then two more men reached him and flung themselves into the fray. Blade found himself at the bottom of a scrum, three beefy men pinning him down. One gripped his wrist, and he stabbed with his other weapon in a desperate bid to ward off his attackers, his dagger sinking into flesh. A fist hit him on the chin, and lights flashed in his eyes as he sagged, stunned.
The men wrenched the daggers from his hands and twisted his arms behind his back. As they lifted him to his knees, the rest of the bandits gathered around, bringing lamps to shed light on the scene. His head sagged forward, and someone grabbed his wig to yank his head up. The glue parted, and the wig came away in the man's hand. He swore and flung it down, then grabbed Blade's hair and pulled his head up, so the light fell on his face.
After pause, a woman remarked, "Well, what have we here?"
Surprised, he opened his eyes and looked up. Several men flanked her, armed with crossbows that were aimed at his chest. The woman flicked back a mane of golden-streaked brown hair and glared at him with startling green eyes that held as much proud arrogance as Kerra's had first done. A loose man's shirt clad her slender form under a studded leather tunic, and a short ragged skirt revealed long, muscular thighs and calf-length boots. The men in the lamplight did not look pure Cotti, and he concluded that they were half breeds, born to Jashimari slave women.
The woman squatted down to study him, reaching out to peel the moustache from his lip. "You're not Cotti. What are you, Contara?"
Blade tried to shake his head, but a man still held his hair. "Jashimari."
She glanced around as her cohorts brought Minna and Kerra closer, then stood up to address the men in commanding tones. "Bind them, and see what valuables they have. I'll have a better look at them when the sun comes up."
The woman walked towards the tent, leaving the men to bind Blade's hands behind his back and tie his ankles together, removing the daggers from his wrist sheaths. They bound the queens and left them lying together, then joined the woman by the tent.
Minna twisted her head to look at Blade. "Are you all right, My Lord?"
He nodded. "A little bruised is all."
Kerra rasped, "Why did you not kill those bastards, Blade? Now we are at their mercy."
"I seem to recall telling you that I am not invincible, Kerra."
"Now what are we going to do?"
"Get free, hopefully."
"How?"
"When I have a plan, I will let you know."
Blade watched the group by the tent, some of whom seemed to be engaged in a heated argument with the woman. The bodies of the men he had slain were dragged to the tent and examined in the lamplight, others tended those he had injured. A scuffle broke out as one man tried to leave the group and head towards the captives, but the others held him back and the woman's strident commands deterred him. Blade deduced that the man wanted vengeance for a slain comrade, and did not wish to wait until morning.
Minna broke into his study. "These bandits are all half breeds. Kerrion told me about them. They call themselves the Free People, and hate Cotti."
"With good reason, I am sure."
"The fact that we are not Cotti should help us."
Blade shook his head. "I killed at least six of them, and wounded two or three more. I do not think they will spare me."
Shista padded over and stretched out beside Minna, her eyes wide with tension. Kerra glanced at the huge cat.
"Why did you not let Shista kill them, mother?"
"Because I do not want her to be killed. Like Blade, she is not invincible."
"We are going to die!"
"You are not," Blade said. "They will sell you."
"A fate worse than death."
"Hush, Kerra," Minna admonished.
Blade shot the girl a glare. "Perhaps, when you see me staked out in the sun and left to study my innards while I die, you will reconsider that statement. You will be sold to a lord or rich merchant, and your father will find you soon enough."
Blade turned his attention back to the bandits, who seemed to have settled their differences, and now sat around the tent, drinking his wine. Although they had set no guard over the prisoners, they were close enough to watch them just by glancing around, which they did frequently.
Kerra whispered, "Why do they have no familiars? Are they all Shunned?"
"No," Minna replied. "In Cotti, women and slaves are not allowed to have large familiars, and they are killed. That is probably what made these men run away from their masters and become bandits. The woman is cat kin."
"Then they are all the kin of powerful beasts? No wonder they are such a formidable bunch."
Blade rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, his head aching. The prospect of a painful death frightened him. He knew all too well the Cotti methods of torture that these bandits would undoubtedly employ. Now he cursed his foolishness in returning to try to free the queens with his crossbow. He should have known the bandits would expect such a tactic, and set an ambush. If he had stayed hidden, he might have been able to locate their horses, which were not far away, judging by the hoof beats he had heard earlier.
Then he could have stolen a horse and waited for an opportune moment to free the women. The bandits had used an old technique that normally would not have worked on him, forcing Kerra to call him to her aid. He tested the thongs that bound his wrists, but found them tight, as he had expected. The tiny dagger still concealed in his boot was out of reach, but even if he freed himself, they had little chance of escaping and more of being killed in the attempt. Since he faced certain death in the morning, however, the prospect still tempted him, and he twisted his hands, trying to stretch the leather. When that did not work, he rolled over to face Minna.
"I must get free. I need you to untie my hands," he whispered.
She glanced at the bandits. "We cannot escape. They are watching us."
"Just me. I may not succeed, but I would rather die trying to escape than be tortured to death in the morning."
"No, Blade." She shook her head. "This time I will not aid in your demise. You court death constantly, and it grieves me. Perhaps they will not kill you, else they would have done it already."
"They want to torture me, to see me staked out in the sand with my belly cut open and my entrails spread around. They await daylight so they may enjoy the spectacle."
"Even if I managed to untie your hands, which I doubt, considering how tight the thongs are, you are unarmed, so they would not have to kill you. They would merely beat you."
"There is a chance that I could reach their horses and steal one. If I did, I would return to free you at the first opportunity."
Minna smiled. "I do not doubt that, but I do doubt that you would succeed. Why did you not do that before, instead of coming back?"
"I was trying to reach my crossbow, so I could use it to pick them off one by one. It would have worked, but they set an ambush."
"And they were hurting me," Kerra interjected. "He would not leave me
to suffer, mother."
Minna's brows rose, and she shot Blade a quizzical smile. "Indeed, My Lord?"
Blade snorted and shook his head, smiling at the girl's arrogant assumption. "Your daughter has a strange notion of who I am. At times she has seen me as a monster, and now she endows me with nobility I do not possess. I returned to free both of you for the sake of my payment, nothing more."
Minna glanced at Kerra, who frowned and looked away. "Kerra is young and full of romantic ideas, My Lord. But I do not doubt that her suffering had a hand in your decision. I know you to be a man who cannot abide torture of any kind."
"Had I been so concerned, I should have given myself up to end her torment. It is true that I dislike torture, particularly my own, but nor would I sacrifice myself to end hers, which was not so great, I think. What did they do, pull her hair?"
"And I will not see you suffer in this foolish attempt, Blade. I am certain that they have guards with their steeds. It is madness to try to escape now."
Blade frowned. "There will be no other opportunity. When the sun rises they will kill me."
"Perhaps, but there is a chance that they will not."
Blade opened his mouth to argue, then glanced around as Kerra muttered, "I will try to free you."
Minna frowned at her daughter. "You must not."
"I do not wish to see him put to death in some ghastly manner. If he thinks he can escape, let him try."
Blade rolled over and wriggled towards the younger queen, keen to accept her offer before Minna-Satu dissuaded her. He positioned himself with his back to her, and she squirmed closer until her bound hands touched his. Minna continued to berate her while she tugged at the cord, but Kerra ignored her mother. After several minutes of tugging and fumbling, however, she gave up.
"I cannot. The knot is too tight."
"There is a dagger in my boot, see if you can get it out."
The Queen's Blade IV - Sacred Knight of the Veil Page 30