A few feet away, Renna and Brandi tended the fire and whatever they were cooking for supper. Their peals of giggles didn’t bode well for the end results. Ranson and Jamie sat on the other side of the fire, and even Ranson was smiling.
Martyn’s absence stung worse than the lingering pain in Leith’s ribs. What could Leith have done differently? If he’d made more of an effort, would Martyn still have left?
Perhaps not. Martyn needed to move on, and maybe this was his way of doing it.
Martyn might even have the right idea. What did either of them know about a normal life?
Nothing. Or almost nothing.
It was a mission he couldn’t scout beforehand, but going in blind meant making mistakes. Failing.
He might not even need the revelation of his past as a Blade to ruin Renna’s reputation and future happiness. He could do that simply with his own ignorance.
Until Shad and Lord Alistair had taken him aside, Leith hadn’t known traveling like this, with only the five of them, would be considered improper, especially without a life or death situation to justify it. It wasn’t like Leith and Renna were alone, not with Ranson, Jamie, and Brandi sleeping around the same, open campfire. And, once they reached Stetterly, there would be the surviving townsfolk of Stetterly to provide more than enough chaperones until Leith eventually asked Renna to marry him and one of the circuit riding ministers swung their way. Until then, Leith would bunk with Ranson and Jamie, and Renna with Brandi. All perfectly proper and practical.
But apparently not enough. It mattered that neither of them had parents or any guardians left besides Lord Alistair. It mattered that Renna was Lady Faythe and would outrank anyone at Stetterly who even tried to be a guardian.
Should they have agreed to guards, if just for propriety’s sake? But that seemed like admitting he and Renna had done something wrong. And they hadn’t. Wouldn’t.
Leith touched his right shoulder where his thirty-seven marks still marred his skin. For years, he’d never failed Respen. He’d apply that much determination and more to make sure he didn’t fail God and Renna.
But if his self-control and determination failed? If he couldn’t act as wise as he thought he was? His father had lacked self-control. Would Leith inherit the same failings?
He’d trusted God’s strength in torture. Surely he could trust Him in peace too.
A low snort came from one of the horses. Blizzard raised his head, his ears pricked. His nostrils flared, testing the breeze. Jamie’s and Ranson’s horses also stopped grazing, staring at the dark, prairie hills rolling away from their campsite.
Leith scrambled to his feet, ignoring the ache shooting through his chest and down his left leg. He drew two of his knives and placed himself between the girls and the direction the horses were staring. “Someone’s coming.”
Ranson and Jamie both pulled their own knives and took up positions with their backs to the fire. Brandi drew her short sword and stepped into line with Leith. A hard look tightened her face, her short, spiky hair glowing in the firelight.
She’d fought battles. It crushed Leith’s bones to see for himself. Her experienced stance. The way she’d left plenty of fighting room between them.
Hooves thundered. A vibration traveled through the ground beneath Leith’s feet.
Six horsemen charged from the darkness. They circled, swords drawn. Underneath the dust covering them, the horses and saddles showed quality, as did the men’s clothes and swords. Two wore helmets emblazoned with Respen’s crossed daggers.
Some of Respen’s scattered soldiers, now turned into Rovers.
A burly man halted his huge bay horse and leaned on his saddlehorn. His gaze swept across the horses, Leith, Ranson, Jamie, and Brandi, before resting on Renna. The corners of his mouth turned up a little.
Leith ground his teeth but didn’t speak. Not yet.
“What do we have here? A pack of peasants returning to your farms?” The burly man’s eyes scanned the horses again. “Though those horses are much too fine to belong to peasants. I believe we’ll relieve you of them. Well, all except that maimed one. Not worth keeping around, that one.”
Brandi’s lips curled in a silent snarl, but she held her place in line. Thankfully her battle experience had given her the patience to wait for Leith’s signal. Leith wasn’t sure what he would’ve done had she rashly flung herself at the men.
Leith didn’t move. Hobbled as he now was, he’d have only one chance at this. He didn’t have his former speed or strength. Just surprise and cunning. They’d have to be enough.
If Brandi, Jamie, and Ranson each handled one of the men—and that was uncertain given that these men were trained soldiers—could Leith handle three on his own?
He forced away the churn in his stomach. He’d have to kill. Harsh and cold and quick. It was the only way he’d take out three of the men quickly enough.
“And you.” The burly man’s gaze fell on Leith. His sneer carved across his face. “You look like you aren’t worth keeping around either. A bit maimed too, I see.”
The other five men chuckled.
Leith felt Renna stiffen behind him. Before he could stop her, she stepped next to him, still clutching a ladle filled with her and Brandi’s supper concoction in one hand. Leith rested his free hand on her arm.
One of the men slapped his leg and grinned. “Looks like you’ve found us some easy pickings, Cap’n.”
A captain? If he’d once been a captain in Respen’s army, then would his men obey him as they would a superior officer? If so, then Leith wouldn’t have to take out all of them. Just their leader. He might be able to get out of this without too much bloodshed after all.
“What do you see in a runt like that? He’s a bit damaged, don’t you think?” The burly captain ogled Renna. “Captain Loust, at your service. Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll show you what a real man is like.”
If Martyn had been at Leith’s side, he would’ve snorted.
Renna clenched her fists, her arm shaking beneath Leith’s hand. “Not a chance. I’d scratch your eyes out first.”
“Easy, Renna.” Leith kept her in the corner of his eye. And he’d been worried about Brandi doing something rash?
Captain Loust snorted a laugh out his throat. “Stand aside, boy. You aren’t man enough for a woman like that.”
Leith met the captain’s gaze and dredged up all the hard strength he’d had when he was King Respen’s First Blade. He kept his tone flat, a statement of fact rather than a threat. “If you lay a hand on her, I will kill you.”
Something slid across Captain Loust’s eyes. He hesitated, his hand in the air wavering between retreat and signaling his men forward. His jaw tightened, and he nudged his horse. “Get them.”
Leith ducked out of the horse’s way and pivoted on his right foot. As he did, Renna lifted the ladle and flung the contents into Captain Loust’s face.
Captain Loust shrieked and clawed at his eyes. Leith grabbed the captain’s arm and yanked him off his horse, using a knee to flip him as he fell. When he crashed to the dirt on his stomach, Leith twisted an arm behind his back and pressed a knee into his back. The tip of Leith’s knife pricked Captain Loust’s jaw above the big vein in his neck.
Leith risked a glance around. Renna had returned to the boiling pot, her ladle ready with another scoop to fling. Brandi had hold of a horse’s bridle, her grip by the horse’s head preventing the man from swinging at her. Jamie dodged one man’s charge while Ranson stabbed another in the leg. The remaining two men worked at the horses’ hobbles. Ranson’s horse aimed a bite at a man’s rear end.
“Call off your men.” Leith applied a hint of pressure to his knife. “Unless you want to bleed to death right here.”
Captain Loust squinted the one eye not pressed to the ground up at Leith. The skin on part of his face developed a red hue. He hesitated for a moment longer, his jaw set.
Leith pricked Captain Loust’s skin. A rivulet of blood trickled from his neck a
nd dripped onto the sand. Leith lowered his tone until it rang as cold as a mid-winter night. “How much wider do you think I can make this cut before you bleed out?”
The fight sagged from Captain Loust’s body. “Hold up, men.”
The scuffling and scraping metal ceased. Leith kept his focus on the captain. “Now all of you back up slowly and bring your horses around where I can see you.”
When they were slow to comply, Leith pricked Captain Loust again. The captain squirmed, sweat beading on his forehead. “Hurry it up, you fools!”
Moments later, the five men had gathered a few yards away from Leith, gripping their horses’ bridles. Leith twisted the captain’s arm higher onto his back until he cried out. “You all start riding. I’ll set him free when I can no longer hear your hoofbeats. Now move.”
They scrambled for their horses, wheeled them around, and kicked them into a gallop. Leith held his breath, listening, until the sounds faded into the dull whisper of shifting grass.
Easing to his feet, he stepped back. “Get up and get out.”
Captain Loust rolled to his feet and slapped a hand to his neck. He glared at Leith, then Renna. “I won’t forget this.”
Leith held up his knife so the drops of blood on the end caught the firelight. “Neither will I.”
Captain Loust grabbed his horse, swung on, and took off after his men. Leith waited until the hoofbeats had drummed into the distance before he pressed a hand to his stabbing ribs. “We need to get moving. Ranson, kick out the fire. Jamie, saddle the horses.”
Brandi swiped her sword on the grass and jumped to help Jamie. Renna supported Leith’s elbow. He leaned against her and eased the weight off his left leg. Her forehead puckered. “You’re done in. Are you sure we can’t take a few more minutes to rest and eat?”
He shook his head. “They’re circling back even now.”
She nodded, her expression taking on that determined sheen he’d seen so often when they’d been locked in the Blades’ Tower. She didn’t even protest when Ranson dumped the pot onto the fire to put it out.
Minutes later, they swung onto their horses and set out at a trot. The pace jarred Leith’s ribs and strained his legs. A canter would’ve been smoother and faster, but in the dark they couldn’t see prairie dog holes or variations in the ground that could cause a horse to stumble or even break a leg.
The cool air flowed around them, crisp with the hint of autumn. Leith strained his ears to pick up something behind the thumping of their own horses’ hooves and the night insects buzzing and chirping.
After they’d been riding for half an hour, Leith motioned to Ranson. “Check our back trail.”
Ranson nodded and turned his horse away from them. The horse’s ears pressed to its skull, its teeth flashing, as it swiveled its head and bit at Ranson’s leg. Ranson tugged on the reins and moved his foot out of the way. “Come on, Snapper. You already took a bite out of one person tonight.”
Jamie nudged his horse into the lead as the rest of them kept going.
Leith snuck a side-long look at Brandi. “Snapper, huh?”
“It’s a good name. I wish I could take credit for it.” Brandi shrugged. “He actually named the horse himself.”
Probably while cussing the horse out. But Ranson and Snapper seemed to have an understanding.
After fifteen minutes, Ranson caught up with them. “Didn’t hear anything.”
Leith peered into the darkness. His stomach knotted with hunger. His back ached with the effort to stay straight in the saddle. He could push them farther, yet what they gained in distance, they’d lose in strength.
If his bearings were right, then they were only a couple of miles away from a path down into the Spires Canyon. There was a sheltered spot partway down where a small group like theirs could hole up. Set along the narrow path as it was, their pursuers couldn’t come at them more than one at a time.
Leith checked Valor until he fell into step with Big Brown, Blizzard trotting on his leadrope. “There’s a place up ahead where we can rest. Just a few more miles.”
“Good.” Renna sagged in her saddle, her mouth pressed into a line. Brandi had her eyes closed, a hand to her head.
After a few miles, the black line where the Spires Canyon sliced into the land appeared out of the gloom. It took a few minutes of scouting along the rim before Jamie found the faint rut leading down into the Canyon. Not a trail, exactly. Simply a less steep part of the cliff side where animals had worn it flat on their way to the river at the bottom.
Leith followed Jamie down the narrow track, Renna, then Brandi following him with Ranson guarding the rear.
The first part of the track curled downward along the slope before descending into a section of shale and gravel. Dismounting, Jamie braced himself and half-slid, half-walked down the shale to a narrow ledge. The rocks and gravel clattered and hissed, echoing in the still night air. If the Rovers were anywhere close, they’d hear it.
Once Jamie reached firm ground, Leith dismounted and stepped onto the shale, leading Blizzard and Valor. After two steps, his left leg buckled, the muscle in his thigh cramped. He fell to his knees and tore the skin of his palm when he braced himself to halt his forward momentum.
“Leith?” Renna’s voice whispered through the dark.
“I’m all right.” He gripped Valor’s bridle and heaved himself to his feet. The horse raised its head and backed up a step at Leith’s weight. He kept his grip on Valor’s bridle as he set out again.
This time, he made it two steps before his leg crumpled, but his grip on Valor kept him upright. Thankfully, both Blizzard and Valor kept their footing. If one of them had gone down, Leith wouldn’t have been quick enough to get out of their way as they slid down the slope.
When he reached the stone at the bottom, he leaned against Valor and tried to stop his shaking. Still so weak.
He led his horses out of the way as Renna started down the slope. She wobbled a couple of times but reached the bottom without falling. When she was steady, Leith led Valor and Blizzard between a boulder and the cliff face. On the other side, the trail widened into a broad ledge, part of it tucked into a cave-like bowl at the back.
Jamie had already hobbled his horse on the far side. He tugged the saddle from its back. Leith led Valor and Blizzard over to him.
When he reached for Valor’s saddle, Jamie stepped next to him. “I’ll unsaddle him for you.”
If Leith had been less tired, he would’ve argued. Or at least put up some protest. Instead, he limped a few feet away and lowered himself to the ground. Sticking his bad leg in front of him, he massaged the muscle.
After a few minutes, Renna led Big Brown into their camp, handed the horse’s reins to Jamie, and knelt next to Leith. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Leith leaned against the cliff face behind him. He needed to be strong. He had to push through this weakness.
Renna touched his shoulder. “I’ll fetch your blanket and some dried meat. Then you need to rest.”
As Renna spread out his blanket and Jamie placed his saddle at its head for a pillow, Brandi and Ranson led their horses around the boulder.
“Jamie and I can take watch tonight.” Ranson set his saddle a few feet away from Leith. “You look done in.”
Brandi’s intake of breath indicated she’d opened her mouth to protest. Leith shook his head and turned to Ranson. “If we get attacked, you and Jamie are the strongest fighters we have at the moment. We need you both well-rested. Jamie can stand first watch, you second. Brandi and I will take the third watch. Between the two of us, we’ll manage.”
Leith spotted the flash of Brandi’s teeth as she grinned.
Ranson’s frown shadowed his face. Leith gave him a stern look. “And don’t get any ideas about neglecting to wake us when your shift is over.”
“Yes, sir.” Ranson nodded, his right hand twitching like he’d nearly given Leith the Blade salute.
“I can take a watch, if it would help.” Renna
hugged her blanket to her chest.
Leith shook his head. “No, sorry. You could certainly watch and listen, but if trouble happens, you might not be able to handle it before you can wake us.”
Renna nodded, as if she’d expected his answer.
Stifling his groan, Leith stretched out on his blanket. Weariness pressed into his eyes, and he collapsed into sleep despite the rock beneath him.
He woke to a hand shaking his shoulder. He reached for his knife but halted as Ranson’s voice registered. “Your turn for watch.”
Leith shoved himself into a sitting position. His hip and shoulder bones ached from the stone beneath him while his left leg had stiffened to the point he could barely move it.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stand watch for you?”
“No, I’m awake now. I’ll be all right. Help me up.”
Ranson hauled Leith to his feet. Leith kept his weight balanced on his right leg to keep Ranson from seeing how unsteady his left felt.
Ranson eyed him but headed for his own blanket and rolled himself into it. Within a few minutes, his steady breathing joined the others in chorus with the crickets and tree frogs near the stream below.
Brandi’s snore warbled above the other night sounds. Should he wake her? She needed her sleep.
But she’d be beyond mad the next morning. And if trouble did come, it would take the two of them to handle it. With his leg as stiff as it was, Leith wouldn’t be nimble enough to handle things on his own.
Picking up his blanket, he limped across the ledge, leaned over, and shook Brandi’s shoulder. Her snores stuttered, then restarted louder than ever.
He shook her again. “Brandi.”
Her eyes flew open, and she bolted upright so quickly her head nearly rammed Leith’s chin. “Our turn for watch?”
“Yep. Grab your blanket. It’s chilly tonight.”
She scooped up her blanket and bounced next to him as he limped toward the boulder. Folding his blanket, he placed it at the base of the boulder and eased himself onto it. Brandi plopped next to him and spread the blanket over their legs.
Deliver (The Blades of Acktar Book 4) Page 6