“He’s right,” Amber agreed. “You are still weak.”
Ellie’s face became a mask as she looked Amber in the eye. “I am a slave, but I am neither blind nor stupid. You feel you must return to him because something bad is happening. You love him because he stands for what is right and returns your affection. I love him because he makes me feel proud. We both know neither of us is going to stay another day in this room.”
Amber flushed. “I never said anything like that to anyone.”
“You didn’t have to,” Ellie stated. “May I have some clothes?”
Ellie searched for clothes in the bins for the poor but didn’t find anything gray. Her next selection was one of the brown robes of the Sisters, which was forbidden. Giving an irritated huff, she chose the plainest thing she could. The best they could find was a plain blue peasant’s dress.
John didn’t want to walk them back to Lady Salinthia’s estate, so he hired a coach to take them after they promised to insist he had nothing to do with their escape from the church. He let the coach get down the street and around the corner before going back to tell the other guards the women had gone.
***
The coach had just turned the corner before Salinthia’s gate when Amber heard a low roar that reverberated against the buildings. She was thrown back as the coach suddenly slowed and the frightened neighing of the horses accompanied yells from the street. Amber knew that roar--she’d heard it before in Paladnia when the knight had pretended to attack Tayan. She also knew they had half a breath to get out before the horses bolted. Grabbing a startled Ellie by the arm, she opened the door and dove from the coach.
They hit the ground and rolled to a stop in the street. The horses, bucking wildly, ran off with the stream of people and other horses that were fleeing whatever was up ahead. Ellie curled into a ball with her arms protecting her face as people stumbled over her in their flight. Amber managed to gain her feet and keep most of the mob off Ellie. From up the street, terrified screams and more roaring pushed the crowd to knock Amber to the side. It was all she could do to keep from being dragged along with the flow.
Spying a watering trough, she fought her way to Ellie and pulled her up to stumble behind it. Holding Ellie’s wrists, she looked at the girl’s face. The lobe of her ear was bleeding, but other than that she didn’t look hurt. “Ellie, are you all right?”
“What’s happening?” Ellie cried.
She could do nothing until the crowd was gone. Once the people had fled by her, Amber got up, her talisman gripped tightly in her fist. Sixty yards away, the now-empty street was littered with the metal-clad bodies of city guards and a few blue-coated elven guards. One large iron gate to Salinthia’s estate lay in the street, the bars twisted and broken. Although she didn’t see anything moving, it sounded like something was bashing large stones together and shattering them.
“Ellie, don’t move,” she whispered.
Amber ran towards the destruction. As she got close, a few chunks of rock flew out of the gateway. Muffled screams increased in pitch from in the courtyard. She picked up her pace, now catching sight of the other gate, twisted inside the entrance, also off its hinges. The other thing she saw in the courtyard made her come to a halt, heart thumping with fear.
“Leighna, be with me,” she mumbled.
The blockhouse that was the guards’ quarters had a large hole in it. What was making the hole was something she had read about but could never imagine seeing. The beast was mottled gray, as if carved from granite. Standing man-high at the shoulder, the blocky doglike creature had wings and tore into the guardhouse with its wide front paws, yanking out stones as if they were pebbles and not two-foot-square blocks. Inside, she saw guards on the floor, cowering and screaming as the thing ripped a hole large enough to get at them.
She didn’t have to check to know this thing was evil--she knew its roar. She also knew why it was here.
Raising her talisman toward the gargoyle, she cleared her throat and commanded, “By Leighna’s light, be gone!”
It stopped demolishing the guardhouse and turned to look at her with red, glowing eyes. She gathered her courage, certain that Leighna would not let this thing kill any more people.
“By Leighna’s light, be gone!” she commanded again.
It started towards her, head down like a wolf after prey. Her legs began quivering in fear. Her body told her to flee, to run as fast as she could to get away from this monster. She locked her muscles in place and prayed as she stared it down.
“Leighna, my light and salvation, protect us from evil. Though I stand before the shadow of death, I shall not fear, for you are with me. Your light and wisdom comfort me--”
Her words were cut off as the beast, now only a few paces away, let out a roar that knocked her off her feet and deafened her. Rolling into a ball, she found her talisman and gripped it tightly. Sure she was about to die, she took up where she had left off, or about where.
“You take us down the path of the righteousness, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive others...” She tried to think of the next line, but for some reason her mind was blank. She had memorized that prayer from childhood, and now she couldn’t remember it! She lay there, desperately searching for the words and waiting for those horrid fangs to sink into her.
Slowly, she noticed that all around her there was silence. Looking up cautiously, she searched for the beast. The gates lay torn from the hinges and through the hole in the guardhouse wall, one elf was cautiously peering out, but there was no sign of the gargoyle.
By the time Amber had gotten control and stood up, a crowd of armed men spilled from the front doors and from around the side of the palace to give battle to the thing they had heard. One of the elves in the ruined guardhouse ran out and hugged her.
“Thank you, Sister!” he cried, clinging to her.
“Thank Leighna,” she corrected him as she watched the men run across the courtyard. In the pack, she noted there were quite a few nobles. Tayan was near the center, a few rows back. He looked anything but pleased to see her.
Another elf who was looking out the hole in the wall, cried to the advancing men, “Some huge beast attacked us; Sister Amber drove it away!”
She pried the elf off her and got him to look at her. “What happened?”
Eyes wide, he motioned to where the gates were. “The city guard was after a guy who claimed to be Lord Tayan. They were arresting him and out of nowhere, this huge bleedin’ dog shows up and begins rippin’em apart. We let a few in to try and save them, and it came for us. If you hadn‘t driven it away, it would have killed us all.”
Amber glanced at Tayan, who was in the middle of the semicircle that formed around her and the elf. “This man, did the city guard hit him?”
The elf shrugged. “Some. They said he killed one of the city wizards and his daughter. Right after that, that thing attacked them.”
She looked at Tayan closely. The oppressive, skin-crawling feeling was back. She knew now that it had nothing to do with any duke or crime scene. Her hand went to her talisman and she put it against her chest to verify what she knew.
Quickly, Lord Tayan moved towards her, waving a finger in a no-no gesture. “Sister, I told you that is not polite.”
“Tayan was here, that was why the beast showed up. He is gone now,” she stated.
He stopped and glared at her. “What do you mean by that?”
“Lord Tayan Montara of Elrad is not here,” she repeated loudly. Pointing to the Tayan in front of her she stated, “This is an impostor!”
Lord Parnal, wearing his blue-and-silver-enameled chain mail stepped up to her. “Sister, you are making a serious accusation.”
“If you stick to your story, someone will be beheaded for treason,” another lord said ominously, hoping she would get the hint who.
“My head has been in danger before, I know what I know,” she told him.
The Tayan in front of her eyed her suspiciously. “Sister Amber is at t
he church. How convenient it would be for a wizard to drive off its own creature then make herself look like a hero.”
“How can you prove this wild claim?” Lord Parnal asked her.
She locked eyes with the fake Tayan as she said, “Get a priest, one you trust. Have him check us both. I will tell you what he’ll see. Around me is the holy light of Leighna. Around the real Tayan, the light of goodness, shadowed closely by evil. This man is pure evil, I can smell it.”
Tayan’s face turned crimson. “I’ve had enough of this! Guards, take her away!”
Not sure what to do, the men just shifted in place. Lord Parnal nodded to one of the senior officers. “Go ask Father Fisher to come here. Tell him it a matter of vital importance.” To Amber and Tayan, he said, “Both of you stay where you are. We will settle this.”
“Surely, you do not believe this wench!” Tayan yelled with a flail of his arm.
Lord Parnal replied with “Captain Delesteran, disarm Lord Tayan.”
Seeing the captain move towards him, Tayan started to slide his sword out of its sheath as if to hand it over. Halfway though the gesture, he pulled it suddenly and grabbed Amber to use her as a shield. She seized his arm, throwing her hips into him as she bent over. He tumbled over her, losing his sword as he hit the ground on his back.
Gripping her talisman, Amber commanded, “By Leighna’s light, show us your true self!”
The man’s features blurred. He wore the same clothes but was now a human man with short dark hair. Hauled to his feet by the guards, he wailed, “She’s a witch! I am the real Lord Tayan!”
“Take him away and put a close guard on him,” Lord Parnal ordered. Seeing Amber with tears in her eyes as she watched them take the man away, he said, “Sister, forgive me for doubting you. Is there anything we can do?”
Looking at the wreckage in the courtyard, she didn’t think Tayan would return for fear the gargoyle following him would wreak more havoc. He would run away to keep them safe from the thing. It was a big city, and she had no idea where to begin looking.
“Find my Tayan,” she whispered.
***
Ellie had stayed behind the water trough where Amber left her. Peeking over the top, she saw the Sister confront the beast but focused more on one of the peasants who was running away. Just before he disappeared out of sight, he looked up enough so she could see his face. Her mouth formed the word “master,” and she got up to follow him. The thing in the courtyard didn’t notice her limp by, nor did anyone else.
Chapter 18
In the damp cellar, stuck between half a table and the wooden shelf his head was resting on, Tayan watched the rickety staircase as he worked at the knot tying his hands together. He had no idea how much time had passed since the coach, but his hunger pangs suggested at least a few days. The muffled voices he had heard told him there were at least two wizards holding him. By the looks of this place, they had dumped him here out of necessity.
His prison was an underground version of a garbage dump. A few small casks adorned the shelves along the wall by him, and a path through the piles of forgotten pieces of furniture and boxes of clothes ran from where he was to a semicircle of clear floor by the base of the stairs.
The ones who were holding him might be wizards, but they were not very good at holding captives. His hands were tied in front of him with a length of rope binding them to his feet. Broken glass from what might have been a mirror was within reach, and so was a wad of cloth so he could pick up the glass and start sawing at the ropes without cutting himself. All he had to do was keep quiet and listen for anyone coming.
The knot parted. He untied his feet and got up slowly, cautious of any magical traps that might be sprung. Nothing happened. Wrapping the glass in the cloth, he tossed it along the path. The only thing that happened was the glass bounced against the bottom of the last step.
Something wasn’t right. He didn’t believe that whoever had captured him was so inept as to let him just walk out. He moved towards the stairs, keeping a close watch on the piles of refuse. Although he was fully expecting something to jump out at him, nothing moved. He scanned the floor and the stairs, looking for anything, even a simple tripwire.
He stiffened as the door latch at the top of the stairs turned.
“We’ll be right back up,” someone said.
The stairs were open, lacking even handrails. He slid underneath as two people started down. Luckily, he had room to squat with his back to a jumble of old chairs. He listened to them descend. One pair of legs came into view as the first one started past. As the second pair appeared, he reached out and grabbed the ankles. With a screech of surprise, the second person toppled into the first.
As the two robed figures fell into a heap at the bottom, Tayan flew around the steps. One was trying to struggle up. Tayan grabbed his head and twisted quickly, breaking his neck. The other shot to his feet with a high-pitched cry. Tayan kicked him, sending him crashing back into one of the piles of junk.
As the person landed, the hood fell back and he stared into the dazed eyes of a young woman. She looked down at the broken chair leg protruding from her chest.
Prepared to fight powerful wizards who knew what they were doing, he stood frozen in place as the girl weakly grasped the splintered wood. She looked at him pleadingly then coughed out blood. The only thing in her eyes was the fear of someone who knew she was dying. This lasted only a moment before she went limp, but her frightened look stayed with him.
He had just killed a woman.
“What is going--?”
Tayan turned to see another, light-haired woman in a peasant’s dress gaping at him from the top of the stairs. Her hand went to her mouth and her eyes grew round; then she flew from sight screaming that there was a brigand in the house.
Her voice got him moving. He took the stairs in twos and threes. Reaching the top, he saw the open front door and raced after the woman. He burst out into a crowded city street.
Ahead of him, the now-weeping woman waved down a pair of city guards. “My husband and daughter have been murdered!”
Stopping to take in his surroundings, Tayan noted the guards rushing to the woman wore Tolinic uniforms. A building beyond them had a large sign reading Bank of South Tolina. Apparently, he had been hidden in the city. Almost everyone in the streets was human. The woman pointed at him and the guards drew their swords.
Tayan raised his arms and waited for the guards to approach. He had one chance to explain this mess. The one not holding onto the sobbing woman pointed his sword at the wall.
Tayan turned around and put his hands on the wall as commanded. “My name is Tayan Montara. I was being held captive.”
“Right. Don’t move or I’ll run you through,” the guard growled. “Jake, go see what this is about.”
The other guard nodded and led the woman inside.
“I am telling the truth. I was kidnapped by the wiz--” He stopped as the point of the sword pressed against the back on his neck.
“If you’re Tayan Montara then I’m the Red Man. Shut up!” the guard snapped.
He heard the woman wailing that they weren’t holding anyone. She had heard a noise in the cellar and found him over her dead husband and daughter. Tayan knew right then there would be no explaining to these men. It was fairly well known that in Tolina violent criminals were usually killed while trying to escape, even ones bound hands and feet. He was in a common section of the city--he doubted he’d ever see a jail cell.
“Nice set of clothes you stole. Too bad you won’t be enjoying them,” the guard snarled.
Tayan noted the man was careful not to get too close. He dropped his shoulders and kicked back. His foot met resistance as he hit the guard’s hip. The instant the sword dropped away from his neck, he spun and kicked the startled guard in the face. Then he bolted and ran for his life.
The guard recovered and gave chase by the time he’d reached the end of the block. Not knowing where he was, he ducked around the corner
and sped on as he tried to get his bearings. Behind him, shouts went up as the two guards called for help.
Ahead of him, the street ended in an intersection facing a large building that had Fisherman’s Guild written across the front in large white letters. That meant he was in the southwest section.
He turned north at the intersection, now with four guards running after him and blowing on whistles. Ahead, a pair of mounted guards saw him, and their comrades in pursuit. The sidewalks were crowded with people but to stay on the street was to be run down by the horsemen. He ducked into the crowd, pushing toward an alley between him and the horsemen. Not checking to see where it led, he burst out of the crowd to find it dead-ended in a ten-foot wall. Behind him, the guards yelled for people to clear the way.
He didn’t dare slow as he ran down the alley. Seeing a stack of barrels, he quickly noted how far away from the wall they were. One lone barrel stood in front of the others, which were double-stacked. Just beyond them was a window that had a top ledge as well as a bottom one. A vision of Odif flashed in his mind, leaping from one stump to a higher one. Then they had played for practice and to see who would pleasure whom. Now, he had to use her technique for survival.
“Halt, brigand, and you might live to see trial!” one guard yelled.
The pounding of horse’s hooves drove him faster. The sound closed on him as he closed on the barrels. The horse was moving up beside him as he jumped onto the first barrel. Pushing off and up, he flew towards the stack. His foot hit...and tipped the top barrel as he moved to the second one. He didn’t hear the guard’s curse as he catapulted even higher.
He focused on the window ledge. As he flew towards it, it didn’t look as wide as when he first saw it. Jutting no more than a few inches out from the wall, it would not hold him if he pushed off straight.
He pushed out and up as he stretched his arms towards the wall. Grabbing at the top, he hit flat. The tenacious hold he had with one hand slipped, leaving him dangling by three fingers. Carefully, he reached up and got a grip with both hands then hoisted a leg up.
WolfHeart Page 39