“Oh yes! Yes we should,” exclaimed Cherry. “And this time, Raoul will have to dance with me.”
“Yeah, not on your life I will,” murmured Raoul, getting a stern glance cast from Taz. “I mean, sure, of course I will.” Cherry smiled and pulled on his hand. The pair tallied behind to look for caterpillars as the rest of the group continued on. “What did Sal have to say about the Acryptus Tree?” Adelaide asked. “Unfortunately, he knew less than we did,” Clayton remarked. “It’s winked how quiet this entire thing has been kept over the last ten years.”
“If Lord Tibris Tiberion is at the head of things , it doesn’t surprise me a bit,” said Taz. “Before you lot showed up, Oderheim kept things perfectly organized. Tibris Guards came in, executed whomever he’d bagged, and moved along. It stands to reason they perform their duties around Amber without unnecessary fuss.”
“Jonah Longstreet knew,” Adelaide said. “Somehow , he knew it was all going on. He tried to tell us, maybe even prepare those who would listen.”
“ I find myself more intrigued by your artsy muse the farther along we trek,” Clayton laughed. “I’d enjoy hearing what he has to say on our predicament.”
Adelaide beamed. “Maybe we’ll run into him along the way.” “He’s managed to stay hidden all these years. I doubt he’d surface for a few runaway Red Hands,” Taz said. “Not even for his biggest fan?” Clayton asked amusedly, gesturing to Adelaide. “If he knows a thing or two, I imagine he’ll find a way to tell us. With the violence at Havendale and the incident at Pinewood, there won’t be anywhere for those against Tiberion to hide much longer.”
The Martellos’ rooftop peaked above the edge of the cornfield. The group laughed as they considered how pleased Sal and Jan would be to see them again. This pleasant mentality, however, quickly dissipated as Clayton suddenly threw up his hand, signaling an immediate halt. His eyes were strained through the last couple rows of corn, and the look on his face was of absolute horror. Adelaide moaned desolately as she stepped forward to see what he was witnessing. Taz muttered something obscene and clenched her knuckles. Finn stifled a sneeze before retreating back out of earshot.
Not far ahead, standing on the fresh, well kept grass, was a company of Tibris Guards. Huglund was in their midst, staring blankly at the front door. Their steeds were waiting patiently back on the road, their eyes focused solely on their masters.
“How…how the rot did they know we were here?” Taz stammered. “It’s plugging impossible.”
“What about Sal and Jan? We have to help them,” Adelaide quietly sobbed. “They’ll be killed if we don’t do something.” “Wha t are we supposed to do?” Taz hissed at her. “There are at least twenty riders out there, and we’ve only got the rotting pistol, apart from those poor excuses for weapons you brought from Havendale.”
“Clayton,” Adelaide pleaded, ignoring Taz. “We have to do something. Please, I beg of you.”
Clayton stared out at the Tibris Guards, his fists opening and closing repeatedly.
“Please!” Adelaide pressed him.
“I’m thinking. Just let me think,” he whispered. “We can’t risk exposing ourselves,” Taz warned, grabbing his shoulder. “I know it’s difficult, but if those pluggers find out we’re here, they’ll catch us for sure.”
Adelaide couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How can….how can you say that?” she whimpered. “The Martellos…they are our friends! They risked their lives to feed and protect us. You can just...just leave them to Huglund without any guilt?”
Taz turned to face her. Her expression was firm, but bitter. “No , you winking dip,” she growled. “I can’t. It’s all I can do not to leap out of this field and take them all on right now. But if I did, I’d be rotting dead. And I don’t think Sal and Jan would like that, seeing as how we promised them both we’d do everything in our power to stay alive.”
Before Adelaide could retort, a loud yell came from behind the front door. Sal came bursting out from behind it, wielding his rifle menacingly.
“Now, what do you all think you are doing here, again?” he barked out.
Huglund took a step forward. “ Now hold it right there! I don’t recall giving you and your kind permission to waltz onto my land,” Sal gruffly continued. Get on back to that road and be on your way, you unnatural son of a givie.”
Huglund turned and beckoned the rest of the Guards to join him. They did so without delay, slowly surrounding Sal, cutting him off from the house. It was clear, however, that he had no intention of retreating. He uttered murderous threats at the Tibris Guards while keeping his gun trained on their faces. From behind the front door, Jan’s quivering voice could be heard nervously calling his name. Sal turned abruptly towards the house.
“Jan! You lock that door and stay down, you hear? Let me handle these trespassers.”
“Are you Salvatore Martello?” Huglund asked him. “You know my name , you stillborn toad. You knew it when you came to my home ten years ago looking for my little girl, my innocent Lark. I’ve half a mind to kill you where you stand. If you did anything to her and I find out, I’ll…I’ll...”
“You are aware of who I am and what I represent, Salvatore Martello?”
Sal barred his teeth and aimed his gun directly at Huglund. “I am more than aware . You represent whatever chaos now sits upon the throne of Sanctumsea, this province, anyhow. I moved all the way out here just to avoid trouble like you, but it wasn’t far enough, now was it? My daughter was in some sort of trouble, thatI know, but she wouldn’t tell me of it, wanted to protect me, I’ll wager. She had her whole life ahead of her. Your people bring trouble and death wherever you go, if passing rumors are to be believed. So excuse me if I tell you and your Lord Tiberion to go hang yourselves from the underbelly of some aged bridge.”
Huglund sighed, his gaze direct and unchanging. He slowly reached into a concealed pocket inside his armor, and drew forth a lorb, no bigger than the palm of his hand. The inside of it burned bright red as he playfully slid his fingers around it.
“Do you know what this is, Salvator e Martello? How could you possibly. This thing in my hand is the very foundation of Sanctumsea and your people use it as a battery. If you knew how powerful any lorb is, then you would cut the throats of a hundred daughters to possess another. Our history…the legends of old…the magic of the land…and you still haven’t got a clue. Now, among its many uses, this can also be used as a sort of tracking device. Do you see how it glows? When the holder is a Tibris Guard and on the hunt, it turns brighter the closer we get to our prey. Since our prey is Red Hands and it’s nearly blinding, I can only assume our quarry is close by. If you wish to live and spare the life of your old woman inside, you will answer me when I ask you, where are they?”
Sal raised his eyebrow and gave Huglund the widest smirk he could muster. “Where’s who?”
Huglund sighed and turned to the rider next to him, a burly fellow with the number four carved into his forehead. “We don’t have ti me for this. Cut him up a bit, then drag his wife out here and do the same. He will say what we want to hear then.”
Sal smiled and shook his head . “You won’t be getting that lucky, friend.” He cocked the rifle and took aim at the burly Guard. “It’s over.” Then he pulled the trigger.
From their spot in the corn, Adelaide, Clayton, Finn, and Taz heard the loud crack of the weapon’s discharge, followed by the sight of the Tibris Guard flying back off his feet. A burst of blue fire arose from a smoking crater inside his chest. Tiny fragments of his armor flew in all directions as his body arched awkwardly before landing on the dewy ground. Sal prepared to fire again, but not before Huglund had swung his sword, knocking the rifle out of Sal’s hands and taking a couple of fingers along with it. Adelaide stifled a scream as she saw the old man stumble back in shock. The other Tibris Guards were on him before he could reach for the rifle, their weapons rising and falling in swift cutting motions. Sal’s gruff voice muttered curse after curse, growin
g small and weak as each blow landed down onto his unprotected body. Clayton cursed under his breath as Taz closed her eyes. Finally, Huglund beckoned the riders aside and strode over to where Sal lay, his body quivering in pain and his mouth overflowing with blood. Adelaide started to sob quietly while Finn drew her close to comfort her.
“Now , Salvatore Martello,” Huglund continued as he knelt beside the shuddering body. “If you want your wife to avoid this fate, you need to tell me the location of the Red Hands immediately. Right now, Salvatore Martello, while you are still of use to me.”
Sal turned his head towards the house, a small tear growing in his eye. He looked at Huglund’s emotionless expression and cracked a broken smile.
“You know….one day….someone is going to hurt you,” he murmured hoarsely. “Someone is going to make you feel pain. My one…single regret…is that I won’t be there to laugh when they do, you hairless goat.”
Huglund shook his head and turned to Kobal, who was standing nearby.
“Place lorbs around the house and burn it down.” Sal spit a mouthful of blood in Huglund’s face before finally expiring. A gentle smile remained on his lips, no doubt the result of his final thoughts resting on Jan, and their daughter Lark, wherever she might be.
Kobal smiled menacingly up at the house and started barking orders to several Tibris Guards.
“Make sure all the doors and windows are locked from the outside. Don’t let his givie wife escape.” Adelaide shook uncontrollably. She was on the brink of hysterics. “We have to help her,” she pleaded. “We have to…to…rotting help her! We have to help Jan. They’re going to kill her, don’t you see? We need to help her now!”
“Finn,” Clayton said softly. “Take her back in the field and find Raoul and Cherry. Wait for us there until we come find you.”
Finn nodded and wrapped his arms around Adelaide’s shoulders. She struggled in his grasp and started to scream. “No, no, no! Curse you, Clayton Hogg, I hope you rot! I won’t leave her to die in there, so get your hands off me.”
Taz turned to her and glared.
“You need to quiet down, right now,” she warned.
“You can rot , too,” Adelaide screeched as Finn struggled to clasp his hand over her mouth. “I hate you both! You are responsible for this.”
Clayton turned abruptly, grabbed her and forced her down. “Maybe it is. Maybe it is our faults. And honestly, I don’t give a wink what you think of me. Go back with Finn and take care of Cherry like I told you to do, right now.”
“No!” Adelaide jerked herself upwards, knocking over Clayton and snatched the Hammerstahl pistol out of his belt. “Don’t you…” Taz yelled, but it was too late. Before they could stop her, Adelaide had burst onto open ground and wildly fired the weapon at the crowd of Tibris Guards huddled around Sal’s body. Each shot resounded across the grounds as she blinked with each squeeze of the trigger. The noise jolted her back in time to the sound of the gun that had killed her father, bringing his startled expression back to her mind. She barred her teeth and pushed it out of memory as she continued her attack on the nearby Guards. Before she knew it, the loud bangs of discharge were replaced with empty clicks. Adelaide’s eyes grew large with horror as she finally realized what she had done. Two Tibris Guards lay dead, both shot through the head. A third stood admiring the smoldering hole in his left arm, blue flames still emitting from the wounded flesh. The rest of the group, including Huglund and Kobal, stood unharmed. They stared towards her, their faces like stone. The lorb in Huglund’s hand burned brightly as he turned to face Kobal.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked solemnly. “Get her.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Adelaide had never run so hard in all her life. Not on her first night as a Red Hand. Not as a squirm when she heard her father’s voice when he came home from work or the tavern, and all she desired was to be in his arms. Dropping the Hammerstahl pistol at Clayton’s feet, she dashed into the cornfield, weeping and panting as she went. Her throat choked up from the tears plugging her windpipe. The air around her grew still and eerie as she stumbled away. Raoul and Cherry were examining a green caterpillar with yellow spots as she hurried blindly past them.
“Adelaide?” Raoul called out. “What is it?” Her feet were automatic. If she’d wanted to stop and respond, she couldn’t have. It was as if they had minds of their own and their only present concern was self preservation. She let them carry her on as she struggled to put Kobal and his malicious smile out of her head. She remembered the sound his sword had made as it removed Ronan’s head, something that seemed more of a nightmare than reality. She remembered the way his tongue had flicked out and around the side of his mouth like some rabid dog. She remembered his eye, too, that solely functional eye still glaring at her no matter where she ran, haunting her memory by day, and plaguing her dreams by night. It haunted her still as she suddenly thrust her foot into a pot hole covered up with corn leaves and broken stalks. The force tripped her, sending her flying forward to land in a slick patch of mud leftover from the night’s storm. She allowed herself to lie on the soggy ground, her eyes brimming with tears. She cried until she felt little Cherry pulling on her arm.
“Leave me alone,” Adelaide muttered, turning her face into the ground. “It’s all over.”
“Adelaide, get off your rump!” yelled Raoul running up beside Cherry. “H elp me get her up,” exclaimed Clayton. Finn and Taz were close behind him, their breathing labored and their faces lit with uncontrollable fear.
As Finn wrapped her arm around his shoulder and hoisted her to her feet, Clayton took her other arm and forced her to look at him. His countenance was one of annoyance and ill regard.
“Adelaide , you can disregard my orders, you can knock me down, but I swear if we all die because of you, I will come back from the grave and end yours myself,” he hissed through barred teeth. “Now, straighten up and walk.”
“Or run. Running might be very good,” said Finn. “I…I can’t,” she sobbed. “My foot hurts.”
“I think she’s sprained it,” Taz stated grimly after taking a look. “It’s already starting to swell.” “Just….just leave me, ok,” Adelaide demanded. “I’ve…I’ve destroyed everything. People keep dying around me. Ronan, Sal and Jan, everyone I…I…everyone I love. I’m cursed! Kobal knows. He wants me because I’m tainted.”
“Clayton, what the rot is she talking about?” asked Finn. “I don’t know , but we won’t find out in those cages or under Huglund’s blade,” Clayton said. “Now, help me carry her along before we end up crow fodder.”
The sounds of pursuing Tibris Guards grew more distinct as the group hurried along. With help, Adelaide was keeping a good pace as she hobbled along, her left ankle throbbing in pain as she did so, causing her to cry out now and again in gasps of pain. Raoul was pulling Cherry by the hand, clenching it firmly in his as they slowly broke away from the rest of the group, following Taz deeper and deeper into the field. Clayton strained his ears for the sounds of galloping horses as they all trudged along, their faces drenched in sweat and the itchy scratches of the corn leaves causing Finn to start wheezing again. Whether on horseback or foot, they all knew the Tibris Guards wouldn’t be far behind.
“Please…please,” Adelaide cried, her leg starting to drag. “I’m begging you.” “Finn,” Clayton hissed. “Don’t pay any attention to what she says. I don’t care what it is, but we haven’t the time to be analyzing this nonsense. Now keep going.”
Suddenly, the field opened up before them. The trio almost ran over Raoul and Cherry as they found themselves standing at the edge of a short, steep precipice. The ledge overlooked a shallow creek, about a foot and a half deep. Small jagged rocks were prodding their tips above the surface as long strands of runaway plants were being carried by the current. Across the creek was another small incline of loose dirt and gravel, leading up to a wide, open field. In it was what seemed to be short stubs of yellow grass and thin dry ferns, plastered here an
d there as far as the eye could see. A road cut straight through the field and shot into a collection of scattered maple trees to the east. Not a soul was in sight from either direction.
“How are we supposed to cross this?” Finn exclaimed. “How do you rotting think?” yelled Raoul angrily. “Where’s Taz?” asked Clayton. She was nowhere to be seen.
“Gone,” Raoul said. “Jumped the ledge, waded the creek and took off down that road. I tried calling her back, but she just kept on running.”
“She’ll return, Raoul!” Cherry cried. “I know she will.” “It doesn’t matter. Maybe she is, maybe she’s winked , but we have to cross this thing now or Huglund’s got us,” exclaimed Finn.
“He’s…he’s right,” Adelaide stammered. “I…I can make it. I’m sorry. Let’s go.” The water was as cold as freshly melted ice. It stung the legs and sent shivers up the spine, all except for Adelaide, who appreciated it lapping against her swollen ankle more than anything. Clayton reached the opposite bank in a matter of seconds. Finn hurried up behind him, turning around halfway to assist the others. Adelaide saw to it that Cherry made it up the embankment safely before attempting it herself. Raoul placed his hands on her back and gave a weak push. He nearly lost his footing as a loud shriek from Cherry caused him to turn around.
Several Tibris Guards were glaring down at them from the edge of the corn field. Kobal was among them, his good eye widening in a mixture of annoyance, giddiness, and fury. He was so close, so close to having them, and yet couldn’t bring himself to leap into the water below. None of the other Tibris Guards seemed eager to do so, either.
“What’s wrong with them?” Adelaide asked. “Who cares,” Raoul replied angrily, pushing her back onto the mound. “I’m not waiting around to find out. We have to hurry.”
Kobal finally forced himself into the stream just before the pair of them made it to the top. The other Tibris Guards followed, carefully making sure not to get too close to him or trip over something embedded below the surface. The idea of water lapping against their scaly armor seemed to give them both great fear and discomfort.
The Acryptus Tree Page 16