The door sprang open. I expected Estrada, but it was Alvantes who glared through the entrance. "Good morning, Guard-Captain," I said. "We've stopped."
"Well observed, Damasco."
"Have I got time to stretch my legs?"
"I should think so. We'll be here a while."
I looked at him questioningly, but it was obvious he wasn't going to say any more than Estrada had. I moved to step past him, and felt a hand clamp on my shoulder.
"One moment."
Balanced half in and half out of the carriage, I had little choice.
"You have something that's not yours. It's time you gave it to someone who'll take better care of it."
Well there went any hope of my new life. I pulled out the coin-bag and proffered it to him.
"Not that. Hells, if you survive to spend it you've earned it. No, it's the stone I want."
I drew forth the giant-stone and placed it in his cupped hands. I'd gotten used to its weight. Without it, I felt lighter. "May it bring you as much comfort as it has me, Guard-Captain."
Alvantes gave a barking laugh. "Maybe next time you'll be more careful who you steal from."
I couldn't help smiling. "That's all behind me. I'm a new man."
"Really? We'll see."
He tucked the stone inside his jacket and marched away, back to where his men were waiting. I noticed the mock-farmers had abandoned their disguises, revealing Altapasaedan City Guard livery beneath. The others had settled for tearing the misleading emblems from their tunics. Though a few of them remained on horseback, there was little sense of urgency. Some sat smoking; others were polishing weapons, checking gear or talking in low voices.
This wasn't just a rest break. We'd stopped altogether.
Were we waiting for the Castovalian irregulars we'd parted from all those days ago? It was hard to imagine this nondescript glade as a preordained meeting place. I tried to remember what Estrada had told me of her plan, but it had been so absurd that I hadn't paid much attention, and it all seemed a long time ago.
Perhaps the easiest solution was simply to ask her. Estrada was sitting with Saltlick in the back of the cart. He was no longer hidden, and wasn't likely to be again, since he'd eaten a good proportion of his camouflage. Estrada was tending to his latest wounds. A gash in his leg looked particularly raw and unpleasant, and he was still carrying his left arm gingerly. Still, as always food seemed to have improved his spirits and bolstered his constitution. He smiled when he saw me. Then his mouth turned down belatedly into a frown.
Poor Saltlick, he wasn't meant for holding grudges.
I waved, and called, "Good morning Saltlick, Estrada."
"What do you want?" Estrada's tone had thawed slightly, but it was still a long way from friendly.
"I want to know what's happening. Why have we stopped?"
I climbed onto the back of the cart, Saltlick shifting to accommodate me.
"What difference does it make to you? You'll follow along until you find an opportunity to sneak away, or rob us, or drug us."
"I told you I'm sorry. I want to help. Even if I didn't, I have a right to know what's going on."
"A right? You have a nerve, Damasco."
I threw my hands up in an attitude of defeat. "Estrada… Marina… if only to pass the time, could you please let me know what we're doing here?"
She sighed. "We're waiting."
"For the other troops?"
"For Moaradrid."
It took me a moment to digest that. My initial shock was brief, though, for fragments of Estrada's plan were coming back to me. We were bait, she'd said, bait for an ambush. We were drawing close to the southernmost tail of the Castoval, so wherever the meeting place was it had to be close.
Yet if our only purpose was to play hare for Moaradrid's hounds, why had we crept in disguise through his lines?
First things first, though. Estrada was right, I tended not to pay attention to anything beyond my immediate circumstances, and this wasn't the first time it had got me into trouble. I suspected I'd missed plenty of useful details during our time in Altapasaeda, but one gap in my knowledge gaped more widely than the others did. "You knew Alvantes before this week, didn't you?"
"We're old friends."
I'd swear she blushed. Even if she didn't, Estrada was a terrible liar.
"You were more than that."
"All right. We were… lovers, I suppose you'd call it. A long time ago. Then Lunto was promoted…"
" Lunto?"
"Lunto Alvantes."
I suppressed a snigger.
"…and I became involved in politics. It got more and more difficult to see each other."
"So that's why he's helping you?"
"He's helping because it's right. Because he doesn't want to see a beast like Moaradrid ruling the Castoval and maybe even be king one day. Panchetto wasn't a bad man, but he could never see farther than the walls of his palace. We never meant for him to be hurt, though," she finished sadly.
It had begun to rain while we'd been talking, weighty drops that shattered on the ground, the cart sides and our clothes like a thousand tiny drums tattooing in unison. Milky light on the horizon gave way to hillocks of grey cloud topped with treacle-black gloom. I noticed then how cold it was. "Why don't we get back inside the coach?" I asked.
"Will you be all right on your own, Saltlick?"
Saltlick had been lolling with his head back, letting raindrops course into his throat. He looked up long enough to nod and grin at Estrada. "Go home," he said.
Estrada glanced towards the mountain peaks that closed the valley. Hidden somewhere in those heights was giant territory. "Yes. Not long now, Saltlick."
We were in the carriage with the door shut before I asked, "You've told him you'll help him get home?"
"And I will. Once this is over that's my first priority."
Estrada sounded as though she meant it. I made a silent resolution that, whether or not she helped Saltlick return to his family, I would. It was the least I could do after last night, and of all the promises I'd made recently it was the one that most deserved to be honoured.
Of course, from what little Estrada and Alvantes had told me I'd be lucky to help myself, let alone anyone else.
"So you persuaded Alvantes and a few of his men to join up with you. What are they, more bait?"
"Not a few. The entire Altapasaedan City Guard is pledged to us. But hopefully Moaradrid doesn't know that."
"How could he not?"
"They abandoned their barracks during the night, led by Sub-Captain Gueverro. Moaradrid will be led to believe they heard the news of Panchetto's murder, panicked at the thought of a battle and mutinied. Thanks to Panchetto, they've such a terrible reputation for cowardice that he should believe it. Even if he doesn't, it can't make much difference. He'll be in too much of a hurry."
"He doesn't know where we've gone."
"He will soon."
I was beginning to see. If the ambush was set for a particular time then there was no point blundering in half a day early with Moaradrid's army nipping at our heels. All the others would find when they arrived would be our corpses. Alvantes and Estrada must have some way to control when Moaradrid came after us. Deciding that she'd tell me in her own time, I rested my head against the backboard and closed my eyes. The rain was pounding, heavier than before, a rattle that seemed to shake the whole carriage.
When I opened my eyes, Estrada was looking at me.
"Understand, Damasco," she said, "I can't forgive you. You're utterly selfish, you've behaved despicably, and even if this latest repentance is sincere it won't make any difference to how I feel."
"Fine."
"All right. Well, I'd gone to Altapasaeda to ask Lunto for his help, and to buy a little time. I hadn't realised Moaradrid would be able to move so many troops so quickly, or that he'd confront Panchetto so openly when his lines were already weakened. He'd grown desperate. His scheme for the crown was unravelling. He must have rea
lised an attack on Altapasaeda was suicide, but there seemed a real chance he'd try anyway. If he'd won, recovered the stone, and captured Panchetto into the bargain, he might have levered the king off the throne without another drop of blood being shed. Alvantes agreed to pledge the Guard, even though Panchetto would never forgive it. But by then the problem was how we'd get to the rendezvous point at all."
"When we first heard about your deal with Anterio, we thought about confronting you. Then Lunto suggested we use it to our advantage. We'd lead Moaradrid to believe you'd fled upriver with the stone; he'd go hunting after you, and — if the timing was right — run right into our trap. We'd no way to know what would really happen. We had no idea Panchetto would find out what you were plotting, or insist on going along when Alvantes went to arrest you, or take Moaradrid with him."
A thought struck me. "If the Guard have abandoned their barracks and Panchetto's dead then…"
"Yes. Moaradrid's forces are almost certainly in Altapasaeda now."
My jaw dropped. "You've sacrificed an entire city. I can't believe Alvantes let you give up Altapasaeda."
"It's not a sacrifice. It's a gambit."
"Only if it works."
I regretted my insensitivity as soon as I'd said it. Estrada looked, for just an instant, as though she could easily have broken down altogether. I could hardly imagine the strength of will it had taken to conceive this strategy all those days ago, and then to follow it through over every setback and tragedy to this point, where everything hung in the balance and everything was on her head if it failed.
"It will work," she said.
"All right," I agreed, trying to sound as though I believed it. "So how can you control when he comes looking for us?"
Estrada's voice dropped lower, as if she had to drag the words from some internal gulf. "The wounded men from the fight at the harbour are in the palace. Moaradrid will have found them and tortured them. Their instructions were to give us up at dawn."
I shuddered. Alvantes's handpicked guards had been braver and more foolhardy than I'd guessed. I remembered the state Saltlick had been in when I rescued him. I had a fair idea what they would have gone through. Except… "It's long past dawn."
"Yes."
"And we can't be that far from Altapasaeda."
"About three hours."
I realised abruptly that not even the most violent torrent could make the hammering coming from outside. "That isn't just rain, is it?"
Almost in the same moment, a guttural cry arose: " Move!"
The carriage leaped into motion, almost hurling me from my seat. Now through the storm I could make out the pulse of countless hooves, far too many to be our small entourage. I darted a glance through the drapes, and wished I hadn't. The road behind was black with mounted men. I only caught a glimpse before the bucking of the carriage dragged me away. It seemed in that instant as though Moaradrid had sent his whole army after us.
The road south from Altapasaeda ran fairly straight. It didn't take us long to achieve the nerve-shattering speed I remembered from our earlier escape. This coach might lack the luxuries of Panchetto's, but — if there was any sanity to Alvantes's plan — it was sure to be faster. Still, it felt as though it would tear apart at any moment. Through gritted teeth, I called, "How far is it?"
"To the rendezvous? It's set for noon."
" That's two hours away!"
"Alvantes can make it."
"Maybe he can. What about us?"
The minutes ground by. I felt as if every spot of my flesh was bruised, and still the bouncing continued, still I was thrown back and forth like a shuttle on a loom. Estrada bore it in silence, and I tried to do the same. They hadn't caught us yet. That was all that mattered.
As far as I could work out, a few small advantages were keeping us alive. Our horses were freshly rested, and likely the fastest Altapasaeda had to offer. Alvantes and his men would know this road far better than our pursuers could hope to. They apparently lacked horse-archers, for no one was shooting. Finally, we had the simple logic of the hunt on our side: the fox is always more motivated than the hounds that are set to tear it apart.
The coach and Saltlick's wagon must have been slowing us, though, despite the hair-raising efforts of their drivers. When a few minutes had passed and we'd preserved our lead, I began to wonder if they were even trying to catch us.
My answer came as a loud crash from the rear of our coach, behind and above Estrada's head. Another followed it, and then a scrabbling sound, as though pebbles were being scattered over the roof.
"We've been boarded," I whispered.
Estrada, nodding, put a finger to her lips. She reached down and drew a wicked-looking stiletto from her boot.
The woman was full of surprises.
There were two of them, I thought, one edging forward over the roof, the other hanging back. Sounds of a scuffle came from the driver's seat. The whole carriage veered sharply, hurling us flat. We left the road, skidded on loose ground. I glimpsed a line of trees, far too close. Then we curved back, with another hard jolt. There was a cry, and a loud impact. The carriage bucked, but held its course this time.
The left side door sprang open. A foot swung into view, followed by a leg. I glimpsed a figure: black leather armour, a short tuft of beard, pin-bright eyes full of fear and rage. He was clutching the rail around the carriage roof. As I watched, he let go with one hand, clasped the inner edge of the doorframe.
Estrada thrust with her stiletto. A lurch of the carriage amplified her strength; the thin blade hammered through flesh and an inch of wood. The scream from outside was appalling. One of the horses added its voice to the racket. We flew into a turn, and straightened with a shudder.
Estrada fought to free her stiletto, without success. She levered it up and down, and every time the Northerner outside yelped pitifully. I could see tears starting in her eyes. He'd managed to lodge one foot inside the door. Now he gripped the frame with his free hand and swung his whole body into the entrance. He was broad enough to fill it. He swiped at Estrada, almost losing his grip as she ducked aside.
The Northerner leaned further in, anchoring himself with a shoulder wedged against the doorframe. His eyes darted between his skewered hand and the sword at his belt, as he struggled to choose between attacking and trying to free himself.
Rather than wait until he decided, I chose to stamp hard on his nearest foot.
He snarled, and went for the sword. Estrada picked that moment to make another grab for her stiletto. This time she managed to wrench it loose, with an awful sound of tearing meat. She swung the thin blade in a raking cut. The man howled, leaned away, and realised he had nowhere to go. He threw out a hand to steady himself. He picked the wrong one, and screamed once more.
I stamped again. He flailed for an instant, and was gone. I heard him pitch into the dirt with a crunch.
I fell back, fighting the urge to vomit. Estrada's chestnut skin was white as snow. She stared at the stiletto clutched in her fingers, its blade dripping red up to the hilt.
"Is he dead?" she asked.
"What?"
"Did we kill him?" The words were almost a sob.
"He would have killed us."
"But he didn't."
The carriage swerved again, though not so sharply. I was certain it was back under the control of the driver, and that the sound we'd heard was him fending off his own assailant. Sure enough, I saw that we were only moving to allow the cart to fall in next to us. I watched it pulling alongside, with Saltlick hunched in the rear.
We were deep into the wilds now, a rocky, treeflecked region that would soon give way to the foothills of the southern mountains. This road was the less-used route between Altapasaeda and Maedendo, most southerly of the eastern bank towns. It would widen beyond the bridge that capped the southern tip of the Casto Mara, but here it was narrow as any country road. With the cart beside us, we blocked it entirely.
It was absurdly risky. While it kept us safe fro
m further attack, only the skill of the drivers stopped us from spinning into a ditch. The first turn ground the two vehicles together with a crunch of splintering wood. When they tore apart, the cart's near side was crumpled inward.
They couldn't possibly keep this up for long.
Soon, the whole near half of the cart was riven with cracks that spread with each impact. Yet the frame held through the abuse. Estrada and I found positions where we could brace ourselves and hung on for dear life, teeth gritted, oblivious to each other. Concentrating solely on not being thrown from my seat, I grew barely conscious of my bruises, the incessant tramp of hooves, the hammering of rain. I only stirred when a wheel slipped off the road and the whole carriage threatened to tip, or when we skidded and it seemed we'd carry on until a tree or rock obliterated us.
Two things roused me from that stupor. The first was noticing how flattened the shadows were on either side of us. That meant the sun was directly above. Hadn't Estrada said something about noon? Before I could finish the thought, we started forward, with a fresh burst of speed I wouldn't have thought possible.
I didn't see what good it could do. If our horses had that much life left in them, our pursuers' would have too. They'd close the gap in moments. I looked at Estrada, saw that she was staring out the left side window. A flash of recognition lit her eyes. I did my best to follow her line of sight, and realised we were approaching rock formations that encroached on either side, and beyond was a stretch of canyon where the road dipped sharply below the level of the land. Shallow banks of shale and low scrub rose to left and right, topped with knots of dense foliage. It was a perfect ambush point.
Even as I thought it, we slowed, sharply enough to slam me against the carriage wall. Estrada tumbled into the gutter between the seats. Our horses shrieked in protest.
We'd pulled up at an angle to the highway. Back the way we'd come, I could see the mass of Moaradrid's forces bearing towards us. They'd be on us in seconds.
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