“Don’t try it, boy,” Hare said. “I will show no mercy.”
“Brythern lord, I mean no trouble to you,” Colar said, still holding his sword, practically begging. Lynn’s heart sank. If he was here, where was Kate? “You must let me go. My friend is in terrible danger—”
“Enough,” Hare said.
“There’s no time!”
Hare held up a hand, fury in his expression. He almost brought up his gun, then held himself back. “Your mission doesn’t concern me right now. Be silent, or you will not leave this clearing.” He turned to Lynn and Crae, shaking his head. “You two,” Hare said in disgust. He looked down at Joe. “Is he dead?” he asked. Mark, still holding on to Lynn, dragged her forward and planted a solid kick in Joe’s side. Lynn muffled a scream as Joe moved sluggishly and groaned.
“Nope, guess not,” Mark said cheerfully.
As if the gordath sensed the abuse, the woods shook harder, and the hole in the air expanded again.
Lynn kept herself from telling him to stop; it would only egg him on. One of the Brythern guards dragged the other guardian forward. She recognized him. He was the one who had stolen her horse last winter in a mad bid to close the gordath. He looked past her, no equal spark of recognition in him.
“Good,” Hare said. “Now, we get somewhere.” He nodded at Mark. “So, you can go home now, go to your world, and begin the trade we talked about.” He gestured at the hole between the worlds.
Mark’s smugness turned to panic. “Wait—what? No! I didn’t go through the gordath when it looked like that! Are you crazy? You saw what it did to Drav and those other guys!”
Hare looked impatient. “It’s open. They are holding it open. What more do you want?”
“No! I’m telling you, that’s not how it’s supposed to work. It’s supposed to be invisible. Not—not this black shit.”
Hare turned on Arrim. “You! Is this how the gordath works?”
Arrim giggled. “Yes, Lord Hare. First earthshakings, then a hole that eats between the worlds, then death and destruction. Exactly how it’s supposed to work. After you.”
Hare slapped him with all his force. His studded glove drew blood as Arrim’s head snapped back. Then he grabbed Lynn and began to shove her forward.
“You will go through,” he said through gritted teeth. “You misbegotten bitch, if the gordath swallows you alive, so be it. I never want to see you again.”
Lynn fought back, her heels sliding in the dirt, as he pushed her toward the hole between worlds. She could smell it now, a smell of death and decay, and she could hear it call to her with whispered cries. She grabbed for Hare’s arms to keep herself from being pushed in. He struck at her to make her lose her grip, but she clung, digging in her fingers so that they grabbed at his shirt, armor, and skin. If I’m going in, so are you. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Crae struggling, Brythern guards pulling him back.
“Lynna!”
She grabbed at the gun at Hare’s belt, and he knew what she was going for and redoubled his efforts to push her in. He was strong, but she was desperate. They fought over the gun, and she twisted it around so that it was aimed at his belly.
His eyes widened as she pulled the trigger, the muzzle jammed above his belt, the shot loud between the two of them.
Hare tumbled backward, holding his belly, a bewildered look in his eyes. He tried to keep his hold on her, but his arms released. Lynn pushed herself out of his deadly embrace, and Hare kept going, falling into the gordath, and was swallowed in the darkness.
Lynn took in air, gasping and sobbing, and stumbled back, even as the ground shook harder and the gordath expanded. The sound of hoofbeats and war cries made her turn around.
It was Red Gold Bridge. She saw Dungiven in full battle armor, ridden by Lord Tharp. The big horse rolled steadily forward in a controlled canter, his neck arched and his nostrils bright red. He was followed by another fifty or so horses and soldiers.
The cavalry had arrived.
The pain of his broken ribs made it hard to breathe, let alone move, so Joe just lay there while the fighting raged around him. Besides, he figured he had learned a few things about the gordath, and that’s what he could do to help.
For one thing, control was overrated.
For another, he had been wrong all the time. It wasn’t that the gordath wanted to be open. It just wanted to be left alone. He figured he could get behind that. And so he quieted it the only way he knew how, by quieting himself.
Maybe he had his mother’s mother to thank for that. It was almost as if he could feel her cool, rough hand against his forehead, the way she touched him when he was sick as a kid. He couldn’t remember all the words, so he sang what he could remember and hoped that it would do the trick.
A la nanita nana, nanita ea, nanita ea,
A la nanita nana, nanita ea.
“Lord Tharp,” Crae said, bowing lord to lord. He looked up at the man, sitting the great gray horse. “It is very good to see you.”
It was. Tharp grinned in a rare good humor. The easy fight had put him in a good mood. “Your crow didn’t lie, then,” he said, resting his arms on the saddlebow as he looked around with great satisfaction. The big horse pawed and snorted, froth tossing from his bit. There were the Brytherners, many dead, the rest being bound by his men, including Lord Bahard. There were a few remaining crows as well, but the few survivors were thoroughly cowed.
“Lord Tharp,” said the boy. Crae had recognized him finally, the young Terrick. He wore blue trousers, the same as Lady Sarita’s, Lynn’s, even the guardian’s, but the rest of his clothes and armor were Aeritan. The boy bowed, but he shifted his weight anxiously. “Sir, I am Colar of Terrick. My friend has been carried off by General Marthen, who has gone crow, sir, and I followed them from her world back here, and I fear greatly for her life, and, sir, if I could have your men, I could bring him down, because I fear for her, and I promised her mother and father I would save her.”
Tharp looked down at the boy. “I don’t give out my army lightly, Terrick,” he growled. “Especially to a House that has stood against me in the past.”
“Oh, for the love of the high god, Eyvig,” said Lady Sarita, taking off her helm and pushing her horse up next to him. She was a beautiful warrior in her armor, a long sword draping down her side.
The silence in the clearing rang like a bell. She leaned down to Colar. “Is he armed with Bahard’s weapons?”
The boy nodded. “Yes, my lady. And he has at least a half hour’s head start.”
“All right. We can give you a dozen riders. Are you horsed?”
Colar cast around, and brought over the light-boned dark bay mare. He gathered the reins and leaped into the saddle. Lady Sarita looked at the horse, and her mouth dropped. And she laughed out loud.
War agrees with them, Crae thought, shaking his head. Perhaps their marriage will strengthen after all, although all the gods pity poor Aeritan if this was how they sought happiness. “I’ll go with the boy, my lady. My business is with the general.” If the crow was to be believed, and as Tharp had pointed out, he had been proved right so far, the general was his mad crow. Best to stop him now.
“Good,” Tharp said. “We’ll clean up here.” He glared at Lord Bahard. The man fought his bonds halfheartedly.
“Look, Tharp, the guardians will bring the gordath under control again,” the man wheedled. “Just let me go home, and we can forget all about this.”
“Unfortunately for you, I have a long memory,” Tharp said.
“As do I,” put in Lady Sarita. “I think it’s better for both worlds to keep you where you can do no more mischief.” She looked over at the guardians and at Lynn. “I think it’s time to close this once more, and please, keep it closed. Can you do that, Joe? Arrim?”
“Yeah,” said the strange guardian. He struggled to sit up, and Lynn helped support him. “Yeah, we can do that.”
Joe looked at the hole. It was no longer gaping, but gathering i
n on itself. He could feel it again, the control he and Arrim needed to keep it open just long enough for them to go through, though he didn’t know how long his strength would hold out.
“You know, I figured some things out,” he said. A lot of things actually, but this one was the most important.
Lynn looked at him quizzically.
“I can be a guardian on our side, too. Arrim can handle Aeritan, and I’ll take New York.”
“I know.”
Huh. “You know?”
She smiled. “I met a whole bunch of guardians back home. You’ll have to teach them what to do, but I don’t think we’ll have a problem with the gordath anymore.”
He didn’t know what to say. In the end, he just said, “Help me up.”
Arrim hobbled over, and Joe took stock of him. He was in bad shape, as bad as Joe felt, covered with blood and dirt. Always shaggy, the man looked like a strange forest animal. Which, Joe reflected, he kind of was. Arrim was never happier than when he was deadheading through Gordath Wood. Me, I’m a different kind of guardian.
“Hey,” Joe said. “I’m going to go back and take care of the gordath from the other side. We’ll still be working together. We just won’t be able to see each other.” They’d each know the other was there, though. Even separated by the gordath, Arrim would still be his partner. His mentor.
Arrim nodded. “What will I tell your Corinna?” he managed, and Joe shook his head. I think he was really hoping we’d get together.
“Tell her I said you two will make a great couple.”
Lynn gave him a look, but she said, “Let me get my horse, and then we can go home.”
There was just one loose end. “Mrs. Hunt!” he called out.
Lady Sarita turned to look at him, as did everyone else. He jerked his head at Mark. “Man’s got something he can’t use here, and we sure could to keep Hunter’s Chase safe and sound.”
Mark protested furiously, but it made no difference. The stacks of cash he had stowed in his pack were passed over to Joe, who couldn’t help but grin.
“Thanks, buddy.”
Mark lunged at him, cursing, but the dog came at him, snarling and barking, and he dropped back.
“Screw you, Felz,” he muttered, and Joe just turned his back. He had to trust to Red Gold Bridge to keep Mark under lock and key, but the man was like a bad penny. He’d keep turning up. We’ll just have to keep the damn thing closed, he thought.
Lady Sarita looked over at Lynn, who had brought up a sturdy chestnut horse wearing a western saddle. Another surprise, Joe thought. “I trust you found the rest?” she asked, her voice reproving.
“I did. Thank you. It’s safe and sound.”
“Good. It was not easy to reclaim my own dowry, but I kept an eye on Garson, and he led me to it.” She smiled, and it was not a pleasant expression. “I think he knew, but he couldn’t go to the police. I enjoyed that.”
I bet you did, Joe thought.
Lynn nodded. “Mrs. Hunt, it’s good to see you again, and Dungiven.” The big stallion tossed his head and pawed the ground restively.
The ground jerked and rumbled, and brought them all back.
“Right,” Lord Tharp said, testy once more. “Enough pleas antries. Close that thing, and let’s go home.”
Joe looked at Arrim. “You know what we need to do, right?”
The man nodded again. “It will work. I can feel it.”
Lynn brought over the chestnut horse, and Joe smiled. “You know I can’t ride.”
She gave him a smile back. “That’s okay. I’ll steer.” The horse snorted and sidestepped as she held the stirrup for him. “Steady, Red Bird, steady.”
“Red Bird,” Joe said. “Sure is a Texas name for a horse.”
“Yeah, I know. Put your foot in the stirrup, there, and I’ll give you a boost. Your mom named him.”
“Wait—what? My mom what?”
Crae mounted Hero and prepared to ride out with Colar of Terrick and the dozen scouts loaned by Red Gold Bridge. They were hard warriors all, and they each picked up one of the weapons brought through the gordath. Marthen would not prevail. He was just one man, although he was a crow, and crows were just men, after all.
He looked over at Lynn, busying herself with the guardian and the horse, preparing to cross over to her world one last time. The guardian caught his eye, and for a moment the two men faced each other across the clearing. Crae knew he was figuring things out. Assessing him. The man’s face went hard. Lynna looked from him to Crae.
The gordath rumbled again, and everyone jerked, almost falling off their feet. The horses scrambled backward.
“Ride out!” young Terrick called out, and they fell in behind him. Crae cast one look backward, and then she and the guardian were gone.
Marthen heard the thunder of hoofbeats chasing them. The gelding labored under the combined weight of himself and the girl, his wind broken, his gait choppy and uneven. Marthen glanced back. A small troop of outriders followed at full gallop. He kicked the horse brutally, but he could get no more speed out of the animal, so he pulled up. They were on the Brythern plains, a rolling terrain of grasses broken up by scrub, and there was scant cover. He turned the horse’s head and pushed him toward a slight swale. He could shoot the horse if he had to and use the carcass for cover, but he was not a fool. There would be no escape unless he kept the girl as hostage. Even then, he was not likely to come out of this adventure alive.
Kate tugged fruitlessly at her bonds, but the ropes held.
“Stop,” he said. He dismounted, stumbling a little as vertigo overtook him. He had not thought the small wound she had given him would sap him so much, but his side was soaked in sticky blood. He saw the way she took in his weakness, her expression calculating. “Don’t get ideas,” he said dryly. “I am still able to hold on to my prisoner.”
“Not for long,” she said, and cocked her head at the sound of their pursuit.
“If I die, so may you,” he said, and this time her eyes went wide with shock. He took out his knife and cut her bonds, releasing her from the saddle. “Get down.”
She dismounted stiffly, rubbing her wrists. Her hair was tangled, and she was covered with his blood, sweat, and dirt. Her throat was bruised and her face was swollen with tears. She looked, he realized, much the same as when he had first laid eyes on her. Then, he had thought of her as a weapon. Now he didn’t know what to think of her. Marthen felt a great weariness. What have I done?
He waited for his thoughts to clear again, but they didn’t. There was laughter in the back of his head, but he pushed it away, rubbing his eyes. He had listened to the madness for long enough. For a second, darkness sparkled, and then his vision came back. She stood there, watching him, and the soldiers in pursuit drew near, so that now he could hear the jangling of harness and the shouting of the men.
“Kate Mossland,” he said, the strange name still so foreign to his tongue. He nodded at the horse, the animal’s head hanging low. “Take him and go, and do not look back.”
He half expected her to protest and almost laughed at his own foolishness. Still a lovesick old sot, he told himself. Who would have thought it?
He unslung the rifle from his back. Just because he was surrendering didn’t mean he would go easily. He was the mad general after all, and he had his pride. He didn’t watch her go. All his attention was focused on the enemy.
They came over the hill, a fast-galloping mass of horses, men, armor, and weapons. Marthen knelt and fired, dropping the first horse, but they spread out, returning fire. His last conscious thought was of the soldier’s god, welcoming him home.
Eighteen
Lynn watched Joe sit down cautiously at her kitchen table, the first time he made it out of the bedroom since she brought him home. She smiled. He looked good, sitting in the morning sun. He looked right. As his bruises faded and his ribs healed, he looked more and more like himself. She had missed him. I want him here. He needs to be here. He caught her smile, and
smiled back.
“What?” he said.
“I was just thinking how you look like you belong there.” She slid into the chair next to him. She bit her lip, half-guilty, half-smug. “And I was thinking maybe we moved too fast. Your ribs okay after earlier?”
He grinned. “Not complaining.” He looked around. “I don’t think I was in this house but once or twice, and sure never in here.” Lady Sarita kept her privacy.
“Me neither. She really was something else.” Lynn had told him about the fortune in the attic. The dowry plus Mark Ballard’s loot would keep the farm going for a good long time. And this time Garson had skedaddled for good, after the cops connected him to the crate of illegal rifles in the woods. Maybe they would have to worry about him eventually, but not right now.
Lynn knew Kate’s parents would never forgive her for coming back without their daughter, but she told them what she knew, that Colar had taken a dozen armed men in pursuit of the general. Kate wouldn’t be able to come back, not if Arrim, Joe, and the perambulators did their jobs. And if they couldn’t, things could only get worse. This time the gordath nearly killed the guardians. Who knew how bad it could get the next time it opened?
Joe looked up at her, and he wasn’t smiling anymore. “I figure I’m a damn fool for asking, but I gotta know. You sure looked like you had something going on with that other guy.”
Her throat closed. She waited a moment to compose herself. She knew he would ask about Crae, or she would have to bring it up. She just didn’t think it would be so soon. She looked straight at him. “Yes. But.” She chose her words carefully. “I went back for you, not him.”
“Any regrets?” He said it softly.
“God, Joe. Don’t—” Don’t do this to me. She blinked back tears. “I love you. I loved him. I don’t know how to explain it any other way. I can’t tell you what you want to hear. I loved him, yes, and you’ll have to make peace with that. But I came for you. Please don’t—” She couldn’t continue. Don’t leave me. Please, don’t leave me.
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