My Lady Mage: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (35 page)

Horses. Nothing unusual about that, given the herds that wandered these grasslands. No, it was the taint of unwashed men and the faint creak of leather that had his pulse racing. He reached for his shield and called out the words that would bring forth Scim. The brief flash of light might reveal their location, but right now Gideon needed the gyrfalcon’s eyes to scout ahead to see what they were riding into. It would take several seconds for the bird to position himself over the approaching threat.

Gideon pitched his voice just loud enough to carry back to Merewen. “That was Duncan’s avatar warning us we’re not alone out here.”

She brought her horse abreast with Kestrel. Shortly after they’d started for the keep, her mare had picked up
a stone and developed a limp. Merewen had bound the horse’s right foreleg. From that point on they’d kept to a slow walk to avoid causing the horse any further injury.

“How is the mare doing?”

Merewen closed her eyes and leaned forward to rest her hand on the horse’s neck. After a few seconds, she straightened up. “Her foreleg is better but definitely not up to full strength. She’ll be able to maintain a short burst of speed but not much more. Beyond that, we’d be risking permanent damage to that leg.”

Right now Gideon was more worried about getting Merewen back to the keep safely than he was concerned about the horse. He kept that opinion to himself, knowing how Merewen would feel about it.

“We need to move faster.”

He led the way but made sure she stayed close behind him. Trusting Kestrel to keep them moving in the right direction, he closed his eyes to connect with Scim soaring overhead. As usual, the first few seconds left him feeling queasy until his inner eye adjusted to the bird’s view of the surrounding area.

The grasslands rolled on into the distance, but the land closer to the keep itself was filled with rocky outcroppings. They’d serve to slow down Fagan’s men, about the only thing playing in Gideon’s favor right now.

Almost immediately, Gideon broke off the connection. At this slow pace, the approaching forces would overtake them before they could reach the gate. At least he’d also spotted Kane and Hob heading straight for them. Good.

“Merewen, switch horses with me. You stand a better chance of reaching the keep safely on Kestrel.”

He dismounted before she could argue. Still, she hesitated. “I can call for another horse to come.”

Gideon held his hands out to her. “Hurry. There’s no time for that.”

She climbed down and traded reins with him. “What did you see?”

There was no hiding the truth from her and no good to be gained by trying. He cupped his hands to toss her up onto Kestrel’s broad back. “I would guess that your uncle is back, and he has a number of men-at-arms riding with him. Hasten now or we’ll never make it to the gate before they get into position to attack. Kane’s on his way toward us with Hob, so we won’t be alone.”

He mounted the mare. “Ride, Merewen, and don’t look back. I’ll be right behind you.”

Or he would be as long as the mare held up. With one last look back at Gideon, Merewen gave Kestrel his head. The mare did her best to follow, but her uneven gait made it unlikely Gideon would reach the gate at all. Realizing he couldn’t protect Merewen from this point on, he prayed to the gods to watch over her and keep her safe from harm.

All too quickly she was out of sight. He connected with Scim long enough to send him after her. The bird would warn Gideon if she ran into trouble. He kicked the mare into a slow gallop, hoping to stay within reach of Merewen without disabling the horse completely.

It worked for a short time, but soon the mare was limping hard enough to almost throw him from the saddle. He gave up and dismounted. Using his knife, he cut the cinch and shoved the saddle off onto the ground.

“Go with the gods,” he whispered to the mare, and slapped her on the rear. Sword in hand, Gideon followed after Kestrel on foot, hoping that Kane would reach Merewen in time to escort her safely back to the keep.

There was no way Gideon himself would make it that far before the enemy forces did. Rather than try, he looked for the best place to make a stand and buy Merewen the time she needed.

Sharing Scim’s view, it appeared the approaching
forces would be funneled through a rocky area that would slow them down. If he could block the near end, he could further delay their progress. He took off running, his legs pumping hard as he strained for every bit of speed he could muster. By the time he reached the narrow passage, his muscles burned with fatigue. He hid behind a cluster of boulders and stood ready to attack.

Scim silently circled overhead, still watching Merewen’s progress. Gideon drew comfort from his avatar’s presence but as always worried about what would happen to Scim if Gideon didn’t survive the upcoming fight. Their spirit bond had been created by the gods. Did that mean the two of them would remain partnered together in the afterlife? He hoped so.

At the same time, he grieved over the thought he might have kissed Merewen for the last time—that he might never again know her touch, never again feel her shudder in his arms as they both reached completion. Might he have given her a son or daughter?

But for now, he and Scim would join forces to fight. From where he stood, he couldn’t see anything. Laying his hand on the big rock to his right, he felt for the vibrations that would herald the enemy’s approach. He felt only a slight buzz, not nearly enough for the number of riders he’d counted through Scim’s eyes.

That could mean only one thing: Kane was coming. Damn the man; he was supposed to stay and protect Merewen. Instead, he was about to charge right into the path of the fight.

Gideon ordered Scim to lead the dark warrior to where he was hiding. With luck or maybe the guidance of the gods, the two of them could ride double on Rogue long enough to buy them some time. He watched as Scim banked off to the south and then abruptly dove down. Judging by the steep angle, Kane wasn’t far away.

In the end, it was Hob who arrived first, his fangs already
dripping venom. Kane appeared out of the darkness right behind him, his sword drawn and ready to fight. Gideon had never been so glad to see his friend, despite his worries about Merewen.

“Did she make it back safely?”

Kane nodded. “She was nearly to the gate when I passed her. She promised to send Kestrel back for you.”

Kane’s eyes glittered in the darkness, his excitement at the prospect of a battle all too clear. His need for violence was a constant companion, one he could suppress for only so long.

“Do we run or make a stand?”

Rogue pawed the ground, picking up on his rider’s restless nature. Kane controlled him easily, but the stallion wasn’t happy about it. Clearly the horse and his rider were both in the mood for a good fight.

Still, he started to say, “Rogue can bear us double if you want to—”

Before Kane could finish the offer, Hob screeched a warning. Out of the darkness charged the first handful of foot soldiers. Gideon vaulted over the boulders to meet their charge as Kane fought from horseback. Scim dove down from above to attack with talons and beak, drawing blood before climbing back to the sky for another attack.

Gideon lined up against three of Fagan’s men with his shield on his left arm and his sword in his right hand. He swung hard, hitting the first fighter’s sword with enough force to send the man stumbling to his knees. Another blow removed him from the fight permanently.

The second warrior took his place, this time making room for the third one to join him in the lethal dance. From somewhere behind Gideon’s right shoulder, he could hear Kane taunting the enemy, his deep voice echoing through the night.

In past battles, facing the Damned and their avatars was enough to send most human soldiers into a panic.
These, however, fought in grim silence. Even when Gideon slashed open his current opponent’s leg to the bone, the warrior continued to fight without even a whimper until his leg gave out completely.

Something to ponder later. Right now, it was all Gideon could do to keep from being surrounded as more of the enemy swarmed into the clearing on horseback. Kane joined him on the ground, assuming his usual position at Gideon’s back while Hob and Scim harried their enemies from above and below.

Even Rogue joined in the fighting, using his weight to knock other horses aside. If he succeeded in unseating the rider, his hooves ensured the man didn’t get back up.

The rocky terrain at that part of the trail limited how many of the enemy could approach at once. If they found a way to circumvent the narrow passage and come up from behind, things could go badly for the two warriors.

Gideon prayed Kestrel would arrive soon. Even their god-enhanced strength wouldn’t hold up forever against this many opponents. He bellowed out his rage, laughing when Kane screamed out his battle cry, his words rough and grating on the ear. Hob joined the chorus as he darted in and out of the mass of panicky horses and their oddly quiet riders.

It was getting difficult to move without tripping over the dead and dying. Gideon had suffered a few nicks but no major injuries. He blocked a blow from a mounted fighter and then pulled him from the saddle. After finishing him off, he backed away, hoping to gain a few seconds to catch his breath.

In the moment of stillness, he noticed the ground beneath his feet shook with the vibration of pounding hooves. If it was Kestrel, he’d brought company. If it wasn’t, then both Gideon and Kane would be surrounded; eventually someone would get in a lucky swing and take them both down.

Rogue reared up again, bugling a challenge, as a band of riderless horses appeared in the clearing with Kestrel leading the charge.

Once again, Kane’s battle cry split the night as Rogue and Kestrel formed up side by side to challenge the enemy’s horses. It was instant chaos as the two stallions forced the others to retreat. Several panicked and unseated their riders before bolting into the night as the rest of Kestrel’s band did their best to block the relentless approach of more of Fagan’s forces.

The chaos gave Gideon and Kane just enough time to mount up again. Neither stallion needed to be told to run full tilt for the keep, with Kestrel’s band following close behind. When they were clear of the fray, the mares and bachelor stallions veered off the trail and headed back toward the mountains, leaving the enemy behind to retreat and regroup.

The first skirmish was over, and they’d survived.

Kestrel barely slowed down enough for Merewen to jump off outside the gate before he cut away from her to tear back off into the night. She landed awkwardly and went down to her knees hard. She wasn’t about to complain, not if Kestrel’s speed meant getting Gideon to safety that much faster.

While the stallion was carrying her toward the keep, she’d sensed the mare’s increasing pain and knew exactly when Gideon had been left afoot. Knowing he was back there alone to face off against who knew how many men sent Merewen’s fear soaring to new heights. Only the knowledge that she would’ve been more hindrance than help had kept her from turning back.

At least she’d been able to convince Kane that her cause would be best served by his going after his captain. In truth, it hadn’t taken much persuasion on her part. As he and Hob had charged back out into the darkness, she
sent heartfelt prayers flying up to the night sky for their safekeeping.

She pushed herself up to her feet and was dusting the bits of dirt and gravel off her knees as the gate swung open. Murdoch and Duncan caught her by the arms and dragged her into the safety of the keep.

Murdoch grabbed a nearby torch and held it close to her. “I smell blood. Are you hurt?”

“I fell after getting off Kestrel and scraped my knees. I’ll be fine.”

She leaned against the palisade, grateful for its support as the effect of everything hit her all at once. She needed to sit down—now, before she fell again. What she really wanted to do was climb to the walkway overhead and watch for Gideon and Kane, but when she tried to take a step forward, her legs buckled and refused to support her.

Duncan swooped in to catch her. Her head lolled back against his shoulder as the stars above her spun in circles. She closed her eyes, hoping to stop the dizziness, but it didn’t help all that much.

She was dimly aware of the transition from the outdoors into the warmth of the hall where she was unceremoniously laid out on a tabletop. The worried murmur of voices surrounded her as someone—Duncan?—started issuing orders. Something about food or drink or wet rags. Nothing made sense. She didn’t need their attention.

No, they should all be outside watching for Gideon—or, better yet, riding to his rescue. She fought to sit up, but a strong pair of hands pushed her shoulders back down against the table.

“I’m thinking you’ve gone too long without food and drink, so stay still until they bring you something to eat, Lady Merewen. I’ll return when we have word about the captain.”

Then a calloused hand took hold of hers. “Squeeze
my hand if you understand. We’re going to need you at full strength before long.”

She must have conveyed her agreement, because the male voice disappeared, to be replaced by Alina’s. “I’m going to hold you up so you can sip this broth. It’s cool enough to drink, but take it slow.”

She worked her arm under Merewen’s neck and lifted her head far enough so that Merewen could sip the warm liquid without choking.

“That’s enough for now. Let’s see how that settles before I give you more.”

For the next few minutes, they repeated the process until Alina declared Merewen’s color much improved.

“I need to sit up.”

Her aunt helped her, standing in front of her to prevent her from toppling forward onto the floor. “Fine, but let’s go slowly. Sir Duncan isn’t here to catch you this time.”

When Merewen was upright, she reached for the cheese and bread that one of the servants had brought out. Nibble by nibble, she finished it and started on a second piece. The shaking had stopped, and the waves of nauseating dizziness were tapering off.

She eased off the edge of the table and was relieved that this time her legs supported her weight. “I must return to the gate.”