Chapter 81
Teca's eyes bulged and she leaped into her saddle, tried to lead the horses towards Coralen and the others but the horses were neighing wildly, rearing and kicking.
There was a huge crack behind Coralen, the draig ploughing into a tree in its haste to reach them. It roared, making the world shake. It sounded as if it was almost upon them.
Then Coralen was swinging into her saddle, her horse almost mad with fear. She saw Yalric yelling curses at his horse as it powered away past her, heard hooves pounding behind her, then a collision, a horse screaming, bones crunching.
Fear had her in a grip she'd never known before. She was too scared even to look back. Ride, just ride, get away.
Another scream from behind her, this time human.
Enkara.
She heaved at her reins, her mount slowing, skidding to a halt, and looked back.
The draig was crouched over a horse, one claw upon its neck, pinning it as it bucked and writhed, the draig's jaws slick with blood as it tore b.l.o.o.d.y holes in the animal's side. Enkara was squirming on the ground, one leg trapped under the fallen horse.
Before she could think Coralen was kicking her horse into movement, swearing and cursing at it when it resisted, eventually acquiescing to its rider and moving hesitantly back towards the draig. Teca appeared from the left, her bow nocked, Yalric riding back to them, an axe in his hand.
We can't fight it look at the power of it. But maybe...
Coralen shouted to Teca and Yalric and then she was picking up speed, a trot to a canter, her mount back under her control now.
Enkara was still pinned, the weight of the draig upon the horse grinding her leg into the forest litter. Teca and Yalric rode at the draig, both of them sighting their weapons and loosing while their mounts were moving. Teca's arrow sank into the soft flesh between its foreleg and torso, Yalric's axe bouncing off of its head with a dull thud.
Thicker skull than a bear, then.
The draig swung its head about, confused for a moment, then bellowed, s.h.i.+fting its weight momentarily off of the horse. In an instant Enkara had pulled free and was on her feet, lurching into a hobbling run. Coralen guided her horse close and grabbed Enkara's forearm, swinging her into the saddle behind her and then she was off, kicking her horse hard, letting it do exactly what it wanted most in the world gallop as fast as it possibly could away from the draig. A hasty glance over her shoulder and Coralen saw that Teca and Yalric were following behind, the draig obviously deciding that more chasing was not necessary when it had a tasty meal under one claw.
'Can we go back to Dra.s.sil, now?' Enkara shouted in Coralen's ear.
CHAPTER SEVENTY.
CAMLIN.
Camlin felt a sharp pain in his back, Braith's sword-tip prodding him, directing him to walk on. The snow had stopped falling now and was turning to slush under his boots. Vonn trudged before him, blood matting one side of his face, his hands bound behind his back, just as Camlin's were. Braith's companion, a lad holding a long spear, was leading the way, two grey hounds at his heels. They were tall and sleek, and they looked hungry, too.
Long as I'm not the meal. Wouldn't put it past Braith. He's probably been starving them and promising them me for dinner.
'You made it back home, then,' Vonn addressed the lad with the dogs. He turned and looked at Vonn.
'I did, no thanks to you.'
Camlin recognized him, then. The prisoner Coralen had caught in the hills of Domhain, the one who had told them about Cywen and Conall both being alive.
'Strange, Rafe, that we've ended up on different sides, when we were once such good friends.'
'Were we?' Rafe asked.
'I thought so.'
'Well, friends or no, I chose to stand by my oath the one I swore to your da.'
'That's strange, too,' Vonn said, 'because I chose to stand by my oath the one I swore to my King.'
Rafe looked back and scowled at Vonn then, one of the hounds doing the same and growling.
'Family should come before kings, or queens,' Rafe said.
Vonn frowned, staring at Rafe's back, and said no more.
They were walking down to the stream where two men waited for them, one of whom was sitting with his back to a tree, blood drenching his belly, soaking into his breeches, staining the white snow about him. He was screaming.
Might have something to do with my arrow in his gut.
Braith made an irritated sound behind him, though Camlin wasn't sure if it was aimed at him for shooting one of his men, or at the man on the ground for making so much noise.
'Sit,' Braith ordered Camlin and Vonn as he dumped both of their sword-belts and Camlin's bow and quiver against the tree, next to the straw man. When he was happy that Camlin and Vonn were both secure, Braith went and sat beside the wounded man. He unstoppered his water skin and gave the man some. He
'Madoc, this is going to taste sweet as heaven in your mouth,' Braith said to the warrior, 'but when it reaches your gut it's going to hurt like every demon in the Otherworld is trying to claw their way out of your belly.'
Madoc nodded, sweat slicking his face, his s.h.i.+rt sticking to his body.
'My boot,' Madoc breathed. 'Some coin for my Rhian.'
Braith nodded. 'I'll see it gets to her.' He lifted the water skin to Madoc's mouth and with his other hand drew a knife from his belt.
'You ready?'
Madoc nodded and Braith cut his throat.
'That's seven of my men, now, by my counting,' Braith said, wagging his knife at Camlin.
'Aye, that's what I make it,' Camlin agreed. He shrugged. 'It's war.'
'So it is,' Braith said, wiping his knife clean and sheathing it. He came and sat close to Camlin.
Not so close that I can reach him, though.
'But this is more personal than that, between you and me.'
'I was afraid you were going to say that.'
Braith barked a laugh.
'You see, Cam, despite everything, you can still make me laugh. You've poisoned me, cut me open with this blade on your belt.' He paused, pulled back his s.h.i.+rt at the neck and showed Camlin an ugly white ridge of scar tissue. 'Hurt, that,' Braith said.
'Aye, well, I've a scar of my own from you.' He pulled his s.h.i.+rt open. 'See. You shot me. The arrow had to be pushed through. That hurt a bit, too.'
Braith shrugged. 'Not that this is a contest, but you did dump me into the ocean for the fish to gnaw on.' He shook his head.
Camlin smiled grimly. 'If it helps, I did think you were dead at the time.'
Braith chuckled. 'But the thing that hurts most, Cam, is the betrayal. I thought we were friends.'
Camlin laughed at that. 'So did I,' he said, still chuckling. 'Perhaps we can be reconciled, eh?'
'I don't think so,' Braith said. The smile disappeared from his face. 'But I can even the score.'
He stood, looking about the marshes at the endless banks of reeds, willow and alder.
'Where is she, Cam? Your new Queen?'
'If you think I'm going t'be telling you that,' Camlin said, 'then you don't know me.'
'If you think you won't tell me,' Braith said, moving closer to Camlin, 'then it's you who doesn't know me.'
I've seen Braith put people to the question. He tries to be their friend first, gets what he can that way, then lights a fire under their feet, just to make sure.
There'll be no torture here,' a voice said. Vonn, sounding just about as commanding as Camlin had ever heard him. 'You will take us to my father. We will not talk to men such as you.'
Braith smiled at Vonn, walked over to him.
'Get him up,' Braith said, the warrior behind Vonn yanking him to his feet.
'My father is the regent of Ardan, representative of Queen Rhin and-'
Braith punched Vonn in the gut, doubling him over. He grabbed a fistful of Vonn's hair and yanked him upright.
'Your father is not my king,' Braith snarled. 'I answer to Rhin, no one else, so your precious father can go kiss my a.r.s.e. And you'll not be giving out your orders to me, or any of my crew. Is that clear?'
'All two of them,' Camlin murmured.
Vonn dribbled spittle.
'I said, is that clear?' Braith repeated, bunching his fist.
'Aye,' Vonn muttered.
'Good,' Braith said, letting go of Vonn's hair, the young warrior dropping to the ground.
You tried, lad, I'll give you that.
'Don't you worry, Vonn, I'll take you to your da soon enough. Not sure what kind of welcome you'll get, but at least you'll live to find out, which is more than I can say for my old friend Camlin.'
Braith spun around and kicked Camlin in the face. He fell back, pushed himself onto one elbow and spat blood, and a tooth.
'I'm going to leave you with that thought for the night. Come morning I want answers to my question. Where is the b.i.t.c.h, Edana? Answer true and I'll end it quick. No pain. If I don't believe you, well, I'll be taking this knife,' he drew it from his belt, the one he'd used to cut his man's throat. 'And I'm going t'start taking body parts off you. Think I'll start with the fingers on your bow hand.'
Camlin lay close to the stream, his arms stiff and the skin on his wrists rubbed raw. Beside him lay Vonn sleeping, he thought, from the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Something had woken him.
Maybe the cold. He was s.h.i.+vering enough for his teeth to rattle. There were no clouds above now, the sky a panoply of stars, the thin crust of snow on the ground had frosted to ice and was glittering in the starlight. Trying not to make any noise, he rolled over, the snow crunching, sounding loud enough to wake the dead.
Braith was sitting against the tree, his head drooped to one side, his surviving warrior curled in a blanket while Rafe was standing on the stream's edge, spear in his hand, staring out into the darkness.
His watch, then.
One of the two hounds growled, its ears p.r.i.c.ked. There was a rustle amongst the riverbank and they were both bounding forwards, snuffling amongst the reeds. Rafe followed them, spear levelled, then the hounds came out, tugging at something between them. Camlin heard the wet ripping sound of amphibian flesh.
Some poor frog's having a bad night. He thought of his fate approaching with the rising of the sun. I sympathize.
The hounds finished tearing apart whatever it was they'd found and settled to wolfing down their respective pieces. Rafe lowered his spear and went back to stamping his feet and blowing into his hands.
Camlin looked at Braith, felt a wash of hatred for the man, swiftly tempered by the knowledge that he was just a man, like him, who'd made his choices and was seeing them through.
Sometimes they lead to a pot of gold, other times they get you bitten on the a.r.s.e, or see you watching your fingers go under the knife, one by one. What I'd give to take him with me, though...
He heard a thunk, behind him, between him and the stream. He looked about but no one else seemed to have heard it, Braith still with his chin on his chest, Rafe staring in the opposite direction. Even the two hounds now seemed to be sleeping deeply, chests rising and falling. He rolled over slowly, saw something sticking in the turf and snow. A glint of iron, a leather-wrapped hilt.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Slowly he rolled over again, his back and bound hands to the knife, shuffled backwards a handspan, stopped as Braith muttered in his sleep. Another wriggle backwards, then waiting, eyes checking Rafe, the hounds, Braith, the other warrior. Another wriggle, checking again. Eventually, as a grey pallor seeped across the sky, he felt leather brush his fingertips.
'Wake up,' Braith said and kicked Camlin's boots. With a groan Camlin squirmed onto his knees, holding the rope that had bound his hands tight behind his back.
'You're like a landed fish,' Braith said. 'Which is an appropriate a.n.a.logy, because today I shall be gutting you, like a fish.' He smiled, no humour in it. 'But let it not be said that I am a cruel man. Dai, help him up.'
For all of his bl.u.s.ter Braith is a careful man. He will not step within arms' reach of me. I should be flattered that he thinks so highly of my prowess. He glanced at Vonn, who had clambered to his knees.
Rafe was calling the hounds but they lay still on the stream bank.
Camlin caught Vonn's eye, looked over his shoulder, wiggled the knife in his frozen hands. Vonn's eyes widened for a moment, then he looked away.
'No funny business,' Dai muttered, put a hand under Camlin's arm and hoisted him upright.