In the distance, two flaming arrows arched over the far northern end of the wall. Along with the full moon, they lit up the sky. “Fuck. I’ll tell her to stay with him until I come get her,” he muttered, and took off for the lodge where he assumed she’d gone.
The front door was barred from the inside, forcing him to go around to the back entrance. To his surprise, Caralas was there with her father, standing out in the open where they were visible in the overhead lantern lights.
“What the hell! Get your asses back inside!”
Edge stared at him, his pants undone but his sword in his hand. “We’re under attack!”
“It’s not your fucking problem!” Rushing up to them, Mattox shoved them both inside the lodge. Following them, he slammed the door shut and set the heavy piece of red oak into the iron slats. Whirling around, he pointed to the open bedroom door where Edge had presumably been sleeping. “Get back in there and stay put until we give an all-clear. Got me?” Without waiting for them to obey, he continued past the kitchen, and into the hall.
“At least tell me what’s happened?” Edge demanded, trailing after him.
“I know no more than you do at this moment. We’ve been breached by Bloods. Just stay out of sight, will you?” Lifting the bar from the front door, Mattox set it next to the frame and pointed to it. “Lock this in place when I leave. I’ll be back as soon as—”
A moonlit shadow passed over him. Stunned, Mattox glanced up as Caralas screamed a warning.
A figure crouched on the edge of the wall where the roof had been torn away. It casually pulled an arrow from its quiver as Edge started up the circular staircase after it.
“Edge! No!Damnit!” Mattox cursed, knowing the Blood would easily slip away. It was obvious the battle lord had never fought Bloods before. If he had, he’d know how agile and elusive the fucking things were.
The creature seemed uninterested in the man trying to get to him. Even if Edge did manage to reach the second floor, the thing would simply move over to put enough space between them, making the man’s sword useless.
As the Blood aimed downward, Mattox knew who its target was. Automatically, his hand found his dagger, flipped the blade into his palm, and flung it as hard as he could. At that exact moment, Edge thrust his sword upward in a vain attempt to run it through the creature. Mattox stared in shock as his knife struck above the guard and bounced off.
But it was enough to distract the Blood a split-second before it released the arrow. Caralas jumped to the side as the barb buried itself into the floor where she’d been standing. She hit the carpet and rolled as the Blood nocked its last arrow.
Mattox moved instinctively, leaping back into the living room to place himself between the Blood and Caralas. He landed against one of the overstuffed chairs, shoved it in front of her, then pivoted around and hefted his sword, holding it like a spear. Without aiming, he threw it with every ounce of strength he had left.
The blade sliced into the creature’s belly. The Blood let out a death shriek and let fly the arrow, but instead of plowing into the floor, the shaft went straight downward. Mattox watched in horror as Edge reared backwards, still swinging his sword to try and reach the thing. The barb pierced the battle lord’s throat, exited out the back of his neck, and ricocheted off the wrought iron bannister.
Mattox heard Caralas scream. He lunged to catch the man as he tumbled backwards, off the staircase. Catching him, he gently lowered the man onto the floor as blood pumped out of the wound.
Racing outside, Mattox went over to where he believed the Blood had landed and found it near the corner of the lodge, hidden by the shadows as it attempted to crawl away. Going over to it, he shoved it onto its back. The Blood shrieked again as footsteps hurried toward them. He grabbed the hilt, jerking it out of the creature, and dropped to the ground beside it.
“Who bought you?” He slapped the thing’s face to keep it from expiring before he got his answer. “Who paid you to kill?”
A hissing sound expelled from the creature’s mouth, and something resembling a smile lifted the thin slits of its lips. Mattox clenched his fists and gritted his teeth to keep himself from pounding the information out of the thing.
“You’re dying.” He lowered his face to where their noses almost touched. In the thing’s eyes, he saw his own reflecting back like twin flames. “Tell me the name of the son of a bitch who put you here. Who set you up as a target, the same way he tried to target Caralas Edge? Was it Tanger?”
Boots came into his field of vision, bringing with them lighted torches, but he ignored them. The Blood would be dead within seconds.
“Tell me his name, and I will avenge your death,” Mattox promised.
The thing’s eyes widened at this unexpected turn. As black blood trickled out from the sides of its mouth and nose, it struggled to speak.
“Bor…lee. Th-three arr…rows. Blame battle la-lady…D’Jacques.”
A figure squatted on the other side, and he heard his mother speak.
“What did he promise you? What did Borlee say he’d pay you?”
“Al…ta No…” The Blood’s face went slack, and the light faded from its eyes.
A shockwave went through him, nearly flattening him with the ramifications. All this time, it was Borlee, Edge’s second, who’d instigated this?
He heard his mother’s voice again. “Warren, have the men lock down the interior campsites. Make sure no one leaves.”
“And have someone check to make sure no one’s tried to leave the compound,” Mattox included.
