It was no more than a half day’s ride before they found that battle, closer than they would have guessed; closer than it should have been.
Bren was first to feel the change in the air. It grew thicker, sharper, and more foreboding. It was subtle, and a more ordinary man would perhaps not even notice the faint influence of dark magic. He might just have a shiver or feel that eyes were upon him, or if he was especially sensitive, the sudden urge to run. But to Bren there was no doubt: Mored was near. He turned and signaled to the other men. They were ready.
Without further warning, a ball of flame flew at them, then another, and another. While the rest of the men held up their shields to deflect the fiery missals, Bren stopped them with his bare hands, hurling them effortlessly back in the direction from which they’d come. The battle went on this way for several minutes before they even caught sight of their opponents, who now rode hell-bent out of the forest towards them, shouting and swinging their swords. The Mac Coinnach and McAlpin men quickly engaged the enemy, and with honor and outrage on their side, Mored’s men began to fall. Bren rode forward through the melee, slaughtering any man who stood in his way, until he saw the one man he wanted to kill more than he wanted his next breath. Mored was seated on his midnight-black stallion, jaw set, waiting only for Bren to come close enough.
The two leaders faced each other now, with identical looks of death in their eyes. The two powerful destriers circled one another, as each man waited to see if the other would strike first.
Mored did. With a shrieking battle cry he lifted his sword, his horse rearing up on hind legs for a moment before plunging forward. Bren blocked the strike, the impact of metal on metal felt like fire in his arm. Mored gathered himself for a second strike, and Bren blocked it again. He knew this game; they had played it before. He did not strike back, but insteadprepared himself for what would come next. Mored would not be satisfied with using a mere sword for long. He felt the subtle shift in the air just before the bolt of energy left Mored’s hands. It was what he was waiting for. He deflected the surge of power neatly with one of his own, sending both back towards Mored with a force that should have been deadly if it were a direct hit. But at the last instant, Mored disappeared.
Bren growled low in frustration, then lifted his head and shouted his outrage. He should have had him! God only knew where he had gone off to now, he could be anywhere. He needed to get to Faith quickly. He signaled to the other men, who were coming up behind him after having just finished off the small band of Mored’s paid followers. Most of his followers were bought with coin, not loyalty.
Without a word, they raced toward the hills where his lair was suspected to be hidden deep within the earth.
Left alone with Elen, Faith didn’t hesitate to put her plan into action. She was sure she wouldn’t have much time before Mored returned, and she was terribly afraid that Bren would be hurt if he tried to rescue her. She wanted more than anything to get out of this place and find him first, before he risked his life to save her. Before she could cause any more trouble than she already had.
“Listen to me. You want me out of here, and I want to be gone.”
The woman gave her a bored look. “So?”
“Untie these ropes. I’ll leave, and you’ll never see me again.”
Elen swung around to look at her, eyes filled with such hatred that Faith could really only pity her. But at least now she had the woman’s attention.
“Why should I untie ye? Why should I risk everything I’ve worked so hard for, for the likes of ye? He only wants ye because ye’re theMac Coinnach’swhore, ye ken.”
Faith opened her mouth to reply, and a terrible thought occurred to her. “Did he use magic to bind me? Are you even able to undo the knots?”
Elen scoffed at her. “Of course I can untie the knots, ye simpleton. If Mored used magic within this chamber it would lead Mac Coinnach straight to us. He could follow it like a beacon. Do ye no’ ken anything at all?”
Thank god. Faith drew in a breath, praying that she would say the right words, afraid that she wouldn’t. “Look, if you untie me, you can lie on the floor and pretend to be unconscious, as if I got loose and hit you over the head. Mored will never know. If you kill me, he will hate you. If you leave me tied up until he comes back, I will be forced to seduce him to get myself free.” She paused, measuring Elen’s reaction, preparing to possibly be struck. But the woman only glared at her more fiercely, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, her beauty completely ruined by what was in her heart. Faith could see pain mingling with the rage in Elen’s eyes, but she went on.
“He wants me, I can see it when he looks at me.” She forced a smile to her lips, as if the idea pleased her. “I will use that desire in any way I can, but Iwillget free. Those are your choices, Elen. What will you do?”
Faith again pitied the woman as anger and desperation warred for control of Elen’s features. She wondered what her story was, how she had come to be here, and how much worse her life might have been before, to makethisthe better choice. Finally, Elen made her decision. She walked stiffly over to the bed, and undid the knots that held Faith’s arms firmly tied to the post, though not the ones that bound her wrists. It was goodenough; she wouldn’t press her luck further. Once free, Faith quickly stood up.
“Thank you.” She scanned the room. “Which is the way out?”
Elen, her face still a hard mask of anger and disdain, pointed to a tunnel to the left. Faith nodded and hurried towards it, as fast as she could with her hands still tied awkwardly behind her back. She turned around once, to make sure Elen wasn’t going to try anything. The woman stood stark still, watching her leave. Faith had the unsettling feeling that no one would ever see Elen alive again, but there was nothing she could do about that. Elen had made her own choices, and from what she could see they weren’t very good ones.
The tunnel was dark, and soon Faith was feeling her way along the wall as best she could with her hands tied, which meant she had to walk nearly sideways, and fervently hoping she hadn’t been purposely misled. Then she came around a bend, and there was a soft glow of daylight ahead. She moved faster, only slowing as she reached the opening of the cave. The bright daylight burned her eyes, and for a moment she couldn’t see. Keeping her back flat to the stone wall, she looked out cautiously in all directions.No Guards? She waited, holding her breath, listening for the smallest of sounds. When she heard nothing for several long minutes, she stepped gingerly out of the cave, and now she could see farther on either side.Dead Guards. There were perhaps ten bodies lying scattered on the ground, life oozing from various fatal wounds. The coppery tang of blood reached her nostrils. She took another cautious step, prepared to run for her life if needs be.
***
Bren silently gave thanks for the scouting missions that had recently revealed the well-hidden location of Mored’s newest lair. It was far closer to Creagmor than should have been possible… yet another testament to the wizard’s growing power. And the danger they all faced if he wasn’t stopped.
The wards protecting the area were strong, but not overly complex, and it took him little time to unravel them. At the edge of the wood, they met with a group of perhaps twenty armed guards. Though well trained, the men were no match for the Mac Coinnachs and McAlpins, and in no time they all lay dead. Then they began searching for the entrance to the cave, which had to be close by to be so heavily guarded. Bren had hardly begun to search when Faith appeared from behind a rock, and after a quick glance at the bodies littering the hill side, she headed straight for him. His heart leapt into his throat in unrestrained joy and relief, and he ran to meet her.
***
She had looked up from the bodies to see Bren running towards her, and she knew then just how the guards had died. She found it too awkward to run with her hands still tied behind her back, but Bren had reached her before she could take another step. He grabbed her up in his arms, carrying her back to where other men were waiting in the shelter of the trees. He set her down, looking her over for any sign of harm.
“Are ye all right? Are ye hurt? God, Faith, tell me ye’re all right!” His voice sounded choked, and she could feel his hands tremble lightly as he ran them over her body to reassure himself she wasn’t harmed in any way.
“I’m fine”, she told him. “I’m fine.”
He pulled a dagger from his boot and sliced through the rope binding her wrists. She sighed and stretched her arms.
“We need to get away from here, it’s no’ safe. Then ye will tell me everything that happened.”
