Riann nodded, his eyes lighting with understanding. “We’ll wait until after they’ve gone to bed,” hemurmured.
The two of them rested their heads against the trunk of the tree, conserving their strength. Calrain’s heart hammered with fear and excitement as they waited. A few days ago, he would have never been able to break free of this rope, but making love to Tariel had strengthened them both. Calrain wondered if, with proper training, he might even be able to hold his own against the other knights. But tonight was not the night to test that theory, especially since they did not haveweapons.
Eventually, the knights retired to their bedrolls, and loud snores filled the air. Calrain twisted his neck to the left and saw a single knight still awake, taking first watch. He was seated beneath the boughs of a tree a few paces from the fire, but though they were within his line of sight, his eyes were on theroad.
“Do you have a blade on you?” Calrain muttered toRiann.
“A small knife, tucked in by my inner thigh,” Riann said. “I should be able to reach it once we’refree.”
“All right.” Calrain sucked in a deep breath. “I hope you’re a good shot, because we only have onechance.”
The two of them strained against the rope again, flexing their muscles as hard as they could manage. The rope snapped under the force. Riann spun around, reaching into his pants. He popped up onto one knee and flung his knife at the sentry in one motion. The blade hurled end over end before sinking into the sentry’s throat. His eyes went wide as he clutched at the blade, slumping oversideways.
“Hurry,” Riann whispered, rushing over to where all the luggage was piled. The two of them rifled through the bags, searching for their things. Relief swept through Calrain when he recovered his dagger and the pack that contained the abacus, and Riann grinned as he retrieved hissword.
Calrain moved aside another one of the bags, looking for the one that held their coin. Unfortunately, that motion caused another one to topple over, and it landed on the ground with a loudthud.
“Eh?” one of the knights said sleepily, and Calrain froze. “Hey, how did you two getfree!”
“Run!” Riann cried, turning tail. Calrain dropped the bag and sprinted after Riann as fast as he could manage. The two of them raced for the horses, who were already whinnying and stamping their feet in response to the commotion. But the knight who had seen them was fast, and in moments, he was on their heels, his sword swinging in theair.
“Get the horses!” Riann cried, spinning around to face their attacker. Swords clashed, and Calrain’s ears rang as he put on a burst of speed. Fingers fumbling, he quickly untied two of the warhorses as Riann took care of the knight. He vaulted onto the back of his warhorse just in time to see Riann drive his sword through a second knight’s abdomen, the first man bleeding out on the ground. Neither of them had put on their armor, but from the noises Calrain heard from the camp, he knew the others would be suited upsoon.
“Come on!” Calrain cried as Riann whirled on his heel, racing for the second horse. But before Riann could get onto his own steed, an arrow pierced his calf, shot by one of the other knights. His roar of pain echoed through the cold, dark night as he stumbled forward, missing the horse entirely. Without thinking, Calrain reached forward and caught Riann by the arm, then hauled him up on the saddle sideways in front ofhim.
“Yah!” he cried, digging his heels insistently into the warhorse’s flanks. Riann yelped as the steed sprang into action, and Calrain urged him toward the trees, zigzagging to avoid the arrows. The other knights were mounting up behind them, and they didn’t have much of a head start. Heart pounding, he leaned forward, pressing himself flat against the horse to make himself a smallertarget.
“Can’t you find a place to put your head that’s not my arse?” Riann shouted as they careened through the trees. “It’s hard enough for me to stay on here as itis!”
“Quit complaining!” Calrain snapped. The witch hunter and his knights were gaining on them, their battle cries echoing through the forest. “If you fall off, I’m not stopping to haul you back up—hangon!”
Calrain wrapped a free arm around Riann’s waist just as their horse sailed over a stream. The knight cried out in pain as the landing jarred his injury, and he would have slid off if Calrain hadn’t been holding him. His legs ached from squeezing the horse so tight, and he was thankful for his increased strength. They would have never made it this far if he had still been aweakling.
“Calrain!” a familiar voice called, startling them both. Riann’s head snapped up, and Calrain’s heart soared as he glimpsed Tariel through the trees. She was standing just on the other side of a roaring river, seated atop one of the plow horses they had set free earlier. “Thisway!”
“Run, Tariel!” Riann bellowed, but she did not listen, standing firm. Calrain’s heart leapt into his throat as she raised her hand, and he urged his horse faster toward the bridge as purple light gathered in the center of her palm. His instincts told him he wanted to be safely on the other side for whatever she was about todo.
“There’s the witch!” Sir Jerrold howled, his voice far too close for Calrain’scomfort.
Calrain risked a quick glance behind him, and his heart froze. The witch hunter was not far, and one of the other knights was nearly close enough to behead him. His hand went to the dagger at his waist, wishing it was a sword, but Riann’s own blade hung at an awkward angle, impossible toreach.
The enemy knight snarled when he saw what Calrain was about to do and swung his sword. The blade missed Calrain’s hand, but it did cut into the horse’s flank, and the animal screamed as blood spurted from the wound. The warm liquid splashed against Calrain’s leg as the frightened animal put on an unexpected burst of speed, finally reaching the river. The planks groaned and shook under their combined weight, and Tariel’s outstretched armsshook.
Oh gods,he thought, realizing what she was about todo.
The moment his horse’s hooves cleared the bridge, Tariel released her arms. The planks immediately fell apart, and the three horses and their riders who had made it onto the bridge screamed in terror as they fell into the raging river. Calrain wanted to look back and see if Sir Jerrold had been among them, but another arrow whizzed over his shoulder, and he darednot.
“Let’s go!” Tariel shouted, turning her horse around. They galloped into the night, eager to put as much distance between themselves and the river as possible before the witch hunter and his men found a way aroundit.
20
Tariel rode like the wind,urging her plow horse as fast as she could manage. She used a bit of her magic to give the animal strength, and managed to push it far beyond its normal speed. Calrain and Riann rode neck and neck with her, the warhorse’s eyes rolling with terror as it raced to get away from the cruel knight that had so callously woundedit.
Unfortunately, they could not keep up their breakneck pace forever. The warhorse’s wounds began to get the better of him, and he slowed to a stop, his sides foaming withsweat.
“I don’t think Midnight can hold out much longer with both of us on his back,” Calrain said, stroking the side of the sweaty horse’s neck. “Do you think you could heal him,Tariel?”
Tariel bit her lip. “I will try,” she said, eyeing the wound. Collapsing the bridge had cost her a great deal of strength—it had taken her quite a while to loosen all the planks and then hold them long enough for Calrain and Riann to cross. Exhaustion fogged her mind, but if she did not heal the horse, they would be stranded. Sir Jerrold had not been among the men who had fallen into the river—he had stopped just in time, his instincts likely warning him of what she hadplanned.
