Ghostwalker (Book 1) (16 page)

Maklavir pushed back his cap, scratching his head. “We must be further east than we thought.”

Kendril turned towards the diplomat. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “The only river I know of that passes through the Howling Woods would be—”

“The Arneth,” said Jade unexpectedly. Both men turned towards her in surprise. Her eyes grew wide. “I—I don’t know how I knew that….”

Kendril turned his eyes back towards the road. “Since both of you seem to have known this river was here,” he growled, “it might have been good if you had told me ahead of time.”

Maklavir pulled his cap back on straight. “The Arneth comes into the Howling Woods, but it cuts out again. Right through the top northeast corner, if I remember correctly.”

“I know,” said Kendril irritably. “I just didn’t realize we’d be hitting it so
soon
.”

Maklavir gave his companion a confused look. “But this is good news, right? Hitting the river means we must be close to the edge of the woods. Once we’re out, we should be able to find a town, or maybe even—”

“We’re not crossing this river,” said Kendril, taking his rifle and moving back towards the trees. “We’re turning around.”

Maklavir leapt to his feet. “Whatever for?”

The Ghostwalker turned around, his figure half-hidden by some ferns. “Because that bridge is a death-trap. Worse than the road. If we walk out onto it, we could be walking right into an ambush.”

Jade got to her feet as well. “You don’t think the bounty hunter is waiting for us
here
?”

The Ghostwalker gave the bridge another glance. “Why not? It’s a perfect place to spring an attack.”

Maklavir rolled his eyes. “And you want us to go back the way we came? You can’t be serious. For all we know those men chasing us may be on the road
behind
us.”

“Then we go north, or south,” said Kendril, “and stay in the woods, out of sight. We can follow the river until it leads us out.”

“That could take days,” said Maklavir. “We don’t have enough supplies to last that long. We certainly can’t keep wandering these woods forever.”

“I think Maklavir is right,” said Jade softly. “We have to take the chance, Kendril.”

The Ghostwalker lowered his hood, rubbing his gloved hand across his face. He looked down the road to the west, then back to the bridge. His eyes were red from lack of sleep.

“It looks quiet enough,” commented Maklavir helpfully.

“Of course it looks quiet,” Kendril said scathingly. “An ambush always
looks
quiet.” He sighed heavily, tapping his hand absently against the stock of his rifle.

Jade sat down again on a relatively dry clump of grass. “You’re thinking about those riders we saw, aren’t you?”

Kendril looked at her. “Yes.” He was quiet for a moment, his eyes flitting back and forth between the bridge and the road.

“All right,” he said at last. He grabbed his rifle and checked the flint. “We’ll cross. But I’m going first. You two stay here with the animals, off the trail and out of sight.”

“Kendril—” Jade began.

“This is not open to discussion,” said Kendril sharply. “I’ll go first, and make sure the coast is clear. I’ll signal to both of you when it’s safe.”

Jade swallowed her next comment. She looked over her shoulder at the bridge. A slight breeze rustled through the tree branches above them, making her shiver and pull the blanket closer.

“I should come with you.” Maklavir adjusted his cape against the same cold breeze. “Two would be better than one.”

“You need to stay with Jade,” said Kendril without looking up. He turned the rifle over, checking it over carefully. “If anything
does
happen, the two of you need to get out of here as quickly as possible.” He stood up and took the weapon in both hands. “Stay out of sight.”

“Right,” said Maklavir, “if anything goes wrong, we’ll run off and leave you to your death. That way we can cook your donkey and eat it when we run out of food.”

Jade smiled despite herself.

Kendril shot Maklavir a cold glare. “He’s a
mule
,” he said, then started towards the road.

The bridge looked old. Moss and lichen grew in the cracks between the stone, and there was still a trace of dampness from the rain the night before. The sun had done a good job of drying most of the slippery surface, however, and it was not yet cold enough for ice to form. A small railing about three feet high, also made of stone, ran along either side of the bridge. Two small birds were flitting around each other, perched on one side of the railing. As Kendril drew closer they both scattered into the nearby trees.

As soon as the forest on either side of the road melted away, Kendril felt suddenly vulnerable. He searched the banks of the river as far as he could see, his rifle at the ready, but nothing seemed to move. He turned to look over his shoulder, but the road behind him was empty as well. No sign of Maklavir and Jade, either, which was good. At least they had actually listened when he had told them to stay hidden.

It really was crazy, he thought as he stepped onto the bridge. Here he was, risking his life for two people he had met only days ago. Actually, he had met Maklavir just yesterday. It somehow seemed much longer.

The wind was blowing more briskly out on the river, and Kendril’s cloak flapped around him in the icy gusts. He pushed his hood out of the way of his face, his eyes watering from the cold air. He felt naked out here in the open, with nothing to hide behind. It was not usually in his nature to make himself such an easy target.

Kendril stopped about a third of the way down the bridge, searching the banks on either side of the river. He stepped to the edge of the bridge, leaning over the railing and looking down into the foaming water below. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind and the noise of the river beneath his feet. Gathering his cloak tightly around him against the breeze, Kendril continued towards the opposite side.

There was still nothing. No movement, no shouting, and no ambush. As Kendril drew closer to the mill, he realized that the wheel was not turning and the windows were boarded up as well. It looked abandoned.

Before he knew it Kendril had reached the end of the bridge. The stone railing on the right hand side merged directly into the mill. A large wooden door in the building’s side opened up onto the area just before the bridge. Kendril brought up his rifle, holding it with his right hand while he reached out to test the door with his left.

It rattled, but didn’t budge. Locked. He took a step back, staring up carefully at the gray boards covering the windows. It looked like it was home only to owls and field mice. Kendril glanced back down the length of the bridge, then trudged cautiously up the dirt road towards the tree line. The area between the bridge and the forest, like the western side of the bridge, was relatively open, but the road quickly curved out of sight as soon as it entered the forest.

A squirrel pranced madly up the nearest tree as Kendril entered the woods. He examined both sides of the road carefully as he walked, stopping about fifty yards in. For several moments he merely stood and listened, his rifle at the ready and his senses alert.

Everything seemed fine. More than fine, actually. Everything seemed completely safe. Yet there was still an uneasy buzzing in the back of Kendril’s mind. Something was amiss here, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. A more accomplished woodsman might have better read the signs, but as far as he could tell nothing was wrong.

He cursed softly to himself, searching the forest again. A bird chattered somewhere in the treetops, answered quickly by yet another on the other side of the road. Kendril hesitated for one moment longer, torn by one last shred of doubt.

They couldn’t go back. Maklavir was right on that count. If the bounty hunter had picked up their trail he and his men could be behind them even now. Turning around could be disastrous.

Kendril slung the rifle onto his shoulder, giving one last long look down the road to the east. The sun was starting to descend in the western sky, and the forest was beginning to grow dimmer as the light faded. It would be nightfall in just an hour or so. Their time was running out and he had to make a decision. And he already knew what it had to be.

They had to cross, and they had to do it
now
.

Uneasily, but with a new sense of determination, Kendril turned back towards the bridge.

Maklavir suddenly straightened. “There’s Kendril. He’s coming back out onto the bridge.”

Jade sat up. “Is he okay?” she asked eagerly.

The finely dressed man squinted. “Looks like it.” He smiled. “He’s signaling. Looks like everything is clear.” He got to his feet, untying Veritas from where the horse was tethered at a nearby tree. “Grab that blasted donkey and let’s get going.”

Jade got up as well, her face showing the relief she felt. “No argument here.”

Kendril walked about a third of the way out onto the bridge, then stopped, leaning against the stone railing. He set the rifle down beside him, then gathered his black cloak around him against the wind. On the opposite bank he could see Maklavir and Jade emerge from the trees off the side of the road, lugging the animals behind them. He glanced back behind him once more, but the road leading eastwards into the forest was still empty.

He gazed back at Maklavir and Jade. The two had left the cover of the woods, and were almost to the bridge. But for some reason, Kendril just couldn’t seem to relax. He felt tense, almost completely on edge.

Something was still wrong. He could feel it.

Kendril’s companions started out onto the bridge, walking side by side. Maklavir said something, and Jade laughed. The sound reached Kendril’s ears even where he stood waiting, and he felt a strange feeling come over him. For a moment he allowed his mind to wander, thinking about the strange girl he had only met days before. He glanced down at the stone pavement of the bridge, remembering the sting of their earlier conversation. Jade hadn’t meant any harm, of course. She had just been curious. Still, there were some things that Kendril could still not speak of, especially not to her.

He smiled as the sudden irony hit him. Jade couldn’t remember her past, and he couldn’t talk about his. No wonder conversation between them was difficult.

Scratching the side of his neck thoughtfully, Kendril glanced back up again.

His heart stopped mid-beat.

“She didn’t know it had come loose?” Jade giggled, giving Simon a gentle pull. “You’re joking.”

“Sadly, no,” said Maklavir with a twinkle in his eye. “Of course, no one had the courage to tell the Grand Duchess that her wig was askew. The poor woman kept eating her soup for a good ten minutes before she figured it out.”

Jade giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand. “Didn’t the Grand Duke notice?”

“He,” said the young man with a full grin, “was trying too hard not to laugh. His whole face was turning purple. And what’s more—” He stopped suddenly, staring ahead. “Hello? What in Eru’s name is that man up to now?”

The girl followed his gaze.

Kendril turned towards them, his rifle in his hands. He brought it up to his shoulder, preparing to fire.

Jade felt her stomach drop.

She spun around, Simon’s bridle dropping from her hand.

Behind them on the road, not more than a hundred yards away, were two men on horseback with swords in their hands. Both were coming down the road at a full gallop.

It was a trap.

Chapter 12

Kendril allowed himself one fraction of a second for grinding self-blame. He should have gone with his gut and avoided the bridge like the plague. It was the kind of mistake an amateur might have made, and he was no amateur. In all likelihood he had just gotten them all killed. Well, he and Maklavir, anyway.

The rifle was at his shoulder in an instant, and without thinking he snapped back the lock, readying the weapon to fire.

Jade and Maklavir had seen the two riders by now, and they were moving as quickly as they could.

Kendril just hoped it would be quickly enough.

He sighted down the length of the rifle, swiftly lining it up with one of the approaching horsemen. It was a difficult shot. His friends were partly in the way, and there was nothing to rest the rifle on in order to steady it.

Two riders, one shot. There was certainly no way he could reload the weapon again before they would be on him. It would be pistol and sword work then.

And where were the other two men? The bounty hunter had had three henchmen that Kendril had seen. There should be four of them all together. Perhaps they had split up?

Tracking the horseman on the right with his rifle, Kendril fired.

Maklavir drew his sword. The steel flashed momentarily in the setting sun.

Jade continued to stare at the two men riding towards them, her body paralyzed with terror.

“Jade!” Maklavir vaulted onto Veritas, breaking her from her trance. He held his hand out to her.

Jade shook her head, forcing herself out of her shock. She grabbed the diplomat’s outstretched hand, and he pulled her onto the horse behind him. Simon brayed loudly, turning in all directions in an agitated manner. Jade wrapped her arms around Maklavir’s waist, then looked back over her shoulder.

The riders were almost upon them, close enough for her to make out their faces quite clearly. One had a musket slung over his back, but neither had the tell-tale eye patch.

Neither one was the bounty hunter, at least.

She felt Maklavir dig both heels into his horse’s flanks. Veritas gave a cry, then leapt forward, his hoofs pounding on the stones beneath them.

At the same moment, a rifle shot cracked out through the cold air.

A cloud of blue smoke exploded in front of Kendril’s face and his ears rang from the sound of the gun. He stepped swiftly to the side, slinging the smoking rifle onto his back and reaching for his pistols.