Redemption of Thieves (Book 4) (6 page)

It was about time the Fists showed up.

The Skeltai warriors were now the ones outnumbered and must have realized it immediately. But they didn’t break and run immediately. Evidently determined to salvage what they could of the endeavor, they slowed their retreat enough to snatch up terrified villagers in singles and twos as they ran and drove them ahead of them into the trees.

My first impulse was to run after them, but as the horsemen bore down on us, I was forced to discard the idea and stand aside, lest I be trampled by my own soldiers. Somewhere in the flood of cavalrymen streaming by, I caught a glimpse of the Praetor, his red cape billowing out behind him. I also saw Terrac near the head of the line.

After holding to one side to let them pass, I took off on their heels in pursuit of the enemy. I dodged shadowy trees and brambles as they rose before me. The crashing and stamping sounds nearby told me the Fists on horseback were impeded by the density of the forest. They would eventually be forced to dismount and abandon their animals if they hoped to catch the retreating war party.

As I ran, I followed the enemy by sound and sense. It was impossible to see anything of them in the brief flashes of moonlight slanting through the treetops. I stumbled on a fallen branch and caught myself, slumping against a thick tree to catch my breath. The sounds of the fleeing raiders were much closer now, and the main body of our men seemed to have fallen back in the distance, slowed by the burden of their horses and their unfamiliarity with the terrain. I found myself alone and in the lead.

Ahead, a patch of starlight filtered through the leafy canopy, illuminating a small clearing. Here I made out a startling sight. Dozens of Skeltai warriors converged on the spot, driving their captives along before them. One by one, each disappeared into a ring of blue fire flaming in the forest floor. I had long known their method of travel but had only seen it in action once before. Amazed, I hung back in the shadows until I watched the last of the Skeltai warriors leap into the burning hole in the earth and disappear from view, carrying the hapless village prisoners with them.

Dradac collided into me, Ada right behind him, and together, we approached the fiery ring with caution. The main body of the Praetor’s soldiers arrived. There was a general milling and confusion as no one was over eager to be the first to approach the magic portal.

“Captain Delecarte.” I heard the Praetor raise his voice above the confusion. “Get your men through that portal before it closes.”

No answer followed his order. One of the Fists said, “The captain’s not here, my lord. He was unhorsed during the fight.”

The Praetor cursed and demanded, “Where’s my lieutenant then?”

No one knew.

“Allow me to go, my lord.”

As the brave offer fell on my ears, I squeezed my eyes closed. 
Not now, priest boy. Make a hero of yourself some other day.

But of course Terrac couldn’t hear my thoughts and he stepped confidently forward, signaling others to follow. They did so with obvious reluctance until about half our number stood gathered around the edge of the fiery hole, looking down into the darkness on the other side.

I was among them.

Terrac caught my eye and frowned at me for joining him, but he kept silent. I knew he couldn’t attempt to dissuade me from coming without injuring the courage of his men.

Below us, I could see sticks and leaves littering a forest floor that looked much like this one. But it was ever darker on that side of the portal than this. I pushed my way to the front of the men ringing the glowing portal and signaled Dradac and the others of my circle back when they would have joined me. I willed them to obey me this once, and for a wonder, they did. I savored that victory, aware it could be my last. If I stepped through that portal, I had no solid expectation of returning to see any of them again.

But I looked at Terrac, apparently fearless, as he prepared to descend through the glowing ring, and I knew I had no choice but to follow him.

Why?
The question came in the same breath. The Praetor had given no orders to me. Even the bow remained strangely silent. There was nothing forcing me to join the others on this fatal mission. Nothing save the fact my one-time friend was among those embarking on the suicidal quest. Common sense and every survival instinct I possessed cautioned me to pull out while I still could. But as I watched Terrac step into the portal, his head and shoulders disappearing into the darkness below, I knew I would give in to a pull stronger than either of these.

I was next through the hole.

* * *

I fell a short distance, landing across Terrac’s legs, and we scrambled to one side, out of the way of the next fellow leaping down. It was even darker on this side of the portal than it had been in Dimming, and the treetops were so thick and dense overhead they blocked out even the occasional moonbeams that had dotted the canopy in that other forest. I knew it was Terrac who offered a hand to haul me to my feet only by the sense of him and the fact the next men were still scrambling through the portal behind us.

Five. Six. I counted the dark figures dropping down through the window above and lost track of what happened to them after they collapsed together in a confused heap in the darkness. Only the creak and chink of armor, heavy breathing sounds and muffled curses could be heard as they scrambled to their feet told me they remained nearby. Even these odd sounds were comforting as they were the only assurance I had I wasn’t stranded alone in this new world. There was also the solid feel of Terrac beside me. I didn’t even pause to consider whether it was his actual physical form I felt or merely the sense of his presence. Either was all the reassurance I needed.

I kept my eyes on the Fists dropping through the hole, and at the count of eleven, I noticed something was wrong. The eerie blue light of the glowing portal was fading. We had only an instant’s warning and then the portal began to warp and shrink even as the feet of the twelfth man appeared in the circle of light above.

“Wait!” I shouted. “The portal’s closing!”

Even as I screamed my warning, the window drew in on itself and closed, both the man and his feet disappearing. There was silence in the darkness around us as we all struggled to take in the fact we were now irrevocably trapped this side of the portal with no way to return. And there were only thirteen of us, not the hundred that had been planned.

“W-what do you think happened to Beric?” one of the Fists ventured to ask of the man who hadn’t made it through.

I shrugged before remembering no one could see the gesture in the dark.

“I suspect he’s had his feet cut off or worse,” I said. “We can only guess what happens to anyone who finds himself stuck halfway through the portal.”

There was a general murmur of uneasiness at that and I realized my mistake. To admit none of us knew anything about the operation of the portals was more disturbing than if the danger were a known one. Terrac must have realized it too, because he immediately set about getting their minds fixed on something more familiar.

“Alright soldiers, gather round,” he directed, his low voice penetrating the darkness.

The shifting of feet and snapping of twigs underfoot were the only indications his order was being obeyed, but he went on with as much confidence as if he could see us grouping around him. “You all know this wasn’t according to plan. There were meant to be more of us down here. A lot more.”

Muttered agreement met his words but he didn’t pause to commiserate.

“Now we find ourselves only a dozen in number, trapped miles into enemy territory with no provisions and nothing but the weapons we carry to defend ourselves. There can be no reinforcements—you all understand why—and there will probably be no way out for us when our mission here is complete.”

There were unhappy sounds of agreement from the others.

Terrac’s tone grew surprisingly sharp. “Well I ask you, so what? Should we sit and cower, waiting for passing savage scouts to find us and put an end to our plight? Or should we act like our lord’s men? Maybe passing through magic portals and entering enemy lands wasn’t something we expected when we got out of bed this morning…”

There were soft chuckles at that.

“But our orders remain clear, to strike at the enemy where they feel themselves safe, to harass them in whatever possible way. No part of that hinges on our being alive at the end of the day. The important thing is for the Skeltai to know we’re capable of striking at their very heart.”

There arose a noise of agreement and I felt renewed purpose spreading through the group. I held my peace, but inwardly, I was thinking it would take more than duty and determination to see any of us through this. I remembered with a pang how Dradac had suggested Ada guide our party home at mission’s end and how I had just moments ago waved her away from the mouth of the portal when she would have followed me. It was I who had sunk our only hope of returning home. But there seemed no need to give voice to the fact. It was already too late. For now, I had to cast in my lot with a bunch of Fists, something I never thought to do, and hope by some miracle we would come through this.

Terrac was organizing the men now. The first thing we had to do was ascertain where we were and the distance from the nearest Skeltai settlement. Both tasks seemed impossible in this inky blackness. But looking around me, I found my eyes were slowly adjusting to the nighttime world of the Black Forest. I could just make out the looming shapes of trees on all sides. The ground at my feet might as well have been a gaping hole for all I could see of it, but by shuffling my feet carefully, I avoided tripping over rocks and roots.

My companions were going through a similar exploration. I heard thuds and muffled oaths as they stumbled into trees and collided with obstacles on the uneven earth. It seemed to me by the slope of the forest floor that we were on the downside of a gentle hill but that deduction didn’t help us much. Another cracking sound and a loud howl from somewhere to my right brought Terrac’s wrath down on the offender.

“Quiet, you imbeciles! Do you want to alert every Skeltai within miles of our presence?”

“No, sir, sorry, sir.”

“I don’t want sorry. I want you to use your head. They could be anywhere. For all we know there’s an army of them surrounding us even now, laughing as they watch us stumble around like blind men.”

This declaration sobered us all and I heard the whisper of more than one sword being drawn and held ready in case of just such a situation.

We made our way down the hill for what I suspected was no sounder reason than it was easier traveling down than up in the gloom. The nearest Skeltai civilization was as likely to be one direction as another so we took the way easiest on our feet. There was a lot of grumbling as we walked. It turned out men outfitted in heavy leather and mail weren’t very nimble on their feet when stumbling half-blind down a hill. I wasn’t alone in losing my balance repeatedly and sliding a good distance before I could get my feet under me again.

The third time this happened I skidded to a halt, rolling into a fallen log, and righted myself just in time to look up into the pale face of a Skeltai warrior.

I had no time to react or dodge the blow of the blunt-ended weapon that fell across my face in the next second. Pain exploded across my face and I heard a sickening, crunching sound I recognized as that of my nose breaking. I was vaguely aware of the cries of my companions in the background but their shouts grew distant as I sank to my knees, fighting to retain consciousness. I swiftly lost the struggle and plunged into a well of darkness.

* * *

When next I awoke, it was to a strange floating sensation and the feeling of all the blood rushing to my head. On second thought, I realized floating was too pleasant a term for it. I was being jounced roughly along with the world around me passing by in a confused, shadowy blur. I made out the shapes of boulders and trees on either side but they seemed to be standing on their heads. Then I realized it was I and not they who was upside down and being carried slung over someone’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It took me a moment to figure out how I had come to be in this posture.

The face of the Skeltai looming up at me out of the darkness flashed before my eyes and I recalled the startled cries of my companions as they too were taken in the surprise attack. Recollection brought a surge of panic. I began wriggling feebly to right myself but my injury had sapped the strength out of me and I succeeded only in digging my captor’s hard shoulder deeper into my belly. The broad arm across the backs of my thighs that held me in my precarious position tightened a little.

“Will you be still?” A low voice whispered from beneath me. “You’re only drawing their attention and I don’t think that can be good for either of us.”

“Terrac?” I tried to lift my head to get a look at the man who carried me, but the only view I was afforded could have belonged to anybody. I tried to think beyond the weakness in my head and the pounding behind my eyeballs. My face felt numb except for a little trickle of wetness I suspected was blood running from my smashed nose.

I asked, “Are you and the others all right? Are we prisoners or are we escaping?”

“Sshhh…,” he hissed sharply. “I’m better off than you are but we can’t talk right now. The savages don’t like it. Just hold on and we’ll see what happens next.”

I attempted to form some response but wasn’t sure if anything made it past my lips before the dizziness washed over me again and the darkness rose to drag me down.

* * *

Cool hands moved over me. Terrac’s, I thought, comforted. But when I opened my eyes, it was to look into a strange pair of expressionless, dark orbs peering out of a bloodless, white face. I lunged upright, nearly feinting again at the dizziness the motion sent rushing through my head.