Blaze (17 page)

"Stop it!" The young woman leapt on the warrior's back, her nails raking his face. He threw her off.

Landing hard, the girl grunted, but began kicking and punching as the warrior covered her body with his.

"Get off me! Get off!"

Blaze's gelding galloped toward the group. He dismounted before the horse fully stopped, yanked the warrior off the young woman, and flung him onto the grass. His partner drew his sword and attacked. This man was far more skilled with a sword than Bert had been, yet Blaze avoided each of his blows and kicked him onto his back. The other warrior leapt to his feet and joined in the fight.

"What's wrong with you?" the redhead bellowed at Blaze. "Is that sword on your back just for show?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw the girl stoop and pick up a rock which she flung at one of the warriors. It missed and struck Blaze in the arm. He gritted his teeth as the sharp edge cut his flesh.

"Sorry," the girl called, stooping for another rock.

"Please don’t help me," Blaze snapped, kicking the sword out of one of the men's hands and striking him in the nose with the heel of his palm. Blood spurted and the warrior staggered blindly.

One more punch and the man flopped onto the ground, unconscious. Blaze ducked as his partner's blade swung at him. Spinning to the ground, he lashed out with his leg and knocked the second warrior off his feet, then kicked him in the face.

The young woman approached carrying the child whom the warrior had attacked. The other children followed close behind her.

"Thank you," she said, staring at Blaze with enormous blue eyes. Her tall, slim body gave the illusion of a grown woman, but Blaze could see that she was probably no older than fifteen or sixteen.

"Let me have a look at him." Blaze nodded toward the boy in her arms. "I'm a healer."

She looked hesitant. Not that he blamed her. After studying him carefully for a moment, she passed the boy to him. Placing the child on the grass, Blaze knelt and examined him. He was so tiny and plump. The sort of scum that could take pleasure in injuring so helpless a creature made him sick.

"He’s just bruised a bit," he said, glancing at the girl.

"You're bleeding." She nodded toward his arm where her rock had struck him. "Sorry again."

"It's all right." He stood, took a cloth from his saddlebag and wiped away the blood. "I'll tie up those men and bring them to the local jail."

"Are you mad?" She looked aghast. Stooping beside Blaze who had begun tying up one of the warriors with a rope from his saddlebag. She slapped his hands like she would a naughty child.

"These men need to be brought to justice." He ignored her attempts to stop him from tying up the warriors and bound their wrists and ankles.

"If you want justice, kill them and ride out of here as fast as you can. If you take them back to the village, you’ll be committing suicide. Please. Trust what I’m telling you and leave them here."

Sighing with exasperation, he looked from her pleading expression back to the warriors. He had no intention of killing them, nor did he want to leave them here to terrorize other innocents. Dragging the men to a nearby tree, he secured them to its trunk, then took their swords and, along with Bert's, hurled all three weapons far into the river. Once he found out what was going on in Vivondra, he'd come back for the men to make sure that one way or the other justice was served.

The children stared at him as if he was insane.

"Bloody hell," murmured a young boy. "They was good blades."

"Toby, how many times have I told you not to curse in front of the other children?" the girl snapped, then turned back to Blaze. "And you—I have no idea what to make of you."

"Tell me why I shouldn't bring those men to jail? They're either thieves or soldiers in need of reprimand."

"They're part of the Black Raiders." The girl's eyes flashed with rage and she spit on one of the unconscious warriors. "Bastards. It's not bad enough that they rob us out of most of our earnings, but they have to rape and kill for fun on top of it."

The Knight in Blaze clawed his way through the embittered man who had abandoned his duties.

"Who are the Black Raiders?"

"They came about a year ago to offer their protection." She glanced at the children. "Come. We should get back to the village before someone catches us here with these men. Then there really will be hell to pay."

"Protection from what?"

The girl's brow furrowed. "Who are you, anyway? Seeing the way you beat the stuffing out of them, I'd say you're a warrior, but I've never known one of your kind not to draw a sword."

"It wasn't necessary."

"Mmm." A smile tugged at her lips as she glanced at him from head to toe. "There's something strangely familiar about you."

"You know." Blaze stared at the girl, an odd feeling in his gut. "I have the same feeling about you."

"Don't even think about it." She wagged a finger at him. "You're far too old for me."

Blaze laughed. This girl had a certain charm and quite a bit of spirit.

"Tell me more about these raiders." He took his gelding's reins and followed the group down the road, glancing back at the warriors he had left tied on the grass. Though he didn't like the idea of leaving them, he sensed the girl was telling the truth. Before he started making arrests, he needed to find out more about the Black Raiders and the village itself. Thinking that more warriors might approach, he felt compelled to see that the children arrived safely at their destination. They appeared to be heading toward Vivondra as well.

"If you want to stay alive around here, you won't try playing the hero again. Not that I’m not grateful to you."

"You fight like a Knight of the Ruby Order," said a freckle faced boy, trotting alongside Blaze.

The girl raised her eyes to heaven. "Toby, he's no Knight. I've seen Knights before. They wear those stunning black uniforms and they know how to use a sword."

"Dad said if we sent for the Knights, the raiders wouldn't last a week."

"I'll wager they wouldn’t last a day," said another boy.

"Stop that foolish talk,"

"But, Mercy—"

"Don't but Mercy me," the girl snapped. "You know none of us are supposed to mention the Knights."

"Why?" Blaze asked. "They would come immediately if they knew of your trouble."

"Come immediately?" Mercy scoffed. "They might come and fight off this bunch, but what then?

The raiders have told us that there are thousands like them waiting to put down any rebellion.

They said if we call for help, we'll all be slaughtered before the Knights can get here."

Blaze decided to wait until he reached the village before pursuing any more information. These were children. He needed to find out the truth from the adults and the village leader.

"Where are you headed?" Mercy glanced at him over her shoulder.

"Vivondra."

"That's our home. If you're just visiting, I suggest you find someplace else to stay. It's not safe.

Especially for a hero." Her eyes glistened with a combination of amusement and respect.

"I'm not a hero, young lady."

"Could have fooled me, uh—What is your name?"

"Blaze."

"Blaze? That was my father's name."

"Your father?" Blaze narrowed his eyes. Crosby said the elder Blaze had died fifteen years ago. He certainly could have fathered this girl before he died. "Perhaps I could ask him some questions when we get to the village?"

"Sorry, Blaze." She glanced at him with that amused little smirk on her lips. "He died when I was a year old. My Mum could talk with you, though."

Her mother. Blaze's mother, most likely.

"I would appreciate it."

"If you're going to ask about the Black Raiders, though, she'll have to arrange a meeting with our village leader." Glancing cautiously at the children, she stepped closer to Blaze and whispered, "He's a useless, pathetic excuse for a man, let alone a leader."

Blaze didn't doubt the truth of her words. Any leader who allowed raiders to freely pillage his land was either reaping personal profit from their criminal acts or else was a coward. Either way, he shouldn’t be responsible for a village.

Upon arriving in Vivondra's square, Blaze realized the village seemed like most others. People filled the streets and the marketplace was open for business.

Villagers glanced at him and several whispered among themselves, pointing at Blaze.

"We aren't too welcoming of strangers since—" Mercy stopped suddenly as two women rushed to claim their children from her group. They stared at Blaze but didn't speak to him, then hurried off.

Some of the older children left, but two small ones remained at Mercy's side.

"I need to bring them to their mothers," she said. “In the morning, I teach them their lessons, then bring them home to do their chores. You can come with me and I'll introduce you to my mother."

Nodding, Blaze glanced around, meeting the gazes of those who stared at him. He tried smiling, but most of the people turned away.

The last child Mercy needed to escort home was the boy who had been kicked. She asked Blaze to wait outside while she explained what happened to his mother. Moments after she and the boy disappeared into a thatched roof cottage, a nervous looking woman glanced out a window, the little boy and Mercy beside her. She nodded at Blaze, her expression of gratitude tainted by fear, then turned away.

Mercy appeared moments later and sighed. She glanced at Blaze. "It has been quite a morning, hasn't it? My home is this way."

"Will your mother be upset about you bringing home a stranger?"

"Probably, but she'll get over it when she finds out you helped me. You know how protective mothers can be."

Not from personal experience,
Blaze thought. He actually felt glad that his mother had shown more of an interest in Mercy than she had in him. At least she was capable of human feeling after all.

"Your horse is so beautiful." Mercy touched the gelding's neck. "Like a war horse. What's his name?"

"Ice on the Mountaintop."

She grinned. "That's quite a name."

"He's quite a horse."

"Seems pretty tame to me."

"He does what's asked of him with courage and loyalty. That's rare for a person, let alone a horse."

"So Toby was right. You are a warrior?"

"Oh." He smiled. "So now I'm a warrior. What made you change your mind?"

"Where else but in battle could a horse show courage and loyalty?"

"Traveling through the worst terrain in the most violent weather to bring supplies to people in need."

"Sounds interesting." Her large blue eyes fixed on him. "Of course just about anything outside of this village seems interesting."

"With all the trouble these raiders have caused, I can understand why you say that."

"Shh!" She glanced around to ensure no one was listening to their conversation. "Don't mention them out in the open like that. Besides, this village wasn't much better before they got here."

"Why?"

"It's just boring. There's so much to see in the world. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever explore any of it."

Blaze understood her desire to visit new places. Travel had always excited him as well, yet he knew it wasn't his place to encourage a young girl to leave her home to see the world. Still, he doubted

Mercy would remain in Vivondra forever. There was a spark in her eyes that told him she would not easily let go of her dreams.

"This is it." She paused outside another hut. Colorful flowers grew in a barrel by the door. A small vegetable garden was planted by the side of the structure and three goats grazed on a fenced in patch of grass nearby. Mercy pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Mum, we have a visitor.

This is Blaze."

A plump woman with graying reddish hair wound into a bun atop her head turned to them with a smile that faded as soon as she met Blaze's stare.

He gazed at her, unsure of exactly how he felt. He had thought of this moment off and on for years.

Now that it was here, he realized it wasn't nearly as monumental as he imagined it might be.

"By the Spirit," the woman breathed. "It can't be."

"Can't be what?" Mercy's brow furrowed. "Blaze this is my mother, Aura."

"Tell me I'm wrong?" Aura murmured.

"Wrong about what? Mum, are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost." Mercy grasped her mother's arm and glanced at Blaze. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. What is going on, Aura?" Blaze stared at his mother. The numbness encompassing him began to fade, replaced by a hint of anger.

"Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I must ask. Are you connected in any way to Sir Mahir of the Ruby Order?"

"He's my father."

"Your father." Aura took a step closer. "Your blood father?"