Freelance Heroics (51 page)

She couldn’t do anything as Boern leaned down and yanked at the focus crystal around her neck. At first it wouldn’t break, the chain biting into her skin, but another tug and the clasp broke. Boern looked at the crystal, then back at Gavi.

“Not that you managed to do much with it, but better safe than sorry.” He tossed it into the forest, and then did the same with her sword and the knife strapped to her thigh.

Gavi’s mind was still rattling in her skull as Boern stepped over her. She could hardly process what had happened, could hardly think past the pain in her shoulder, her head—her entire body. She rolled from her back to her side, wincing as dirt and twigs rubbed against her burned skin. She looked for her friends.

Mazik was still conscious, if his cursing was any indication. It had slowed to a trickle, his teeth clenched as he rolled onto his stomach, propping himself up on an elbow as he clutched his shattered hand tightly to his chest. His eyes met Gavi’s, and she saw that even though his face was gleaming with sweat, he still looked ready to fight. The spellhound Twenty-seven was limping over to him, it being just one of the injured spellhounds in the clearing.

Caspian was probably in the best shape. He didn’t look all that injured, despite the brief pummeling Boern had given him. Though without weapons or a focus crystal, Gavi wondered what he could do.

Then there were Hyra and Raedren. Raedren was still unconscious, still limp in Hyra’s arms, still wearing Mazik’s robes. Hyra was on her knees, cradling him. Only one spellhound still stood between the two of them and their enemies. The poor dog was swaying on its feet, barely clinging to life.

Rhea ran her fingers along the familiar’s flank as she passed, coming to a halt in front of its growling jaws. She snapped her fingers, and the monster sat, reminding Gavi for a second of the spellhounds that were slaughtered to create it. That thought saddened her. Rhea crossed her arms as Boern joined her, and the two of them stared down at Hyra.

“It was a good attempt, but unfortunately, a futile one.” Rhea spoke as if this concession was the height of magnanimity. “Are you willing to come with us now?”

As her head cleared, Gavi looked around for something,
anything
they could do. She didn’t want to admit that they were beaten, that they had failed. She could hear explosions in the distance, but they weren’t getting closer fast enough to hope for reinforcements. She patted her body, looking for anything she could use to help. She still had her holdout crossbow, which Boern hadn’t noticed, as well as the daggers hidden in her boots.

She felt a small lump in her pocket, and fished it out. It was the focus crystal Mazik had taken off that man in Saffir, the one they called Jewels. The ring was tarnished, and the purple crystal was cracked and dull, but it still worked. Gavi clenched her fist, making sure the ring stayed unseen as the gears began turning.

Across the glade, Hyra’s eyes were wild as she clutched Raedren. She glared up at Rhea for several seconds, until the reality of the situation seemed to set in. She swallowed, her eyes closing. “Will you—will you still spare them? If I come with you?”

Gavi scanned the area. Mazik was well to her left, with a clear line of sight past the aku to Rhea and Boern’s backs. He was on their enemies’ right flank, just as Gavi was, whereas Caspian, who was directly across from her, was on the enemies’ left.

She caught Mazik’s eye, and held up the focus crystal long enough for him to see. Then she pantomimed what she wanted, pointing to their enemies, the back of her own head, and mouthing
Rhea
. She cocked her head to see if he understood.

Mazik nodded, pointed at the back of his own head, and aimed an open palm at Rhea. Gavi let out a breath and nodded. Then, with one last glance at their enemies to make sure they weren’t looking, she lifted herself up on her elbows and threw.

Mazik caught the ring with his left hand and pulled it to his chest.

While they had been doing all that, Rhea had been staring at Hyra like she was a butterfly on a pin.
No doubt enjoying watching her squirm
, Gavi thought. Finally, Rhea’s lips spread into a thin smile. “Yes, we will spare them. Everything we said still applies. If we have your cooperation, we’ll leave everyone you care for alone, including your friends here.”

Now Gavi caught Caspian’s eyes. She held up her holdout crossbow, one bolt securely loaded and two others clipped to the barrel, though it wasn’t cocked. She pointed at Rhea, the back of her own head, and Rhea again. He nodded.

She waited for a sound to mask her actions. Another explosion went off in the distance, closer but still not terribly close, and she threw. The crossbow hit the ground near Caspian, and he snatched it up before it could bounce a second time.

Gavi immediately turned to Mazik and nodded. She pulled the daggers out of her boots, and picked up a fist-sized rock from nearby. Mazik nodded back, and closed his eyes.

Rhea held out a hand to Hyra. “I appreciate the gravity of this decision, but we don’t have all day. Set him aside and come with us. Now, please.”

It wasn’t necessary to invoke a spell’s name, Gavi knew. It just helped. And Mazik, who was a far better spellcaster than she, casted without saying anything all the time. That’s why, even with a low-grade crystal making his job more difficult, he didn’t speak, much less shout. His lips barely moved, and then a bullet of mana rocketed away from his outstretched hand and collided with Rhea’s skull.

Rhea’s head snapped forward so quickly her chin struck her chest, and her personal mana barrier splintered under the unexpected assault. As she staggered, Boern spun and pointed at Mazik. “
You!
”

Mazik grinned, and though he was lying on the ground covered in sweat, his broken hand clasped to his chest, he responded with an infuriatingly smug, “Me.”

Twenty-seven, who had long since reached Mazik, stepped in front. One of the dog’s legs was raised off the ground, but he was ready to fight.

Rhea was unsteady when she turned, but she was plenty angry. She snarled. “Get him.”

As the aku exploded into a run, Gavi took aim. Her first dagger went wide, but the rock struck Rhea in the chest. The former breeder spun, her eyes wide. “Really? Is that all you have left? A rock?”

Gavi said nothing. She didn’t let herself reply, or grin, or even move. She just stared at Rhea, locking eyes with the older woman—and keeping her attention on her.

Twang!

It was terrible, staring into Rhea’s eyes as the crossbow bolt struck the back of the head, where Mazik’s spell had weakened her defenses. Gavi thought she saw a split-second of horrible realization as the arrow pierced Rhea’s skin, and then the light in her eyes fled as Caspian’s mana-infused bolt sunk into her brain, killing her instantly.

Rhea toppled, and her familiar skidded to a halt. Boern just stared, his jaw slack. Hyra began dragging Raedren away immediately, while Mazik pushed himself to his feet and staggered into the trees, Twenty-seven close behind.

It’s not happening
, Gavi thought with dull shock. She watched as the familiar padded back to Rhea and sniffed her. That seemed to snap Boern out of it, and he screamed at the creature. “What are you doing? Get them! They killed her, you dumb beast!
Kill them!
”

But the familiar didn’t attack. It just nudged Rhea’s body with its nose, looking for all the world like a lonely puppy who didn’t understand that its owner wasn’t sleeping.

Gavi’s mind went back to what Caspian had told them during their first scuffle with the Noble Hunt. He said that only one in three or four familiars went berserk after their masters were killed, while the others got confused. Gavi let out the breath she had been holding and got to her feet, skirting around the edge of the glade. Caspian was doing likewise, and she could hear Mazik loping through the trees behind her.

Boern gave up on the familiar and spun to Hyra, his entire body radiating fury. “Dammit! It doesn’t matter. If I have to capture you myself, I—” His words choked off, and he snarled, plowing past the knot in his throat. “Then I
will!
”

Caspian crossed the last few meters. “
Forceful Winds.
”

“Gah!” Boern flew off his feet, Mazik’s knife spinning away as he fell. The aku continued nudging Rhea’s corpse.

Gavi ran past and put herself between her friends and Boern, with only her final throwing dagger to protect herself. That’s when Mazik and Twenty-seven came stomping out of the trees, Mazik whooping despite the bleeding hand pressed to his chest. The two of them ran to her, as did Caspian, and together they formed a wall between Boern and their friends, Hyra and the still-unconscious Raedren.

The
not
-so-unconscious Raedren. Raedren stirred and smacked his lips. “Wha—Whaz goin’ on?”

Gavi could feel the relief radiating off Mazik, or maybe that was her own. “Rae, you sonofabitch!” Mazik managed, his voice thick with emotion or pain, or both.

“I didna do it.” Raedren looked around, blinking. “Tha hell?”

Boern looked between the five people arrayed against him. He even looked at the spellhounds, though only Twenty-seven was reasonably mobile. Then he looked to Rhea’s familiar, which had laid down next to Rhea’s corpse.

The former chieftain began cursing, then scooped up Rhea’s body. The aku stood up, growling. “Follow me, you useless animal!” Boern snapped, and then ran off into the woods. He began shouting for help—but the most important thing, Gavi decided, was that he was running
away
from the Nijāst village. They let him go.

As the adrenaline left her, Gavi felt her legs wobble, threatening to give out under her again. And they did—though only because Mazik’s gave out first, and as he leaned into her, they both went down. Gavi yelped as they fell, and Mazik laughed.

“Sorry, sorry.” He wrapped his good arm around Gavi and gave her a hug. She winced as he brushed her burned shoulder, and he flinched as he pulled her onto his broken hand.

“Idiot,” said Gavi. She pushed him away, though she did it with affection. Then she turned to Caspian, who had kept his feet. “Is there a place we can hide until this is over? Or at least until we can recover a little.”

“Definitely.” Caspian trotted over to one of the fallen spellhounds and checked its pulse. The dog lifted its head and licked his hand. He picked it up.

“Why’m I still wearing yer robes?” asked Raedren as he hobbled over, Hyra supporting him. The grin on her face was wide and her eyes were glistening. “And why’s mah head hurt?”

Mazik laughed. “Trust me, if it hadn’t been for Gavi’s quick thinking, you’d have a lot more to complain about.” He pressed his cheek to Gavi’s and rubbed. “You rock, Gavs.”

“Eep!” said Gavi as she almost fell over. She disentangled herself and stood. She knew her face was bright red, but she tried to school it into a frown anyway. “You can tell me how great I am later. Once we’re safe.”

Mazik stood and ruffled her hair, like she always did to him. He flashed her a crooked grin, and said, “Count on it.”

Raedren watched as a pair of men took the windows off a house. They were chatting merrily as they carefully wrapped each pane in cloth and laid them in a wagon. Beside that wagon was another for shingles, and another stacked high with boards. The top floor of the building had already disappeared, and the bottom would join it soon.

In the two days since the Noble Hunt fled, the Nijāst had begun tearing down their village. Now that their location was known, they were determined to reclaim their lost anonymity. Raedren had been surprised when he first learned they planned to move the entire town—he had wondered why they built such permanent houses, if they knew they would have to tear them down. But even if the Nijāst only relocated every decade or two, they had the method down to a science.

Already, almost half of the village had been disassembled, the salvageable materials and personal belongings being carted away while the rest was burned. Within a week nothing would remain other than the stone kennel, disguised as the ruins of an ancient civilization. Raedren wondered how many anthropologists’ life’s work would be invalidated by that piece of information.

He looked to Mazik and Gavi, who were walking in front of him. He had been silent since they all finally got out of bed midmorning, and neither of his friends had pressed him to speak. Raedren was glad. He had a lot to think about before they arrived at the kennel—
which will happen any minute now
, he thought to himself.

Raedren shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes fixed on the ground just in front of his feet. He had heard what happened while he was unconscious, and felt guilty for not being there. Since then he had been helping heal as many people as he could. It was his form of penance, and the reason they hadn’t departed yet. Gavi, Caspian, and many others were well on the mend, whereas Mazik’s broken hand was in a cast. It would take a while for such a complex injury to heal, but they had time.

In the end, Raedren knew that they had been lucky. Many Nijāst had died, along with more Noble Hunt and their familiars. They had also protected the Nijāst Golden Spellwolf breeding program, and Hyra’s life too, even if Boern still got away and they never recovered the stolen spellhounds. But as long as the Nijāst could relocate before the Noble Hunt regrouped, they should be fine.

Raedren, though, had more immediate concerns. They would be leaving today, and he had unfinished business to deal with.

Mazik waved and called to someone. That’s when Raedren realized they were on the kennel grounds, and panicked slightly. He watched as the front door of the great stone building opened fully, and Caspian and Hyra emerged.

“Good morning!” Mazik was grinning despite his mangled hand. His Telman ring, with its pale blue focus crystal, had been moved to his left hand, both it and his black-bladed knife—along with everybody else’s lost gear—having been recovered from the woods. “How do you do this fine morning?”

“Not bad, not bad,” said Caspian. He clasped forearms with Mazik. “You’re leaving today?”