Healer (Brotherhood of the Throne Book 2) (29 page)

“Fire!” he yelled as he left the room. “Nock’s dropped the lamp on the grain. Fire!”

Kane counted the guards as they ran into the room. Five, that was all of them. He heard the shouts when they found the bodies of the other guards but by then he’d already swung the door closed. He didn’t have anything to lock it with but then he felt Brenna’s hand on his arm and heard her fumbling with door.

“I’ve wedged it shut,” she said. “That should hold for a while.” He grabbed her elbow and pulled her with him to the storage room. He stumbled over a few items that had been moved during the guard’s search but they reached the exit and Kane pulled it open.

“You have your pack?” he asked. Brenna squeezed his arm and he followed her into the passageway. At the top of the stairs they rejoined Avery. Brenna whispered the invisibility spell before he pushed on the wall. The door swung outwards and Kane stepped outside first.

twenty-three

Brenna tugged Avery through the exit, closing it behind them. That last spell had taken more of her dwindling energy and she slumped against the wall, her chest heaving, her back pressed against the thick stones. She looked up at what seemed like all of Duke Thorold’s militia - patrolling the road in front of them.

“Brenna, warn Dasid,” Kane said quietly.

She had to concentrate to send the message. Dasid was close, just beyond the trees, she thought - she got a slight response from him, a simple acknowledgement of her message, nothing else. She
looked
for other old steel and found more than twenty weapons clumped around where they stood at the wall.

“I let him know,” she said to Kane. “There’s more old steel.”

“He brought extra men,” Kane said.

Brenna heard the relief in his voice.

“How many?” he asked her.

In the few seconds it took her to tell him, Thorold’s guards had formed up. Instead of simply lining the road, teams of four, staggered a few feet apart, systematically strode from the road toward the river.

A group of soldiers marched towards them. Dasid was in the middle, held between two men and behind him was Gaskain, blood dripping down his cheek.

“We have to get them,” she said quietly.

“Can you send a message to all Brothers?”

“Yes, I think so.” It wasn’t something she’d done before, and she was tired, but Dasid and Gaskain
had
to be freed. Kane gripped her arm as she tried to contact the Brothers in the area.

“
Brothers, Brotherhood of the Throne, look to me
,” she called. “
Two of our own have been taken. We must free them now
.”

A barrage of surprise and questions and half-formed thoughts came at her from the minds of those she’d contacted through old steel. Brenna stumbled back a step but Kane’s grip on her shoulder tightened as he steadied her. She felt his presence in the old steel and relaxed.

“
Brothers, any who are at Duke Thorold’s estate
,” Kane said. “
Come to the wall that follows the river. Be ready to move at the signal. Time is short
.”

Brenna tracked old steel as it moved towards them - five, ten, now there were at least twenty men.

“They’re here,” Brenna whispered. “Twenty or more.”

“Good,” Kane said. 

His hand left her arm and she heard his knife being unsheathed.

“Tell them it’s time,” he said. “Then you get Avery away as fast as you can.’

Brenna sent the message out and felt Kane step away from the wall. She took hold of Avery’s arm and led her along the wall in the opposite direction. She could tell where Kane was by the swath of death and destruction he left in his path.

Five guards were down and he was halfway to Dasid and Gaskain before they even noticed anything was wrong. By that time Brothers had silently flowed up onto the road from the riverbank, swords clashing with the men on the road.

Kane smiled grimly when he saw the Brothers engage Duke Thorold’s guards. Kingsguard trained, they’d been unnoticed until they were on top of Thorold’s militia.

His sword cut deep into the arm of a guard and he ducked and thrust up into the chest of another with his knife. Dasid and Gaskain were now only a few steps away - there were only five men between him and them. He paused to scan the guards in front of him. They waved their swords around, looking for their unseen opponent.

A glance back showed him that the rest of the guards were fighting Brothers. Ducking under a swinging sword, Kane thrust up and opened a gaping chest wound on the man in front of him. He went down - four guards were left - two gripped Dasid and the other two held Gaskain. Unable to see their foe but able to see their fallen mates, the two men holding Gaskain let go of him and backed away. Gaskain grabbed a knife from one of the guards holding Dasid. Before he could slash at them they pushed Dasid to the ground and retreated after the other guards.

“Kane, is that you?” Dasid asked as he was helped to his feet by Gaskain. He reached down into his boot and pulled out a knife. “They didn’t search very well,” he said. “But they did get my sword, the scum.”

“It’s me,” Kane said. “Are you hurt?”

“Just the wind knocked out of me.” Dasid grimaced. “Fell right on top of me. Must have been the biggest man in Thorold’s guard and he has to land on me.”

“And I tripped over him and gashed my head on a rock,” Gaskain said. “Not very heroic. But,” he pointed to where the fighting was still going on, “we have more chances.”

“Kane,” Dasid said. “Your spell’s fading. I can see you a little.”

Kane looked down. His arm was almost visible. By the time he’d taken two steps he was as solid as ever. Then he heard her.

Brenna
. He started to run toward her shouts but there were too many guards in his way. Frantic, he tried to contact her through his sword. All he heard a single word, “
no, no, no
,” repeated over and over. Panicked, he tried to see through the throng. There, a figure in black, writhing and twisting, trying to get away from her captors.

“Brenna!” He surged forward with his sword and knife jabbing and cutting but the guards in front of him beat him back.

He wiped blood from his eyes with a sleeve - his blood or someone else’s, he didn’t know nor did he care - the only thing that mattered was Brenna.
She needed him
. Frenzied, he kept attacking, trying to reach her. But even as he inched towards her, Brenna was taken further and further away from him. He waded through men - slicing, cutting, jabbing, until all that was left were the moans of the dying and the slick wet smells of the dead. But he never reached her.

Exhausted, he saw her, still struggling, being carried away by a thick knot of guards. They rounded the corner of the wall and reinforcements emerged from the gate and lined up between him and Brenna. Finally, the guards fell back inside and the gate closed and he was left, panting and alone on the road in front. Archers appeared along the wall and he felt arms pull at him and drag him back. An arrow whistled by as he was dragged away, his boots tripping on the bodies of those he’d cut down to try to get to her.

They put her in the same cell Avery had been in, the same one where she’d spent a few hours when she’d been caught in Thorold’s estate last year. They snapped the iron cuff on her leg and pushed her into the stale straw. They hadn’t found her pack - she’d had just enough magic left to keep it invisible – and the weight of it on her back was comforting. Even so, she gently shrugged out of it, trying not to raise the guard’s suspicions, and tucked it into the corner. Using the last of her strength she said the spell over it once again. Then she closed her eyes and looked for Kane.

He was outside - alive, thank the gods. She’d seen him as she was dragged away and his ferocity had frightened her. She’d been terrified that he would get himself killed while trying to get to her. Right now, just knowing that he was alive, was relief enough.

Exhausted, Brenna lay down. She closed her eyes and tried to rest but she kept seeing images of men being killed. Every time an old steel weapon had cut into an enemy, she’d felt it. The swords and knives had gloried in delivering death - each cut into flesh satisfying a thirst for destruction. Brenna shivered. The worst was when a Brother was hurt. Then the weapons had seethed. At least two Brothers had lost their lives. She’d known the minute they died - she’d felt their weapons howl and rage. She could almost still hear them. Finally, her exhaustion won out and she fell into a fitful sleep.

“This be the one Duke Thorold wants most, I’ll bet a month’s wages on that,” a voice said. “You mark it. Once he learns we have the witch he’ll forget we lost over thirty men tonight.”

“Most to that One-God cursed berseker.”

Brenna was awake but she kept her eyes shut tight as the second man spoke. “He must be responsible for half the losses.”

“Were that former Kingsguard captain, that’s what I think,” the first voice said. “If we coulda got him too the duke’d likely give us all extra crowns this month. I hear it wouldn’t matter to Duke Thorold if he was dead.”

“Not much chance of takin’ a berserker alive anway.”

“When’s the duke due back? D’ye know?”

“No. Some trouble with the king, as I heard it. Both Duke Thorold and the High Bishop were called to the castle. Even the message the duchess escaped didn’t bring him back. Not much other than the king dying would keep him from makin’ someone pay for that.”

The two men walked away, discussing the changes that would happen when Duke Thorold’s son was king. Brenna sat up, dusted off her clothes and reached for her pack. She might have time to get out before Thorold returned to his house. She prayed to the old gods that the king would live one more day.

Kane stared back at the gate long after the archers had disappeared. He shrugged Dasid’s hands off him and stared at his bloody sword. He tried to reach Brenna through old steel but she didn’t answer. It didn’t mean she was dead, he thought. He’d know if she was dead. He turned back to Dasid.

“How many brothers are dead?” he asked.

“Two and five others wounded. We need to get them out of Kingsreach.”

Kane nodded. They could go with Avery and Neal. More wounded for Madelay to look after but it would be best to get them away as soon as they could. Before he brought every, single, able-bodied Brother in Kingsreach back here to get Brenna.

“Back to the Dog.” Kane found a cloth to wipe his sword and knife on. He’d need to spend some time on his weapons later, cleaning the carnage from the grips and scabbards. For now he simply wiped them down and sheathed them. They’d be out again soon enough.

“How many Brothers do we have in town, trained or partly trained?” Kane turned to Dasid as they strode towards Thieves Quarter. “Every man, woman and youth.”

“Besides the thirty we had here tonight we’ve another forty - some trained but not yet blooded.”

“You have two hours to get them in place,” he said. “We’re going after her and we need to do it now, tonight, before they have time to get reinforcements.”

“I’ll start sending runners now.” Dasid dropped back and Kane strode through the dark night, his boots clacking on the cobbled streets. The fine houses gave way to modest businesses and then, finally, the rough dwellings of Thieves Quarter. He entered the Crooked Dog and found Eryl asleep in the small room that had become their headquarters. Eryl, looked up at him bleary-eyed when he turned up the wick on the lamp.

“Get everyone up,” Kane said. “Those that need to leave with Madelay have one hour to get on the road.”

Eryl’s eyes widened but he nodded and shoved his feet into his boots. He left the room to rouse everyone in the inn. Kane sat heavily in a chair and ran his hands through his hair. With a sigh he searched the room for the item he was looking for.

“What’s happened?” Madelay stood in the doorway, a shawl wrapped around her. Kane marked the page he’d been studying as she entered the room and sat across from him.

“Brenna’s been taken.” His voice hurt when he said it. “We’re getting her back - by force - tonight.” He saw the look of concern on her face. “It will no longer be safe for any Brothers to be in Kingsreach. Everyone needs to be on the road tonight.” Madelay nodded and stood up. “There are five more injured who will travel with you. Please see if you can find an extra wagon.” He didn’t wait for Madelay to reply - he simply went back to the page he was studying. So he almost lost his control when she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll make you some tea,” she said quietly. “It will help restore your strength.”

Kane nodded, grateful that she hadn’t asked any questions. But then she didn’t need to, she knew the pain he was in - she’d lived with it for forty years. He prayed to the gods he would never have to forge on as Madelay and Yowan had, knowing that the love of his life was lost to him forever. He would get Brenna out,
he would
, there was no other option.

Duke Thorold leaned back in the chair and fingered the fine brandy. It was a deep amber, made with the best peaches Aruntun had to offer. He took a sip and enjoyed the way the liquid burned his tongue before he swallowed. He put the glass back on the table. He would enjoy the fine goods from Aruntun while he could but he would not regret it too much when they were no longer available. If he had his way it would be many, many years before peaches from Aruntun found their way to the rest of Soule.

“You have no idea how the prisoner was rescued?” Thorold asked the High Bishop.

Valden sat and stared into the fire that crackled in the hearth of the king’s private sitting room. The only other occupant of the room was Beldyn, who sat in a chair near the door, scowling.

“No, I do not. I was performing a service in the church at the time and I saw nothing.”

Thorold could almost see the High Bishop’s anger rolling off him. He had no doubt that there were some broken bodies scattered around the church that were not the result of Neal Ravershaw’s escape. Not that he cared what the High Bishop did to his own people.