Kethril (26 page)

Felina had cast some sort of spell to boost
her and Steve’s speed and they were catching up fast. Without
Liselle, he and Anilyia didn’t have any way to compensate. “Ride!”
he yelled to Anilyia as he slowed down and reached in his jacket
for a way to stop the bounty hunter.

Anilyia looked over her shoulder to see him
slow and began pulling up too. “Ride!” he shouted again. She kicked
the horse’s flanks and continued at full speed. However, it was
enough of a distraction to put Tathan at a disadvantage. He managed
to get the runeball he wanted into his hand and speak the
activation word.

Air screamed in agony as it was ripped apart
by a spell Felina cast. Tathan threw the runeball into the sky
behind him as hard as he could. The wizard he had stolen it from
years ago called them ‘runeballs of magical misdirection’.

The runeball attracted the spell, but the
spell remained at full force, knocking Tathan’s mount and the
packhorse to the ground from the concussion. Sticky green fire
spread forward in a fan shape for two hundred feet after hitting
the runeball. It went over Tathan’s head to hit the road and nearby
buildings on the right side of the highway.

Sticky fire would burn and spread until
extinguished by magic. It cast an eerie green glow upon the street
and everything that was happening. Luckily, none of it had hit him.
Unluckily, both the packhorse and his mount were screaming in pain
after hitting the ground. He knew they would be no good to him
anymore.

Tathan rolled to the side, coming up with
sword in hand just in time to avoid Steve’s sharp talons by a
fraction of an inch. The squirrel slid five feet after hitting the
road where Tathan had been an instant before.

Before Tathan could leap to kill it, he
heard Felina’s voice speaking more words of magic. She had reined
in her horse forty feet away and was gesturing with her hands to
cast another spell. Magical wind bit at her face and Tathan began
to wonder if she was capable of small spells. He grabbed another
runeball and threw it at her the same instant she cast. He only had
one more and that concerned him. Steve leapt away from Tathan,
knowing a spell was going to hit. Tathan followed the squirrel in a
move that might catch it off guard.

The spell hit the runeball, enveloping it in
webs that would have trapped Tathan had they hit him instead. The
bounty hunter screamed in frustration, echoed by Steve.

Steve hit a wall on the other side of the
street and used it as leverage to propel back towards Tathan.
Tathan flung his body to the side and rolled, causing the squirrel
to miss yet again. Steve screamed in anger and Felina echoed him
with the exact same animalistic sound. It was eerie the way the two
were connected.

Tathan threw a dagger at Felina. The throw
was perfect, but the wizardess was ready for it, using magic to
flick it away over her shoulder. It was so casual that he truly
began to fear for his life. She had never mentioned whether she was
required to return him alive for the bounties or if dead would be
good enough. Steve leapt at him again. Tathan was timing the leaps.
They were fast, but the squirrel had no reaction time in
midair.

Felina cast another spell as the squirrel
flew over Tathan, slashing with a claw at the rolling rogue. Tathan
didn’t have time to throw another runeball and didn’t want to use
the last one anyway, regardless of the situation. From out of
Felina’s fingers came a dagger aimed at Tathan. Another one
followed it and three more. Tathan dodged all of them.

On instinct, he watched to see where they
would land and make sure they dissolved after missing. Instead of
dissolving, they turned around and flew towards him again. He
avoided two and parried two with his sword, which drew the magic
within itself. The fifth dagger changed direction at the last
minute and sliced into Tathan’s left thigh. He grunted in pain and
tapped it with the sword to make it disappear. The other two
daggers came back and he hit them with the sword too. Felina
screamed in pain as the sword pulled her magic away. He realized
she had been guiding the daggers with her mind and when the
Lightdrinker soaked them in, it physically hurt her.

Steve was next to him, swinging a claw.
Tathan ducked it, but his mobility was limited. Instead of tumbling
away, he dodged into the squirrel and stabbed it in the right
shoulder.

Steve recoiled in pain, as did Felina. Both
screamed, and where Tathan had stabbed Steve, blood appeared on
Felina. Tathan raised his sword to kill Steve, who was lying on the
ground in shock, but Felina screamed “NO!” and held out an arm in a
silent plea.

Tathan stopped Lifedrinker an inch above
Steve’s neck. Something within Tathan didn’t want to kill them.
Steve seemed interesting for a large, man-killing squirrel and
Felina was beautiful. Her eyes, as she stretched out to him, were
gorgeous in their depth and complexity. The green sticky fire
behind him heightened the effect, as did the tears of sadness and
pain filling them. Tathan felt an urge to comfort her.

Anilyia rode up to him and reached a hand
out, breaking the spell. He grabbed it and tried to swing his right
leg over, but the left one buckled and he yelled out in pain. Only
Anilyia’s grip prevented him from falling over.

The bounty hunter was busy trying to keep
the blood in her shoulder and Steve was limping back to her on
three legs. Tathan put his sword away and grabbed the saddle with
his free hand. With Anilyia’s help, he managed to make it. She
turned west toward a side street.

Tathan held his leg to keep the blood from
flowing. He was starting to get dizzy and the pain was
overwhelming. As they entered the side street, he looked back and
saw Felina whispering words and gesturing. “Spell!” Tathan yelled.
He didn’t have enough time to pull out the last runeball.

Anilyia kicked the horse’s sides. Tathan
hung on for dear life as they jumped forward. The spell whooshed
through the air. Anilyia ducked down over the horse and Tathan
covered her with his body, willing to sacrifice his life for the
one he loved.

The spell hit him in the head and scrambled
his brains. Anilyia looked over her shoulder at him and spurred the
horse faster. Tathan knew something was wrong, but couldn’t tell
what. Nothing seemed to be in the right place within his mind. They
turned south on the next street and rode hard. Neither Felina nor
Steve followed.

“Stay with me!” Anilyia yelled back to
Tathan, turning on the next street to shake any pursuit. He was
struggling to stay conscious, but his eyes kept closing and she
knew he was fading. It was vital she get him to a healer as fast as
possible.

There was a group of men outside a rough
looking inn a short distance ahead and she rode up to them. “I need
a healer, now!”

“Come on down, pretty lady! I’ll make you
feel all better,” one of the men said, eliciting guffaws from the
others.

She didn’t have time for stupid peasants. “I
am Princess Anilyia of Mayncal under the protection of King
Cranwer!” she snapped. It got the men’s attention and they sobered
up. “The king is very cranky about the way things have been going
tonight and is looking for heads to roll!” she yelled, grinding her
teeth in anger. One of the men ran away, the others looked on the
verge of joining him. Apparently news had traveled. They weren’t
giving her an answer, so she continued with the threat. “The person
who needs a healer is Tathan of the Shadows. He’s capable of
killing all of you even in a weakened state, so I recommend you
tell me where to find a healer
now
!” It was a boast she half
believed.

At the mention of Tathan’s name, one of the
men moved forward for a closer look. He was a large man with a
ruddy complexion and greasy brown hair. Anilyia was suddenly afraid
he might be interested in a bounty too. He stepped back after
verifying. “I know where a healer is, follow me!” The man ran
ahead.

It could be a trap, but Anilyia didn’t know
for sure. She looked at the other men and when they nodded, she
followed. It was a complete change in attitude from when she had
first ridden up.

After turning down another street and
running past numerous intersections, the stocky guide turned up a
smaller street and ran past two more intersections. Anilyia grew
more and more worried as she followed. Tathan was starting to slide
and she had to hold him to prevent him from falling off.

When they stopped in front of an alley and
two hooded individuals came out, Anilyia’s guide spoke briefly.
“Tathan of the Shadows needs healing at the temple.” The others
exchanged glances and came over. Their eyes widened and they
nodded.

One held his hands out for the reins. “Let
them carry him to the temple,” he said, pointing to the man who had
escorted her and the second man from the alley. “I’ll care for the
horse.”

“You expect me to go with you down that
alley?” Anilyia asked. The two men were already pulling Tathan off
the back of the horse. He groaned in pain.

“I understand, but I promise you’re safe
here. Tathan is a friend and he’ll be cared for,” the hooded man
said. Before she could protest anymore, they were carrying Tathan
away.

Fearing for his life more than hers, Anilyia
dismounted and followed. They hustled him up the alley, one man on
each side with their arms clasped under his back and legs. The
alley opened up into a large courtyard with flowers all around. In
the middle was a low building with steps surrounding it that looked
out of place with the rest of the city.

A woman wearing black robes with silver
filigree came out of the building to see what was happening. An
aura of power surrounded her. Red hair framed an alabaster face and
green eyes assessed the situation. The eyes reminded Anilyia of the
bounty hunter, but this woman’s green was much lighter. The men
carried Tathan up the steps to her and she waved them in. Anilyia
followed, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

Inside was a large room with a fountain in
the middle and smaller rooms around the edges. Pedestals with
plants on them were spaced at intervals against wooden walls.
Anilyia gasped when she realized they were plants whose leaves
could be crushed to make poison. The men carried Tathan across the
tiled floor into one of the rooms to the left and placed him on a
bed inside. The ruddy guide told the red headed woman that her
patient was Tathan of the Shadows. She looked at Tathan with wide
eyes and immediately began to tend to the leg. The two men left
while another woman rushed in with bandages and water to
assist.

Anilyia sat on a stool in the corner while
the woman and her assistant took care of the wound. They put herbs
on it and used magic to close the wound and amplify the herb’s
healing power. About a half hour later, the woman was done. She
stood up, swaying just a bit. “Done. He’ll be weak for the next few
days, but he’ll make it.” Anilyia couldn’t help but think that
Liselle could have snapped her fingers and healed the wound.

“You have to leave right away. We have a
horse that we’ll tie him to,” the woman told her as she took a
drink.

“Right away?” Anilyia replied in alarm.

“Yes. There are other bounty hunters looking
for him. Normally, he would be able to outsmart them, but not in
that condition. There are also more people hunting for you. The
Empire of Iynath has placed a large bounty on your head, and even
with the king killing most of their agents, you’re not safe
here.”

“Who are you? Why are you helping us?”
Anilyia asked

The woman sat down at the base of the bed
after pouring a glass of wine from a bottle on a small table. Her
helper was bandaging the thigh and putting a new pair of pants on
because they had cut the first pair. Tathan would be upset about
that. “Who we are isn’t important,” she answered with a thin smile.
“You wouldn’t approve of us, but I assure you that Tathan of the
Shadows has friends in just as many places as he has enemies. We’ll
make certain you get out of Tillg safely, but you’re on your own
after that.”

“He’s ready to go,” the female helper
said.

“He doesn’t look ready,” Anilyia replied.
Tathan was still unconscious on the bed looking quite the mess.
They had his sword in its sheath leaning up against the headboard.
Even though it was valuable, no one was trying to take it, nor had
they rifled through his jacket or the money pouch the king had
given him.

“It doesn’t matter,” The woman responded,
taking another sip of the wine. She stood and took a pouch out of a
drawer in the table where the wine was. Anilyia watched her open it
and take a pinch of white powder from it. The woman went to Tathan,
opened his mouth and placed the powder under his tongue. “You must
go. They’ll carry him out to the courtyard where your horse and his
will be waiting.” She pointed at the two men waiting in the
doorway. Anilyia jumped because they hadn’t been there a moment
ago. They immediately went to Tathan and lifted him.

“What was that powder?” Anilyia asked
suspiciously.

“It’ll help him wake up so he can ride.
He’ll be disoriented at first, but you have to leave now. There’s
no time to be gentle. Now go.”

Tathan was regaining consciousness as the
men lifted him onto a midnight-black horse. Mostly he was groaning
and looking around in confusion. Anilyia’s horse was being held for
her by a young woman about Millia and Chirelle’s age, dressed in
the same black as all the others. The woman had a steely look in
her eyes that belayed her age.

Two more men rushed into the courtyard with
saddlebags and packs. “We were able to get the saddlebags off his
horse and a couple of items off the packhorse, but soldiers came
and we had to run.” One of the men put the saddlebags on Tathan’s
horse while the other put the extra packs on Anilyia’s.