Rage of a Demon King (48 page)

While Karli, Helen, and the children huddled deep at the end of the gully, against a steep wall of rocks, trying to keep the horses quiet, Roo and Luis waited just beyond the first turn in the gully.

Voices came from a short distance away, and Roo recognized the speech as being from Novindus. Luis nodded, and his thumb flexed along the hilt of his dagger.

The sound of horses approaching caused Roo to crouch, hugging the bank. The voices grew louder. “Some tracks in the mud. Look fresh.”

“Keep it down. You want to send them to ground?”

The first rider came around the bend, looking backward over his shoulder, saying, “When you pay me, you give me orders, you—”

Roo sprang upward, striking straight into the exposed area under the man’s right arm. The sudden thrust stunned the man, and Roo yanked him from his horse.

The horse shied, moving up the gully, past Luis.

“What did you say?” said the other rider.

Roo saw a dagger at the fallen’s man’s belt and pulled it, tossing it toward Luis. For all his fatigue and illness, Luis still managed to place his own dagger between his teeth and caught the one tossed him without missing a beat.

Luis flipped the blade in the air, caught it by the point, and pulled it back behind his ear and let fly with it just as the second rider came around the bend. “Hey! I asked—” the man said just as the blade caught him in the throat.

He gurgled as Roo dragged him from the saddle. Roo dumped the body next to the first one and with a swat sent the horse after the one heading toward Karli, Helen, and the children.

Roo signaled and he and Luis headed back to where the others waited. “They’ll be here any second,” said Roo.

“What do we do?” asked Karli.

Roo pointed to the rocks, a twelve-foot bank. “We climb up there. They can’t follow.”

He didn’t wait, but started scrambling up to the top of the rocks. When he got up there, he could see glimpses of the other riders through the trees, calling questions back and forth, inquiring about the two missing men. Roo motioned for Willem to climb up, and he held down his hands, so Helen, who was taller than Karli, could hand up Helmut to him. The littlest child stuck out his lip as if about to cry, and Roo said, “Please, baby, not now.”

As Roo took his son into his arms, Helmut cut loose with a pitiful wail, as if all the fear, hunger, and fatigue he had endured for the last three days were
coming out at once. Luis turned and drew his dagger, for only a moment later, Helmut’s cry was answered by the shouts of the horsemen.

Abigail and Nataly scrambled up the rocks, pushed by their mothers. Willem climbed without aid. Luis looked up, perspiration running off his brow, and said, “I can’t make it.”

Roo said, “Climb! It’s just a short way.”

Luis had one good hand, and that shoulder was the damaged one. He reached up, gritted his teeth, and pulled. He found toeholds, and took a deep breath. He let go and tried to push himself upward, grabbing frantically with his good hand, his withered right hand scraping uselessly off the rocks. Roo leaned over and grabbed his wrist. “I’ve got you!”

Roo felt his arms’ stretching as the larger man hung like dead weight. Nearly out of breath, Luis said, “Let me go. I can’t do this.”

“You’ll do it, damn you!” said Roo, yanking hard, though he knew he couldn’t pull the man up by main force.

Luis tried to climb, making little progress, as two riders turned into view. “There they are!” shouted one.

“Let me go!” said Luis. “Get away!”

“No!” shouted Roo. To Helen and Karli he said, “Get the children back into the trees!”

Roo pulled and Luis struggled, as a rider came into close proximity, with a sword drawn. “You the bastards killed Mikwa and Tugon? We’ll settle—”

An arrow lifted the rider from his saddle and a second took the rider behind him out of his seat as well.

Strong arms reached past Roo and took Luis’s wrist, lifting him easily to the edge of the rocks. Roo
turned and looked up into a strange, alien, but handsome face. The elf smiled and said, “You seemed troubled, stranger.”

“You could say that,” said Roo, leaning back on his elbows, panting. Another elf appeared, shouldering his longbow. Roo flexed his left arm and said, “I don’t know how much longer I could have held on.”

A man in a black tunic came to stand next to the elf and a familiar grin split a dark face as he said, “If you aren’t the sorriest-looking jokers I’ve had the misfortune to see, man, I don’t know nothing.”

Luis grinned and said, “Jadow. Glad to see you.” Then he fainted.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Jadow Shati as he knelt next to his old companion from the campaign down to Novindus.

Roo said, “Shoulder. He’s got a wound and it’s inflamed. Loss of blood, the usual complaints.”

“We can care for that,” said the elf. “But we had best get you and your children away from here.”

Roo stood up and said, “Rupert Avery.”

The elf said, “I’m Galain. I’m on my way to bring messages to your General Greylock.”

“General?” said Roo. “Things have changed.”

“More than you know,” said Jadow. “Let’s get some distance between us and those other riders, and we can talk.”

“How many of you are there?” asked Roo as he walked behind Jadow and Galain.

“Six elves from the Elf Queen’s court, and a light company.”

Roo knew a light company was ten squads of six men each. “Where are they?”

“A half mile that way,” said Jadow. “Our friends here have remarkable hearing and told us there were horses over here, so I thought we’d check things out.” He put his hand on Roo’s shoulder. “We’re on our way to Ravensburg. Care to come along?”

Roo laughed. “Thanks. We could do with some company. Now, what do you have to eat?”

Erik smiled.

Kitty seemed to fly into his arms, barely giving him time to dismount. “I was so scared I’d never see you again,” she said.

He kissed her and hugged her tight. “Me too.”

Soldiers milled about the stable yard of the Inn of the Pintail, and Nathan and Freida approached. Freida hugged her son, then Nathan shook his hand. “Congratulations!” said Nathan with a grin. “Made a Knight-Captain and married.”

Freida said, “Why didn’t you send word? When this girl first came to me I thought her mad, married to my boy.” She fixed Kitty with a dubious look. “But after a while she told me enough to convince me she knew you quite well.” Then she smiled.

Erik blushed. “Well, things were pretty confused and we had to act quickly.”

“So she tells me,” said Freida.

Nathan said, “You look all in. Come inside and have a bath and some food.”

Erik said, “I will, but first I have to start getting people out of town. You’re all going to have to be on the march by the day after tomorrow.”

“Leave?” asked Nathan.

Erik nodded. “The enemy is no more than five days behind, perhaps as close as three, and some of his cavalry units may be closer. We’ll defend the town for as long as we can after you leave.”

“Then?” asked Nathan.

Erik looked down, almost ashamed to answer. “We’ll have to burn it to the ground.”

Nathan went pale. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

Erik said, “I know. I’ve already put Wilhelmsburg, Wolfsburg, and a half-dozen villages to the torch.”

Nathan ran a hand over his leathery old face. “I never thought I’d see it again.”

Erik remembered he had lived through the sacking of the Far Coast, years before. “I can only tell you it’s absolutely necessary.”

A very tired-looking figure in a grey robe rode awkwardly into the courtyard and pulled up next to Erik’s horse. Robert d’ Lyes got off his horse, his trembling left knee barely able to support his weight as he dismounted. He looked almost bowlegged as he turned to Erik. “Do you ever get used to this?”

Erik smiled. “Mother, Nathan, this is Robert, and he’s just learning how to ride.”

Nathan winced in sympathy. “Come inside. I’ll pour you some wine to ease your discomfort.” Nathan signaled to Gunther, his apprentice, to take the magician’s
horse. The boy ran over, smiled at Erik, and looked questioningly at the former smith’s mount.

Erik said, “I’ll be needing her for a while. I’ll be back later and then you can tend her for me.” To Nathan he said, “I’ll be billeting men here and in every other inn in the town, the Growers’ and Vintners’ Hall, and any other place I can find. So expect a fair amount of shoeing and tack repair between now and when you leave. You’re the only man in Ravensburg besides our company smith who can repair weapons and armor.” He looked regretful as he said, “Don’t expect much sleep for a few days.”

Nathan shook his head and said, “Come with me, Robert, and I’ll join you in a glass. I think I’m going to need it.”

Kitty kissed Erik. “Hurry back.”

Freida kissed him as well and whispered, “She seems a fine girl, Erik, if a little odd at times.”

Erik grinned. “You don’t know the half of it. I’ll be back for supper.”

As his mother turned away, he said, “Any word of Roo?”

She stopped. “Two of his wagons got here a couple of days ago. I think they’re over at Gaston’s. But we haven’t heard anything of him. Why?”

“He was on the road, and . . . it’s been difficult.”

Freida, who never had any use for Rupert, but knew how close her son was to him, nodded and said, “I’ll say a prayer.”

Erik smiled. “Thank you, Mother.” He remounted and headed back out into the town of Ravensburg, to oversee the deployment of the men and get ready for the destruction of the town in which he had lived most of his life.

Roo said, “How are you doing?”

Luis said, “Better.” He was riding beside Roo and indeed looking better.

From ahead, Jadow turned and said to Roo, “Man, considering that you almost killed him with that poultice, he looks positively reborn.”

“Well, I thought that was the moss Nakor had showed us.”

The elves had removed Roo’s concoction, found the correct ingredients for a healing poultice, and re-dressed Luis’s wound.

Jadow’s soldiers had secured enough mounts from the raiders they had killed so Roo, Luis, and the women could ride. The elves were all on foot, so two of them led the horses with the children, while Karli and Helen kept a close eye on their offspring.

They had moved from the scene of combat and made camp. Jadow dispensed with the full entrenchment, since the elves made excellent outer sentries, and Jadow decided the extra two hours a day of movement was more necessary than defensive security.

Twice since leaving that camp in the morning, they had reports of other companies moving south: Kingdom forces to the east, and invaders to the west. It was clear that they were heading straight toward the next battle. Roo knew enough about the surrounding countryside to understand that after Ravensburg the only town of size was Wolverton and the countryside around that hamlet was not conducive to a stout defense. They would hold for a while at Ravensburg, then fall back to Darkmoor.

“How far to Ravensburg?” Jadow asked Roo.

Roo said, “We’ll be there in less than an hour.”

“Good,” said Luis. “I could use a taste of that wine you and Erik used to brag on so often.”

“You’ll not be disappointed,” said Roo. Then he thought of a large portion of the Kingdom army already being in Ravensburg, and said, “Assuming there’s any left when we get there.”

Ten minutes later they approached the first Kingdom camp, located behind a very defensible rise in the road. They hailed the guards and were passed without question.

As they rode along, they saw more and more elements of the Kingdom army digging in. Roo said, “Looks like they’re fighting along ten miles or so of front.”

Jadow pointed over his shoulder, to the north. “We’ve been turning them this way for weeks. We left behind enough men to ensure they don’t try to feint this way, turn back, and break through north of us.”

Roo knew the local terrain as well as anyone. “Even if they get past you that way,” he said, “they’re still going to have to turn south when they try to climb Nightmare Ridge.”

“That’s the plan,” said Jadow.

The closer they came to the town of Ravensburg, the more frantic the activity. The road they traveled ran parallel to a low ridge line, a series of interconnecting hills, that had been planted with grapevines for years.

Soldiers were cutting the large vines, some as big as small trees, piling them, along with anything else they could find, to form breastworks along the top of the ridge. While no winemaker, Roo had spent
enough time growing up among them to know what a loss those vines would be. Some were three hundred years old, rootstock that would be impossible to replace. He noticed that workers were madly cutting vines, saving them for grafts, in the hope they could someday return to these vineyards and start over. Roo silently wished them luck.

They reached Ravensburg in midafternoon. Roo saw Erik supervising the establishment of a barricade across the main road. He waved and Erik rode over.

“Roo! Luis! Jadow!” said Erik, relief obvious on his face.

Galain waited until greetings were exchanged, and said, “Captain von Darkmoor?”

“Yes,” said Erik. “What can I do for you?”

Galain produced a scroll and handed it to him. Erik read it and said, “Good.” He pointed toward an inn across the square. “If you’d like to eat, go there and tell them I sent you.”

“Thank you,” said Galain.

Erik looked at Karli, Helen, and the children and said, “If you’d be so kind as to continue leading those horses, I’d appreciate it.” To Karli he said, “Tell my mother I sent you and don’t let her give the children too many sweets.”

Karli smiled and a tear of relief ran down her cheek, despite her attempts to restrain it. “Thank you,” she said.

As the two women and four children were led away, Erik said to Luis, “What happened to your shoulder?”

Luis said, “Long story. I’ll tell you tonight.”

Erik nodded. To Roo he said, “Why don’t you go with your family and we’ll visit later. I still have a lot to do.”

“Apparently,” said Roo. “Until later.”

They rode off and Erik accepted Jadow’s mocking salute. “Report, Sergeant.”

“Yes, sir, Captain sir!” said Jadow with a grin.

“All right, that’s enough.”

“Anything you say, Captain sir!”

Erik leaned over and said, “Would you like to be a corporal again, Sergeant?”

“Don’t tease me with promises you won’t keep, you evil man.”

Erik grinned. “What have you seen?”

“There’s a tough bastard up to the north leading the enemy, named Duko, General Duko. He’s staying put, pounding at that little pass between Eggly and Tannerus. The Earl of Pemberton and the Duke of Yabon both have heavy infantry dug in there, with some Cortesian archers holding the higher ridges, keeping the enemy down in the pass. They’re tough little bastards and can pick your teeth with their arrows. So most of Duko’s men are just hitting the barricades across the trail, over and over. It’s a bloody mess, a regular grinder up there, but other than that, most of the enemy’s forces are heading this way.”

“Any word on Fadawah?”

“None. Seems the Lord High Bad Man is staying close to the Emerald Bitch.” Jadow scratched his chin. “This is a pretty messed-up invasion, my friend, if you see what I mean.”

“I see exactly what you mean.” Erik said, “Go get some food, and when your men are in billets, take a night of rest. I want you and your company to pull back and see what you can do in the next town, Wolverton. The enemy should come right through it,
so see if you can come up with some nasty surprises for them so they might slow down a little.”

Jadow grinned. “Nasty surprises are my specialty, Captain.”

“When you’re done, get back here. I need you to supervise the flying company on the northern flank.” Erik saluted, and Jadow and his sixty men rode off.

Erik returned his attention to the matter at hand, but part of his mind was preoccupied with his family, particularly with his young wife, who was only a ten-minute ride away.

The inn was crowded, so Milo, the innkeer, put Roo, Karli, Helen Jacoby, Erik and Kitty in the kitchen, all of them packed in around the table used to prepare meals. The children had already been fed and sent off to bed. Even without them, things were so tight Kitty sat upon Erik’s knee, a condition neither seemed to mind much.

Erik ate hungrily, his first hot meal in days, and his mother’s cooking to boot. Milo had opened several bottles of his better wine and was pouring rounds.

Robert d’ Lyes was bunking in with Gunther, Nathan’s apprentice, and Milo was at a loss over where he was going to put everyone. Freida said, “The children can have our room for the night.”

Nathan said, “Milo’s got them upstairs.”

“Not Roo’s children, I mean Erik and his wife.”

Erik blushed and Nathan laughed. “He’s hardly what I’d call a child, dear.”

Freida said, “He’s my boy, and that’s little more than a slip of a girl. Anyway, they need some privacy.”

“Well,” said Nathan, “I’m going to be at the forge all night, anyway, so you’re the one who’s going to have to find another place to sleep.”

“I’ll just throw a quilt under this table and sleep here. I’ll have to be up early, too, for we’ve got hungry mouths to feed again.”

Erik knew that Nathan and his mother lived in a small building just outside the smithy, and while it had once been little better than a dirty shed when Tyndal, Erik’s first master, had lived there, Nathan and his mother had turned it into a tidy little bedroom.

Milo said, “Erik, do we have to leave?”

Erik nodded. “First light, day after tomorrow. A couple of days after that, we’ll be fighting a battle here. We have to hold them outside of town while the northern and southern flanks withdraw. Then they hold while we pull back, and if all goes according to plan, we break them at Darkmoor.”

Milo sighed. “This inn is all I have.”

Erik nodded. “I have some money. When this war is over, I’ll help you rebuild.”

Milo didn’t seem convinced, but he accepted that at face.

Erik said, “How are Rosalyn and the baby?”

“Fine,” said Milo, a pleased expression on his face. “She and Randolph had another, a boy they named after me!”

“Congratulations,” said Erik.

“I sent word to them you were back, though how they could not know with all these soldiers running around calling your name would be a mystery. I’m a bit surprised they’re not here yet.”

Erik said, “Well, Randolph and his family have the bakery to dismantle and move.”

“That’s true. Still, I expect they’ll want to see you before they evacuate.”

Erik said, “I need to talk to them.”

Kitty kissed his cheek. “Talk to them tomorrow.”

Erik grinned and blushed again. “Very well,” he said softly. Then, looking around the table, he said, “Well, I’ve got to be up early tomorrow.”

Everyone laughed. Erik’s blush deepened, and he took Kitty’s hand and they left the kitchen.

After they were gone, Nathan said, “Roo, you’ve done well.”

Roo blew out his cheeks in an exaggerated sigh of relief and said, “Now that I know I’m still alive, yes, I’d say I have.”

The others laughed, and they began catching up with one another, letting the familiar surroundings lull them into a momentary illusion that trouble was far away.

At dawn the next day, Roo sat on the wagon box, his wife at his side. In the bed of the wagon, Luis rode with Helen and the children. Roo smiled as he asked, “See you soon?”

Erik nodded, astride his horse. “But not for a while, if you’re smart. By the time I’m in Darkmoor, you should be halfway to Malac’s Cross. Besides, don’t you have some estates or something in the East to keep you busy?”

Roo shrugged. “I have enough to keep me afloat if we get through all this. But in a funny way, I hate to miss what’s coming.”