Sora's Quest (23 page)

"Quiet, Wolfy," Crash said darkly. He didn't seem disturbed by the stretch of wetland, but watched coolly from atop his steed, gazing into the distance. The calls of the hounds were growing closer, lighting up the air with eager yelps. Sora felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. They didn't have long to make a decision.

Finally, Crash turned to look at her. "Girl," he said, "you take the lead." Then he withdrew a dagger from his belt. He cut the rope connecting her horse to Burn's.

"What?" Sora demanded. She felt as though she had swallowed a handful of dirt.

"You heard me," he said, sheathing the dagger. "Quickly, use the necklace to get us across this bog. There is no time for doubt." He watched her with that same cold look, as though she was already disappointing him. Strangely, it reminded her of her father. And even stranger, it lit a small fire inside of her, one of radiant defiance.

"Fine," Sora snapped, and touched her necklace, hoping it could read her intentions. When she looked out across the wetland, she only felt numb. "Follow me!"

She kicked her steed a little harder than intended. The horse leapt into action, skidding down the hill with a frightened whinny. On its first step into the slough, it plunged knee-deep into the mud. Sora let out a short scream, barely staying in the saddle. She could see the truth of the swamp now. Everything that she had thought was grass—solid ground—was really a soupy, putrid substance that sucked down like quicksand.

"Hyyah!" she shouted, and urged her horse forward. It maneuvered sideways, away from the deep mud. She touched her necklace again. Perhaps it was her adrenaline or the sudden urgency of the situation, but the Cat's Eye responded immediately, nudged by her thoughts.

Sora directed her horse to the right, where the ground was more solid, clumped together by grassroots and shrubbery. Her steed regained its footing, and then they were off, charging across the slough, weaving along a route of long grass, reeds and rotted logs, her Cat's Eye their only guide. Crash and the Wolfies stayed close behind, following her step for step, turn for turn. Countless times she almost lost her footing, but Sora was a keen rider, well-studied, and was able to right her horse.

Perhaps a half-hour into the wetlands, the hounds burst from the forest, howling and yapping in victory, their prey finally in sight. They were big dogs, wolfhounds or larger. Some might have been mutts, mixed with shaggy herding dogs, almost the size of ponies. Sora glanced over her shoulder in horror. The fleeting gray shapes flew down the hill and entered the mire. She hoped that the dogs would plunge straight into the bog.

The pack leader did just that, falling into a well-disguised sinkhole. But a new leader took its place, snapping and snarling, and the hounds quickly regrouped. They followed Sora's trail perfectly. They weren't faster than the horses, but they could certainly keep pace, and the terrain was unpredictable. Her heart sank. She urged her horse faster, praying they didn't plunge into the mud.

Then a hollow, moaning sound floated eerily across the marsh, blending with the mist. A horn. More riders appeared at the hilltop, red uniforms starkly visible against the low, gray clouds. They paused, their horses dancing back and forth, and Sora could imagine their conversation. Doubtless they were looking at the muck, wondering how to cross.

"Follow the hounds!" she heard. The voice was distant and muffled, carried by the empty wind. "Step only where they step! Careful now! Cautious!" A team broke off to follow, albeit at a slower pace. A small group stayed on top of the hill.

Sora smirked at that. Cowards. Their captains had kept to the woods, scared of getting their boots wet. She wondered if Lord Seabourne was among them.

"Watch your backs!" Crash yelled, shaking her from her thoughts. He was several dozen yards behind her, farthest in the rear. "Lean down! Close to your horses!"

"What?" Sora exclaimed, confused. But she saw Dorian and Burn obey. She bent across the saddle, pressing herself to her horse's neck, not a moment too soon. With a quick
ffftttp!
, a black arrow flew past her head, quicker than a bolting sparrow. A shriek escaped her lips despite the warning.

"Blast!" Dorian cried. "They have archers!"

"Run!" Crash's voice reached them. "Faster!"

Sora pressed her horse again, though it was already at its limit. A rain of arrows followed them. Their only hope was to outdistance the archers, but with the ground growing ever softer, it was difficult to maintain her pace. The Cat's Eye's directions came in short bursts and prompts, and she could barely lead her horse, first one way, then the other. Twice she almost plunged into the mire, barely correcting her steed in time. They needed to slow down, step more carefully—but that was far too great a risk.

Then, suddenly, there was no more ground. Sora's horse came to a skidding halt, snorting and whuffing, digging its hooves into the soft earth. She leaned backward, struggling to control her mount. When they finally stopped, she could only stare at the sight before her, mouth slightly open, helpless.

The slough dissolved into an outright river—the Crown's Rush, she assumed. It moved at a sluggish pace, perhaps a half-mile across. Sora had the feeling that this river wasn't normally so wide, but it was the rainy season. The slough was swollen with water from the recently melted snow.

And there, slightly to their left, was a rotted, broken bridge. The water had risen so much that the bridge floated on the river's surface, pieces of it completely submerged. Large stakes protruded from the river every couple of paces, but to Sora's eyes, they looked half-rotted and the ropes well-worn. She doubted any maintenance had been done in the last few years. It was a wonder that thing still stood.

It also appeared to be the only way to cross the river. A coincidence? Or had the Cat's Eye led her straight to it?

If the necklace led me here, then it must be passable,
she thought, gripping the stone. But that was a long shot. She didn't know if that was true; she wasn't experienced enough.

But it was too late to turn back and search for a better route. She could hear the baying of the hounds on their trail, frantic wails and vicious snarls. And the soldiers hadn't given up yet. She leapt from her steed just as another series of arrows rained down upon them, speckling the ground, narrowly missing their horses. Luckily, the arrows were losing their accuracy because of the distance.

Dorian and Burn arrived next to her, immediately fanning out, jumping from their horses and ducking low to the brush. They were both breathing hard, full of adrenaline. The howling had grown to a fever pitch; the dogs could sense they were close to their prey. The horses pawed the ground, panicked, the whites of their eyes showing. Sora knew her mare was one second from bolting. She held on firmly to its reins, staying to one side so she wouldn't get kicked.

She wasn't normally afraid of dogs, but hearing the primitive, brutal snarls struck terror in her heart. These animals weren't just dogs anymore. No, they were hunters fully consumed by the chase. Who knew what a frenzied pack would do?

Crash arrived a second later, leaping from his horse while still in canter. He landed smoothly, running toward them, his sword drawn.

"Should we cross the bridge?" Sora asked, wincing. It sounded more like,
Can I go home now?

"Yes," Burn said. The response was grim and immediate. "I'll go first. I'm the heaviest. If the supports give, then it'll be under my weight."

Sora's mouth gaped. "But you'll fall into the river!"

"Sweetness, he's a warrior," Dorian cut her off. "And a Wolfy at that. Do you really think mud will swallow him?"

Sora pushed Dorian away from her, shaking her head. "You'll need the Cat's Eye," she tried again.

"I doubt I'll get lost on a bridge," Burn said, humor in his eyes. "I've crossed more treacherous rivers than this." He turned back to the sludgy water, feet planted on firm earth, tall and strong. Sora gazed at his muscular back, as wide as a bear, the greatsword reaching almost down to his knees. She raised an eyebrow.

Dorian spoke up, his tone sharp and urgent. "Hurry, Burn, I feel a dog gnawing at my ankle...."

As though summoned by his words, a giant, black wolfhound jumped from the bushes to their right, its coat matted with mud and reeds. Sora gasped, stumbling backwards. The hound turned and snapped at her, its vicious fangs glinting with saliva. It lunged, mouth wide open, flying at her throat.

The
shing!
of steel pierced the air, the glint of a blade. The assassin dodged in front of her, an unexpectedly valiant move, and his blade caught the hound's jaw. It cleaved halfway through its muzzle before lodging into the bone. Crash pulled the hound toward him and rammed a knife into its throat, then tossed the body to one side, dumping it into the slough.

Sora stared in horror, unable to believe the swiftness of the battle. More hounds leapt from the bushes, perhaps over a dozen, though some hung back, obscured by clots of grass. They kept their distance, circling and snapping from just beyond Crash's reach. The assassin faced the pack in a half-circle, his sword in one hand, a short knife in the other. Every time one got too close, he lunged forward, slashing with his blade.

When Sora turned back to the bridge, she saw that Burn had mounted the first planks and was starting across, coaxing his horse behind him. The horse trod gingerly on the half-submerged planks, its ears back. Sora marveled at the horse's training, following its master into such dire straits. The bridge swayed and jerked in the heavy, sluggish water.

Dorian followed with his horse, but stopped just before the bridge. He waited until Burn had reached almost midway across the planks. But by that point, Sora could hear the shouts of human voices, the squish of unseen hooves. The soldiers would be upon them soon.

"Dorian, take my horse," Crash called, and indicated the tall gray steed. Dorian nodded and caught the reins, then tied it to the back of his horse.

Crash turned back to the hounds, swinging his sword several times to back them off.

Dorian turned to Sora and nodded curtly. "You're next," he said. "Should anything happen, just call my name." And he winked, a terribly roguish look. "I'll come back for you."

Sora balked at that. Come back for her? Unlikely, especially if the bridge collapsed. She was about to say something, but the thief had already started across the expanse, the two horses stepping lightly after him. They were smaller steeds with long, delicate legs. The ropes strained. The boards creaked. So far, the bridge held.

Another hound leapt from the brush, drawing her attention. Crash hacked it down with his sword just as quickly. The dog whined pathetically, writhing on the ground, blood spurting from a wound at its neck. The other dogs paced back and forth, even more excited by the scent of blood, then skittered away to avoid Crash's blade. They paced just beyond the fringe of grass, looking for an opening.

Sora waited for Dorian to make some headway across the bridge. She felt a nervous knot form in her stomach.
I'm next.
She looked back across the drizzling wetland to the distant shapes on the hill. The clouds had moved lower, if that was possible, and the soldiers were filmy on the horizon.

"They've stopped shooting," she said, relief in her voice. "Maybe they'll give up...?"

"No," Crash replied darkly. "The other soldiers are too close. They won't risk hitting their own men." Then he turned and started moving her toward the bridge, one eye on the dogs, his sword still at the ready. Sora led her horse toward the platform, following Crash's direction, unable to protest. She tried to hide the tremor in her knees. The river might appear slow and sluggish, but she was certain that it had a nasty undertow, and that the water might be too thick to swim against.

"Prepare yourself," Crash said. Then he headed her onto the bridge.

Sora started across carefully. Burn was almost to the other side, and this gave her hope. Dorian was just past the halfway point. The smaller Wolfy shouted back to her occasionally, pointing out rotted beams or loose ropes, but she could barely concentrate. She was too busy gripping her necklace in one hand and the horse's reins in the other, her eyes trained on her feet.

Burn reached the other side. Dorian was two-thirds of the way across. Where he stood, the water was shallow and the bridge was supported by thick mud, much more secure. Sora felt a bit of tension loosen. With less weight on the bridge, she was certain it would hold. She started stepping more boldly, leading her horse as quickly as she could. The water flowed over her boots, icy cold, seeping through the leather and freezing her toes. At times, the bridge dipped downward, submerged. She was almost waist-deep in water, her clothes soaked. Her horse balked, and she had to pause for a moment, coaxing it forward, cautiously testing each beam before putting weight on it. It was painfully slow going.

Finally Dorian made it to the other side. After securing his two horses, he returned to the bridge and waited for her, standing lightly on the planks, watching her progress. Sora, grateful for his vigilance, felt more secure.

"Here they come," Crash called. He was only a few paces behind her.

Sora glanced back and spotted the shiny helmets through the tall grass. The dogs had noticeably calmed. Her heart lurched. The soldiers were right behind them and would probably try to cross the bridge too....
What can we do?