Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) (31 page)

Lebuin was quickly putting some of his things into the new pack. “I have only ridden enough to be familiar with it. I really hope Risy’s horse is as intelligent and cooperative as he said.”

“Just try to look authoritative while you ride. Now remember, you two are following my command. That means you address me as ’sir’, and you stay a step behind unless I direct otherwise by signal or orders. You pay attention to what is around; you nod to any Dagger who nods at you. We walk down, out and around, mount, and then ride for the western gate. Lebuin, you give two pence and Ditani you give a bell in tip to the stable lads. Any last questions?”

Ditani and Lebuin both shook their heads, slipping their packs over their shoulders as Risy and Nigan had demonstrated. “No, sir.” Lebuin said.

Ticca smiled. “Not bad, I might make a Dagger out of you yet.” Grabbing her pack, she gave them a final check and then opened the door. She stepped out and made sure they closed the door solidly. Taking a deep breath, she thought,
Lady, don’t be offended but I desire very much to not meet you today.

She assumed her command bearing, walking down the hall and straight down the stairs. Without looking behind she knew Lebuin and Ditani were following by the sounds of their footsteps.

In the main room she noticed the conspicuously empty Dagger tables. A few merchants looked at her and her escorts expectantly, but from her projected attitude of ‘on a mission’ they slouched in disappointment.
Wonder if they were looking for me specifically, or just any Dagger.

As she passed the bar, Genne looked up at them and said, “Good luck, stay sharp.”

Smiling back at him, she replied, “And you too. We’ll be back, so don’t rent my room out.”

Smiling wide, he waved his hand in the air. “Nev’r crossed me mind.”

The new doors looked a little out of place, and the repair work to the wall was bright white, compared with the yellowed wall it patched.
Duke sure leaves his mark.
The new doors looked a bit heavier, and when she pushed through she was sure of it.
Trying to prevent it from happening again, I bet.

Outside, no one was near, and it was an easy thing to turn left and then to walk around the inn via the alleyway to the stables behind. Their horses were standing there, ready. Ticca went straight to hers, attached her pack to the saddle, and then checked the horse and tack over. Everything was in excellent condition. As she mounted her horse she checked to see that Lebuin and Ditani had managed to pick the right horses and were already mounted.
Good boys. We are almost clear. Now to get a few blocks from here and we will be clear of any prepared attacks.

Riding out of the alley, she turned right, heading southeast.
Just have to make it past the market and then take the main trade road straight out of the gates.
She concentrated all her senses on looking for the attack. They passed by the Dolphin and she spotted movement at the roofline. Using her peripheral vision she saw it was a Dagger she knew.
What are you doing there? Must be working for Duke; but why watch the Dolphin unless Duke is somehow interested in whomever is after Lebuin? Let’s see if he’ll help.
She made a great show of exaggerated movements to adjust the reigns a little tighter, signaling with her hands as she moved them for assistance.

She didn’t look up at the Dagger but he made a motion ahead of her and then vanished.
Oh, so you thought you were out of sight.
Paying attention to where he had indicated, she spotted a merchant who was adjusting his outer split shirt as if to correct its position; for just a moment there was a break in the shirt, revealing directly in her direction only the dagger under the outer robe. After fixing his shirt, the merchant started to signal something that started with the number four, but changed the message to a warning at her eight-thirty.
Damn it! Time to run.

She glanced to her left rear to see a slim man in dark green tights, wearing a belt with at least three fighting-length knives and a sword on it, come running out of the house across the street from the Dolphin. He was looking directly at her. Behind him were two others dressed as valets, in blue button vests, two fighting-length knives and swords on their belts as well. The man in green said something and pointed right at where the western gate would be. He then pulled a knife from the back of his belt.

Damn it, they saw through the disguises! That looks like a throwing knife. Lebuin’s too exposed!
Her warhorse jumped instantly to her directions, spinning and lunging between Lebuin and the men. Ticca drew as she controlled the horse with her knees; she leaned out and slapped Lebuin’s horse hard with her hand. “Ride!” Lebuin’s mount jumped at the abuse and flew into a gallop. Lebuin, caught by surprise, was bounced around, his hands splaying as he grabbing desperately for the saddle horn, almost falling off. He managed to grab the saddle horn, hold onto the reins, and somehow managed to stay up for the moment. Using the momentum from slapping Lebuin’s horse, Ticca ducked to the left as a knife passed over her, and would have hit Lebuin if not for his sudden motion.

She righted herself and held on with her legs, letting go of the reins to draw another blade. Guiding the horse with her legs they spun around again, and the horse leapt after Lebuin and Ditani as they raced away. A Dagger disguised as a workman on her left pulled a pair of daggers and ran to intercept the three attackers. Looking back, she saw that the three men were fighting with six Daggers dressed as workmen, sailors, beggars, and peasants. Before she lost sight of the fight two of the disguised Daggers had fallen, heavily wounded, and none of the three men who had come out to attack Lebuin were wounded.
What was a full fire team doing in disguise watching the Dolphin? And Lady, not that I am not thankful, but why the hell did they break cover to help me?
Her mind pulled her Uncle’s favorite saying out to answer that: ‘
Mess with one Dagger, you mess with them all.’

Unfortunately the roads in the city were not straight, nor were they empty. They rode as fast as they could while dodging carts and people. They had just made it to the gate when the Knife in green came running out of narrow alley just ahead of Ditani.
Damn it, who the hell is he and how did he get here so fast?
He was splattered with blood and had two fighting blades out.

“DITANI, LOOK OUT ON YOUR TWO!” Ditani’s head thankfully snapped to the right location.
Thank you, Lady, he knew what that meant!

The Knife sliced with his two blades at Ditani, who successfully dodged away only to lose his balance and fall half-off of his horse. The Knife turned toward Ticca as she turned her horse to ride him down. The war horse didn’t hesitate and leapt at the Knife.

For a moment Ticca and the Knife’s eyes connected and she read his immense anger towards her in that look. He wasn’t afraid, and certainly didn’t look at all like someone about to be trampled by a highly-trained war horse. He didn’t try to dodge, but instead spun in place, sheathing his knives and twisting with a speed Ticca admired as she was carried directly over him. He managed to twist, step, and shift just enough that her horse made no contact with him as it passed over. Anyone else would have been crushed under the mighty weight and steel-shod hooves.
This guy is too much; he can’t be a normal Knife. Why do I have to deal with three exceptional Knives in two days? If this keeps up I am going to demand more coin from Lebuin!

Just as the horse passed over the Knife, he spun and jumped so that both his feet landed on her horse’s rump. In one continuous motion he painfully grabbed Ticca’s shoulders and pushed back off, pulling her right out of the saddle, and they both fell backwards off the horse. He let go of her just as soon as he had guaranteed she was going to be falling with him, which left him a small margin of additional flex in his legs to push off, adding more momentum to his own backward fall. Ticca’s mind raced over the situation.
If I fall off this way I am going to break my neck, and if I don’t this guy will finish me off.

From the corner of her eye she saw him using his extra momentum to do a backflip, heading for the ground feet-first, legs bent to absorb the impact.
OK, that might work for me too.
Moving with her fall, Ticca bent backwards, putting her hands and back of her head on her horse’s rump. She managed to kick the top of her saddle with one foot as she fell backwards, turning the fatal fall into a backwards summersault off the rump of her horse.

I do not like landing with my back to him. Have to fix that first.
Landing, she immediately lunged forward in the same direction the horse was moving with the momentum she already had. The ring of a scissor cut of two knives behind her head told her if she had moved a fraction of second slower she’d be dead. Twisting in the air, she did a somersault half twist flip, landing in a much better position facing the Knife in green. She had her dagger and short sword out and ready.

The Knife didn’t pause. Closing the distance instantly, his knives flew in vicious, deadly attacks. His face held a small smirk but his brows were tight with anger. His every move was deadly, and Ticca had little time to attack as she was forced to concentrate solely on parrying the flurry of blows. Over and over he attacked, and over and over she parried. Ticca was forced to walk backwards as he kept stepping closer, reducing her maneuvering room.

She had managed to get in the occasional riposte, but he slowly sped up. She tried to change the direction he was pushing her but he cut her off and forced her further back. Every three steps backward he sped up marginally. The Knife smiled evilly at her as she tried unsuccessfully to gain an advantage. Finally all she was seeking was escape.
Damn it, he keeps backing me up. This is revenge for killing the other Knife at the hospice. He is doing to me what I did to his friend.
Except there is no wall to pin me against, just the open gateway; can I use that somehow?
Her mind raced, trying to find a way out of this situation alive.

Her arms ached with the strain of holding him off. She had never been pushed so hard, and yet somehow she matched his speed and strength.
I’m holding, but for how long?
She allowed herself to detach slightly to consider the situation. She was trapped in the fight. There was no way to disengage without giving him the chance he needed to kill her, which she was absolutely certain he was planning on doing. Ditani and Lebuin had made it out of the gate. She studied his technique, looking for a bad move. He made no mistakes; his knives flew in a nearly perfect pattern. He reminded her of her trainer. She saw the answer — her trainer had said that the reason he was the best was because he didn’t always follow the pattern; there were moves within the moves. The patterns could be adjusted, but only by a true artist. Someone who knew the patterns, followed them, but didn’t let them control.

They had backed up to the gateway and were in the shadow of the arch. The Knife hadn’t increased speed in at least ten steps.
That’s it, this is his best. Can I go faster?
She reached deep within and steeled herself.
Time to stop giving in to him.
She stopped taking defensive steps backwards, forcing herself to hold the line. His eyes widened when she held.
He is as surprised as I am. OK, now to be a great Dagger!
She held her ground, and letting herself relax into the flow of the fight, she found the calm of the patterns. Her blades sped up just enough that now he was forced to parry as often as she was. Now it was a parry, riposte, parry, and riposte. Then she pushed herself a little faster. He took his first defensive step backwards. She let her grimace turn into a smile and looked deep into his eyes. He wasn’t afraid, but his anger had changed to something else. He stepped back again, but then he pushed back, making her step back. The fight went on back and forth. He was not an artist, but he was the second best she had ever faced. Ignoring the muscle complaints she let her hands flow in the patterns and new attacks emerged as she found different patterns within the patterns. “Who are you?” he asked. She didn’t bother to answer, being busy with breathing.

A knife came from nowhere and nearly hit the man in green. He dodged it but that gave her a chance to slice his upper leg. Anger returned to his eyes. Another knife came at him and he dodged it but didn’t give her another opportunity.

Something cracked loudly behind her but she couldn’t look back. A donkey screamed in panic. Another knife, and this time he backed up enough to disengage for a moment and look around; Ticca allowed him to disengage so she could do the same. There were nine Daggers on the right side of the street, fighting with the two valets in blue, both wounded. Five more Daggers jumped out of another alleyway to her left and swarmed her and the man in green. As he fought them all, Ticca heard splintering wood behind her. Stepping further back, letting the other daggers occupy the Knife, she was able to look around.

A single solid slab of metal completely filled the gateway, rising slowly out of the ground, and as it slowly rose, the existing gates cracked and broke. It looked like there was a deep slot in the wall for this metal slab that had been filled in with stonework to mount the current gates. All of the stonework and other materials didn’t stop the metal slab from rising. In fact, the metal slab was at least six feet thick and had already broken up through the huge paving stones which had been put over it.
That was the first cracking sound I heard, the stonework breaking away.
People had gotten out of the way as it was moving very slowly, having only risen about five feet so far. There was a farmer chasing his panicked donkey away from the gate.

Looking back at the fight she realized this had something to do with Duke.
Duke isn’t paying me, and I have to get Lebuin his answers. This fight is theirs.
She spun and ran for the gateway, looking back in quick glances to follow events with the Knife, jumping up on the slab and sprinting across it. The Knife in green managed to break away from the other Daggers and ran after her. He was just about to the other side of the slab, which had only risen another inch. “Damn it! Close already!” she shouted in frustration, as she prepared to meet him again. He had just started to jump up on top. His foot hadn’t yet left the ground behind when the gate snapped up so fast that the stonework in the slot was instantly turned into a cloud of dust and the remaining parts of the wooden door became flying tinder. The enormous slab of steel slammed into the top of the gateway arch with such force that large masonry stones on the top of the wall were thrown into the air like billiard balls. Ticca felt the shockwave hit her body, pushing her away from the gate slightly as the thunder clap left her ears ringing. She covered her head defensively and held her breath against the cloud of dust. She had to dodge several large falling stones as she backed away from the now-sealed city gateway.