Chapter 17
Then the first rays of sunlight stabbed out from behind the horizon. In that instant everything changed. The beast that sailed through the air toward his sister abruptly transformed into nothing more than a cloud of heavy black smoke. The inky cloud stopped in midair and sank quickly to the ground where it was drawn into the cracks between the stones of the path as if it had been inhaled by the earth itself. Alexander spun to see that Anatoly lay unconscious but alive. There was no trace of the three-legged nether wolf.
Everyone stood stock-still in the sudden silence. The immediate threat was gone, banished by sunlight. Alexander glanced to the Reishi camp and saw that they hadn’t yet moved. He slammed his sword into its scabbard, slipped over the edge of the gatehouse, and dropped to the ground. He was kneeling beside Anatoly in three steps. The big man-at-arms was just starting to come to. Alexander looked up and nodded at Lucky, who started down off the gatehouse using the rope.
“Jack, keep an eye on the Reishi camp. Abby, watch the path; we can’t afford to be surprised right now.”
Jack nodded, slipped off the gatehouse and headed to the perimeter wall.
Abigail nocked another arrow.
Lucky knelt next to Anatoly just as he came awake with a start. He got to his knees with a wince and looked around wildly for the threat.
“Anatoly, the wolves are gone. We’re safe for the moment,” Alexander tried to reassure him so he wouldn’t hurt himself with any sudden movements.
Anatoly looked to Lucky for confirmation and got a nod and a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Why don’t you lie down and let me have a look at you?” Lucky said reassuringly.
Anatoly nodded through obvious pain as he gingerly eased himself back to the ground.
“What happened?” he asked with his eyes closed.
Lucky nodded to Alexander while he rummaged through his bag.
Alexander took a deep breath before he began. “The truth is I’m not really sure. One moment we were losing the fight badly, then the sun broke over the horizon and the nether wolves turned to smoke and just disappeared.”
Anatoly opened one eye and frowned up at Alexander.
He shrugged and continued, “Couldn’t have happened at a better time, that three-legged wolf was just about to crush your skull and the one we pincushioned and sent off the top of the plateau came back and was about five feet from landing on top of Abby.” He shuddered. “For a second there I was sure we were all done for. It was a pretty helpless feeling.”
Anatoly nodded, “It’s one thing to place yourself in harm’s way and quite another to watch those you care about risk their lives.”
Lucky rolled a couple of numbweed leaves into a ball and held them in front of Anatoly’s mouth with a gesture and a look.
Anatoly scowled up at his old friend, “You know how much I hate that stuff.”
Lucky nodded. “It’ll do you good. Open up,” he said with a little too much good cheer.
Anatoly obeyed and started chewing the foul-tasting painkiller. “That’s only two of ’em, where’d the third one go?” he asked while he chewed.
Alexander smiled grimly, “I took its head off when you distracted it. It’s nothing but a leather bag of bones up on top of the gatehouse.”
Anatoly nodded his approval. “Good man. What about the Reishi?”
“Jack’s keeping an eye on them,” Alexander said. “I think they were pretty terrified by the nether wolves. Can’t say I blame ’em.”
Lucky produced a glass vial of clear liquid from his bag. “How are you feeling, Anatoly? Is the numbweed working yet?”
Anatoly nodded.
“Good. Alexander let’s help him sit up.”
Anatoly winced in pain as he struggled to sit.
“Go ahead and spit out the numbweed.” Lucky handed him a water skin to rinse his mouth out. “Now drink this.” Lucky handed over the vial. “It’ll help you heal. It’s like the healing salve except it works from the inside.”
Anatoly took the vial, inhaled deeply, held his breath, and downed it quickly. He made a face as he tipped up the water skin and took a long drink. “That tasted awful. It’d better work,” Anatoly said before he closed his eyes and eased himself back to the ground.
“I’m going to go check on the Reishi and the horses,” Alexander said. “How long before he’ll be back on his feet?”
“He should be up and about after a short nap, say half an hour. I’ll stay with him,” Lucky said as he sat down on his bedroll and started rummaging around in his bag. He produced a hard biscuit and handed it to Alexander.
Alexander nodded his thanks with a chuckle and headed off to have a look at the Reishi camp.
He crept up next to Jack, keeping low to avoid being seen from the plain below. He wasn’t sure if it mattered at this point but it was better to be safe. “How’s it look?” he asked, peeking over the low perimeter wall.
“They haven’t left that charred circle surrounding their camp but they’re keeping an eye on the plateau. See that one standing at the edge of the circle looking our way?”
Alexander nodded.
“They’ve rotated a few men through that watch post so everyone can eat. It’s a good bet they know we’re here. But I’m more worried about that.” Jack pointed out over the plain at a cloud of dust rising from the road off in the distance. “I suspect the rest of the soldiers we stole the horses from are headed this way. Once they get here, we’re stuck.”
Alexander nodded, “It looks like they’re a few hours away. We might have to make a run for it before they get here. I don’t really want to spend another night up here.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about that too. Did you see how those nether wolves turned to smoke and went to ground? I’ve read about things like that from accounts of the Reishi War. I don’t think they’re dead.” He looked over at Alexander. “I think they’re just waiting for the sun to go down.”
“You mean they’re still here?” Alexander asked as he started to look around with alarm.
“I believe they are,” Jack answered. “By the time the sun goes down, I think we should be a long way from here.”
“Agreed, we’ll make a run for it as soon as Anatoly is well enough to ride. I’m going to check on the horses.” Alexander patted Jack on the shoulder and moved away in a crouch.
When he passed the gatehouse, Abigail pointed off toward the road. Alexander nodded at his sister’s warning. He stopped at Anatoly’s feet and gave Lucky a questioning look. Lucky shrugged and motioned for him to be quiet so as not to wake the man-at-arms. Alexander started to go but stopped for a moment to take a hard look at the ground where the nether wolf had been standing just before the sun came up. The spot looked perfectly normal until he relaxed his vision and looked with his second sight. He caught his breath and a chill crept up his spine. The patch of ground radiated the same darkness he’d seen when he looked at the nether wolves.
He looked to Lucky and whispered, “We leave as soon as we can ride.” Then turned and went to check on the horses.
The grass had been cropped in the area around their picket line and the horses were stretching to reach the lush green shoots just beyond their tethers. Alexander reached into one of the saddlebags and found a bag of carrots Owen had packed for them. He walked among them, petting them, soothing them, and feeding them their treats. They were restless and hungry but, all things considered, they were in pretty good shape. Once he’d made his rounds through the horses, he got into another saddlebag and found some biscuits and dried fruit. He went back to Lucky and saw that Anatoly was awake.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, offering them both some breakfast.
Anatoly nodded, “Much better. I should be ready to ride soon. Turns out Lucky’s foul-tasting potion was good for something after all.”
Alexander chuckled and moved on to the gatehouse. He took enough fruit and biscuits from the little bag for himself and Jack and tossed the rest up
to Abigail. She caught it without a word and smiled her thanks to him.
He handed Jack breakfast and knelt down next to him to take another look at the Reishi camp. They were still in the confines of their circle of fire and the riders in the distance weren’t making very good time. It looked like they were still more than an hour away.
“You were right about the wolves. I think they took refuge from the sun in the ground. We need to be very far away from here by sunset.” Alexander took a bite of dried apple and chewed slowly while he thought it over and tried to formulate a strategy. They still had half a dozen enemy to get past with more on the way. If he was right, the ones coming this way were moving slowly because they were riding double. Since he’d stolen ten of their horses they had more men than mounts.
“Anatoly should be ready to ride soon,” Alexander said absently around a mouthful of biscuit while he turned their situation over in his mind.
Jack nudged him and motioned to the Reishi Camp. The men were arming up and the wizard was standing at the edge of his circle chanting a spell while he looked up at the plateau.
Alexander watched in helpless fascination as the wizard’s magic began to take shape. Between his outstretched hands floated a large undulating sphere that looked like a soap bubble two feet across except it was filled with swirling orange-red liquid fire. He looked straight up at Alexander and released the bubble of liquid fire at them. It rose toward the edge of the plateau, quickly gaining speed as it went.
Alexander called out, “Take cover!”
He and Jack ducked behind the low perimeter wall. The wobbling ball of liquid fire streaked over their heads, past the little wall that was sheltering them, and crashed into the old guard tower about halfway up its side. It burst with a splash and sent droplets of red-hot flaming liquid cascading down into the ruined square building that used to serve as a barracks. Had the east wall of the low square building not been collapsed in, the liquid fire would have splashed against it instead and covered Alexander and Jack in white-hot death. As it was, little droplets of the caustic, flaming, magical liquid had splattered all over the side of the tower and inside the square building. A few drops had splattered over the wall and landed just feet from Anatoly and Lucky, who were crouching against the outside of the square building’s south wall.
Alexander stared in shock. The liquid fire burned into the stone of the tower wall, eating away at what was left of the tower’s structural integrity. He knew it would be only minutes before the tower would fall. He saw the splattered fire all around and gave thanks that no one had been hit.
Then he saw a hawk circling overhead, which seemed to be watching the whole thing with intense interest.
He spun and looked back down at the plain below. The wizard was casting another spell.
“Time to go,” he said to Jack. “Start clearing the gatehouse tunnel of that pile of rubble.”
He headed toward Anatoly and Lucky and stopped at the gatehouse just long enough to help Abigail to the ground. She gave him a quick look, then stepped into the tunnel and started heaving head-sized boulders off the edge of the cliff. Jack stepped up beside her while Alexander went to get the horses. Lucky and Anatoly were already there when he arrived. They were busy tying the skittish horses into strings of three, one string for each rider. Alexander heard the flaming whoosh of another bubble of liquid fire as he raced to help prepare the horses. This one hit the perimeter wall right where Alexander and Jack had been only moments before. Droplets of liquid fire splashed over the edge and covered the grass leading up to the collapsed wall of the barracks building.
All of the horses were strung together and ready when Abigail and Jack ran up, breathless from the hard work of clearing the tunnel.
“All clear,” Jack managed as Anatoly handed him a set of reins and Alexander handed Abigail hers.
They walked the horses quickly through the gatehouse and onto the narrow path before mounting up and riding single file down to the plain below. When they came to the place where they’d staged their ambush on the west side of the plateau, the tower came crashing down with a terrible noise. The horses bolted in fear. It was all Alexander could do to keep his horse on the path. He careened around the corner and came onto the long straight stretch of the gently sloping ramp that ran along the north face of the plateau and saw yet another opportunity to die.