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set of shadows, and he smiled. It felt like old
TO DREAM OF DREAMERS LOST
184
times. He and Montrovant had shared many roads,
but it had been a long time since the two had fed
together, and it marked the first time in the close
vicinity of the others. A landmark.
They moved back to the clearing at nearly the
same moment, filled and sated, ready to continue
the chase.
 We must head for the mountains, Montrovant
said softly.  We will find them there.
Jeanne nodded, and the two moved back toward
the camp quickly. Their men had gathered their
mounts, which had not strayed far, and packed
everything easily carried into their bags. They
would be on the road and gone before the bandits
knew they had been robbed.
 There is no reason to wait for the rest of these
worthless vermin, Montrovant said as they turned
away from the camp, following one of the bandit
trails parallel to the road.  We have the information
we need. There is little more that could be
added by other witnesses, and any time we waste
making our way to the mountains is time that
Gustav and the others will have ahead of us.
Jeanne nodded.  If they are headed for the mountains
from here, they have only one road. We will
find word of them along the way. It is difficult to
hide such a large group, even traveling by night.
Montrovant nodded. They gathered their men
and thundered off through the forest toward the
road beyond. Montrovant wanted to be well be-
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DAVID NIALL WILSON
yond the borders of the city before daybreak. It
would be unfortunate if the bandits were able and
of a mind to follow them, less fortunate still if they
actually caught up. The forest swallowed them
whole, returning to silent shadows.
_
Abraham was out of the cellar and into the shed
at the first kiss of shadow. There was no time to
lose. If Montrovant had learned of the bandits, and
that the trail of the Order led through the woods
beyond the town, he would be there, perhaps there
and gone. Abraham would have to pick up the trail
beyond and hope he could make good enough time
to keep the group in tracking distance.
He also wanted to get free of Grenoble before
Lacroix and Noirceuil located him. He knew he
was not likely to be the pair s prey, but he was certain
this fact would not sway Noirceuil one bit from
destroying him. Abraham had seen the hunger in
the older one s eyes as he worked. There was a hatred
there burning, very old and very strong. The
last thing Abraham needed was to fall victim before
he even had his goal in sight.
He mounted his horse and turned away from the
ruins, sweeping his gaze up and down the road to
be certain he was not seen. He sensed others moving
about, but that was to be expected. The day
was ending. Workers returned home, and food
would be on tables around the city. A good time
to rise and be gone.
TO DREAM OF DREAMERS LOST
186
Eyes watched him from the shadows of an alley,
but he paid them no mind. His thoughts were focused
ahead, on the trees and the dark memory of
Montrovant s laughter, and his eyes. Soon, he told
himself, there would be a reckoning, for good or ill.
He did not take the road straight to the woods.
He swung wide, coming in from the far side, where
a line of trees jutted from the side, sliding in among
the trees easily, senses alert. Odds were that, traveling
alone and by night, the bandits would find
him before he traveled too far. He was not worried
about an attack, but he did not want to waste too
much time, nor did he want to become the next
rumor bandied about in the taverns. Lacroix would
be on that scent in moments.
He moved quietly, and though he sensed once or
twice that there were eyes watching him and heard
furtive movements deeper in the trees, sometimes
ahead, sometimes behind, he was not molested as
he moved in toward the center of the forest and the
main road. He slipped from the trees and onto that
trail about an hour after sunset, eyes sweeping up
and down, watching for signs that others had
passed.
At first there was nothing, but as he moved in
deeper he saw where a group of horses had sped up,
and plunged off the main trail, and he followed
those tracks, sliding off the secondary trail and into
the trees once more. No sense announcing his arrival.
He wanted to get in and out without being
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DAVID NIALL WILSON
seen, if possible.
There were no guards, and that in itself was
strange. The trail of the others led boldly up the
center of the path, and eventually he came to the
edge of the clearing that marked the bandit s camp.
He smelled the fresh blood then, and from the
shadows of the trees, he could make out the
sprawled bodies and disheveled equipment.
Montrovant had been here, and gone. He slipped
from the trees, walking his horse through the ruins
of the place, the beast shying away from the
fresh corpses.
There were not many bodies, not as many as he
would have expected from Raul s report of the
band. Where were the others? Dead? Fled? He dismounted
and leaned closer to examine one of the
bodies, and it was then that the gates of Hades
opened up to flood the clearing.
They burst from the trees all around him, swords
drawn, eyes blazing, screaming in a mixture of rage
and frustration. Abraham turned in a crouch, saw
that he was too late to flee, and leaped straight into
the air, clearing the first horse and its rider easily
and grabbing a limb of the tree above. He swung
out and forward, slamming his boots into the face
of the next rider in line. There were too many. He
might kill them all, he might not, but it would certainly
be a bloodbath. Cursing, he rolled back to
his feet, ducking under the blade of his next attacker,
yanking the man from his saddle and tossing
TO DREAM OF DREAMERS LOST
188
him to the side.
His own mount was bucking crazily, shying away
from the attacking horde, but he managed to slip
up beside it and scramble into the saddle, gripping
the animal s flanks tightly. He didn t need the ride
so much as he did the papers and his few possessions.
Slamming his heels into the horse s sides, he
launched it forward, leaning low along the neck.
He did not draw a weapon. He slipped past the
leader of the bandits, and as he passed his hand shot
out, catching the hilt of the man s sword and tearing
it from his hand. The bandit snarled, but
Abraham backhanded him hard, sending the man
sprawling to the ground.
He spun for the edge of the clearing, and was
leaping through a break in the trees when another
cry drifted to him and he turned. He cursed as he
saw her. Fleurette was being dragged, kicking and
screaming, from the tree line by a huge warrior. His
eyes were filled with death, and the girl s fate was
obvious.
Without thinking, Abraham spun again, his
mount leaping toward the edge of the clearing.
Angry swordsmen converged on him from all sides,
but he swept past them, ignoring their charge, eyes
fixed on the lone warrior who held Fleurette so
tightly by her hair.
The man spotted Abraham, and drew his blade
with a cry. Fleurette chose that moment to bring
down her boot hard on the man s instep. He ca-
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reened to one side, screaming in pain, and she was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]