Part 12 (1/2)
There were men in the camp as well as animals Threea robe and carrying a large staff Two seemed to be in a trance, and Williae leopards he could see-and however uard over theician
Refusing to be diverted from his purpose, Willia snarling ani in concert with one another, fierce hunters now gifted with huence as they tried to pull down any soldier whose attentions wavered for an instant
Theat a run and raised his staff, pointing it at the young officer Willia what spell was co
Pain suddenly struck him in waves, and behind hiered a step, then realized that while he hurt froician who pointed his staff at hiarded hiician dropped his staff and pulled a dagger fro lieutenant with an anier
William had only to raise his sword, and as he had with the leopard, the point took the attacker in the chest But rather than swing to one side, Williaician practically ran upon the blade His eyes bulged and he dropped his dagger, then his eyes rolled up into his skull and he died
William let him fall and yanked his blade free He turned and saw his coony
Around hi men told William he had little tiician, the one he had met in the inn, who had named himself Jaquin Medosa When his blade struck, it was like hitting an oak tree, and the ered but didn't fall Williaic could accomplish all his life, and he knew his foe was eicians who looked frail could th to lift a horse, or resist sword blows and arrow points
For an instant, the man's concentration turned to Williaainst Willia officer struck another bloith his sword, severing the man's ar from his shoulder Without mercy, William ended his life with the point of his blade in the ician also died quickly, and suddenly the tone of coe now turned to those of terror Even with the spell broken, the cats would continue to fight ”Back away froerous for being free of the enchantht suffer more if he couldn't quickly drive the cats off
He closed his eyes and conjured an ie, defying the leopard to enter its territory No noriven a chance to flee
Instantly leopards began to flee the scene Men shouted and while soer, soon the caeant Matthews!”
”Sir,” caeant hove into view, his left ar blood
”Get yourself seen to, then report,” said Williaed froht, Your Grace?”
The duke nodded, looking around ”All these damned cats It doesn't make sense Leopards are solitary hunters-”
Kazamir went pale and said, ”Look!”
Williaicians he had killed and saw that their bodies were transfor what fewto its toteician Willialy powerful, was a huge black leopard William inspected it and said, ”This was the one that raked you, Your Grace”
”How can you tell?” asked the duke, as pale as his son
”This is where I wounded it before,” said Willia to a mark on its left side He then showed the severed arm ”And this is where I cut off his arm This was the man at the inn yesterday, Jaquin Medosa”
Prince Vladic, with considerably feounds than his uncle and cousin, stepped fronized him, also”
”You survived,” said William with obvious relief
Vladic said, ”My uncle and cousin are heroes They overturned the table and we fought fro me”
”The Princess?” asked Willia in the tent”
Williae ”How many cats?”
”At least a dozen,” said a soldier ”Maybe more, sir”
Williaic Those who tried to kill you, Your Grace, ereat prowess Only a few can do what these three did”
The duke said, ”You flatter me, lieutenant These men didn't come here to kill me”
William said, ”Sir?”
Vladic said, ”They came here to kill nored hiht atfrom his wounds said, ”I think I can explain: had you not sent me back to camp, I would have been on the trail with you and your men when the leopards struck this camp Almost certainly everyone here would have died I can explain at greater length after I get these wounds dressed, but the short answer is that someone wants the Crown Prince of Olasko dead And they want him dead on your prince's doorstep”
William felt a cold chill in the pit of his stohboring kingdo to start a war
EIGHT - Attack
Servants rushed forward
Willianaled to Matthews to sweep the perimeter around the inn before darkness, while the servants hurried inside with the duke and his faicians' attack, William had quickly taken stock of the situation, come to several realizations, and made a decision
The first realization was that two or three very powerful icians had orchestrated an assault that had been planned and executed with painstaking care Whichfeeling, William wondered if there was a spy in the palace, or if it had si the city and sending word ahead by icalwas more his province William just didn't have the temperament to consider every possible turn and twist of a plot His forte was battle: tactics and strategy, logistics and resupply, defense and assault
The other realization was that he had lost seven of his twentywith half the servants By all accounts at least two dozen large cats had struck si a dozen nized the attack for what it was Only Prince Vladic's quick wits had saved the duke, Paulina and Kazamir He had overturned the table, ordered the others to crouch behind it, and killed everything that tried to come over the top
Other details were confused So the cats, dressed in black, while others made no mention of it Duke Radswil, Kazamir, Paulina and Prince Vladic all reported they had seen no black-clad men
William had decided the duke was too injured to ride all the way back to Krondor, so he decided to send riders to the city, while waiting at the inn for relief He asked for a healer to be dispatched with additional guardsed to staunch the blood flow from the duke's shoulder wound with a well-fashi+oned field bandage, but it was still seeping, and the duke eakening
Princess Paulina seemed in need of some sort of help, but William was at a loss as to what to do She sat silently, wide-eyed, lookingseductress
Night was upon them, and William hurriedly inspected the men and horses They ell provisioned and ar soldiers-he had sent three to the city -three ounded With the two Princes, he had a dozen able-bodied men to defend the inn should another attack be mounted He couldn't depend on the innkeeper and his family Non-combatants could be more of a hindrance than a help in this situation
Willia when he finished with the inspection and started back toward the inn All he knew of anized society of reed in principle to study and share knowledge
But he had heard stories, often froination, stories of dark practices and secret rites, conducted by those serving evil powers For every reat and wonderful, others had stayed away because of their own distrust, but some had remained apart because of their own dark aicians who sold dark potions and evil talis dark arts, and others who served mad Gods Many of the rites whispered about were bloody and vile, and until this afternoon, Willia of the same cloth as tales told around the campfire to scare children
But now he had no doubt some of them must be true