Part 23 (1/2)
They didn't have to wait for long Within an hour the murmur of activity could be heard Jaate
He came back shortly and said, ”It's a hornets' nest out there The cook must have awakened to find the mess I left, and they think Edwin's cliar he said, ”You wait If I'm not back in an hour, assume I'm dead and do what you think is best” To Edwin, he said, ”Coain, William said, ”Captain?”
”Yes?”
”Does it bother you to take orders frohed ”If you'd asked o, I'd have said I never would But James is not like any other squire I've ot the Prince's authority, and I would never argue with that Does it bother you?”
”Sometimes,” William admitted ”But that's ar laughed ”That he is” After acocksure, or at least looking that way, isn't a bad thing in a leader Always reeneral or duke, and yourat you,That counts for a lot”
”I'll remember that”
They fell into silence as the sounds of alarhout the fortification
Ja men had died down Ja their way through a series of for used by the assassins Two roo hall re area and the east gate
Edwin clutched a short sword James had liberated in the previous room He wore the stolen robes and looked like an Izmali assassin
Movement ahead caused James to halt He didn't have to tell the Pathfinder to do likewise He ht, Jaht, but he kno to move with stealth but he kno totoward them James quickly pushed Edwin in front of hilance the assassins e them two more of their own nuot close, one of the men's eyes widened That was all the alarm Edwin needed, and he took two quick steps and threw hi his shen Jaer took him in the chest Edwin sat atop the first assassin, and quickly cut his throat
”We've got to move these bodies out of the way,” said Edwin
”Over in that roo one by the arms Inside the room they found an empty weapons trunk, and put the bodies inside
They took one quick look to make sure they hadn't been spotted, then hurried to the stabling area
When they got there, they found it still in a state of frenzy, though it was clear the last squads of riders were being dispatched All but half a dozen of the forty stalls were ee corrals were vacant Jaot nearly a hundred riders out looking for you”
”Good,” whispered Edwin ”Thateasy”
A band of round stable, conferring They wore dark robes, but they looked more like the ritual robes of priests than the assassins' garb worn by the others
Finally the priest turned and moved toward an exit in the western wall of the stable
When they had vanished, the stable was alate and a couple ofhorses Jaallopers, to recall those out on the search should the fugitive be caught
Ja their horses Then he and Edwinthe shadows, toward the unsuspecting ot next to the two stalls where the riders were preparing theirthe first rider, who glanced up for a , returned his attention to tightening the girth on his saddle He looked up when an unexpected ht his eye and he saw the newly-arrived assassin had stepped behind the rider in the next stall and now that rider was sluround
He never knew Jaer struck deep in to his lower back
James nodded and both men led the horses out of the stalls, uard looked at them and it took hiarb He shouted, and his coered his co the first guard down to the stone floor The second guard pulled out a curved scier Theblow, the blade glanced off thefro his blade ”I hate it when they don't stand still”
Edrestled with his opponent and got his oord across the man's throat With a sudden doard jerk, he crushed the man's windpipe
Ja backward from an unexpected thrust ”Now I' the blade aside with a violent blow, then slashi+ng sideways toward thein shock at the speed of thehis throat
He leapt backward two steps, then crouched, sword at the ready Ja his sword in the opposite direction Thethe sword-blow pass As the ain, at the sa, James hesitated, then pressed forward The fourth ti, James suddenly stepped forward and i toward Edwin, Jaet you killed”
The Pathfinder nodded once, and silently leapt on the back of the closest horse With a slight wave of one hand for a goodbye, he kicked hard at the horse's flanks The horse o steps off into a gallop
Jaates before anyone appeared He muscled the two bars into place, a feat that drenched hied the two bodies into the nearest stalls and covered them with hay, then did the same with the first two assassins they'd killed
Abandoning stealth for speed, he ran fro area and into the two rooms that led him toward the abandoned portion of the fortress
He was nearly out of breath by the tiar He sat down and lit his last taper Between gasps, he said, ”Edwin's away With luck, Arutha will knohat's happening and where we are within a day”
”With luck,” said the captain
”What do we do now?” asked Williaht his breath, then he asked, ”Have you eaten?”
”Yes,” said Treggar ”We finished off our portions We left a bit for you Just in case”
”Thanks, but I'll eat later, if I can” He looked at his two companions ”Arutha has two hundred ht here, hefor Edwin
”I've killed ht they're just like other th is reputation, stealth, surprise, and fear If Arutha catches any number of them outside, he'll crush them”
”What about those still here?”
James said, ”If he finds this place, and arrives at the eastern gate, he's going to find hie wooden doors in it There are loopholes dug through the wall above the door so he's going to losein the door Once the door is down, he'll be facing superior nuar said, ”He could be defeated”