"Men who fear demons see demons everywhere." ― Gerald Brom, The Child Thief
Kensie examined the tracks. Four or five riders on poorly shod horses, making their way along paths beside the road. Bits of thread hung on bushes with branches broken or hacked. The trail was pathetically easy to read. How could they be so…. He felt the hairs rising on the back of his neck.
::Bredin! Off into the bush! Now!:: Kensie pointed to the far side of the road. He threw himself onto Losanir's back and led the way, pulling the patient pack mule along behind the Companion.
Repressing a flash of irritation at Kensie's peremptory order, Bredin followed his partner. A hundred yards away, they stopped in a small clearing surrounded by thick brush. Bredin scanned the immediate area with his farsight. There was no one nearby; he and Kensie were hidden for the moment.
::Look for them.:: Kensie said. At the same time, Kensie reached out with his animal mindspeech.
Using his farsight, Bredin followed the track until he found five rough-clad men making their way along the path ahead of them. They were about three hundred yards off.
::Thought so.:: Kensie said. Bredin got the impression Kensie was not talking about the men ahead, an impression confirmed when Kensie added. ::Look behind us.::
Bredin turned his farsight back the way they came. A score of men were following the trail. Bredin shivered at the narrow escape. ::How did you know?:: Bredin wondered if Kensie had been warned by some undisclosed Gift.
::That track was too obvious. Nobody trying to hide themselves would have made so many mistakes. At least not if they had any experience moving through brush.:: Kensie said. ::We were meant to find that track.::
::You mean they were stalking us?:: Bredin asked.
::Who else?:: Kensie asked rhetorically.
Bredin chewed his lip in thought. ::There are too many of them. We can't challenge them, at least not directly. And it would take too much time to fetch a troop from Redruth. Unless your mindspeech is strong enough to reach that far….::
::I have a little greater range than you, but not that much.:: Kensie said.
::We can't just leave them.:: Bredin said. ::They are too near Bohrsholding. Or they might attack a merchant or other traveller. Suggestions?::
::It depends if they know we are here.:: Kensie said. ::Let's just watch them for a while. See if they notice when we left the road.:: Kensie reached out once again, finding the minds of the horses of the second group while Bredin watched with his farsight. They waited quietly in the clearing, following the second group until the bandits passed the point they'd left the road and kept going. Kensie listened through the ears of the horses, but the men kept silent.
Once they were sure the second group had not noticed where they had left the path, Kensie exhaled softly.
::First, we have to find out if they are aware we are nearby.:: Bredin said.
Kensie nodded. His mindspeech was slightly stronger than Bredin's and he had more experience reading the minds of others. ::I'll have to get a little closer to read their thoughts. Watch me with your farsight and give me a mindshout if you see any sign they've noticed me.::
Kensie handed Bredin the lead rope for his mule before Losanir slipped silently away. Bredin 'followed' him with his farsight, alternating between his partner and their quarry.
Kensie and Losanir slid through the brush, avoiding the main road. Kensie admired Losanir's ability to move quietly, despite the tangle of bushes and litter on the forest floor. ::I'll do my job, you do yours.:: The Companion said. Kensie caressed the white shoulder fondly as he used his animal mindspeech to watch the bandits through their horses' eyes.
Losanir closed within thirty yards of the bandits, behind them and slightly to one side. Kensie snorted contempt as he realized they did not have a rear guard. He scanned the group. One man in the center rode a horse slightly better than the mounts of the others, though it did not match even the worst of the horses ridden by Count Wyeth's guardsmen. Kensie reached for the man's mind.
###
Duran Molnar glanced around irritably. That damned Black Robe wanted a White Demon. The cursed creatures and their Hell-horses scared the whey out of Duran, but his bargain with the priest left him with no choice: Either bring back a Demon Rider, preferably alive, or Rhithik would send the Sunsguard against them and burn any survivors. Duran would rather be picking off merchants on the road. This late in the season, the merchants' purses would be full. Gold was much easier to carry and more negotiable than trade goods. However, Duran and his gang needed a base in Karse and Rhithik's tacit tolerance to survive; he had no choice but to give in to the Black Robe's demands.
Rhithik had told Duran there should be two Demon Riders nearby, travelling together. Either one would do, but capturing both would be better. Rhithik's information said they should be coming along this road in the next few days. Duran's skin crawled at the thought of fighting the Demon Riders. Who knew what they could do with their witch-powers? Would they swallow his soul? Would their Hell-horses devour his guts?
::Please.:: Losanir commented. ::That is disgusting.::
Kensie grinned and touched the Companion's shoulder. He kept listening to the leader's thoughts. Their plan was simple: A group of five men sent ahead to make an obvious 'hidden' trail with the main body following behind who would rush up to close the trap once Bredin and Kensie engaged the bait group.
They were getting out of range of Bredin's farsight. With one last check to confirm the bandits had not detected them, Kensie withdrew from the leader's mind and headed back to his partner.
###
Bredin sighed with relief as he 'saw' Kensie turn back. The bandits gave no sign they knew of his presence. Bredin watched and waited patiently until Losanir glided into the clearing.
"They are definitely hunting us." Kensie relaxed into speaking aloud. Quickly, he told Bredin what he had learned from the mind of the bandit leader.
"The Karsites have come hunting for us before." Bredin commented. The Karsites wanted to capture Heralds more than anything else and made frequent attempts to do so. Almost always, the Heralds had evaded the traps, either by way of their gifts or superior knowledge of the land. Unfortunately, the Karsites succeeded often enough that the circuit was among the most dangerous. Both of them remembered the warnings Kyril and Elcarth had given of Heralds murdered or worse, captured by the Karsites.
"We know they have spies in Valdemar." Kensie said. "But I am bothered by the fact they knew where we would be."
"Agreed." Bredin said. "I think we'd better be a little less predictable in the future. When we get back, we'll recommend this circuit be done at random."
"That will make it more difficult for the guard to know where we are if they need us or we need them." Kensie pointed out.
Bredin grimaced. He couldn't see a solution. "Well, what do we do with the bandits we've got? We'll have to warn Bohrsholding and see if we can stop traffic on the road."
"Bohrsholding is nearer." Kensie said. "Take the mules and go there on the back trails. Warn Bohrsholding and tell them to warn travellers. I'll head back towards Laikhold and warn them and have them send word to Redruth. We'll meet back here in three candlemarks."
"Why not at the waystation?" Bredin asked.
Kensie shook his head. "If they know about Heralds, they've probably been told about Waystations. It would be the perfect place to set a trap or surround us."
The two set off. Fortunately, the Holderkin disliked bandits even more than they disliked Heralds. It wasn't hard for Bredin to persuade them to call their people in and allow Bredin to stable the mules inside the holding. He returned to the meeting point a candlemark and a half later. To his surprise, Kensie was already there.
"I met a tinker coming this way." Kensie explained. "He's taking the warning back to Laikhold."
"Now what?" Bredin asked.
Kensie grinned wolfishly. "Now we hunt the hunters." The Companions whickered.
Using their gifts, the two relocated the bandits, who were still patrolling the same stretch of road. As they watched, one man left the main group and raced ahead to those acting as bait.
Guessing that the man was a messenger, Kensie and Bredin hatched a plan. While the messenger spoke to the bait group, they positioned themselves on either side of the road between the two groups. Kensie dismounted and concealed himself behind a bush with Losanir close by. Bredin, the better archer, stayed mounted. As the returning messenger approached his position, Kensie reached out with his animal mindspeech, planting fear in the mind of the messenger's horse. The horse balked and stopped on the road, making the rider an easy target for Bredin, who took the messenger down with a clean heart shot.
The man's body started to fall. Kensie stepped out of his hiding place. Calming the horse with his gift, Kensie propped the body up on the saddle, preventing it from dropping to the ground. Carefully, Kensie led the horse into the brush. Bredin checked the ground; finding their attack had left no signs, he followed Kensie. Thirty yards from the road, Kensie lowered the body quietly. Kensie took the man's weapons, threw a light cover of leaves over the body and mounted Losanir. He handed the arrow back to Bredin. "Keep this one. It works well." They both smiled at the grim joke. They led the captured horse to a clearing, where Kensie stripped the tack and turned it loose with a 'suggestion' that it graze on the lush grass.
Leaving the horse, they returned to watch the bandits. With his farsight, Bredin could see that the leader was getting visibly impatient. Guessing that the bandit might send another messenger, they positioned themselves as before, ready to intercept the second man.
Their guess proved correct. The bandit chief sent another messenger ahead. The second man never reached the bait group. Bredin's arrow took him down at almost the same spot where the first man died. Once again, the two Heralds concealed the evidence of the attack. They disposed of the body at a different spot and took the second horse to join the first, knowing that horses felt calmer with company and would be less likely to wander.
Once again, they went back to check on their quarry. With luck, the bandits would send out a third messenger – or perhaps a group of two. To their disappointment, the bandit chief decided on caution and brought the whole gang up to meet the bait group. Bredin and Kensie decided change of tactics was in order.
###
Duran Molnar sighed with relief as they came up on the bait group. The relief turned to alarm when he learned that Clegg had met the lead group and headed back to the main body. Worse, Parman had never arrived. The hair rose on the back of Duran's neck. Neither man was likely to desert, especially not in Valdemar.
"White Demons." Jerob voiced the fears of others.
"Shut your damn fool mouth!" Duran rounded on Jerob. The last thing Duran needed right now was panic.
Panic was what Duran Molnar got. The words were no sooner out of his mouth than arrows thunked into the backs of Ivar and Ronan. Ivar groaned and fell dead to the ground. Horribly, the arrow that struck Ronan went through the back of his neck and the point emerged from his mouth like a monstrous tongue of wood and iron. Ronan grasped his throat as blood poured from his mouth. Choking and spitting up blood, Ronan fell off his horse and writhed on the ground before he gave a final croak and lay still.
The uproar was immediate. The men began shouting and milling about, shooting arrows wildly into the brush while looking around for a way to escape.
"Stay together! Stay together!" Duran grabbed at the reins of the horses nearest his to prevent the riders from galloping off. Fyn Skala, Duran's second, kept his head and added his steadying voice to Duran's. Somehow, they kept most of the band together, though Duran shouted curses at Rand, who broke and fled down the road. Rand disappeared around the bend at a gallop. A few moments later, they heard a scream of terror that abruptly cut off.
###
Bredin and Kensie loosed their arrows and slipped away from their concealed position without waiting to see if their shots were good. Fifty yards away they stopped to see the result. When Kensie saw one man break away and gallop down the road, he mindsent ::Stay here.:: to Bredin and chased after the fleeing bandit. Even following sidepaths, Losanir was far faster than the bandit horse. Losanir exploded out of the brush just as the bandit crossed in front of them, ramming the horse and sending it down.
The bandit landed on his back. He screamed and tried to raise his hands to fend off Losanir's hoof, which slammed into his face and smashed his skull.
::That's a good Hell-horse. Now let's make it look like you were hungry.:: Kensie leapt down beside the dead bandit. Taking the man's own sword, Kensie slashed his belly open and turned out the entrails. He threw the sword into the bush and took the man's dagger. Remounting Losanir, Kensie mindcalled the horse, which followed after Losanir.
::You are giving us a bad reputation.:: Losanir complained as they made their way back to Bredin's position.
::Your reputation is Karse is already terrifying. I'm just making it look like you are what they feared.:: Kensie teased. Losanir pinned his ears.
Bredin gave Kensie a look of shock as he returned. ::Why did you do that? That was horrible.::
Kensie explained what he had picked up from the leader's thoughts earlier. ::I want them terrified. If they're too frightened to think and plan, it is easier for us. If we can kill that leader, they may scatter. Then we can pick them off one by one.::
Bredin swallowed hard. It might be distasteful, but Kensie's grim logic was irrefutable. Bredin remembered Shanis Rains' blunt lecture three years before. He consoled himself with the thought that the bandit was already dead before Kensie mutilated the body.
::In fact, he died far quicker than most.:: Lacaral pointed out gently. The Companion's tone grew darker. ::And far less painfully than you will if they capture you.::
"Let's give their fears a little time to work." Bredin said.
Kensie agreed. The two set themselves to watch the bandits.
###
In the sudden silence after Rand's scream cut off, the entire troop froze in place, looking the way Rand had gone. Duran licked his lips. Best to know, he decided. "Stay together! We're stronger together. Pick up Ivar and Ronan." He ordered. The others picked up the fallen men and tied their bodies over the saddles of their horses, who flared their nostrils and rolled their eyes as the bleeding corpses were put on their backs. Once the dead men were secured, Duran urged his horse down the road, following Rand. "Follow me. Stay alert."
The horses smelled the blood even before the bandits found Rand's body. They began to jig restively, reluctant to approach. Even as the bandits spurred and whipped their horses, Kensie worked on the animals' minds, exaggerating their fears and causing them to fight their riders. Kensie felt scorn as the riders brutally drove the horses on, but he could not let his pity for the animals deter him from making life uncomfortable for their riders.
The gang reached Rand's body. Losanir's strike had nearly obliterated the dead man's head. "It ate his brain!" Jerob said. Duran cursed and backhanded him for a fool.
"I seen worse from a mace." The phlegmatic Egil said. "Better bury 'em."
Sticking close together, the gang found a clearing just off the road and quickly dug three shallow graves. When Bredin saw what they were doing, Jerob's superstitious cry gave him an idea. ::Pull your cloak up. Hide your head.:: He grabbed a cloth and made a head-sized bundle.
Duran had chosen a spot where the road was wider and straight for a long way, giving him a good view in either direction. While the bandits buried their dead, Losanir and Lacaral made their way silently to opposite ends of the straight stretch, bracketing the bandits. Just as the bandits finished covering the graves, the two Heralds emerged from the bushes. Lacaral and Losanir reared high and uttered screaming whinnies while Bredin and Kensie held the bundles out sideways and brandished their swords with their other hands.
Before the terrified bandits could do more than draw their swords, the Heralds and Companions disappeared back into the bush.
"Demons all around us!" Jerob cried out. Duran swatted him again. To forestall any further outbursts, Duran ordered the men to continue the way they had been going.
Using their gifts, the two Heralds watched and followed from concealment. The Companions were almost noiseless and the bandits did not detect their pursuers, though Duran Molnar was certain the Heralds were there.
::Damn. I hoped that would make them scatter.:: Bredin said.
::It shook them up, though. That one that keeps talking about 'Demons' has got their fears up. He's our best chance to get them running.:: Kensie replied.
It was cold-blooded, but Bredin had to agree. ::We need to get that leader. He's the lynchpin.::
They shadowed the group, always staying hidden, revealing their presence with occasional arrows. Forced to keep their distance and loose arrows only through narrow gaps in the foliage, Bredin and Kensie only managed to injure one man, though Bredin once missed the leader by a mere handspan.
###
The unpredictable harassment wore on the nerves of the bandits, who twitched at every sound in the woods. They clustered close together, constantly looking around for attacks. When they paused to rest or relieve themselves, none of them would go into the bushes, choosing to drop their breeks right beside the road.
Duran Molnar led his men deeper into the woods, away from the road. By now, it was getting late and he found a clearing suitable for a camp. There was a steam nearby and, after giving the horses a chance to drink, the men picketed and hobbled them. They dug a latrine pit at the far end of the clearing and men went out in groups of four to gather firewood.
Bredin and Kensie easily hid from the foraging parties. They gnawed at their field rations as they watched the bandits make camp. By full dark, they crept close enough to 'listen' to the minds of the bandits.
Duran's eye wandered over his men, assessing their mood. They hunched their shoulders looked around constantly. Not only were the White Demons evading them and taunting them, there were no travellers on the road to rob. Some loot, however minor, would have cheered them slightly and an attack on a caravan might have drawn their quarry out of concealment. Duran deduced the White Demons must have warned the travellers.
They weren't invincible: Duran knew that the White Demons and their Hell-horses had been killed and even captured in the past. They might be better one-on-one against Duran and his men, but they couldn't take on the whole gang at once. They were trying to pick Duran's men off singly: How could Duran force a confrontation? Duran scanned his men again, noting their uneasy looks and whispers. Duran had to do something soon or they would bolt and scatter.
###
::Damn.:: Kensie thought to Bredin. ::I was hoping he would give up.::
Bredin had been scanning the minds of the other men, gauging which ones were most likely to panic. ::That one, over there. He wants to give up and go home. He's also got a tiny touch of mindspeech.:: Bredin indicated a man named Ward sitting on the left, looking around anxiously. ::We could 'encourage' him to desert.::
Kensie sent a mental smile even as he continued to focus on the leader. He sensed a plan forming in the man's mind.
Duran cleared his throat to get the band's attention. "Hierophant Rhithik wants a White Demon and he'll burn us if we don't bring him one. We know the White Demons are around, but they're hiding. We need to draw them out into the open."
Fyn Skala said. "How're we gonna do that?" Duran's second was used to acting as foil for his leader.
"There's a village nearby. If we attack it, the Demon Rider's will have to defend it." Duran said.
Kensie and Bredin cursed silently.
"That's crazy!" Ward shouted. "Them Holderkin is plumb mad. They got the devil in 'em. Besides, they've got a wall and we don't have time to burn it."
"Are you saying you can't outfight a dumb sheep farmer?" Duran said smoothly.
"One or two or three, I can." Ward said. "But they just swarm at you until they bring you down an' they got crossbows, too."
"If we get the gates open, we can go in at night. We don't give the Holderkin time to wake up." Duran said. "And we don't hang around once they do. All we want is the White Demons, who will come running. The Holderkin don't like them either and won't lift a finger to help them."
"How are we gonna get that gate open? Ride up and ask 'em polite-like?" Ward sneered.
Duran countered with a mild joke. "No. Eoral and Penn go over the wall in the dark and polite-like ask the gate watch to open it. After they kill him, of course."
Eoral and Penn grimaced while the others grinned. The two were the best at sneaking in, but they did not like the idea of penetrating the village.
Seeing the approval of the others, Ward nodded. Bredin focused on him. 'This is a fool's quest. I gotta get outta here.' Bredin sent, striving to make his mental whispers feel like the man's own thoughts.
The bandit leader set a watch rotation, two men at all times, then ordered the men to their bedrolls. Ward and Egil had the second watch.
###
Bredin and Kensie drew some distance away, making their own camp. Knowing that the bandits planned nothing that night, they and the Companions rested while awaiting the bandits' second watch, when they woke and approached the bandit camp once more.
Ward needed no more prompting from Bredin. As soon as the men of the first watch were asleep, Ward rose and wandered towards the latrine pit. "Gotta piss." He said to Egil. He relieved himself and returned to the fire, circling as though to stretch himself. When he passed behind Egil, he struck his fellow bandit with a cosh, knocking him out. Egil fell over and Ward struck him again, making sure he stayed unconscious.
Ward scooped up his bedroll and headed for the horses. As he threw his saddle on his horse's back, Kensie reached out with his animal mindspeech and made several of the horses whinny. The sound woke the leader and some of the others.
Duran came awake instantly and saw Ward doing up the girth. Ward had no time to untie the horse or undo the hobbles. Duran and Fyn tackled him before he could mount. Pinning Ward's arms, they marched him back to the middle of the camp, where the rest of the men stood watching.
"You're going to desert us?" Duran spat in Ward's face. "Well, if you aren't going to throw in, we will throw you out." Duran and Fyn tied Ward's hands behind his back. The others stood horrified as Duran put a noose around Ward's neck and threw the end over a strong branch.
Ward wept and pleaded for mercy as Duran and Fyn positioned him under the branch. His pleas were cut off as the two leaders hauled him up.
###
Realizing what Duran was about to do, Kensie looked away. He rubbed his own neck, remembering how Evan Aitken had died. Nor could Bredin watch, choosing instead to focus on the other men. Bredin listened to their thoughts and whispered into their minds. 'I don't want to die."
Bredin's efforts bore fruit. Koba, standing in the back, decided he had had enough. While all the others were fixated by the horror in front of them, Koba slipped away into the night, not even pausing pick up his bedroll.
Kensie saw Koba leave, taking a path leading past him. Trained to move silently in the dark, Kensie positioned himself in deep shadow beside the path. Koba passed directly in front of Kensie, not even aware that the young Herald was there. Kensie rose behind the fleeing bandit and grabbed him, placing a hand over the bandit's mouth. Kensie twisted the man's head sharply, snapping his neck. Koba died without a sound.
Losanir came up beside Kensie, who threw the dead bandit over Losanir's rump before mounting himself. They carried the body two hundred yards away, dumping it in a tangle of brush and returned to watch the bandits.
###
As Ward's struggles ceased, Duran Molnar looked over his gang. Unless he could convince them to stick together, he knew Ward's attempt to desert would not be the last. He'd started with twenty-nine men, now he was down to twenty-three. Wait, where was Koba? Duran had to explain that his way. "If we split up, they'll take us down one-by-one. Hell, we're not even watching our camp. Ward left us without a guard and now the White Demons got Koba. We've got to get them before they get us."
"How do we know Koba didn't just run?" Eoral asked.
Duran pointed. "His bedroll and horse are still here. He wouldn't get far without them."
Duran's misdirection seemed to convince the gang. Bredin and Kensie cursed his quick thinking.
::Time to leave.:: Bredin said, joining Kensie. As they headed away, Bredin said ::You took out that bandit perfectly.::
::Thank you for showing me that move.:: Kensie accepted the compliment uneasily. Killing with his bare hands and from behind did not sit well.
::You did what you had to do.:: Losanir tried to comfort his Chosen. In the dark, it was hard to tell, but Kensie had the impression that Lacaral was giving similar reassurance to Bredin.
::'Needs must when the devil drives'.:: Kensie quoted the old saying.
Since the bandits' camp was several miles from the waystation, they decided it would be safe to spend the night there, provided they rose and left early. They could use the hidden supply of arrows kept in every waystation to refill their quivers for tomorrow's work. Even if Laikhold sent word to Redruth as fast as possible, it would still be three days before the Guard could arrive. Bredin and Kensie were on their own.