"Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness." - George Bernard Shaw
Bredin and Kensie left the waystation before dawn. Their first order of business was to warn Bohrsholding of the impending attack. They arrived at the village gate just as the sun rose.
Patriarch Thais Bohr was not pleased when the two young Heralds told him the bandits would attack Bohrsholding that night. When Bredin told him the bandits' attack aimed to draw Kensie and him into the open so the bandits could capture them, Thais Bohr accused them of hiding behind the villagers.
"Once they've got us, they intend to sack the village anyways." Bredin ignored the accusation. "Your walls are wood. They can burn you out in two candlemarks and take their time to wipe you out. They've got twice the numbers they need to do that."
"So what are you going to do?" The Patriarch eyed Bredin suspiciously.
"We're going to harass them today." Kensie said. "See if we can pick off a few more to weaken them further. Tonight, we will attack them while they are attacking you. With our Gifts, we will know where they are; they will only know we're near when we hit them. Strike and run, strike again from another direction. They won't see us coming."
Thais Bohr looked dubiously at their white uniforms and the white Companions. Bredin chuckled lightly. "It's nearly the new moon. The fight will be over before moonrise. If we get close, they might see a lighter shadow in the dark, but we'll be the last thing they see. We'll hit one or two at a time."
The Patriarch and his council were unconvinced. "What if they stick together in a group?" Lehren Bohr asked.
Kensie grinned wolfishly. "Then they're a much bigger target and easier to hit with an arrow" – Kensie touched the quiver on his shoulder – "or a bolt." He pointed at the crossbow lying beside one man.
Most of the men nodded. Lehren still had doubts. "They're on horseback. They can chase you down."
Bredin shook his head. "Night or day, there is no horse that can catch a Companion. We can get away and around them as we choose."
They could see that the Holderkin thought they were boasting. "On your heads be it." was all Thais Bohr said.
They arranged signals to warn the Holderkin of when the bandits were about to attack and when and where the bandit infiltrators would attempt to scale the walls. From the looks the men gave, Bredin and Kensie decided they did not want to know what the Holderkin planned for the infiltrators.
Planning done, they left Bohrsholding and headed for the bandit camp, where they found them getting ready to move out.
###
Duran Molnar looked over his gang. He considered resting in the camp until the afternoon, but discarded the idea. From the glances the men exchanged along with a few uneasy looks, he knew he had to keep them busy. He roused them and chivvied them into order.
Before they moved out, Duran gave a little speech. "I know you ain't happy, what with trying to chase down these Valdemarans" – Duran deliberately avoided calling them 'White Demons' – "but that Black Robe wants them, dead or alive. If we go back without them, he's going to burn us instead. We got no choice.
"We know they're around, but they're hiding. There's only two of them. If we stick together, we can bring them down. If we don't, they'll pick us off one by one. We have to get them to come out to fight us. They have to defend the village and that's where we'll catch them.
"We got three choices: Catch them and take them back to the Black Robe; turn tail, head home and go to the fires; or scatter and let the Valdemarans take us."
Fyn Skala snorted loudly. "Fer me, dancin' at the end of a rope ain't much better than burnin'."
"'xactly so." Duran said, grateful for his dependable second. "Move out."
Today, the gang moved cautiously. Duran summoned up every memory he had of moving through hostile territory from his days before he'd deserted the Sunsguard. He kept guards up on both sides as well as front and rear guards, he rotated the positions so no one got complacent or stale. Every man was always in sight of the others and none were left alone.
The bandits' own experience as ambushers made them wary of any spot where they might be ambushed themselves. They approached any such place with caution.
Bredin and Kensie used their gifts to shadow the bandits, but they were unable to set up a clear shot at any to the men. They decided not to shoot unless there was a good chance to take a man down. It was better to let the bandits' own fears work on their minds than give them the certainty of knowing how close the two Heralds were.
A few times, they got close enough for Kensie to use his animal mindspeech on the horses, making them balk or spook. Kensie's efforts caused the only bandit injury that day. The bandits found the waystation in the late afternoon. After they'd looted it for any useful supplies, Duran ordered it burned. Jerob's horse was already skittish at the flames. Jerob was trying to mount when Kensie spooked it, throwing Jerob to the ground and breaking his arm.
"Cursed White Demons did it!" Jerob repeated as Fyn and Egil bound his arm. Duran watched, sourly wishing that the superstitious Jerob had died and silenced his disquieting tongue.
::Well, he was right about the 'White Demons'.:: Bredin observed to Kensie. Losanir and Lacaral added mental snickers of their own.
###
At sunset, Duran and his gang stealthily approached Bohrsholding.
The Holderkin had stayed close to the village all day. The few who ventured out always went with others and carried their crossbows with them, ready to sprint back to their walls at a lookout's call. When Bredin galloped up to the gate to warn the bandits were near, the villagers withdrew and closed the gate; Bredin disappeared into the woods before the bandits saw him.
Unaware that his trap had been turned against him, Duran brought his gang to the edge of the forest as twilight faded. Bandits, Heralds and Holderkin all settled in, waiting for the moment when the attack would begin.
After dark, Bohrsholding slowly went quiet, just as the village would on any other evening. Quietly, the menfolk moved into position. They carried their crossbows and nets; they would shoot their bolts from the walls. If any bandits came close to the walls, the villagers would throw the nets over them to hamper their movements. Bredin and Kensie had told the villagers to stay inside the walls so that the Heralds would know that anyone outside was a bandit. During the fight, the Heralds would not have time to use their gifts to distinguish friend from foe. The Holderkin had water-filled barrels and buckets everywhere in case the bandits attempted to burn them out.
Duran Molnar waited a full candlemark from the time that the village went silent before sending Eoral and Parman to climb the wall. Bredin had to admire their stealth as he watched them with his farsight. When they had chosen their spot and begun to scale the rough logs, Bredin passed the information to Kensie in mindspeech. As they had arranged with the villagers, Kensie used his animal mindspeech to direct one of the villager's hounds to the spot. The Holderkin followed the hound, though the uncanny guidance from the Herald made them uneasy.
Eoral and Parman dropped carefully to the ground inside the walls. Before they could move three steps, the villagers tackled them, stifling them before they could cry out. In moments, the villagers bound and gagged Eoral and Parman.
Once Bredin's farsight told him the villagers had captured the infiltrators, he 'looked' away. When he and Kensie had met the council that morning, the Holderkin plans for the captives had poured out of their minds in graphic detail. Bredin did not want to watch. Instead, he turned his focus on the other bandits, who drew up in a rough line at the edge of the trees.
With no moon, the ground between the forest and the village was pitch-black. Duran Molnar whispered the order to move forward. The gang began their cautious approach. Once again, Kensie used his animal mindspeech, using the hound to warn the villagers.
Duran grinned to himself when three quick flashes of a lantern came from the lookout above the gate, unaware Bredin learned the signal from Duran's own mind and arranged for the villagers to use it to help draw the bandits in.
Unknown to the Heralds, the villagers had added their own trap, creating a small yard just within the gate surrounded by a hurriedly-built rough wall. Bredin and Kensie watched in horror as the gate opened and a man emerged to wave a lantern in the bandits' direction, inviting them forward. This was not their plan: They did not want the bandits inside the village.
For the last time in his life, Duran grinned. With the gate open and the gang inside the town, the White Demons would have to come out to fight. Duran had no doubt that with twenty men, he could take down two Demon Riders. He sent his horse into a trot, rushing the open gate.
Their hands forced by the actions of the villagers, Bredin and Kensie charged behind the bandits. ::Pick off the hindmost.:: Kensie improvised a tactic.
With noise of their approach masked by the sounds of the bandits' horses, Bredin and Kensie caught the tail of the bandit charge unaware. Five bandits died before their comrades knew the Heralds were there.
Duran Molnar never knew. He and the first of his gang plunged through the open gate only to meet the villager's inner wall. His horse plunged to a halt as Duran realized he'd been trapped.
"Get them!" Thais Bohr shouted. The villagers opened the front flaps of their lanterns, revealing the trapped bandits. They shot their bolts into the milling gang. Before Duran Molnar could order a retreat, three bolts hit him in the chest. As he toppled and died, the last thing he saw was more of his gang coming through the gate, unable to stop their horses before they were trapped themselves.
Fyn Skala managed to turn his horse before the gate. "Away. Get away!" He shouted. A bolt hit his shoulder as he spurred his horse back the way he'd come. The remnants of the gang fled with him.
"Run you thievin' heathens! Burn in Iblis!" Thais Bohr shouted at the fleeing bandits. As he spoke, other men hoisted Eoral and Parman by rope to dangle above the walls, their kicking and mutilated bodies illuminated by fires lit beneath them as they strangled.
Half the gang was down: Dead, wounded or unhorsed. The rest fled. Most went with Fyn Skala, the others scattered, attempting to hide.
Kensie rode up to the gate and hailed the villagers. "Stay inside until we return! We're going to chase them down and send them back across the border. Anyone we find outside, we'll assume they're a bandit."
"Aye, Herald!" Thais Bohr shouted back. "We'll keep behind our walls!"
"Good! We will be back by noon tomorrow!" Kensie waved his sword to the villager as Losanir spun and tore off after Bredin and Lacaral.
While Kensie spoke to the Patriarch, Bredin and Lacaral went after those bandits who were separated from the group near Fyn Skala. Lone, desperate men remained a hazard to travellers and unwary villagers. Bredin and Kensie agreed they must be hunted down and wiped out.
The first man Bredin found had stopped. He looked around frantically, trying to decide which way to go or to catch some sound of his fellows. He heard Lacaral's headlong approach, but the dark forest made it impossible to tell the direction. Bredin, using his farsight, had no difficulty 'seeing' the bandit. The man had only a heartbeat to see the white shape bursting out of the brush before Bredin's sword bit into his neck. He was dead before he hit the ground. Bredin paused for only a moment to ensure the man was dead before heading toward his next target.
The second man was whipping his horse, driving the frantic beast through the brush, searching for a path south. He heard Bredin coming up behind him and raised his sword to defend himself. Bredin beat the man's sword aside and slashed at him. The man screamed and dropped his sword as Bredin's cut deep into his arm. Lacaral rammed into the horse, knocking it over. The bandit landed on his back. Waving his hands in a futile attempt to ward off Lacaral, he screamed one last time as Lacaral's forehooves smashed down on his chest.
Bredin and Lacaral rode on. Kensie and Losanir came up on their left. Kensie had a splash of blood across his chest like a sash, the result of Kensie nearly decapitating a bandit as he rode up behind him.
Twice more, they found bandits cut off from the main group. In each case, Bredin and Kensie worked together, racing up on either side of their hapless target to hack the man down. Now, only Fin Skala and the five men still with him were left.
Bredin and Kensie did not want a fight in the dark. They knew they were better with swords than the bandits and that Lacaral and Losanir were faster and nimbler than the bandits' exhausted nags. But anything could happen in a wild melee, especially in the dark confines of the forest and with six men against them.
With their speed and endurance, Lacaral and Losanir had no trouble catching up to the bandits. Deliberately, the Heralds drew close enough for the bandits to know they were there, but never closed with them. Bredin and Kensie sheathed their swords and got out their bows. It was too dark to aim properly and their arrows flew over the heads or to the side of the bandits, making them spur their poor horses harder. A few of the arrows grazed the bandits and their horses, but inflicted no serious injuries.
As the Heralds loosed their arrows, Lacaral and Losanir gave unearthly, ululating neighs like nothing either Herald had ever heard. The sound terrified the bandits.
::Hell-horses, indeed.:: Bredin mocked as he loosed another arrow after the bandits.
::We have a reputation to live down to.:: Losanir gave a mental snicker and repeated the weird sound.
For the Companions, the pace was an easy lope that continued to ease as the bandits' exhausted horses stumbled on. The aim now was to chase the bandits back to Karse. Hopefully, the shattered remnants of the gang would spread tales of White Demons and Hell-horses to strike fear in the minds of any others tempted to prey on Valdemar.
Two candlemarks after midnight, Lacaral and Losanir halted.
"Why are we stopping?" Kensie asked, speaking before Bredin could ask the same question.
::We're at the border.:: The Companions told their Chosen. Valdemaran law forbade any pursuit into Karse. To keep the bandits running, Lacaral and Losanir repeated the weird neighs they had made before. The hoofbeats of the bandit horses faded in the distance.
The Companions turned, heading back at a walk. Bredin and Kensie, exhausted from the long day and long chase, slumped silently in their saddles.
After a quarter candlemark, Bredin asked. "What do you think will happen to them?" Despite the necessity, the killing made him sick.
Kensie paused. At Rushton, he had faced an enemy trying to kill him; tonight, he had chased down men trying to get away. When he had used his gift to spy on them, he had also seen some of their stories: Most had been thugs, but not all had deserved their fate. Several had been unjustly driven from their lands by grasping priests and nobles or had turned to banditry from the need to survive. He wished he'd had the time to judge each of them fairly.
::That is my Chosen.:: Losanir approved Kensie's thought. Kensie leaned forward and kissed the Companion's neck.
Facing Bredin – though the darkness made his partner little more than a lighter shadow at Kensie's side – he replied to Bredin's question. "You heard what their leader said. We both saw it in their minds. That priest they fear will burn them. At least they think so."
"By Tholan, I hope not." Bredin said. "I hope we didn't chase them to an even worse death."
::Would you rather the priest burned you?:: Lacaral's mindvoice was acid.
::No. But I can at least pity those men.::
Two miles from the border, they found a clearing near a small stream. Using their gifts, they checked for any dangers around them. Finding none, they untacked the Companions, wrapped themselves in their cloaks, and went to sleep.
###
Neither the light of the waning moon nor that of pre-dawn had penetrated the forest when Bredin and Kensie woke. They made their way to the stream and washed their hands and faces before remounting and heading back towards Bohrsholding. Lacaral and Losanir cantered easily as they retraced their journey of the night before.
As the day brightened, Bredin and Kensie looked at themselves and each other. Both were liberally splashed with blood. The Companions, too, were spotted with blood and gore.
"You look like a character in a mid-winter murder-play." Bredin said.
"And you look like my father's slaughterman." Kensie retorted.
A mile short of the village, they stopped at a creek and changed into the spare uniforms kept in their saddlebags. They groomed the Companions and attempted to rinse the blood from the soiled uniforms.
The bloodstains had already set and still showed after the rinse. Bredin held his up ruefully. "Gaytha is going to kill us."
"Maybe we can burn them before she sees them." Kensie said.
Refreshed and presentable, they rode up to the village. To their consternation, the villagers had come out and were already working their fields, ignoring the order Kensie made the night before. ::Holderkin.:: Bredin snorted to the others.
Kensie and the Companions replied with snorts of their own.
Patriarch Thais Bohr spotted them and stepped forward. He greeted them with a broad grin, which was the most un-Holderkinlike thing Bredin and Kensie had seen on the circuit. "We found a couple of 'em lying around wounded," Thais Bohr said "so we finished 'em off and put 'em with the rest." He pointed to the village wall where the bodies of a dozen bandits dangled on ropes."
Bredin swallowed. "Thank you." He managed to say.
###
Thais Bohr and the others were less happy when Bredin announced they would now conduct their review – which was the reason they had originally been coming to Bohrsholding. They were even less pleased when Bredin told them he and Kensie would be staying in the village due to the destruction of the waystation. There was no inn, of course – Holderkin discouraged all visitors – so the Heralds took shelter in the threshing barn. At least it was shelter, Bredin reflected, but all they had to eat were their field rations. Even the hay and grain for the Companions and mules was from the previous years' stock.
The Holderkin sat resentfully as Kensie 'Read the Laws' and reviewed the tax records over the next three days. As usual, the Holderfolk brought no cases before the Heralds. While Kensie conducted the review, Bredin roamed the nearby woods, rounding up the loose horses of the defeated bandits and, with the help of a crew enlisted from the village, buried the dead bandits in a common grave. The villagers were quietly impressed by the number of bandits killed by the two Heralds. They piled the bandits' equipment in a storage shed and penned the horses in a loose corral.
"My Review of Bohrsholding is done." Kensie announced to the assembled menfolk. "With a few minor exceptions, all seems in order. There remains the matter of the recent bandit attack to be dealt with. The waystation must be rebuilt and resupplied. The cost of doing so will be offset against the taxes due from the village of Bohrsholding. It must be complete before Fall Moon, so that the restocking crew can have it in full working order before winter." With the costs offset to their taxes, Kensie had no doubt that the Holderkin would bill the Crown for the maximum they could get away with. The one saving grace was that Holderfolk took pride in their workmanship, so the new waystation would be well-built.
However, Kensie had a surprise for Bohrsholding. "In view of the damage done to Bohrsholding by the raid" – Kensie knew that there had been almost no damage to crops or buildings and there had been no injuries at all – "and the assistance of the people of Bohrsholding in repelling the bandits, all taxes beyond the cost of restoring the waystation are waived for this year." Seeing the broad grins appear on the normally dour faces of the Holderkin was almost un-nerving.
Kensie had a further surprise. "In addition, the horses and equipment captured from the bandits are now the property of the village to do with them as they please." A few of the Holderkin actually cheered. The horses and equipment were poor quality and of no use to the guard, but the Holderkin would get some use out of them and be able to sell the rest – probably for more than the cost of rebuilding the waystation. Bohrsholding had come out of the bandit attack very well indeed.
###
Bredin and Kensie packed their gear and prepared to leave. It was still early afternoon and they should be able to reach the next waystation by sundown. Just as they were shaking hands with the very satisfied Patriarch and council, a guard column came up the road at a quick march.
Urson Tewkes-Felthan, leading the column, smiled in relief when he saw that Kensie and Bredin were alive and unharmed. "Laikhold forwarded your message about the bandits." He said. "Where are they?"
"Dead or fled." Kensie said. Bredin nodded. The two Heralds gave a quick summary of how they'd routed the bandits, pointedly praising the Holderkin, who listened carefully and preened at the recognition.
Changing their minds, Bredin and Kensie decided to camp with the guardsmen, who brought fresh supplies with them. They made their camp in the clearing surrounding the burnt out waystation.
Once settled, they sat around the firepit with Urson and his officers. "Sorry we were delayed," Urson said, "but there was another bandit gang on the other side of Redruth. We had to deal with them before we could give you a hand. Colonel Chase assumed you would have the good sense to avoid a confrontation until we could get here." He looked pointedly at Bredin and Kensie.
"That was our plan." Kensie said. "But the bandits forced our hand when they decided to attack Bohrsholding."
A guard cook handed Bredin and Kensie plates of food. Over dinner, they gave a detailed report of everything following the first discovery of the bandit track.
When Bredin mentioned that the bandits had come specifically to capture the two of them, Urson's eyebrows went up. "That is interesting. We captured a few of the other bandit gang. They told us they were beholden to some priest who gave them specific orders to make raids to the west and do as much damage as possible. They didn't know why. It looks like the second gang was meant to distract the guard so we couldn't support you."
Urson gave a grin of satisfaction. "Unfortunately for them, Ragnar – that new scout you recommended – found their trail just after they crossed the border. They never got a chance to do anything. We hit them just as they were setting up camp. Ragnar took out their sentries without a sound. They had no warning."
Kensie gave his own smile of satisfaction; his faith in the young clansman had been justified.
They continued their story. Urson and his officers demanded every detail of how the Heralds had trapped, routed and chased the bandits out of Valdemar.
"That's amazing!" Ensign Halmar said when they finished. "They outnumbered you over ten to one and you crushed them."
Bredin and Kensie hung their heads and looked grim. ::You tell him.:: Bredin said. ::You were in the guard.::
Kensie looked at the young nobleman and sighed. "They didn't have a chance." He said. "Once we knew they were there, they had no chance at all. We knew exactly where they were at every moment. We could move faster and strike at will. None of them had any real combat training or tactical skill. It was just a matter of time before we whittled them down.
"Even that ruse of attacking the village only meant that they were fighting in two directions at once, especially as we knew their plan and the villagers were ready for them. Except for numbers, we had every advantage. We made sure they couldn't use those numbers.
"What we did was pure butchery." Kensie looked down again. Bredin hung his head as well.
::We think you are being a little hard on yourselves.:: Lacaral and Losanir told their Chosen. ::Alberich always told you never to throw an advantage away. You used your skills and abilities as you were trained to. You cannot waste yourselves in some noble gesture.::
Urson's junior officers were incredulous at the Heralds' reaction. When Ensign Potter opened her mouth to praise them, Urson stopped her with a hand on her arm.
The group fell silent. Changing the subject, Urson began telling Kensie of his sons.
###
Captain Khal Alikan looked rigidly forward as Black Robe Priest Rhithik raged at the bandits. What had once appeared a great opportunity for the third son of a powerful duke was becoming a nightmare. His father thought Khal's assignment to Rhithik's personal guard would allow Khal to rise high in the Sunsguard and spread the influence of the Alikan family.
The reality was that Khal found himself teetering on a knife-edge. Rhithik's cruelties nauseated the young Captain and the priest's constant intrigues threatened to draw Khal into the vicious infighting of the Inner Conclave. Not that Rhithik was a clever plotter: His ham-fisted schemes frequently failed. Rhithik's father, the Son of the Sun, protected him; those he used frequently paid the terrifying price of Rhithik's failures.
The six hapless bandits tied to stakes were but the latest victims of Rhithik's incompetence. Charged with the task of kidnapping two Valdemaran Demon Riders, the bandits had failed. The Demon Riders had slaughtered three quarters of the gang. Only these pitiful few had returned. Captain Alikan shuddered at the thought of what the Demon Riders had done to the others to make the survivors risk returning to face Rhithik's wrath. Considered rationally, the bandits' story revealed little more than brilliant tactical harassment and selective engagement, though Khal wondered how the Demon Riders had known the bandits' every move. Khal's hair rose when the bandits spoke of the hell-horses' hunting cry.
"Enough!" The priest shouted, cutting off the bandit pleas and protests. "You failed. You turned and ran. You are worthless. I am done with you." Rhithik waved a torch-bearing under-priest forward, pointing at the leftmost bandit.
The under-priest walked up to the bandit, whose screams and pleas rose to new heights as the under-priest lit the kindling at the bandit's feet. The fire caught and rose, burning closer to the doomed man. As the flames touched him, the man screamed in agony, a scream that went on and on as the fire slowly engulfed him.
Captain Alikan and his troops watched the scene, not daring to look away or show the slightest horror or dismay as the bandit burned to death. Any who did risked an accusation of sympathizing with the Sun-cursed and a visit from the inquisitors.
Instead of going to the next bandit, the under-priest stood back from the blaze. Khal wondered why he did not light the fire of the next man until he realized Rhithik wanted the others to endure the terror of what would happen to them.
Khal glanced at the Black Robe Priest. Rhithik's face was a mask of sadistic glee as the fire tormented the bandit. Worse, Rhithik's hands moved in arcane gestures, as though the Black Robe was somehow feeding on the dying man's pain.
Only when it was clear the man was dead did Rhithik wave at the under-priest and point to the next man. The spectacle repeated itself as the next man died. The bandits died one by one. The smell of burning flesh filled the square as the horror dragged on for five marks. Captain Khal Alikan fought his terror and revulsion as he and his men looked on. Five men fainted; no one moved to revive them – no one dared.
Captain Alikan silently vowed he would flee with his family if he was ever suspected.
"Captain Alikan!" Rhithik's summons startled Khal. "You may dismiss your men. I want to talk to you."
Khal dismissed his troopers, who seemed eager to flee the square, and went up to the Black Robe. Khal saluted the priest. He noted that Rhithik looked sated, as though he had consumed a very satisfying meal. "Yes, Your Excellency?"
"Those men who fainted. They are to be whipped. Fifty lashes each. We cannot have softness in our Sunsguard." Rhithik looked narrowly at Khal, trying to gauge his reaction.
Well schooled in hiding his feelings, Khal maintained an impassive mien. He knew better than to protest. There were spies in his troop who would report any disobedience. "Yes, Sir. Will there be anything else, Sir?"
"No. You are dismissed." Rhithik waved a hand to send Khal away.
###
Rhithik stared at the Captain's retreating back. His plan to capture the Demon Riders had failed. This time. He would try again. Watching Captain Alikan leave, Rhithik thought the next attempt might fare better with someone possessing better discipline in charge.