Benjamin Ashwood (21 page)

“I
don’t know if I could really save you from anything.”  He shrugged
uncomfortably.  “It was just instinct.”

“I
heard you were a good fighter.”  She moved closer and looped her arm around
his.  “Let’s keep walking.”

“Ok,
sure.”  Ben breathed a sigh of relief.  If at least one of the girls wasn’t
mad, then there was hope for the other two.

Meredith
walked close beside him in the cool spring air.  The new moon lit the roadway
enough to see where they were walking but the low light made the evening seem
close and intimate.

“Some
of the Citadel guardsmen came calling for me when we were in Whitehall,”
Meredith continued.   “Not that I would ever pay a guardsman any real attention
of course, but I didn’t want to be rude.  They spoke about you.  They said you
had impressed the Master of Arms and that he was interested in you joining the
guard.  After seeing how brave you were today, maybe I could be interested in
you too?”

Ben
looked down at Meredith and could see in the moonlight that she was gazing up
at him.  He didn’t know what to say to that.

“I
know you like her, but Amelie isn’t right for you,” she said.  “She’s high born
and these things are business for her, it’s all arranged.  Not like us,” she
purred and drew his arm around her shoulders, “we can do whatever we want.”

Inside,
Ben groaned.  Despite his best intentions, life was just getting more complex.

The
next morning they started at the first sign of daylight.  As Rhys and Towaal
had predicted, it was going to be a hard three days travel to Snowmar Station. 
Snowmar Station was Whitehall’s guard barracks and rest stop atop the Snowmar
Pass.

The
road itself was broad and well maintained.  It was steep though and the terrain
around it got more rugged as they ascended.  They passed a few empty carts that
were slowly heading up to the pass and eventually the Sineook Valley.  Many of
the large merchant trains must have still been in the city.  The merchants made
their money bringing agricultural goods to Whitehall from the Valley.  The more
successful ones tried to find a cargo to haul back as well.  The cargo might be
people mused Ben since many would be pouring out of the city now that the
Conclave was over.  Hitching a ride in the back of a wagon didn’t sound too bad
after a long day of hiking.

The
climb wasn’t any more strenuous than what Ben was used to back home, but the
pace Towaal kept was punishing.  She rarely allowed stops for breaks and didn’t
look back to check if anyone was falling behind.  There were a couple of
moments when Ben thought he’d have to carry poor Renfro the rest of the way.

When
they finally stopped for the evening it was in one of the few flat parts off
the road that wasn’t already occupied by farmers or merchants.  Rhys explained
that in the busy seasons many of the merchant trains just pulled to the side
and slept right on the road.  The party ate a quick dinner and everyone pulled
out their bedrolls, exhausted by the brisk pace and long day.

As
Ben was arranging his area, Meredith slid in between him and Renfro.  She gave
a shy smile and asked, “mind if I sleep here?  I promise I don’t snore.”

Renfro
grinned back at her, “me neither.”  She only had eyes for Ben though and
ignored Renfro’s comment.

“Of
course you can,” sighed Ben.

The
next two nights were like that.  Right before everyone turned in, Meredith
would casually roll out her pack next to Ben.  He saw Amelie was pretending she
didn’t notice and Meghan’s gaze got even frostier.  Rhys gave an encouraging
nod but given his predilections, Ben wasn’t sure how to take it.  By the third
night, even Renfro realized what was happening and shifted his bedroll away to
give them more room.

In
the mornings, Ben would wake up to find Meredith scooted up almost onto his
bedroll.  Neither the men or women chose to say anything, but it was clear that
she was marking her territory.  Ben was embarrassed by the situation and
belatedly realized, maybe he shouldn’t have kissed her that night.

By
the final afternoon before Snowmar they were all ready to be done with the
rocky mountain road.  There were only a few leagues left and everyone, even
Renfro, was skipping breaks and struggling to finish this leg of the journey
quickly.

With
the top of the pass peeking in to sight, they passed a tight bend in the road
and could see a tower jutting from an outcropping high above them.  Lady Towaal
covered her eyes and stared up at it, “it’s the guard tower.  They have one on
each side of the Pass.  Snowmar Station sits in the middle where it’s flat. 
They use the towers to keep an eye on who is approaching and light signal fires
for emergencies.  There’s a tower down in Whitehall with a looking glass that
can see all the way up here for when the signal fire is lit.”

Rhys
was also staring intently up at the tower.  He looked at Saala, grunted and
adjusted his pack to free space around the hilt of his long sword.

Saala
nodded and did the same.

“What
do you see?” asked Towaal.  “I see the flag is still flying Argren’s sigil.  Is
something wrong?”

Rhys
rumbled, “it’s not what we see.  It’s what we don’t see.  Where’s the guard? 
Could be he’s sleeping or day dreaming about some woman back in Whitehall but
listen.  It’s just the sound of the wind.  There’s a hundred men supposed to be
barracked up there and I don’t hear a damn thing.”

Towaal
looked between Rhys and Saala and noted both men’s nervousness.  “Ok everyone,
be prepared.”

Renfro
looked to Ben, “be prepared for what?”

As
they drew closer the silence grew more eerie.  Ben had not noticed it until
Rhys mentioned it, but the only sounds came from the wind and their own
footfalls.  The group stopped talking entirely and Renfro had gone as far to
pull two of his knives out.  Ben saw Rhys and Saala still had their weapons in
the sheath so he kept his there as well.

After
several switchbacks they passed the guard tower before entering the Pass.  The
tower was indeed empty with the heavy door left ajar.  Rhys silently drew his
two long knives, the first time Ben had seen him pull his own steel, and ducked
into the narrow open doorway.  Heartbeats later he reappeared and quietly
reported, “nothing.  No people, no signs of violence.  Looks like breakfast was
left on the table untouched.”

A
grim faced Saala drew his curved falchion with a hiss.  “There should be
someone here.  Even if bandits or someone overran Snowmar they would have left
a lookout on the Whitehall road.”

“There’s
no wealth here for bandits,” frowned Rhys.  “It’s provisions for the men and a
way station for travelers.  Most of the merchant trains are foodstuffs and not
worth stealing.”

Ben
shared a worried look with Renfro and drew his sword.  It was a plain weapon,
but the weight of it felt good now.  If Rhys and Saala were worried, he was
downright terrified.

They
moved past the guard tower and the group’s unease grew.  In the distance, they
could see the walls of Snowmar Station spreading across the width of the Pass. 
The road ran right through the center and out the other side.  The Station was
designed to be a defense point for Whitehall and it would be nearly impossible
for an attacking force to move up the narrow roadway and have an effective
assault on the towering stone walls.

Halfway
to the walls, Ben’s breath caught.  Rhys had already seen it and was jogging
ahead of the group.  On the side of the road were two dark shapes lying on the
ground.  Rhys had sheathed his knives after exiting the guard tower but now he
drew his longsword.  When they got closer to Rhys and the shapes, Ben saw they
had found the missing tower guards.  They were both lying face down in a pool
of blood and gore.

“Damn,”
muttered Saala.  He looked to Towaal, “do we turn around?”

She
was scanning the walls of Snowmar.  After a quick glance she had ignored the
bodies.  “This is the only pass anywhere near here.  It will cost us a month to
turn now. 

Rhys
nudged a body with his foot, “Karina, this wasn’t done by men.”

Ben
started, he hadn’t heard anyone use Lady Towaal’s first name since Murdoch’s
when she introduced herself.

“We
press on,” she said grimly.  “Whatever did this doesn’t appear to be here now
and I need to see what happened.  Saala and Rhys out front,” she barked, “and I
will take the rear.  Girls and boys, stay tight and shout if you see anything
move.”

Ben
shuddered.  He saw the spray of gore surrounding the two dead men and didn’t
think he wanted to see any more.  But he couldn’t abandon his companions though.

The
gates of Snowmar were open just like it was a normal day.  Through those gates,
Ben saw more corpses.  Snowmar Station was one big open square surrounded by
walls and mountains.  The barracks and guest quarters were built into the back
of the walls around the square.  There was plenty of space for merchant trains
to tie up for the night and for the guards to drill in the middle.  Now it was
littered with dead bodies.

They
passed through the gate into the thick walls before coming into the open
square.  It was a charnel house.  “I count at least 50 of them” muttered Rhys. 
“Look, even the horses.”

Meredith
fell in beside Ben and gripped his arm whimpering.  Rhys was right, a corral
for horses at the far end of the square was filled with red and pink chucks of
flesh.  Ben nearly lost his lunch when he saw it and Renfro did lose his when
they had to step around an eviscerated guardsman lying in the center of the
path.

Meghan
caught Ben’s glance and for the first time in days he saw only concern in her
gaze instead of anger.  Everything that happened down at the campsite was long
forgotten.

Rhys
gestured across the square to the other gate.  It was also open.  “Shall we?”

“No,”
answered Towaal, “we must find out what did this.  You’re right, this was not
done by men.”

“If
we must.”  Rhys sighed and looked around the group.  “Ok, everyone to the
center of the square, stand back to back and face out where you have
visibility.  Saala, will you check the buildings?”

“I’m
staying with Amelie,” replied Saala.  “Sorry, but I am here for her safety.”

“Alright
then.”  Rhys slung his pack down on the ground and adjusted his weapons harness
until he was satisfied his long knives were easily accessible.  He held his
long sword out and started towards what looked like the barracks.  For the
first time, Ben really saw his weapon.  It was a twilight grey and appeared to
have faint silver etching all along the length of the blade.  The steel was
darker than any Ben had seen before.  The silver etching seemed to fade into
the blade the longer he looked at it.  It wasn’t a Blademaster’s sigil, but Ben
couldn’t tell what it was.  He didn’t have time either.  Rhys moved quickly
towards the barracks and they huddled into a circle and kept an eye out for any
movement.

Nervous
minutes passed after Rhys disappeared.  Nothing moved but they strained their
ears trying to hear anything.  Finally, he reappeared and trotted over to them
shaking his head.

“Just
more dead.  And this.”  He tossed a torn piece of cloth onto the ground.  It
looked like a piece of tunic from one of Argren’s guardsmen but there was a
dark purple stain on one corner.

“Damn,”
whispered Saala.

Lady
Towaal glared at the stain then commanded, “we need to check the pigeon coop. 
The signal fire wasn’t lit, but maybe they got off some messenger birds to warn
others.”

“Karina,
there were a hundred trained guardsmen up here and who knows how many merchant
guards.  We need to leave.  Now.”

“I
understand Rhys, but we have to know if they sent a warning.”

“Hold
on.  What is the significance of that stain?  We have a right to know what is
going on,” demanded Amelie.

Saala
answered slowly, “it’s demon blood.  If there was a large enough pack to take
out this entire garrison then I’m not sure we’ll be sufficient.  Lady Towaal, I
agree with Rhys, we must leave now.  Regardless of whether any pigeons got out,
we can warn others in the Sineook Valley and they can get word to Whitehall. 
Others will see what happened with the dead guards on the road and turn around
before they get here.  The only thing we can do staying here is risk ourselves
and I cannot let Amelie take a risk like this.”

Lady
Towaal grimaced.  “We cannot go until we check on something.  The Captain of
the Station had an artifact.  One that I must recover.”

“Bloody
Sanctuary politics,” snarled Rhys.  “You could get us all killed.”

Lady
Towaal regained her calm and stated, “I insist.”

None
of them were happy about it, but none wanted to openly defy Lady Towaal either.

“We
stay together then,” muttered Rhys.

Rhys
again took the lead as they moved towards the north end of the square to the
officer’s quarters and hopefully the artifact they needed to find.  They moved
quickly and quietly.  Now that they knew what they faced, the fear was still
there, but it was manageable.