The Journey's End (8 page)

"My king, we've been looking for three days with little
rest.  My trackers found nothing. The hounds refuse to track her scent, even
you found no signs of her passing.  With all due respect majesty, if you can't
find it, there are no tracks to find."

"She's not a ghost, damn it."  Menelaus knew his
frustration was misdirected aimed at General Renik, but that one small woman
could elude him and all his men was inconceivable.  "The tech have assured
me she has not crossed over and her adopted sister is still there.  The town
has been searched, the countryside scoured.  We have turned over every tapestry
and searched every crevice of this castle and still not a single sign of my
wife?"

"If I didn't still bear her mark, I would swear she was
a ghost,"  Renik said, looking at his hand with the healing scratches. 
When he looked back to his king, he truly saw him for the first time through
his own exhaustion.  Besides looking like he'd been leading a siege for untold
days, Menelaus looked...haunted.  "Majesty?"

Menelaus caught the worried tone in his friend’s voice, but
had no way to reassure him.  For three days, they had searched.  He couldn't
eat, couldn't sleep, hell, he could barely breathe without her.  He had set out
to catch a wife he could take pride in.  He mocked himself.  No, in the
beginning he had been thrilled with any choice besides that bitch, Margeaux. 
When he had walked into that pub and seen her, he'd congratulated himself on
catching such a prize, vein in his belief that he could keep her.  Sure in his
prowess as a lover that she wouldn't really want to leave once he claimed her. 
Instead, she had proved herself the master of manipulation and left him
floundering alone still warm from her skin.  She had flown, just as she
promised and he was the one caught.

Where is she?

"Call the troops back, all but the contingency on the
bridge.  No one crosses the bridge until she is found, but put everyone back on
the regular rotations and make sure they get some sleep."

General Renik bowed his head.  "At your command."

"And get some sleep yourself, Renik.  Or my sister will
blister my ears for running you ragged."  The joke was half hearted, but
it made Renik bow his head again to hide the relief in his eyes.

"Perhaps you could take the same advice for similar
reasons," he said.  "If you don't take a bath and sleep soon, your
sister will have
my
hide."

Menelaus grunted in agreement,  "Dismissed
General."

"Majesty."

He would wash and change, but he doubted sleep was
possible.  Every time he lay down, it was to her scent on the pillows.  He
wasn't sure what would be worse.  Scenting her in his bed and not being able to
touch her, or for her to have been gone long enough that even the scent of her
vanished.  He didn't want to find out.

***

Atop her perch on the roof of the highest tower, Nori crouched
like a gargoyle, or a Shakien hunter.  For hours at a time she could wait
without movement.  It helped that the top of the cobbled roof was blackened by
years of smoke from the chimneys.  From here, she could hear most of what was
happening inside with her expanded senses.  During the day she rarely moved,
not wishing to be seen, even from a distance.  But at night she was free to
roam the halls.  Her dark coloring and flexible speed made it easy to see what
was coming at her from around the shadowed corners, and made it easy to duck
the guards and servants that wandered the halls, and empty rooms. 

She was careful to avoid areas that the king frequented, not
knowing how the mating would affect the awareness between them, or if she could
stop from touching him if he was close.

She had bided her time for days, knowing that eventually
Menelaus would call off the search or risk his defenses being weakened.  Even
the best hunter couldn't find tracks that didn't exist.  When they gave up, she
would make her move.  Now, finally they were being called back.  Tonight she
would make her way to the bridge.  She had food and clothes enough to avoid
detection until market day.  Nori was confident that with a small distraction,
she could make it across, even if she had to fight her way through. As long as
Menelaus was not there, she wouldn't fail.

When the sun had finally descended, the sky and the guard
had changed. Nori began the long slow climb down the walls of the keep.  The
trick was to move slow enough to blend into the night and in such a way as to
elude the guards on watch.  When she heard a furtive sound in the dark, she
froze, thinking she was hunted.  A guard by the smell of steel and leather, and
let’s not dismiss the overwhelming odor of stale fermented grain.  She crinkled
her nose, he reeked of brew, and he wasn’t moving.

Of course, he chose the place not ten feet below her and
stopped.  No way could she risk moving with him so close below, not unless she
wanted to take him out, which was tempting with his smell buffeting her
sensitive nose, but leaving proof of her presence was not the way to elude
capture. 

Why the hell is he just standing there?

In a few minutes, she understood.  Another man met him in
the dark.

"Do you have my gold?"  The smelly guard spoke up
before the other man had the chance.

"Where's the package?"  The second man answered
with an articulate and cultured voice, clearly not a lowly guard, not with that
voice and the smell of costly perfume wafting on the breeze.

"First the gold, then I tell you where I left the
girl."

"She was to be unharmed.  We're not paying for damaged
goods."  From the bland tone of voice, it was clear her continued good
health was not a matter of real concern, just bargaining power.

"She's still pure.  I kept my hands to myself; just
gave her a good smack to knock her out.  Won't affect her looks none." 
The wayward guard laughed low and it was a harsh grating sound in the dark. 
"Course once Lord Dunstan gets hold of her, he won’t be saying the same,
will he?"

"Lord Dunstan can do as he pleases with his purchased
goods.  It is not your place to question that," the smelly guard snorted,
and the snooty man went on, obviously out of patience.  "What about the
other one?"

"Dead, I expect.  If she was alive anywhere, the
trackers would have found her by now.  Reckon the king knows it too; the troops
have been recalled.  Should be here within the hour."

"Lord Dunstan will be displeased.  He particularly
wanted that one."

Another harsh laugh.  "I bet he did.  But from what I
heard from the guards that should know, she was more trouble than he’s used to getting
from women."

They both froze as voices were raised at the gatehouse. 
Smelly one cursed.  "Troops are returning.  You need to go and I need to
get back, or the next time Lord Dunstan wants something there won't be anyone
here with the guts to go against Menelaus."

"Very well."  There was the sound of coins
clanking in the dark.

"If the outlander is alive, and returns, Lord Dunstan
will be vexed."

"Right."  But from the tone of his voice he was
too busy counting coins to pay attention.  “I’ll be sure to worry about that
one.”

The cultured man sighed, clearly at the end of his patience
dealing with the uncouth.  "Where's the girl."

"Place we met the last time, buried under some leaves
beside the oak."

The man left while the guard still chortled over his
treasure.  Nori clenched her fangs, embracing her inner animal, the last few
days was causing more emotional responses than she was used to.  She wanted to
kill the traitor with a burning gut fire; she could already taste his blood. 
How dare he betray his king.  And right at this moment?  Just when she was on
her way out.  It was the worst possible timing. 

Now, she had to make the choice between some poor girl and
her own freedom.  A growl escaped her, and the smelly man paused his counting
and looked around.  If she did choose her own escape over some strange girl,
this might be a perfect time to go, since the men would be further thinned
searching castle for this missing girl.  With that and the soldiers tired from
the last three days, she would not have a better chance to escape.  But this
girl would be left in Dunstan’s hands until they could find her, if they found
her. 

It really wasn't much of a choice. 

She dropped down on the top of the traitor and twisted his
head between her thighs as she somersaulted forward, taking him down with her. 
She landed lightly and with little sound.  The smelly man was dead before he
hit the dirt.  She wasted no time going after the perfumed gent.

Unfortunately, he had a way out through the walls that
included a secret passage and an old rusty key that she didn't possess.  This
was going to slow her down too much.  As soon as he was through the door and it
closed, she began to climb the walls.  The time it took to avoid the sentries
and get over to the other side was going to be costly.  She didn't have time to
mess with the rest of the sentries, so she had to go careful.  By the time she
was over, and following the man’s trail, he was mounted on a horse and had a
significant lead. 

She followed the scent trail as fast as she could but he
didn't waste time.  She was far enough behind him that when she came upon the
scent of where the woman had been hidden, he had already taken off with her. 
Worse, the scent was familiar.  Lord Dunstan had hired a man to bring him the king’s
sister.  Lady Leanne was in trouble.  Nori followed as quickly as she could
while tracking.  Once she realized he wasn't making an effort to hide his
tracks, she started running full out.

Unfortunately, as fast as she could race, she was no match
for a horse moving with purpose.  Once she hit the forest, she had to slow even
more to avoid the soldiers watching there.  And they were not the king’s
soldiers.  Lord Dunstan had set a trap and Leanne was the bait.  Nori moved
carefully through the trees, listening and scenting to avoid the patrols hiding
their.  She had to take out one soldier close to the main camp, but she made
sure to take him down fast and quiet.  He never had a chance to give warning
before her claws had slashed his throat wide open.  He hit the dirt clutching
his bleeding throat and gurgling.  She was moving on before he keeled over.

When she finally made it into the camp itself, she used her
nose to find Leanne.  She could scent Dunstan, but it trailed away from the
tent.  Luckily, he had yet to make an appearance and Leanne, though bound was
awake.  Relatively unharmed, she had a bruise on her face and dirt smeared over
her usual impeccable frock.  She also looked mad as a hornet, and not the
scared flower Nori had expected. 

Leanne blinked at the vision that came at her through the
shadows, obviously startled, she got a look at Nori in full Shakien cat form,
but she managed to do no more than gasp.

Nori motioned her to silence and shook her head, she got her
untied, and helped her to her shaking legs. 

"Can you walk?"  she whispered when Leanne held
her arm like she was trying to fuse herself to it.

"Nori?"  She couldn’t blame her for her
confusion.  Her Shakien fighting form was a bit shocking to take the first
time, even if you were expecting it, and she most definitely was not.

"Can you walk?"

"Out of here?”  Leanne’s voice shivered around the
words, but there was strength at the back of them.  “Watch me." 

"Just follow my lead." 

Nori led her through the camp.  It was actually easier to
get out than in, because she already knew the way and everyone seemed to be
expecting something to be coming at them from outside.  They made it to the
tree line before the call was made and the troops started scrambling, looking
for their lost captive.  They were tearing the camp apart behind them and no
one was looking in the forest, yet.  The distraction actually helped them make
their escape. 

When they had made it far enough, Nori motioned Leanne to
duck down.  She looked into the night and withdrew a throwing star.  She
scented the air and then let fly.  They heard the thump as a body hit the
ground.  Nori motioned Leanne forward.  An enemy scout lay face down on the
forest floor, his horse beside him.  Nori retrieved her weapon from the head
with a squishy slurp that had Leanne shuddering and looking quickly away.  Nori
grabbed the reins.  She motioned Leanne to mount and then led them away.  Since
the soldiers had prepared the beast for stealth, his harness and hooves were
muffled.  He was a silent shadow through the trees. 

When they were at the end of the forest and the valley
stretched out before them, Nori stopped the horse. 

"You can make it the rest of the way from here,"  she
said, handing the reins over.

"You're not coming with me?"

"No, and I would consider it a favor if you don't
mention you saw me."

Leanne looked at her quietly for a moment.  "I would
not choose to keep this from my brother, but you saved more than my life I
think.  If this is your boon, I cannot deny it.  But..." she said
haltingly,  "He is suffering."

It was an arrow to the heart, but she shook it off. 
"He'll forget me soon enough."

"I don't think he will," Leanne said softly. 
"I think you underestimate him in many ways, but I will honor your request
and not mention your name."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, I fear I am doing neither of you any
favors with my silence."  Then she turned the horse and road toward home,
the wind streaming her flaxen hair behind her.

Nori turned, intending to head for the bridge town and her
freedom before anything else could go wrong.  The wind shifted, she froze,
smelling something off on the breeze.  Then she heard a twang and felt a sting
on her neck.  She slapped at her neck and discovered a dart.  It was metal
encased and clearly high tech. 
What the hell?
  Then there was only
blackness.