The King's Bastard (51 page)

'There's one good thing about the manticore pride,' Byren muttered.

'What's that?' Orrade asked over his shoulder.

'Scare off the ulfr pack!'

'Ulfrs?' Piro echoed, happy to be distracted.

Byren nodded. 'Saw old signs of them yesterday. Probably the same pack we had a run-in with.'

'Pity,' Garzik panted. Piro was pleased to see that talking and walking at this pace was almost too much for him. 'I would have liked to get that leader's pelt!'

'Nah, that one was mine,' Byren insisted.

They laughed and Piro laughed along with them, but she did not understand how they could boast when their lives hung in the balance.

Orrade trudged on. At the top of the very next rise he stopped. 'Eh, Byren, you were right. We're just where I thought we'd be!'

Piro stopped focusing on her feet and lifted her weary head. They were high enough to see the lake, its icy surface gleaming through the tree trunks.

Byren pointed. 'And, if I'm not mistaken, Narrowneck tradepost is just around that bend.'

Now Piro knew where she was. Narrowneck was built on a finger of land that projected into Lake Sapphire. True to its name, it was narrow where it joined the land and bounded by cliffs. At one point, ladders could be lowered down to a small beach on the lake. A solid, three-storey tradepost was built there. Busy in peak times, it would be nearly empty now.

'Keeper Narrows will open his doors for us,' Byren declared. 'Though he won't be happy to hear we've drawn a pride of manticores down on him and his family!'

Narrowneck tradepost. Piro fixed this goal in her mind and kept moving, but distances were deceptive and the day dragged on.

Byren increased his pace. It was almost dusk. A steady wind blew into their faces, driving their scent towards the manticores. The pride could travel far in one day and were sure to be close on their trail now. He didn't want to be torn to shreds only a few bow shots from safety.

'At last!' Garzik muttered.

Byren looked up. There was the wooden palisade. Thirty years ago it had kept Narrowneck safe from the Merofynians. Now it wasn't even enough to keep the manticores out. Rolencia had grown complacent.

'We can shut the gate,' Piro said as they stepped through the opening. 'Keep them out.'

Byren reached over, grabbed a strip of wood and pulled on it. It splintered in his hand. 'Not going to keep anything out.'

'Close it anyway,' Orrade said, dragging the gate shut. It had come off one hinge; snow fell off the top and dusted his shoulders.

Byren turned to face the path up through the trees. 'Come on. Not far now.'

Piro's face was pinched with exhaustion, but she did not complain as she struggled to keep up with him. He'd do anything to keep her safe.

The thud of an axe reverberated through the woods. Byren made for it. There was safety in numbers and he had to warn the axe man about the manticores.

'This way.' He broke into a run, hearing the others puff along behind him. A deep bark was followed by more. Their approach had been detected.

Thud
...
thud
.

The axe stopped. Suddenly, he'd arrived in a clearing on the spine of Narrowneck. Three huge wolfhounds stood in front of a boy of about nine summers and the tall youth who had been swinging the axe.

The dogs growled a warning, the noise reverberating in their deep chests.

'Get behind me, Leif,' the youth said. No, it was a girl, a handsome, very tall girl. No wonder she swung the axe like a man. Then he remembered hearing traders talk of Old Man Narrow's daughter, who believed she was any man's equal.

'You can stay right there,' she told Byren, while the boy scurried behind her.

The growling rose another pitch.

'Manticores,' Byren panted. 'A whole pride on our trail.'

'Manticores this far into the valley? Are you sure?' She sounded doubtful, almost scornful. The three wolfhounds went quiet, but remained wary.

'Took one of our horses and frightened the others off.' Byren indicated the rest of his party, who were bent double behind him, catching their breath. 'We've had to do a forced march to get here. Must warn Old Man Narrows.'

'Da's gone to see -'

'Hush, Leif.' The girl's cheeks flamed because, with that one slip, he'd revealed their vulnerability.

Byren understood her problem. It seemed she was alone with her younger brother and three wolfhounds, and his party composed of three men and Piro, who could be mistaken for a boy in her thick travelling gear.

'Then it is just the six of us to hold off the manticores,' Byren said. 'We've got to get inside and make the tradepost secure.' But he did not move, waiting for her to call off the dogs.

A thudding echoed through the trunks, followed by the splintering of wood. The boy reached for his sister's hand. 'What -'

'It's the manticores breaking down the palisade gate,' Orrade said. 'They're only a few minutes behind us.'

'This way, quickly.' The girl turned, grabbed her brother's arm and made off briskly.

Byren hurried to catch up. He could just see the tradepost's top floor peeping above the tree canopy. She easily matched his long loping stride, axe casually slung over her shoulder. 'You think they'll approach the house? Manticores usually -'

'They've come down this far into the valley and they're a large pride, with five cubs to feed,' Byren said. 'They'll need food -'

'Run ahead to the barn, Leif,' the girl interrupted him. 'Take Crusher and Queenie. Put the chickens in and bar the barn door.'

They were on the path to the tradepost now. He caught glimpses of it through the trunks, its ornate roofline silhouetted against the pearl-shell sky.

Stepping out of the trees, they approached the building. It was three storey's high. Built entirely of wood without a single nail, every join dovetailed into the next. The wood crafters had decorated every surface with intertwining floral and animal motifs. No lights burned in any of the windows. Only a thin wisp of smoke came from one of the chimneys.

'You're alone,' Byren said. 'I'm sorry I brought these manticores down on you.'

'Aye. I'm alone with little Leif. Father's gone to see his sister. Took poorly, she did. Come on.' The girl ran across the open space from the tree line to the building, diverting away from the front entrance where the tap room was, to go around to a side entrance across from the barn. There was no sign of her brother.

She flung the door open and called over her shoulder. 'Hurry up, Leif.'

'I'll help him,' Byren offered. 'Can you see to my sister? She's exhausted.'

The girl nodded and Byren sprinted into the barn, where Leif had already driven the chickens in. Crusher and Queenie came over to investigate him, so Byren offered his hand. The dogs' heads were level with his waist and their jaws could have easily crushed his hand.

'They're good dogs,' Leif said, hauling open a sack of chicken feed.

'Eh, not tonight, Leif. No time. Come on.' Byren grabbed the boy and together they barred the barn's doors. 'Is this the only way in?'

'I've barred the shutters as well.'

'Good lad.'

Byren backed across what would have been the busy stable yard, empty now of anything but their footprints in the snow. Crusher and Queenie went very still, barked twice then shivered and whimpered, slinking to their sides. Byren's mouth went dry. He scanned the tree line and the shadows between the outbuildings. He couldn't spot the manticores, but he knew they were there. Heart racing, he reached for his hunting knife. His hand felt slick on the hilt. Why was it that when he needed a bow he only had a knife?

Because he didn't want to walk around weighed down with weapons.

He heard Leif swing the tradepost door open. The boy and the dogs darted through. Byren followed, closing it behind him. The boy grinned up at him and Byren couldn't help grinning back. Even the dogs grinned.

It was dark in the hall, but a welcoming glow came from under a door further along. The smell of roast lamb and oregano made his stomach rumble. He could hear voices.

'This way,' Leif said.

Byren found the others in the kitchen, where Leif's sister was putting out plates while Piro sliced fresh bread and Garzik poured ales. Orrade had made friends with the other wolfhound, which was crunching on a bone in front of the huge oven.

'Byren, thank the goddess!' Piro greeted him. 'I wasn't sure we'd make it.'

He was glad he hadn't revealed his own doubts.

'Who says we're safe?' the girl countered.

Orrade glanced to Byren, as did Garzik and Piro.

The boy looked at his sister. 'What d'you mean, Florin? Da always says this is the best fortified of all the tradeposts.'

'Aye. And I've closed all the shutters on the ground floor, but the house wasn't meant to be defended. The Neck and the palisade should have kept us safe, only the manticores are in now. We have to come out eventually. Once the manticores have battered their way through the barn and eaten our animals, they'll be waiting for us.'

Byren knew this was true. Manticores were renowned for their intelligence. He wouldn't put it past them to figure out how to lift the bar that held the barn door closed. Then the manticores would find a way into the tradepost. He'd brought this down on Florin and Leif. It was his responsibility to keep them safe.

'We'll have to kill the manticores,' he decided.

Orrade snorted. 'Kill a whole pride? Even you can't do that, Byren!'

'No, not on my own. But the cold snap has drained all the moisture from the air. Ideal for fire, and with a little cunning...' He grinned, and they drew closer, eager to hear his plan.

* * *

Piro trusted Byren's judgement. If he said the flaming torches would keep the manticores away, then they would. Still, she felt vulnerable as they left the tradepost, each carrying a torch, cooking pots, several jars of pitch and more torches. She was so laden down, she couldn't have run if she'd tried. Her stomach tied itself in knots. Whatever made her think she would have enjoyed hunting the leogryf!

They were all armed with bows, courtesy of the tradepost's weapon room. But night had fallen while they planned and prepared, so it would be difficult to hit a moving target.

Byren was right, they had to kill the manticores... couldn't leave them to roam the valley, terrorising isolated farms.

The wolfhounds bayed. Piro's heart raced in response to the mournful sound. Little Leif edged closer to her. Garzik, Orrade and Florin each held a wolfhound's collar as well as their load of supplies, and the great beasts strained to be let loose. Silly things. They were outmatched. Together they could bring down one manticore perhaps, but not a pride.

She didn't catch sight of the god-touched beasts as they made their way to the palisade. Orrade and Florin dug a trench across the ruined gateway and filled it with pitch. When Florin touched her torch to the pitch, the trench filled with flames and Leif cheered. Piro was heartened, but suspected that celebrating would be premature.

'Right, you two come with me,' Florin ordered Piro and Leif. 'Orrade and Garzik go that way. Then spread out and make as much noise as possible.'

They ran down the length of the palisade, about a body length from the wood, spilling pitch and lighting it as they went. At this point, it was only a bow shot across Narrowneck. Soon the palisade's length was a line of leaping flames.

'Now that they can't get out, we'll drive them before us,' Florin urged. She began shouting, making the dogs bark madly. Piro and Leif took their cooking pots and banged them together, shouting for all they were worth. Every so often, Florin tossed a pitch-dipped flaming torch to each side, lighting up the night.

Piro could hear Orrade and Garzik, just make them out through the trunks. At its widest, Narrowneck was only two bow shots across, growing more slender until it came to the tradepost which was built just up from the cliffs that led down to the beach. Narrowneck tradepost even boasted a weighted lever that could lift the heaviest load up from the beach and lower it down again.

The shouting and the leaping flames made Piro feel safer. She only hoped Byren was as safe and that his plan worked.

Byren set off alone, heading for the platform above the cliffs to the beach. The platform was designed well, with rails and a gate the fed onto the extendible ladder. This could be raised quickly. From here, defenders could shoot down on the beach. But the platform was not defensible from the inside. When the builders had planned the tradepost they had not foreseen the need to defend the gate from this direction.

The excited barking of the hounds, then shouts and clanking told him the others had begun their part. Cutting off the manticores' last avenue of escape was his responsibility. He poured a trail of pitch in an arc around the platform which stood head high, set fire to the pitch and climbed onto the platform.

After stringing the borrowed bow, which was a little short and too light for him, he strode to the far side of the platform, avoiding the frame with its heavy weight and glanced down onto the snow-covered beach four body lengths below. It was empty of tracks. Good. None of the manticores had escaped. If all went well several would topple over the cliffs and die. The wolfhounds might account for one or two of the juveniles and, if any attacked his companions, they had their bows.