Horses whinnied and shrieked. Men were half-blinded by their own torch fire. He struck man and beast in a frenzy, causing mayhem with every blow. He darted between the horses, running and gasping to gain height, rising up enough to kick an Outrider in the face, toppling him from the saddle. He moved haphazardly between them, changing his focus of attack from one moment to the next. Every fallen man received a sharp blow to the neck or ribs, hard enough to crack the bones. Paedrin whirled around as two tried to trample him with their steeds. He jumped straight up, sucking in his breath, and allowed the beasts to collide with each other. He floated down and struck both men in the noses simultaneously.
The fight thrilled him. He struck each man down deliberately, aiming to injure but not to kill. He broke arms. He dislocated shoulders. He took some pity on the beasts but did not refuse to yank at their bridles or jerk the bits to cause them pain and make them rear back violently, throwing the riders from their backs.
There was commotion all around him, riderless horses tearing into the plains in a panic. Men groaned and thrashed. Each torch had fallen and began to gutter out, for the grass was too damp to burn.
“Come, Bhikhu!” Hettie said, appearing out of the darkness on a big roan. The beast trotted up and she reached out her hand to him.
He looked around at the fallen Outriders.
“Yes, I’m impressed,” she snapped. “Take my hand!”
He sucked in his breath one last time, allowing her to pull him up and straddle behind her.
“Hold me tightly, fool. We ride hard for Silvandom. If the furies are not chasing us yet, they certainly will be by dawn!”
The roan stallion was well lathered. Hettie had driven it mercilessly throughout the night and hard the next day. It was a big beast, and he was surprised at her skill in handling it. They rested it periodically, but the ride was hard and fast. In the distance, they could see the Outriders pacing them, closing the distance slowly but inevitably. It could not be otherwise, for their beast had two riders and the others did not. Thankfully Hettie had grabbed for the strongest animal, not the lightest.
They were hungry, but they had neither food nor time to forage. Every stream provided an opportunity to drink, but they were not plentiful. There was an enormous savanna on all sides. Mountains loomed to the southwest, several days off. Each hill brought another stretch of interminable plains. No cover. No woods. It was a race against the Outriders, and Paedrin realized they were losing.
As dusk started to fall and his stomach reminded him of their lack of meals that day, he noticed plumes of soot in the air.
“A village?” he asked, pointing.
“Good eyes,” she said. “I’ve been looking for that sign. We crossed many leagues today. But I had hoped to be within sight of it before nightfall. That is Fowlrox. It is the gateway city to Stonehollow.”
“Each kingdom has a gateway city then. Like Minon that we saw last night?”
“Yes. They are the furthest border city belonging to the kingdom, and they hold the wares for shipment to Kenatos. Stonehollow is where the stone is quarried and carried to the city. They also sell timber, wine, and oxen. Heavy things that make for slow caravans.”
“We haven’t seen any oxen yet. We’ve met no one.”
“That is because the road is over there. See it? It is the shortest distance between Fowlrox and the docks. It is well worn, and there are traders day and night because the cargo is so heavy.”
“Have you ever been to Stonehollow, Hettie?”
She shook her head. “No. I might have as a child, but I do not remember it. The Romani work all of the roads. Everywhere there is a shipment to be made. We know the best routes. Of course, it helps when you are quite ruthless.” She glanced back at him, deliberately brushing her hair into his face. He was sure it was deliberate.
“So we are riding to Fowlrox then?”
“No, to Silvandom, which is to the northwest. But we must make our pursuers believe we are escaping their lands so they will stop following us further. There is a river to cross, but there are bridges in Fowlrox. Our stallion is too spent to be able to swim it. We’ll sell him in the city and cross the river.”
“I have a better idea. We wait until nightfall and then leave the horse and cross the river alone.”
“The river is wide, Paedrin.”
“You can’t swim?”
“Of course I can swim. But what is the purpose of swimming when there is a bridge?”
He could not believe she did not see it. “Because I have noticed in Kenatos that there are always people on a bridge. People who are watching to see who crosses it. People who will sell information about us. If we truly do not want the Arch-Rike knowing our destination, then we should deprive him of the opportunity to find out.”
She gave him a serious look.
“Our horse is exhausted. They are closing the distance and will try even harder to overtake us before we get to the city. If all they overtake is a bone-weary nag, they will have no idea where we went from there. It is the Uddhava. We will have a better sleep tonight knowing that they do not know where we are. And besides, I’m hungry.”
“Hungry enough to eat a rabbit? I see one over there. I could probably get it from here.”
“I’m almost tempted to eat the nag. But no. Let’s cross the river tonight and try and rest on the other side. If our nag can’t swim it, neither can theirs.”