Jimmy grinned. “The best horsemen in Triasia?”
“Not since we got here,” said Songti. He turned and signaled. His men were hanging back down the trail. They slowly moved forward.
Jimmy said, “As soon as you attack, Malar is going to jump on the nearest horse and ride that way.” He pointed to a pass to the south, leading down into the borderlands of Kesh. “Let me get over there, and if he does, I’ll jump him from those rocks.”
Songti said, “I’ll go with you. He might bring a friend.”
“Ignore the friend unless it’s that officer looking at those documents. First thing we must do is get them back and kill any man who reads them.”
“That makes it easy,” said Songti. “We’ll just have to kill them all.”
Jimmy admired the man’s confidence. There was a full patrol of twenty Keshian Borderers taking their ease around the well, and only ten Kingdom soldiers with Jimmy. Jimmy said, “Hit them fast.” He got up and in a crouching run skirted the rocks above the oasis until he was poised above the point he had indicated.
Songti communicated with his men using hand signals, then came and stood beside Jimmy.
Suddenly chaos erupted at the oasis and men shouted. While outnumbered, the Kingdom soldiers were given the advantage of surprise. Without looking, Jimmy knew men were dying before they reached their weapons. The sound of bows was reassuring as only Songti’s men had them.
As he predicted, Jimmy heard a shout and a rider coming fast through the defile. He readied himself.
Malar rounded the bend riding bareback, having taken time only to slip a bridle on his horse, and carrying only the bundle of messages. As he passed, Jimmy leaped out, sweeping the man from his horse. The bundle went flying and Jimmy tucked his shoulder, rolling on the ground and coming to his feet with a grunt of pain. He had struck a rock outcropping and could feel his left arm going numb. He knew instantly he had dislocated his shoulder.
Another horse appeared and Songti jumped out, sweeping a rider from his saddle, and Jimmy barely dodged the second horse as it raced by. He turned, trying to find Malar, and saw the spy attempting to flee down the trail after the horse.
Clutching his sword in his right hand, his left dangling limply at his side, Jimmy ran after him, past Songti, who was sitting astride the chest of a Keshian, choking the life from him.
Malar reached a bend in the trail, and Jimmy lost sight of him. He hurried after, and as he rounded the bend, pain exploded in his left shoulder.
Malar had climbed aboard a boulder and had kicked him hard, aiming for his head, but striking his shoulder instead. The effect was nearly the same, for the pain in Jimmy’s left shoulder nearly rendered him unconscious. An involuntary cry escaped his lips as he staggered to his right.
Jimmy managed to keep enough wits to put his sword up, and Malar almost impaled himself on its point as he jumped off the boulder. Instead, he hit the ground and backed away a step. The spy said, “Well, young lord, it appears I should have used a stronger poison.”
Jimmy shook his head to clear it, and said, “But then you wouldn’t have been able to drink any.”
Malar grinned. “Building up a resistance was a most unpleasant process, but over the years I’ve discovered it was worth it. I would love to continue our discussion, but I hold no confidence that your men will be delayed much longer, so I must leave.” He was holding only a dagger, but he advanced as if confident Jimmy and his sword would be no match.
Years of training, back to when he was a boy learning at the knee of his grandfather, took over, and Jimmy leaped to his right, just as Malar let loose an underhand cast, lightning swift, with his left hand, and a previously unseen dagger glanced off the rocks where Jimmy had stood a moment before. Jimmy knew this man would have several blades secreted upon his person. As Jimmy expected, when he turned to confront Malar, the spy was already hurling himself at Jimmy, daggers in both hands.
Jimmy fell over backward, enduring further searing agony in his left shoulder as he avoided Malar’s assault. Jimmy kicked out with his right leg as Malar closed on him, knocking him off balance. The spy’s leg was rock hard and Jimmy was certain he’d find the man’s slender build had been misleading; this was not a skinny weakling he fought. Wasting no time, Jimmy rolled upright and struck hard with his sword. Malar barely avoided the blow and rolled away, ignoring the sharp rocks that littered the trail.