Marked for Death

Chapter 27

“We have to go in,” Kandler said, staring up at the mound of mist that sat in the center of the valley. From this close, it looked more like the wall of a tomb. “I’m through wasting time.”

“You can’t see a thing in there,” Deothen said. “It’s suicide.”

Kandler turned on the old knight. “You have a better plan?”

The knight nodded. “We set up positions around the place and wait for them to come out.”

Kandler goggled at Deothen. “My daughter is in there!”

“It is a sound plan.”

Frustrated, Kandler pointed at the rest of the hunters. “Do you see how many of us there are left?” The others stared at him. “There’s you, me, Burch, and three knights so green they have grass growing out of their armor.”

Sallah opened her mouth to protest, but Kandler kept talking. He stared at Deothen. “What makes you think the six of us can surround this place? And if they come out of there, how are we going to catch them? How long are we going to wait? When night falls, we won’t be able to see a thing.” Kandler pointed up at the hole in the cloud cover. “And what about that? As soon as that goes away, which could happen any second, they can just ride away again.”

Deothen raised his hands to calm the justicar. The gesture just made Kandler even more angry. “I understand why you are upset,” Deothen said, “but you must think about this clearly.”

“I’m not going to think about it like a coward.” Kandler turned to speak to the others. “I’m going in. Now.” He looked each of the knights in the eye. “Who’s with me?”

Burch raised his hand, and Kandler cracked a quick smile. “Thanks, Burch,” he said. Then he glared at the others. “Who else?”

Deothen sat on his mount in stony silence. Levritt looked to the senior knight for guidance and avoided Kandler’s stare. Brendis started to speak but then shut his mouth. He frowned at the justicar and sagged in his saddle.

“I’ll go,” Sallah said.

Surprised, Kandler nodded his thanks. “All right.”

“No, daughter,” Deothen said. “I cannot permit it.” Kandler started to respond, but Deothen cut him off. “I am your commander. I am responsible for your life and that of every other knight that rides with me.”

“Nice going so far,” Burch said. “One dead and one nearly killed.”

“You will speak to Sir Deothen with a civil tongue!” said Sallah.

Deothen ignored Burch and spoke to Kandler. “I will not permit one of my charges to risk her life needlessly.”

“But, Sir Deothen,” Sallah said, “the girl-”

“Is trapped in there with her kidnappers. They are going nowhere. We should wait for them to come to us.”

“Are we not charged with the protection of innocents?” Kandler could hear a trace of desperation creeping into Sallah’s voice.

“You are, as am I, but there are larger issues at stake here. They want the girl alive.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“If her life was so cheap to them, they would have killed her already. You know that, justicar.”

Kandler shook his head in frustration. “You can sit out here and argue about it all you like. I’m going in.” He nodded at the shifter and brought his horse around. “Come on, Burch.”

“Sir Deothen,” Sallah said, “should we not lend them aid? They will defy your wisdom no matter what, but can we not take advantage of that? Let me accompany them. They may need my prayers if not my sword.”

Kandler and Burch hesitated for a moment to hear what the senior knight would say. The old man’s face fell. “Very well,” he said, looking deep into Sallah s green eyes. “Do as you will, daughter. And may the Silver Flame guide your way.”

Sallah brought her horse around to face toward the wall of mist. She snapped a quick salute to Deothen and the other knights then gave Kandler a sharp nod. Without another word, they plunged into the unknown.

The gray mist curled around Kandler like a blanket. He could barely see his horse’s ears much less Burch or Sallah, but unlike the mists that bordered the Mournland, which were chill and stifling, this was simply… mist. Cool and damp, yes, but just mist.

His steed tried to pull up short, but he goaded the stallion on.

“Should we tie our horses together again?” Sallah said. Her voice came from somewhere over Kandler’s shoulder.

“Burch and I did that already,” Kandler said. “Did we miss you?”

“You know you did,” Sallah said, irritation tinged with fear creeping into her voice. “Throw me a-ow!”

“Sorry,” Burch said, in a voice untainted with regret. “Got the rope?”

“I do now,” Sallah snarled.

The trio started forward again. Burch led the way with Kandler and Sallah riding behind, their horses each tied to the shifter’s stocky, sure-footed lupallo.

Sallah held up her sword and set it ablaze with a short prayer to the Silver Flame. In here, the blade seemed brighter than it had since entering the Mournland. Still not quite a pure flame, it nonetheless burned with an eager light. The mists seemed to part before the fire, and soon Kandler could see both her and Burch.

Burch looked back and nodded his approval. “Keep that burning,” he said.

“Can you follow their trail?” Kandler asked.

The shifter got off his horse and scanned the ground. “The ground here is nothing but rock. No trail to follow.”

“Can you sniff them out?”

“Maybe.” Burch huffed and flexed for a moment as he drew upon the powers of his werebeast ancestors. He crouched low to the ground like an animal and rumbled out a low snarl. He put his nose in the air and sniffed, then scampered about for a moment until he found the direction. He pulled his horse along behind him, leading the others by the rope that bound them together.

“Got it,” the shifter said as he padded ahead. “Sweaty horse, and… that muddy scent is the changeling. And I can smell… rose petals.”

“Rose petals?” Sallah asked.

Kandler’s throat tightened, but he managed to speak. “We traded for them two months ago. Esprл sleeps with them in her pillow.”

“There’s something else,” Burch continued. “Something… foul. Like a dank tomb.”

“The vampire?” asked Sallah.

“Yeah. Probably.”

The trio walked in silence for a moment. The only sounds were that of their horses’ hooves and Burch sniffing the air.

“Whoa!” the shifter shouted as he skidded to a stop. The lupallo halted behind him. Kandler and Sallah reined in their horses.

“What is it?” Kandler asked.

“Come here,” Burch said. “But get off the horses.”

Kandler and Sallah dismounted and walked toward Burch. As they moved closer, Sallah’s sword melted away more of the mist, and Kandler saw that the shifter stood on the edge of a vast chasm. Both the bottom and the other side were invisible in the mist.

“Did they…?” Sallah said. She gulped as she went to one knee and peered over the edge. “Did they fall?”

“Smells like…” Burch stopped and sniffed the gray air. “Stinks like fear.” He looked at Sallah and smiled. “And not just from you. Stay here.”

Kandler looked at Sallah. “Are you blushing?” He hadn’t thought such a strong-willed woman could ever be embarrassed.

“It’s natural to be afraid here,” the lady knight said. “This is a fearsome place.”

“No doubt about that,” Kandler said as he peered through the thin swirls of fog at Burch.

The shifter stepped back from the edge of the chasm and walked back and forth along it, sniffing as he went. As he went to the left, he sniffed harder and faster. “Here,” he finally said. “This way.”

Kandler and Sallah followed Burch, each of them leading their own horses on foot. “Could some of them have fallen?” Kandler asked.

Burch shook his head and sniffed again. “They went this way. And the horse. Esprл was with them.” Soon the trio came upon the drawbridge. “They crossed here.”

Kandler nodded at the shifter, and the three led their mounts across the bridge. The hooves and footsteps rang out on the oak planks.

“That’s the horse,” Kandler said as they entered the mist-shrouded courtyard. The animal stood tied to the hitching post outside the cream-colored tower’s closed door. He and Burch drew their swords as all three of them eased their way up to the door.

Burch pressed the side of his head to the door and listened.

“Two voices,” he whispered. “Can’t make out the words.”

Handler beckoned the shifter back and then gestured with his sword. Each of the three held their weapons at the ready. The justicar lowered his shoulder and charged.

The door swung wide on creaking hinges. Kandler burst into the room with Burch and Sallah close on his heels. All three blinked at the bright light from the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

As the trio entered, the two people standing at the desk in the center of the room looked up. “Kandler!” one of them shouted with glee.

Esprл dashed around the table and flung herself at her stepfather. Relief washed over Kandler like a wave. He gathered her up in her arms and hugged her tighter than he had since her mother’s death.

“It’s all right,” he said softly in her ear, tears rolling freely down his face. “I’m here now.”

“Boss?” Burch said as he tapped Kandler on the shoulder. “Want to say hello to our host?”

The shifter’s tone told Kandler that something was wrong. Kandler swung Esprл around in his left arm and held his sword at the ready in the other. He looked up and saw a gaunt elf standing behind a desk nearly covered with a book and papers coated with arcane writing.

“Two sets of visitors in one day,” the old elf woman said, her voice like rustling leaves. “This is a special day.”

Before Kandler could respond, he heard hoofbeats in the courtyard-a sudden clatter followed by the sound of the horses leaving. Kandler turned and raced back out the door, Esprл still in his arms and clinging to his neck. Burch and Sallah were hot on his heels.

As he reached courtyard, he saw all four horses stampeding away across the drawbridge. The changeling stood in the stirrups of the beast in the rear, urging them all forward into the mists.