Bones of the Empire (90 page)

Turning his attention back to the beach, Estin saw Alafa had slowed her pace to let them catch up somewhat. Far ahead, the hilly area was littered with pale tan stones that would make running difficult. The river seemed to cut through the hills, likely making a far better way to pass north to south than by land. Still, he had lived most of his life in and around mountains. Rocky terrain would be ideal for hiding and might get them ahead of their pursuit. Estin did not need to even say it. He could see both females were looking toward the rocky area with the same kind of acceptance that he felt.

They ran on for nearly an hour until they reached the first of the broken stone outcroppings. Once there, they had no choice but to slow their pace. They ran between the stones as they tried to make their way steadily north, putting as much rough terrain between themselves and the humans as possible. When they could, they picked routes that would be impossible for the humans’ horses to follow.

“This way!” Alafa called, leading them through the winding gaps between the stones. She took them in the straightest path she could, though they often detoured into narrow spaces where there was little chance of anyone seeing them from a distance.

They ran for another half hour, until the sun was falling low and out of sight, the tall stones blocking much of their view of the sky. They did not stop until Alafa took them around another curve and into a wider gap, where a thin stream of water from the main river trickled through the rocky area. As a group, they came to a near stop, staring at the water before they silently agreed to take a break to drink.

Estin could barely believe how thirsty he was. He plunged his muzzle into the shallow stream and drank the cold water. He had managed to ignore how hungry, thirty, and tired he had gotten right up until he saw the creek without anyone standing around trying to kill or capture him. It took effort to stop drinking before his stomach cramped, knowing he would have to run again soon.

Sitting back on his ankles, Estin took a deep breath and tried to rest his muscles for the moment. Alafa and Feanne continued to drink from the river more slowly than he had. He watched over them as they knelt, trying to keep an eye on both entrances to the section of stones where they were hiding, to be sure no one got the drop on them. It would be easy to get trapped there if they were careless.

A shadow near Feanne caught Estin’s eye, and he studied it, unsure what to make of it at first. He initially thought it to be from a cloud, but before he looked over his shoulder to check, a vaguely man-shaped silhouette on the top of the stones raised what appeared to be a bow.

“Archer!” Estin called out.

Both females reacted instantly. Alafa threw herself backward into the shadow of the stone wall, and Feanne tumbled to her side and then scurried over to a large stone to use it as cover.

Making a quick sweep of the top of the stones as he got behind a stone of his own, Estin easily spotted the archer. The man or woman was mostly covered by a long tan traveling cloak with hood, and the person’s weapon was lowered to their side. As soon as the females went to cover, the archer dropped to its knees. Its hood turned slowly, trying to find all three of them. If they left cover, Estin had no doubt that the archer would pick them off quickly. It would be an easy shot from that vantage point.

Estin leaped at the nearly sheer stone wall and began climbing, having already realized the angle would prevent the archer from firing down on him easily. He reached the top and threw himself vertically at the archer, who was shifting around the edge of the cliff, trying to see where he was. Landing at the very lip of the stones, Estin grabbed the archer’s bow with one hand and his or her shirt with his other, ready to throw the person off the cliff.

A cry from below made Estin look down. There, Alafa was recoiling from slamming her forehead into the face of another cloaked attacker. It had been the cloaked stranger that had cried out, falling to the ground in front of Alafa. Another archer appeared with weapon drawn and aimed at Alafa, who raised her hands in surrender.

Looking the other way, Estin saw Feanne trying to fight another of the cloaked people. She kicked at the same-sized foe, only to have the other person block her kick and come in fast, punching Feanne in the throat. Feanne went down hard, gasping. She was simply not quick enough to keep up with her enemy.

Estin snarled and tried to adjust his weight to throw the person he was fighting, only to lose his grip on the bow. The archer reeled back and struck Estin across the jaw with tit, nearly knocking him off the ledge. A second blow to the back of his head dropped him to his knees.

Another bag went over Estin’s head and he was tied up again, with his wrists tied to his ankles to prevent him from running.

He was dragged for a while before being dropped onto the ground. This time the ground felt dusty or sandy. He was clearly nowhere near the stones or the river, or his captors had moved him to a new area far from the parts of the region he had seen so far.

“Feanne? Alafa?” he called out as soon as he had been released.

“We’re fine, Estin,” Feanne said from somewhere off to his left. “Bruised and embarrassed at being beaten in that fight, but fine. Are you all right?”

“About the same,” Estin answered, laying on the soft ground. He lay there for some time, trying to figure out what was going on and how he could escape again, when he began to pick out bits of conversation nearby. None of the voices were familiar, and they were clearly trying to keep their voices low to prevent being overheard.

The first voice, a man, was saying, “She’ll kill us when she sees what we did.”

“We didn’t have a choice!” hissed a woman in reply.

“I know, I know,” the first man quickly added. “That doesn’t make it okay. Why did you hit her like that?”

“You saw what the other one did…I panicked.”

Another female voice added, “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

“You got beat up by a deer,” a second man noted, giggling.

“And you’ll get beat up by me if you keep laughing,” the second female replied testily.

Estin thought about the people he had seen. With the voices he was hearing, it confirmed there were no less than four people. He strained to pick out any more, but he heard little else as the four lowered their voices again.

Time passed slowly, and Estin realized the air had cooled again. Another day gone and they were still captives. It was hardly how he had imagined being back on dry land and with his mate. He was supposed to be gleefully heading toward Corraith with Feanne in tow.

His thoughts were shattered as he heard someone walk up beside him, soft boots barely crunching on the sand. “Hello?” asked Estin, sitting up and turning his head, though he could not see anything through the bag. “Who’s there?”

“I…um…me,” came a slightly nasal female voice, which Estin recognized as the second woman’s voice—the one Alafa hit, which explained the stuffy tone. “We were worried that you three hadn’t eaten in a while, and I wanted to change that. Will you behave yourself if I take the bag off and offer you some food?”

Estin nodded and said nothing. Food sounded wonderful, even if he had to take it from someone who was holding him captive. He could worry about escaping once he had his strength back. That would require playing along for a while, which would give him time to learn something about these people.

After a moment, during which the woman seemed to be hesitating, the knot on the bag over his head was gently loosened. Once untied, it was pulled away quickly as the person stepped away from him, clearly expecting him to attack. In doing so, Estin got a good look at her.

About the same height as Estin and Feanne, the female fox wildling was dressed in white and grey loose-fitting clothing. She had gotten rid of the cloak she had been wearing earlier, allowing him to see her face clearly. Pale brown fur and vastly oversized ears marked her as a desert fox. The dried blood all across her muzzle let him know Alafa had hurt her pretty badly. She eyed Estin warily before kneeling in front of him and picked up a steaming bowl of what smelled like heavily seasoned meats and cooked fruits.

“If you bite me or hit me, you’re probably not getting fed again for days,” she warned, picking up a chunk of meat with her claws as she watched Estin.

“I won’t fight you right now,” Estin promised, glaring at her until she looked away nervously. “No promises later.”

Her ears twitched nervously, but she finally held out the meat for him, which he took with his front teeth, given that his hands were tied behind his back yet. The meat was exquisite, likely because of how hungry he was. After she gave him several more pieces and a few bits of fruit, he sat back and watched her.

“Didn’t expect anyone to send wildlings to capture us,” he said, propping his back against a nearby stone as he continued chewing the last of the meat. “I was expecting Turessians or almost anyone else.”

She smirked and set aside the bowl, pulling her knees up in front of herself as she watched Estin right back. In doing so, he caught a flash of metal in the fur of her hand. A ring. Everything she did or wore was a clue Estin tried to absorb, knowing it might be the difference between life and death later.

Digging her toes into the sand—which allowed Estin to notice that her claws were worn from much walking barefoot—she took a long time to reply. When she did, she said, “You aren’t what I expected either. We didn’t want to hurt anyone. You know that, right?”

“The bows were not convincing.”

Grinning, she answered, “We weren’t sure if you were the right people at first. Once we knew, it was too late to approach you properly.”

“How about giving me your names and who you work for,” he asked in reply, twisting his hands and finding the knots solid.

Beside him, Feanne had her head clear as well, though she was tied more securely than Estin. She watched him with an expression that told him she was more than ready to start killing people. Alafa he could smell nearby, but with many rocks around them, he could not see her or the others who had captured them.

“It might help convince us you aren’t our enemies.”

The fox frowned and looked between Feanne and Estin. “That’s fair…and why I’m supposed to watch you two. They figured no one knows me, so it’s safer…and I was curious. Call me Marr. It’s short of Elmarle, but no one’s called me that since I was a little pup.”

Estin smirked at her seemingly friendly banter. “Marr? I knew an elven thief out near Corraith named Marra. Any relation?”

Marr’s expression soured, and she pointed at her muzzle. “Not an elf…but when my parents died, the first person to take me in was a woman named Marra. Doubt it’s the same person. It’s a common name.”

“And what of the others?” Feanne asked, her tone threatening.

“They don’t think it’s the right time,” Marr replied, meeting Feanne’s glare without hesitation. Her black eyes narrowed, and Estin wondered if she really could hold her own against Feanne in a pinch. “Right now, you two need to rest. We’re in enough trouble for roughing you up once. When…uh…when the others get here, I want you looking a little less angry.”

“It will be a long wait for that,” Feanne answered, baring her fangs briefly. “You do know these ropes won’t hold either of us long? I will finish breaking your muzzle once I’m free.”

Marr swallowed hard and looked away from Feanne, returning her attention to Estin. As she fidgeted, digging her paws deeper into the sand, Estin got a better look at the jewelry she wore. It was definitely silver and engraved, though he could not make out details in the low light.

“Can I get another piece of fruit?” Estin asked, trying to diffuse the tension. He would not get any real information from her, so long as Feanne had her on the defensive.

Nodding, Marr rolled onto her knees and held out another chunk of the cooked fruit. Extending his neck toward her, Estin tilted his head and got a better look at her hand before taking the food in his mouth. Once he had it, Marr sat back. “I had to toss the food to Feanne. It was kind of fun throwing food at her.”

“Wise. I would have taken your hand off,” Feanne said, her voice smooth and deadly.