Set in Stone (16 page)

Connor felt around by his feet and located a fist-sized rock. He hefted it, getting a feel for its balance. Yesterday his aim had been perfect. Hopefully it still was.

Shona splashed again and then coughed, drawing Anika's full attention. Connor rose up, but paused with his arm cocked to throw.

He'd never hit a woman before. Anika scared him as much as her brother Erich. Worse, Connor wasn't even sure a rock would hurt a Petralist.

It had to be done. He tried to create a mental image of Stuart's face over Anika's. It wasn't too hard in the darkness.

Connor threw the rock with all his strength. It struck Anika in the side of the head and she toppled to the ground with a groan. Shona spun from the water and crouched in some sort of fighting stance, but remained silent.

Connor raced forward and was amazed to see Anika struggling to her hands and knees. He tackled her and drove her back down to the rocky shore.

She grunted with pain and then muttered something in Grandurian and pawed weakly at him. The blow to the head had clearly stunned her, but it should have knocked her senseless. Connor tried to hold her down, but couldn't bring himself to hit her again.

Already her struggles strengthened and she clawed at him and shouted something loudly in Grandurian. Connor slammed his knees hard into her back to drive the breath out of her, and ripped off his hunting jacket. He wedged one sleeve into Anika's mouth and tied it off behind her head. It wasn't the most effective gag, but it was better than nothing.

Anika surged upward and almost dislodged him. Soon she would recover enough to throw him, and then she'd kill him.

Connor drove her back to the ground again, but she clawed at his legs with her arms and thrashed side to side to throw him. He grabbed one of her arms and whipped the loose end of his hunting jacket around it, drawing it tight so that when she tried to pull free she yanked her own head back painfully. Connor grabbed her other hand and tied it up in the other arm of the jacket like the first.

Even as he congratulated himself on the clever move, Anika heaved upward so hard she sent him tumbling. He leaped to his feet just as she staggered upright despite lacking use of her arms. She turned toward him and, even gagged and bound as she was, Connor quailed with fear.

She took one angry step toward him, but Shona lunged out of the darkness carrying a heavy branch. She cocked it back to clobber Anika, and for a second, her body seemed to glow white in the darkness.

Then she gave a little moan and collapsed unmoving to the ground.

Anika kicked the branch out of her hands. Connor could not imagine how she could have knocked Shona senseless, but he wasn't about to wait for her to do the same thing to him.

He dodged around her and tried to tackle her back to the ground. Anika grunted under the impact and staggered a few steps, but did not fall. Instead she spun wildly as he clung to her neck with all his strength. Her battle leathers were made of a series of thick, overlapping plates and myriad straps that gave excellent purchase.

Together they staggered down the beach, Anika trying to dislodge Connor so she could kill him, and Connor struggling to choke her or knock her back to the ground. He did not dare let go lest she pounce on him.

I'm all seven kinds of idiot!

He should have known better than to try to take down a Petralist. Even the non-Petralist soldiers would be more than tough enough to beat him. He could not imagine how this was going to end well.

She tried to angle back toward the trail to camp, but Connor yanked on her braid and they crashed into a thick stand of hardwoods. Branches tore at Connor and threatened to rip him from his perch. The darkness grew deeper under the trees until they staggered completely blind through the grove.

Anika lunged through the close-packed trees, trying to scrape Connor off her back. He wedged his feet tight against a couple of her battle straps to secure his hold, but it was only a matter of time. One branch scraped along Connor's face and he could feel the tree looming ahead of them in the darkness.

He yanked Anika's long braid again. Her head twisted hard, and she stumbled sideways and collided face first with the tree she had been planning to run past. Connor reached up and found a thick branch where it connected to the tree trunk.

As Anika paused, stunned by the impact, Connor whipped her long braid around the heavy branch and drew it tight and tied it off.

Anika struggled, but the knots held. Connor slid from her back and pushed through the thick timber, back to the clear shoreline. Behind him, Anika fought to free herself, but her braid kept her from moving far. With her hands still tied up in his jacket, she could not break free. She shouted into the gag, the muffled sounds more like animal growls than human words.

Connor doubted she'd remain bound for long, but he could not bring himself to draw near to the raging woman and try to subdue her further. When he reached Shona's unmoving form, he paused for a second, bent over his knees, as a wave of shaking swept through his limbs. Sweat covered him and his heart pounded in his chest so hard it felt like it might knock its way through his ribs. His legs felt suddenly weak, and he wobbled and nearly fell.

After a few deep breaths, Connor forced himself to move. He crouched over Shona's limp form. She was breathing at least. He'd feared she'd somehow died. He shook her shoulder, but she only muttered something too soft to hear, and did not stir.

The night was silent but for the constant gurgle of the Wick. No wind stirred the cool night air. Everything seemed to be asleep, hushed and waiting for the approaching dawn. How could they not have heard the one shout Anika made?

He wasn't about to wait to find out. So he lifted Shona into his arms and cradled her against his chest. She was heavier than he'd expected. He'd found an excuse to lift Jean a couple weeks ago, and she'd been wonderfully light. He'd felt like he could carry her all day without tiring.

Maybe high ladies ate heavier food?

Holding her close the way he was, he couldn't help but notice her figure. Her silk blouse and soft skirt were smooth under his hands and his heart started beating faster for an entirely new reason.

She hung limp in his arms, her head resting at the base of his neck and her hair tickling his nose. She smelled good, like fresh water and roses. He took a deep breath and smiled despite the dangerous situation.

Turning downriver, Connor began picking his way along the shore. It was slow going with no trail, and rocks hidden in the deep shadows tried to trip him at every step. He fell once, and only just managed to not drop Shona and fall on top of her.

After ten minutes of hard going he hadn't made it more than a hundred yards. If Ilse and her men weren't out hunting them yet, they would be soon. He paused to rest and glanced to the right where the trees farther up the bank concealed the game trail they'd been following. He could move up there and make better time, but surely the soldiers would send runners that way.

The only other option was the river. Connor glanced left where the Wick ran gently by. The water would be chilly, but this part had been cleared of obstructions generations ago to protect the barges and their valuable cargo. Floating would be a lot faster than walking.

Shona still didn't stir, but maybe the water would revive her. Connor stepped to the edge of the river.

Upriver, Anika's voice rang out, loud and clear. She'd escaped her makeshift bonds.

Connor plunged into the river. The bottom dropped away sharply and he fell in over his head. He kicked back to the surface, spitting water and making sure Shona's head stayed clear of the water. She coughed and shook her head.

"What are you doing?" she asked loudly.

Connor covered her mouth with his hand. "Shhh. They'll hear."

She shook her head violently and he removed his hand. "It is forbidden to touch me."

Connor grimaced and whispered, "What did you want me to do? I had to get you out of there."

Taking her hand, Connor stroked farther from shore and towed her after. She struggled weakly but did not break free of his grasp. She lay back in the water and whispered, "How'd you escape Anika?"

"I hit her with a rock and tied her up."

"I wish I'd seen that."

He waited for her to thank him, but instead she asked, "Why are we in the river?"

"It was the only way to escape."

She tried to say something else, but her words turned into garbled whispers and her head fell back. She started to sink.

"Lady Shona?" Her hand hung limp in his, so he pulled her closer. "Shona, are you all right?"

She did not respond, so he pulled her close. He could feel the gentle warmth of her breath, but she'd passed out again. Connor sighed. He'd expected her to be stronger.

With a little support, she floated all right, so he drew her close, and together they floated downriver. Connor used his free hand to stroke, and pulled them farther from the bank.

Upriver, torches started bobbing around as the soldiers searched the shore. Even though the current ran gently, it moved them away. Only by running would the soldiers outpace them.

Connor was a very good swimmer, and he'd towed people before. Still, it surprised him how easily he stayed afloat with Shona resting against him. He looked for a branch or other floating debris to help buoy them, but found nothing. So he focused on his breathing and tried to make every movement count. If he was careful, they could float a long way before returning to shore. The river was chilly but not icy cold. They could survive in it for quite a while.

Connor allowed himself a smile and glanced down at Shona's face. Her beauty tugged at his heart and he wanted to shout with victory for having saved her from the evil Grandurians. To think he'd done this great service for her warmed him.

When he presented before High Lord Dougal, he'd be granted Patronage for sure. Of course, the high lord's men would still have to deal with Ilse's band. He prayed they'd be swift, and end the threat before innocents suffered. He lacked the power to stop them, but he'd certainly helped.

When he looked back upriver, the smile fell from his face. Skating downriver came the Water Moccasin, Kilian, drawn sword glinting with reflected torchlight.

Chapter 15

The Water Moccasin moved like a wraith as he skated across the surface of the water in long, fluid strides a hundred feet away. Connor fought a wave of panic and glanced at the shore. They'd drifted out into the center of the current and could never make it back in time.

Could he fight? Not a chance.

He was mostly submerged, forced to hold Shona afloat, and all he had for a weapon was his hunting dagger. The thought of being impaled by that sword while floating helpless in the chill river terrified him.

Would his body be left to float downriver to Merkland? Would the people there bother to pull him out and bury him, or would they leave him to the fish?

Connor pulled Shona closer, trying to draw comfort from the contact. It didn't help much. He looked upriver again and a trickle of hope eased the icy grip of fear around his heart. Here the river spanned fifty paces, and although Kilian was still approaching, he remained close to shore, his eyes locked on the deeper shadows there, searching the riverbank. It made sense. If not for Shona's dead weight, that's where Connor would have been.

Kilian would pass within twenty feet of the pair of them. If he didn't look around, he'd skate right past. Connor barely breathed. With such little light and being almost submerged, Kilian would have trouble spotting them.

Shona coughed. Kilian spun toward them instantly, his face alert. Connor placed a hand over Shona's mouth and, hoping she could understand, whispered, "Hold your breath."

Not waiting for a reply, he pulled them both under the surface. The chill water closed over their heads, impenetrable and mysterious. Shona's weight helped drag Connor down, as if eager to help him sink. He tried to peer through the murk, but could see nothing, hear nothing. He hung in the dark limbo of the river with Shona for several seconds.

His arms started to itch, but again the sensation flitted around under his skin like tiny bubbles that felt like they were trying to burst free.