Set in Stone (41 page)

"She might be upstairs, but I bet she's at the south entrance watching Carbrey."

Rory turned to Grahame, who would be leading the regular soldiers and one Fast Roller into the basement levels in search of the prisoners. "The Petralists should be focused to the south. Listen for Gregor's signal if anything goes wrong."

Grahame saluted and led his men north through the formal dining room toward the main stair on the far side. Connor led the main strike force out the kitchen through another door to the south hall that split the rear half of the manor house all the way back to the southern entrance. This half of the manor was filled with pantries, storage rooms, and workrooms.

Before they reached the great room at the southern threshold, Ilse's voice echoed down the hall.

"You two, fetch the prisoners. We might need them after all."

Rory motioned everyone back down the hall to a pair of doors they'd just passed that faced each other across the hall. Tomas led half the party into the buttery on the left hand side while the rest of them took the opposite door into the garderobe.

Connor glanced back at Tomas' group across the hall and noticed several of them casting glances in his direction. He wondered if they were considering breaking open one of the casks of ale there.

By the smell in the garderobe, Ilse's men used the latrine frequently and had not bothered to close the lid to the cesspit. After hustling into the room, Shona covered her nose with one sleeve, rounded on Connor, and made furious motions with her other hand.

"I don't think now would be a good time to use it," Connor whispered.

Rory barely suppressed a coughing laugh, and his shoulders shook for several seconds.

Poor guy was having a hard night.

Shona folded her arms with an angry glare and leaned against the wall close beside the door.

Footsteps announced the approaching soldiers. Rory moved to the doorway beside Shona, while the rest of the team slipped into the deeper shadows.

Two soldiers approached down the hall and passed between the groups hidden on both sides. Rory lunged out of concealment, grabbed the closest soldier, and yanked him out of the hallway and into the garderobe. Tomas mirrored his move, pulling the other soldier into the buttery.

The soldier tried to shout the alarm, but Rory punched him in the head, knocking him out cold. Other team members bound and gagged him. The entire process took less than five seconds.

Across the hall, Tomas signaled success on his side. They then crouched by the doors and listened. No sounds of alarm. So far so good.

Rory turned to Connor and Shona who crouched beside him and whispered, "Now we wait and see what other fish we can catch."

As one minute slowly became two, Connor fought to suppress his nervous energy as he thought back to the last time he'd been in the manor.

Was it possible only a couple of days had passed since he'd run from Lady Isobel?

Connor's entire world had changed in that time, and he'd learned more about his Curse than in the whole of his life to that point. He prayed the spirits would grant them success. He had to save his father and free his village, had to earn his patronage.

He glanced at Shona, who crouched beside him with one hand still pressed over her nose. Even like that, she looked beautiful. It seemed impossible that he'd kissed her in the river, and that she'd willingly kissed him just hours ago. She was a High Lady and as such should consider him lower than dirt.

Could she really care for him, or was his Curse all she cared about?

Ilse's voice again echoed down the hall, cutting short his musings. "Where are those two? Don't they have any concept of time?"

Verena's girlish voice answered. "I'm sure they're hurrying."

"We'll see about that."

Rory made a circling motion with one hand, and Connor stepped to the side of the door as Rory and Shona crouched, ready to spring.

A few seconds later, Ilse and Verena approached from the southern end of the hall and passed between the two lurking parties.

This time Shona struck. She grabbed Ilse and yanked the woman into the room. Even as Ilse fell, her body hardened into the perfectly sculpted lines of a Rumbler.

It didn't matter. Fast Rollers pinned her to the ground while Rory tied her hands. Shona pulled a nasty looking contraption out of her pack and began strapping it around Ilse's head. The sight of the metal cage and long attached lever made Connor shiver. That was no ordinary shackle.

A muffled shout from across the hall drew Connor to the door just as Verena came pelting out the buttery. Behind her, Connor caught a glimpse of Tomas shooting through the air with a small stone pressing into his stomach. Air whistled out of it in a thick, visible column, blasting Tomas through his close-packed squad, sending men tumbling, before finally crashing right through the outer window.

Verena skidded to a halt in the corridor facing Connor. She gave him a wide smile and a little wave.

Connor jumped out to grab her, but she threw herself to the side and landed on her knees. Despite the odd move, she shot down the hall faster than a running man, sliding on her knees like the floor was a steep, ice-coated mountainside and not flat stones.

"Catch her," Rory shouted behind Connor.

Connor sprinted after Verena and tapped basalt, blurring down the hall. Verena slid across the large room at the end of the hall and staggered to her feet.

Connor could not stop in time, and slammed into her back. The two of them fell forward and tumbled over one another, down the steps, and landed in a heap together at the bottom.

Verena landed on top this time, and the hard landing drove most of the breath from Connor's lungs. He lay for a second, gasping.

Verena pulled herself up to her elbows and brushed her hair from her face. Her eyes glittered with mirth and she said with a little giggle, "Connor, we have to stop meeting like this."

Connor started to smile back, but Verena's eyes hardened and Connor cried, "No, don't hurt --"

Verena elbowed him hard in the face, and pain exploded through his cheek and nose. Stars danced in his eyes, and he gagged and tasted smoke.

Even as he tried to weakly paw at her to ward off another blow, she jumped to her feet and shouted, "We're under attack! The manor! The Captain!"

Connor forced himself to roll to his hands and knees and squinted through the pain. Grandurian soldiers, led by the burly Erich and his terrifying sister, Anika, charged from the far side of the big barn.

Connor tried to retreat, but his legs still felt like jelly. He glanced back just in time to see Shona and Rory appear in the doorway at the head of their strike force.

Between them they held Ilse prisoner, with hands and feet shackled to a short chain that prevented her from standing erect. The shackles on her feet only allowed her to take tiny steps, forcing her to toddle forward like a child.

The contraption Shona had strapped on covered Ilse's head, neck, and chin. It vaguely resembled a cage, all steel bars and leather straps. One long bar extended from the base of her skull two feet out to the side. Shona clutched the end of it.

"Stop," Shona commanded, "or your captain dies!"

The Grandurians slowed their advance and stopped at the end of the big barn.

Shona gave them a wolfish grin. "Careful. Even if she tries to tap her power, I can rip her head off."

Connor stared, horrified. The worst part was that he believed Shona would do it without hesitation.

"Connor, grab the Builder."

Connor jumped to obey Shona's command. Verena stood nearby, staring in open-mouthed dismay, but had already thrust a hand into her ever-present satchel.

Connor rushed over and grabbed her arm before she could withdraw whatever mischief-causing stone she was searching for. She looked so devastated as he led her back toward the steps that he wished he could say something to comfort her.

She gave him a sad smile. "Sorry about hitting you again."

"Next time, try something different, less violent."

Like kissing him again.

"I'll try," she whispered, although she had to know there would never be a next time.

Shona ordered, "Send the signal."

One of the black-armored Fast Rollers produced a short bow and an arrow with an odd, fat head wrapped in cloth. Another soldier leaned over the arrow and struck flint with steel until, with a shower of sparks, the tip of the arrow burst into flame. The soldier aimed high and released.

The flaming arrow arced into the night. Down at the base of the slope, Carbrey's army started charging up the long slope.

"You will all stand down," Shona said, "You have lost. We have won. This conflict is over."

They'd done it. Carbrey had outfoxed Ilse. It really was over.

Anika strode forward a couple of steps, her face livid. "We no surrender without wrestle again."

Rory grinned, "I promise lass, I'll see to you in just a minute."

Just then, a light exploded to life above the manor so bright it looked like the return of the sun. Darkness fled, and everyone clenched eyes against the blinding brilliance.

Rory wouldn't get a minute.

Chapter 44

Connor, who was looking toward Shona, was the only one to see a pair of shadowy forms race super-fast out of the darkness behind the strike force. Even before he could open his mouth to shout a warning, they struck.

The two Wingrunners ripped through the small strike force, dragging a rope between them and yanking soldiers' feet out from under them. As they closed on Rory and Shona, they dropped the rope and whipped out meteor hammers. One struck Rory in the back of his helmeted head. The impact rang like a gong, and the captain, whose skin had already faded to gray, tumbled down the steps.

The other struck Shona's hand where she held the long lever against Ilse's skull. She also had instantly tapped her granite at the appearance of the bright light, and the blow rang out with a sharp crack.

Shona shrieked in pain and staggered, clutching her hand to her chest. The two Wingrunners raced past Connor, and even as he struggled to decide between chasing them and going to Shona, two more Wingrunners raced out of the darkness behind her.

"Look out," Connor shouted this time.

Shona turned, but the Wingrunners were just too fast. They leaped the mass of fallen soldiers who were struggling to rise, and one of them shouted something in Grandurian.

Ilse stiffened and pulled her elbows in tight. The Wingrunners grabbed her by the arms, dragging her from a dead stop into a full run in the blink of an eye.

Shona tried to strike one of the men, but he rammed a shoulder into her. He apparently hadn't noticed her leathers or her gray skin.

Shona rocked back slightly from the impact while the Wingrunner tumbled away in a wild spin and fell unmoving into a heap thirty feet away, beside the barn.

The other Wingrunner ran Ilse down the steps. Connor moved to intercept, but Verena tripped him and helped drag Ilse into the safety of her gathered force. Soldiers immediately began tearing at the straps securing the contraption to her head while Erich and Anika moved to face Rory and Shona.

Before the groups could close, Gregor appeared around the corner of the manor and called, "Captain, we must retreat."

"Now's not a good time," Rory said. His fingers flexed in anticipation, and he did not tear his eyes from Anika.

"It never is." Gregor crossed the courtyard in a blink, sliding across the hard-packed ground like water, and grabbed the captain by the shoulder. "Play later. We have a hostile force closing fast on our position. They number in the hundreds."

That got Rory's attention. "How is it possible?"

"I do not know. Their full numbers are shielded from me. I caught only a glimpse."

Rory's eyes widened, and he glanced back, as if he could see through the manor house.

Gregor nodded. "Aye, Captain. They have a Sapper. Played me like a newborn. Gave me just a taste to distract my attention while he shielded those Wingrunners." He added in a tone of wonder, "He shielded Wingrunners in full sprint, Captain. Only one man I know of can do that."