The Crow King's Wife(115)

A memory surfaced of Valor training horses in Merro. It hadn’t truly been something of interest to Shade, but Jala had been leaning on the rail watching and so he had stayed to speak with her and ended up learning a thing or two about Arovan horsemanship. Such as the fact that they trained their War Horses with a mixture of whistles and leg pressure. His gaze traced over the horse once more and then to the other Rivasan mounts and a smile began to form on his lips. Of course, this animal was a prize of war. Excitement rose in him with the realization. Derrick had likely ridden it here to irritate Caleb. In turn Caleb had given Shade the answer to his problem with one shrill whistle. It was obvious by Derrick’s reaction to the horse’s rearing that he didn’t realize how it was trained and that he was essentially sitting on an enemy.

With a wide smile Shade stepped further away from the agitated horse and searched his mind frantically for the memory of Valor once more. There was a set whistle that would send the horse leaping forward and if he could just remember it he was certain Derrick would find himself kissing the cobbles. He wouldn’t be able to do anything about the leg pressure cue of course, but he hoped the animal was annoyed enough with Derrick’s heavy handed treatment that even half of the signal would be enough.

A muffled curse broke through the fighting behind him and Shade felt his pulse quicken at the sound. That was Caleb’s voice. He was certain of it. It was a sheer act of will to keep his mind focused on the memory and not turn to aid his friend, but Shade gritted his teeth and let loose three sharp whistles in a quick burst. He wasn’t certain it was the correct signal, but he was praying to Fortune it was.

The Gray’s ears pinned further at the sound and a squall tore from its throat as it launched itself into the air. Both hind legs snapped out behind it in a deadly attack that would have caved the skulls of anyone foolish enough to stand behind an Arovan Charger. As it was a sandstone wall was the only victim of the animal’s savage kick and the jarring impact propelled the horse forward while managing to dislodge Derrick from the saddle. The Rivasan scrambled to regain his seat and managed to tangle himself in the reins. The horse squalled again only this time there was agony in its call as the bit tore painfully into its mouth. Derrick was dragged several feet and barely managed to loosen his hand from the reins in time to scurry back from the furious animal. For a breath Shade thought the horse would do his job for him and then Derrick was clear of the animal and bumping into Shade.

“Fortune be praised.” Shade whispered as Derrick spun to face him. On a whim he let his camouflage drop as he drove his dagger hard up into the Rivasan’s kidney. “That was for Micah. You killed one of the few men I respected.” He hissed as Derrick’s eyes bulged in their sockets. He had caught the Rivasan completely off guard and with that one strike the fight was over. The man was well versed in magic, but not in pain. Shade knew there was no way Derrick would find focus with a dagger wound in such a vital place. Derrick pulled back on unsteady legs and tried to back away from him, but Shade stepped closer with relentless determination. He held Derrick’s panicked gaze as he drove the dagger hard into the man’s chest. The blade slid neatly between two ribs and Derrick expression froze in agony as the tip of the blade found the man’s heart. “And that was for his son.” Shade whispered as the Rivasan slumped to the ground.

It took several moments before the sound of the fighting behind him registered again in his mind. From the moment Derrick had bumped into him until he lay dead at Shade’s feet the rest of the world had faded away. There had been nothing but him and his victim and then everything rushed back in with a vengeance. A scream sounded behind him and he whirled to face the fighting. The ground was littered with several corpses, but there were still far too many enemies on their feet.

Shade’s eyes found Caleb within moments and his chest tightened at the way the Arovan was staggering. Blood soaked his armor and he could see at least two arrows protruding from Caleb’s side. The priest was holding his own against two swordsman, but a third was closing fast and archers were still firing whenever they had a clear shot. Grace Morcaillo circled the fight like a hunting cat, and by the way Caleb was trying to keep her in his sight Shade knew his mother had already traded blows with his friend.

“To stealth or not to stealth.” Shade murmured as he eyed the archers. “Buggering hell, stealth.” He muttered sourly. There was no other option at this point of the battle. He needed to eliminate the archers quickly and quietly. Grudgingly he summoned the camouflage once more and crept toward the far side of the battle. Perhaps one day there would be a battle he could fight honorably, but today was quite obviously not that day.