Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera #3)(160)

Tavi gave him a level look.

"She's not?" Max asked. "How do you know?"

"I don't. I haven't seen her since she led us into town last night. But I know her." He shook his head. "She's out here somewhere."

"Captain!" called one of the sentries.

Tavi turned and found his sword in his hand, a split second after Max's weapon leapt from its own sheath. They eased back as the sentry called an all's-well signal, then they heard hooves approaching.

A battered-looking, gaunt legionare appeared from the darkness, his age marking him as a veteran. His helmet had a smear of what looked like dark red Canim blood on it. He swung down from his horse, gave Tavi a weary salute, and nodded to Max.

"Captain," Maximus said. "This is Legionare Hagar. I served with him on the Wall."

"Legionare," Tavi said, nodding. "Good to see you. Report."

"Sir," Hagar said. "Centurion Flavis sends his compliments, and advises you that his alae has encountered and dispatched fifty-four Canim raiders. Seventy-four refugees were given what assistance he could, and he directed them to seek refuge in the town of Elinarch. Two legionares were slain and eight wounded. The wounded are en route back to Elinarch."

Tavi frowned. "Did you encounter any enemy regulars?"

Hagar shook his head. "No, sir, but Centurion Flavis suffered both of his fatalities and the majority of his unit's injuries fighting three Canim garbed and equipped differently than the standard raiders."

"Three}" Max burst out.

Hagar grimaced. "It wasn't long ago, Antillar, the light was starting to go grey on us. And these things... I've never seen anything that fast, and I saw Aldrick ex Gladius fight Araris Valerian when I was a boy."

"They went down hard, eh?"

"Two of them didn't go down at all. They got away, and Flavis let them go. It would have been suicide to send anyone out into the dark after them."

Tavi felt a sensation almost akin to that of his mouth watering at the scent of a fine meal. "Wait. Differently garbed? How so?"

Hagar turned to his horse, and said, "I've got it here, sir. Flavis said you might want to see it."

"Flavis was right, " Tavi said. "Tribune, a lamp please."

"It will give away our position, sir," Max said.

"So will the scent of a hundred horses," Tavi said drily. "I need to see this."

Max nodded and fetched a lamp. He draped his cloak over it, then murmured, "Light." Very little of the golden glow of the furylamp emerged from beneath the cloak, and the three of them hunkered down to examine the gear Hagar had brought.

A hooded black cloak big enough to make a small tent was first, wrapped around the rest. Within the cloak lay a pair of short fighting blades-or what would have been so, for a Cane. The blades of the weapons were three feet long, curved, and made of the tempered, scarlet bloodsteel from which the Canim forged their best equipment. The spines of the knives bore teeth like those of a wood saw, and the pommel of one was made in the shape of a wolf skull, complete with tiny scarlet gems for eyes. Half a dozen heavy, metal spikes were next, as long as Tavi's forearm and as thick as his thumb. A Cane's enormous arm could throw them entirely through a human target, or crack a man's skull through a good helmet. Finally, the equipment included a matte black chain of some strange and enormously heavy metal that made almost no sound when link brushed against link.

Tavi stared down at them for a moment, thinking.

"Looks more like a Cursor's gear," Max said quietly. "Smaller than their normal stuff. Light. Perfect to disable a target and make an escape."