"No thank you," Lee snapped as he strode over to the table. "We"re leaving."
"Don"t you want to hear my proposal first?"
Lee reached down, grabbed Saylis by his hair, and jerked his head back. "I"ll give you a proposal," he hissed. "Tell your master that if he returns what he has stolen, he will receive a painless death. And as for you, if you are ever stupid enough to hinder me or my friends again, I will remove your eyes, cut off your hands, and set you loose in the wilderness." He slammed Saylis" head into the table, knocking him unconscious. "Let"s go."
Gewey and Kaylia were stunned by Lee"s outburst, but they stood and followed him to the door. Broin ran up just as they were leaving.
"If you think I"m running anymore, you"re wrong," Broin told them, breathing heavily. Lee didn"t say a word as he stalked away with Kaylia and Gewey trailing behind.
"Don"t worry about me," Broin called after them. "I"m fine." He bent over and rested his hands on his knees. "I need a brandy," he muttered, then ran to catch up. When they reached Broin"s house, Millet was sitting on the stoop.
"Good to see that you"re unhurt, my lord," said Millet. "I see you retrieved Gewey and Kaylia."
"Is everything ready?" asked Lee.
"I was only waiting for your return," he replied. "Malstisos is with the horses in the back. All the gear is packed and ready. All that"s missing is Sister Maybell."
"I"m not missing," said Maybell as she walked through the gate. She held the Book of Souls in her arms. "I"ll be ready to leave presently."
"You"ll not be coming," said Lee flatly.
"We"ve been over this before," replied Maybell. "I"ll not be left behind and that"s that."
"I have no time to debate," growled Lee. "We ride hard and fast, and if you can"t keep up you"ll be left behind."
"My lord," interrupted Millet. "I only purchased two horses."
"I have enough horses for you stabled nearby," Broin offered. "I"ll send for them now." He nodded to Angus, who immediately headed off.
Lee turned and looked at Gewey furiously as they entered the house. "Fool," he yelled. "Have you lost your mind? What were you thinking?"
"What did you expect me to do?" Gewey shot back.
"I expected you to wait for me," said Lee. "You could have been killed. Then where would we be?"
"I don"t care what you say," said Gewey. "I did the right thing. Besides, I didn"t go alone."
Lee took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. "You still should have waited," he said, calming himself. "I can"t allow you to be killed. You don"t understand how dangerous these people are. If it weren"t for Lord Broin, Maybell and her friend would most likely be dead right now. If they have the chance, they"ll kill us all. As it is, they set a trap that I walked right into."
"What happened?" asked Gewey as they walked up the steps to their room.
Lee recounted the events at the temple. "And that stubborn woman refuses to stay here," he complained, clenching his fists.
"Maybe she"ll listen to you."
"I don"t think she will," answered Gewey. "She believes all this is part of her destiny. Or at least that"s what she says. I must admit, she hasn"t slowed us down yet."
"Yes," he agreed, "but she"ll push herself to death before she"ll admit she can"t keep up."
Gewey thought for a minute. "Why not send her with Millet?" he suggested. "How could she refuse? There should be considerably less danger, and she might be a lot of help."
A huge smile slowly grew on Lee"s face. "Now that"s a great idea," he said and tore off down the stairs.
Kaylia came in a second later. "Are you alright?"
Gewey blushed, thinking about the kiss in front of the tavern.
"I"m fine," he replied shyly. "Lee just overreacted, but we settled it. He"s going to ask Maybell to help Millet get his family out of Hazrah."
"I heard," she said, sitting on the bed. "That"s not what I mean. I"m talking about the sc.u.m in the tavern. Are you alright?"
Gewey smiled. "Actually, I feel better than I did before. My enemy seems more human now. He may have been trying to sound powerful, but to me he sounded desperate. It gives me hope for victory."
"Good," she said and stood up. She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed almost imperceptibly. Gewey felt a pleasant chill run down his spine, and he smiled back at her. "I think the Dark Knight should be very afraid," she said, and left the room.
Gewey picked up his pack and headed downstairs, just in time to see Maybell storm past and slam her door shut. Lee was standing at the bottom of the stairs with a satisfied grin. Millet, on the other hand, wore a look of desperation.
"Please, my lord," begged Millet. "Don"t do this."
"It"s done," said Lee unyieldingly. Millet lowered his head and skulked away, muttering angrily.
Gewey couldn"t help laughing at the scene. "I take it all went as you expected?"
"They leave as soon as Maybell is ready," Lee replied.
Lord Ganflin walked from the study and handed a sealed letter to Lee. "When you get to Althetas, give this letter to Harlondo. He manages my affairs when I"m away. He will provide you with anything you need. You"ll probably beat me there by several days, so you may also wish to visit the innkeeper at the Frog"s Wishbone. That"s where the humans and elves meet most of the time. Do not open the letter; Harlondo is not the trusting sort and may give you a problem if the seal has already been broken. But now you must excuse me. All this excitement has made me forget that I am overdue to meet the mayor for dinner. I detest the man, but I must maintain certain relationships. It was a great pleasure to meet you all."
"My thanks," said Lee. "I hope to see you again under better circ.u.mstances."
Lord Ganflin bowed low and departed into a waiting coach.
An hour later, Broin returned with three stable boys leading five magnificent horses. Lee stared at the animals in wonder.
"I see that you appreciate a good horse when you see it," Broin noted with pride. "These are the finest animals for a thousand miles. If those who pursue you want to catch you, they"ll need to grow wings."
"Where on earth did you get such animals?" asked Lee.
"They"re bred on the northwestern steppes, by the nomadic tribes that dwell there. It wasn"t easy to get them to part with them; I"m proud to say that I"m the only man to ever leave with so many."
"If our mission wasn"t so urgent, I could never accept," Lee admitted. "You must at least allow me to pay you-though I don"t know that I have enough money."
"You misunderstand," said Broin. "I have no intention of giving up my horses. I expect you to return them when this is all over and the Dark Knight is defeated. But until then, they are yours to do with as you please."
Lee smiled, overcome with the thought of such a generous gesture. "I shall take care of them until then," he promised. "I hope one day I can talk you into taking another journey to the steppes with me, if only to see if I can pick one out for myself."
"It would be a trip I would love to take."
Millet readied one of the horses for Maybell. When the three were mounted, Lee handed Millet a small bundle of letters and nodded as if he had asked a silent question.
Millet reached down and took Lee"s hand. "All will be well," he said rea.s.suringly. "I"ll send word of our success."
Malstisos rode up beside Lee. "I will look after your family. They will have my protection until I deliver them to your care."
"Thank you," said Lee, trying to force back tears of worry. "I am deeply in your debt."
"You had better keep your word," said Maybell as she admired her mount. "I will see the Temple of Valshara once this is done."
"You don"t need to worry," replied Lee. "You"ll see it if I have to carry you there on my back."
Maybell tried to look angry, but seeing the worry on Lee"s face, she said instead, "I swear that I will not step foot in Valshara until your family is safe."
Lee smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Sister. That means a lot to me." He realized what a good idea it was to send Maybell. She would lay down her life if necessary to protect his family, and her knowledge of the cities and temples could be invaluable.
Gewey and the rest bid them farewell and watched as they rode toward the east gate. Once they were out of sight, Lee called everyone into the parlor.
"Thanks to Lord Broin"s generous loan," Lee began, once they"d gathered, "we should be able to make it to Althetas in less than seven days. We"ll be moving fast. We have enough food and water for the whole journey, so we won"t need to stop for supplies along the way. Once we arrive, Dina will make contact with her order, and from there we should be safe." His eyes focused on Gewey. "If anything happens and we"re separated, we"ll meet at the Frog"s Wishbone in Althetas. Wait there until I or someone from Dina"s order gets there."
Dina stepped forward and pulled out her medallion so that Gewey could see it clearly. "If you are approached by anyone claiming to be in my order, make them show you this. Be sure to touch it. It should burn you. If it doesn"t, then that person is an imposter."
"We need to be out of the city before sundown," Lee continued. "It"s certain they"ll see us leave, so we must move fast once we"re beyond the gates."
"I"ll send word ahead," said Broin. "I have a messenger flock on the roof. I"ll instruct my friends in Althetas to aid you."
"Thank you," Lee replied. "That would be helpful."
"The horses have been saddled and packed," said Angus, sticking his head through the door.
Lee and the others went outside and double-checked their belongings. Once mounted, Lee looked at Lord Broin and nodded respectfully.
"Until we meet again," said Broin. "Angus is watching the gate and will tell me if you are followed." He stood just outside his door and watched as Lee and the others slowly made their way down the street.
The ride to the gate was tense, and no one spoke a word. As they approached the gate"s heavy metal doors, they saw Saylis Fernmen waiting for them. His head was bandaged, and his eyes were swollen and bruised.
Lee motioned for everyone to stop as he and Kaylia began scanning the alleys and rooftops for further trouble. Gewey put his hand on his sword, and Dina pulled out a small dagger.
"I thought I"d see you off," called Saylis. Despite his words, his face was grim. "I want you to know that I"ll be there in the end, Starfinder. Mine will be the last face you ever see." He shot Lee an angry look, then ducked down a nearby alley.
"He won"t try anything until we"re outside the gates," Lee guessed, hoping he was right. "He may have set up an ambush. If that"s the case, I"ll handle it. The rest of you keep going and I"ll catch up. That means you, boy." He looked straight at Gewey and didn"t look away until the boy nodded in agreement. "Don"t worry, I"ve had more capable men than this idiot think they could kill me. I"ll burn before I"d let sc.u.m like him be the end of me."
They urged their horses on and pa.s.sed through the west gate.
"Are you ready?" Lee asked to the others. They nodded. "Then let"s go."
Lee booted his mount, and the horse broke into a run. Gewey and the others did the same, and they were off like bolts of lightning. Gewey had never ridden so fast. He could feel the sheer power of the animal beneath him, and it thrilled him. He smiled at the thought of anyone thinking they could catch them.
Chapter 25.
Salmitaya tossed and turned in her bed. The dreams had gotten worse in the past few days. Since her return to Kaltinor, things had become troubled. The other temples had shunned her, even the ones who had once secretly aided her. She still had the governor and lords on her side, but their loyalty was bought. Should Angraal get word of her failure, she would lose everything; it was their gold that kept her in power.
"Maudina!" she yelled. A young girl scurried into the room, rubbing her eyes and trying not to yawn. Salmitaya had hired her to replace Celandine the day after she got back; she didn"t know what had happened to Celandine, but she swore to flay the girl if she returned.
"Yes, Your Holiness?" Maudina said meekly.
"I want some hot tea," she ordered, sitting up in bed.
"Right away," the girl replied, dashing off. Salmitaya got up and put on her slippers and a soft cotton robe. She hated the temple at night. The emptiness made her uneasy. The book she had been reading lay open on a small table next to a plush chair. Her thoughts kept returning to Gewey as she distractedly fingered through its pages.
"d.a.m.n that boy," she thought. "If it"s the last thing I do, I"ll see him beg and scream."
Several minutes pa.s.sed and Maudina still had not brought the tea. "Blasted girl," she muttered. "What"s taking so long?"
"You"ll not be needing a servant, my love," came a deep voice from just outside the open door leading to the next room.
Salmitaya shot out of her chair. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Show yourself."
In stepped a tall, lean man dressed in a black shirt and pants with polished silver b.u.t.tons, paired with an exquisite jacket with impossibly intricate white embroidery. A fearsome curved sword hung from a belt that sat loosely around his thin waist. His face looked young, and his brown curly hair fell to his shoulder. In his hands was a tray with two cups of hot tea. He placed the tray on her bedside table and handed her one of the steaming cups.
"Sit down, my love," he instructed as he pulled himself a chair from the corner. "We have much to discuss."
Salmitaya was terrified as she sat back down. "Who are you?"
"You may call me Yanti," he answered, smiling.
"Well, Yanti," she said, trying her best to sound unafraid. "You have trespa.s.sed in the Temple of Ayliazarah. Leave now or I"ll see you whipped and hanged."
Yanti looked amused as he blew on his tea. "That"s not very hospitable of you considering I"m here to save your life."
"What do you mean? Speak sense."
"You didn"t think your failure would go unnoticed, did you?" he asked in a level tone.
"I..." she stammered with sudden realization. "I was going to report it. I swear."
"Of course you were. That"s exactly what I told the master. I told him that you would never try to deceive him-especially knowing what would happen if you did."
"I"m sorry I failed," she said, desperately trying to hold in her sobs. "I was betrayed. Someone helped the boy escape. There"s no way I could have known."
"Calm yourself, my love," Yanti soothed her, holding up his hand. "We already know what happened, and it"s being dealt with. I"m here to offer you a chance to redeem yourself. You"d like that, wouldn"t you?"
"I"ll do anything," she vowed. Tears began to fall down her cheeks.
"I know you will, my love." He leaned back in his chair, stirring his tea with the tip of his finger. "The master does not doubt your loyalty, only your judgment. Normally that"s enough to warrant... discipline; especially considering the trust and responsibility you"ve been given. But I"ve convinced him that you deserve a second chance."