Page 3 of Of Kings and Thieves
The figure pushed back his hood, revealing a silver mask etched with the face of a snarling beast. At the sight of it, Magnus relaxed and grinned.
“Well, if it isn’t our friend the Deviant,” Magnus said. “Come to join our little party, have you?”
Killian nodded once, the moonlight glinting off his mask as he removed it, revealing his long black hair and sharp features. “Thought you might need my help.” His voice was low and gravelly.
I stood and clasped arms with the mage. “It’s good to see you, my friend.”
Killian had been spying on the ranks of the Deviants for years, using his magic to gain information and pass it along to me and my allies, though The Harrow remained ignorant of the leaks in his forces.
“I came as soon as I received your raven,” Killian said, joining us by the fire. It wasn’t far-fetched that Killian had found us so soon. He had ways of traveling that defied all logic. “The Harrow has doubled the guard around the alicorn horn. He knows you’re coming for it.”
I nodded, unsurprised. Of course The Harrow would guess my next move. “Then we’ll have to be smarter in our approach. But with you by our side, the extra guards shouldn’t pose too much of an obstacle.”
Killian chuckled and pulled a wineskin from beneath his robes, offering it to me and Magnus. “To victory, my friends, however it comes.”
We passed the wineskin around, drinking and joking under the stars like we had in younger days. The fire crackled, creating warmth and dancing shadows. For a moment, danger felt far away.
Killian tilted his head back and laughed. “Remember that time Magnus got so drunk he tried to wrestle a bear?”
Magnus snorted. “As I recall, you were right there cheering me on. At least until the bear started winning.”
I grinned. “Took three of us to haul your sorry ass out of there before you were mauled.” The memory felt bittersweet now, a relic of easier times.
The mirth faded as we contemplated the peril that lay ahead. We were headed straight into the black pit of the enemy’s jaws, outnumbered and outmatched. But we had no choice.
Killian leaned forward, his face serious. “You have a plan, I trust?”
I took a long drink, avoiding his eyes. The truth was, I had no real plan. Only the beginnings of an idea, a desperate gamble that was more likely to end in death than victory.
When I didn’t answer, Killian sighed. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this plan?”
“Because any plan that involves walking into The Harrow’s arms is fucking madness,” Magnus growled.
“Madness it may be,” I said. “But we’re out of time and options. The Harrow wants my head, and he’ll destroy anything in his path to get it.” I looked at each of them in turn. “I won’t ask either of you to follow me. This is my burden to bear.”
“Bullshit,” Magnus snapped. “We’ve followed you this far, haven’t we? What kind of fucking cowards do you take us for?”
“The kind of cowards who don’t want to die for nothing,” Killian said grimly.
I held up my hands. “Peace, friends. I don’t take you for cowards. But this will be dangerous beyond anything we’ve faced so far. If there was any other way...” My voice trailed off.
We sat in tense silence, each wrestling with thoughts of the dangerous road ahead. The truth was, if we turned back now, The Harrow would hunt us to the ends of the earth. There would never be any escape, any peace, as long as he still drew breath.
Finally Killian stirred, holding out his hand for the wineskin. I passed it to him. “To dangerous ventures,” he said, raising it, “and the end of tyrants.”
He passed the wineskin to Magnus, who raised it with a wolfish grin. “To spitting in the eye of death.”
The giant monster hunter passed it to me, and I looked in their eyes as I raised it in a toast of my own. “To freedom, whatever the cost.”
We drank deep into the night, sealing our pact. Come morning, we would begin our march into the abyss itself. And gods help any who stood in our way.
* * *
The easiest road to Iron Deep followed the river, but it would be watched, and it was common for Deviants to use it. If I was hunting Deviants and wanted to find the alicorn horn, that might be exactly where I put myself. But the time for that approach had passed, and if they were taking the alicorn horn to Iron Deep, they would likely already be there. Now that the artifact was in The Harrow’s possession, it could move around on a whim, using the same methods of travel Killian used.
We needed speed and secrecy now, and going by the river would provide neither. “There’s only one road we can take that will guarantee we don’t run into anyone,” I said to Magnus and Killian. We’d been riding long into the night, and none of us had spoken for a while.
Magnus’s horse sidestepped, as if even he could tell what I was thinking. The monster hunter frowned. “That road is full of monsters and orcs. Far be it from me to turn away from a fight, but speed is necessary.”