The Sworn Knight by Robert Ryan (novels to read txt) 📕

He stood and returned to the hollow. Already, plans wereswirling through his mind.

14. Hunted

Ferla did not show what she was feeling. Fear coursedthrough her, but as she had been taught to do she accepted it, and did not letit hinder her actions.

It was daytime, and they had been resting, but there wouldbe no more sleeping now.

“So,” Asana said. “That was the enemy. He seemed somewhat granderthan Lindercroft. But I suspect he is no better at fighting.”

Ferla knew what Asana was trying to do. He was reminding herthat she had defeated a knight like this before, and while there was reason tobe cautious she had no need for undue fear. She understood what he was doing,and her heart surged with affection for him.

“Hey!” Kubodin said. “You think he was grand? Maybe he was.Just like a rat with a gold tooth thinks he’s something special.”

Ferla could not help but grin at that. She knew what Kubodinwas doing, too. Humor was the warrior’s age-old way of shrugging off fear.

She was lucky to have these two with her. Very lucky,indeed. But she was still in charge, and the responsibility for what came nextrested on her. They showed no sign of taking that burden from her, and sheunderstood now that it was not a test but a way of preparing her for the hardertimes ahead.

“We have to leave,” she said. “And fast. We don’t know howfar away he is, but he has to be close to find me by magic like that. We’ll haveto risk traveling by day, at least for the moment. There’s more cover in theterrain now than there was earlier. If we see something, we have a chance ofhiding that we didn’t have before.”

“Do you think he knows where we are?” Asana asked.

Kubodin answered that before she did, and Ferla wassurprised even if she did not disagree.

“I don’t think he does,” the little man stated confidently.“If he did, he wouldn’t have given us warning like that. He would have tried tosurprise us. Besides, that mist thing was only a small magic. Finding someoneby magic is not the same as locating them. It’s like a mule finding his wayhome by himself. He can do it, but if you ask him how he can’t tell you.”

Asana raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

“Kubodin is right,” Ferla agreed. “He did what lòhrens callspirit walking. Finding someone like that is like tracking down a campfire inpitch dark by the smell of smoke. You can do it, but you couldn’t describe tosomeone else exactly where you found it. But he does have a general idea, andthe faster we’re gone from here the better. Also, I don’t think he has thepower to spirit walk great distances. He must be close.”

“He shouldn’t be,” Kubodin said. “All your tricks must haveled him on a merry dance. But still, I don’t think you’re wrong. He’s not thatfar away.”

There was no more discussion after that. They had not restedfully after the previous night’s march, but they broke camp and left swiftly.

They moved ahead just as they had always done. Ferla led,Asana was in the middle and Kubodin rode his mule at the rear. All of them,however, kept a close watch around them.

There was nothing to see, but that made Ferla feel nobetter. She was being hunted again, and she was beginning to hate that with apassion. Nor did she know if elù-draks were abroad. Not knowing if an attackwould come by air or land was disconcerting. But it did not change her decisionto travel by daylight, and the others had not disagreed with her.

They traveled at speed. Ferla made no attempt to hide theirtrail, though she wanted to. What was needed now though was to put as muchdistance as possible between where they had last been and wherever they wentnext.

In truth, she did not think that Savanest knew exactly wherethey were. But when he found the place where he had come across them while hespirit walked, he would recognize it. And he would know exactly when they hadleft there, and how far away he was from them.

No doubt, he would follow their trail from that place. Sheexpected that, but there was a time to hide a trail and a time not to worryabout it. Speed was not the only factor. The ground was even more important.When she came to a place where she could pull one of her tricks, that was themost effective way of trying to slip the hunt. Trying to deceive a tracker overunfavorable ground was just a waste of time.

They rested fairly often, pacing themselves. But they movedquickly when they were up and about, which was most of the time. Night settledin, and they kept going because her regular breaks ensured they were not tootired.

The stars sprang to life above. The smell of dew on thegrass, and herbs, bruised beneath their boots, filled the air with a sweetscent. Bats whirred through the shadows, seeking insects, and high above someflying night bird cried loudly. It was not a call that she knew, but it was thesound of wild lands and she was at home.

Savanest was no doubt a city man. This was her world,and she was at home in it in a way that he never would be. He must have a goodtracker with him, better than she had expected, but that was nothing to fear.She and her companions were strong. They could walk through the night andprobably would. When the time came, she would disappear into the wild and leavethe enemy dumbfounded.

So she hoped. But doubt nagged at her. Always, the enemyseemed to find her and Faran.

She wondered how Faran and Kareste were progressing. Itseemed that the enemy had come after her, and she was glad of that. It meantFaran was safer. Even if Savanest had split his forces, he himself had comeafter her, and he was the greatest threat.

They walked through the night, and Kubodin often walked too,holding the reins of the mule and leading it forward. He offered them all