The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

to John Airedale shecontinued, “I find you guilty of treason as well, Lord Airedale,but I will show you a small mercy; rather than execution, you shallbe banished from Lothion. You are hereby stripped of all land andtitles. If I find you again within our nation’s borders your lifewill be forfeit. If I determine later that your heirs had no partin this, I may pass your title to them. You have five days to getacross the border.”

Airedale seemed surprised, “Yes, YourHighness.”

“Get out of my sight,” she responded,and she kept her gaze upon him until he had left the room, then sheturned her attention to Dorian. “I have made my judgment, SirDorian. These three are guilty of treason. They are condemned todeath. Carry out the sentence.”

Dorian blanched at her command. Whilehe had fought and killed many over the years, he had never killedin cold blood. The three men she had ordered put to death weretechnically armed, but they had put up no resistance. In truth theywere as helpless before him as lambs at a slaughter, whether theywore swords or not. He hesitated.

“Sir Dorian?” she asked, “Must Irepeat myself, or would you rather I take this task upon myself?”She held out her open hand, as if to take his sword. Her eyesburned into him with icy resolve.

She would do it.He could see that plainly enough. The condemnedmen stared at him in stark fear, eyes bulging. Waiting longer wouldonly prolong their suffering. His arm moved with such speed the eyecould hardly follow, and Balistair and Surrey were falling, theirheads no longer attached. Cantley’s hand almost reached his waistbefore he too died. Dorian wiped his blade clean before sheathingit again. As he did so, he noticed several drops of blood onAriadne’s face, but she turned away before he could mention it toher.

“We need to keep moving if we are tofind Tremont,” she said.

He nodded and followed.

They continued along the corridor,checking other rooms as they went, but they found no one aside fromfrightened man-servants and two maids. The few that theyencountered elected to join them.

Ariadne began to wonder if Tremont, bysome miracle, had decided to abandon the palace to them. Doriandidn’t relax though, and his fears were borne out shortlythereafter. A group of ten emerged from a side hall, and theydidn’t seem surprised. The enemy had wised up, and now they werehunting them.

Dorian was at the front of theprincess’ band, and the enemy soldiers charged into them frombehind. The cooks and other servants did their best, but they wereno match for the well-equipped mercenaries. The enemy had theinitiative here, and the fight turned ugly in seconds. Dorianstruggled to get to the rear of the group, but many of theprincess’ followers fell before he could reach thefight.

Shouldering one of the laundressesaside he charged over the fallen bodies, disrupting the enemy’sadvance as they suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of hissword. Steel flickered in the light, and blood splattered the wallsas he butchered them. He fought like a demon, impossibly gracefuland lethally efficient. The end result was a floor that looked asif it belonged in an abattoir rather than a palace.

Two of Tremont’s men turned and fledbefore he got to them. Rather than give chase he let them go,heartsick already from the killing he had done.

“They’re getting away!” shoutedAriadne.

Dorian nodded, disgust written on hisfeatures. Many of her followers were wounded now, and at least tenhad died. One woman lay silently gaping, struggling to keep herintestines from spilling out. Most of the enemy were dead already,and those that weren’t were rapidly bleeding to death. Everywherehe looked Dorian saw nothing but death. “They’ve lost their will tofight,” he said simply. “If I go chasing them, the next group maytake your life before I can return.”

“What if they warn the others?” askedAlan.

“They already know. Those men werelooking for trouble. We’ve outstayed our welcome. The rest will beon us soon enough,” returned Dorian. He felt old. In the past hehad fought monsters, except in the war with Gododdin, and that hadbeen a far more clear-cut fight. Now he had gone from protector toexecutioner—to butcher.

Ariadne was staring blankly at thewounded maid. “Help the wounded up,” she ordered those that werestill standing, but her attention never left the woman clutchingdesperately at her stomach.

Dorian leaned close. “She will notlive, but she might survive for several days if she doesn’t die ofblood loss,” he said softly in the princess’ ear.

“What are our options?” sheasked.

He grimaced, “Tell her the truth andoffer her a clean death, either at my hand or her own, or weattempt to carry her with us. Without magical aid she will surelydie, but the strain of being carried might kill her aswell.”

She knew they had little time, and soJames Lancaster’s daughter knelt beside the dying woman. “What isyour name?” she asked.

“Nancy, Your Highness,” the womananswered between clenched teeth. The fear and pain in her eyeswould haunt the princess for the rest of her life.

“Nancy, I’m told you will not survivethis wound, but you might live another day or two. If we try tomove you, it might kill you outright; if we leave you here I don’tknow what our enemy will do. The choice is yours to make,” sheexplained. Ariadne’s face remained clear and steady as shespoke.

Nancy groaned, a tear creating asmudged track down the side of her cheek. “I would stay with you ifI could. I’d like to see my children again, but you can’t run withme bein’ like this. Leave me a knife, milady. Get away and don’tlook back.”

Ariadne stood suddenly,turning away as her resolve cracked, twisting her visage withgrief. Dorian could see her heart breaking, and inwardly he weptfor both of them. This is the end ofinnocence, if there was any left. Steppingforward, he sheathed his sword and squatted beside the dying woman.“Godsdammitt,” he cursed under his breath. “If possible, I will seeyou to your family. It’ll hurt, though.” Carefully he eased hisarms under her and gently lifted.

She gasped as he stood, cradling herto his chest like some overlarge child. He was already gory fromthe fighting, but almost immediately a fresh