“Zollin, are you okay?” Hausey asked.
“I’m fine,” he said, standing up.
He had finished healing the animal and she, too, scrambled to her feet. Zollin rubbed Lilly’s nose and looked up at the knight on his horse.
“The horse is fine, too, thanks,” he said in an icy tone.
“It seems the dragon is headed in the same direction we are,” said Hausey. “That is good news, at least.”
“Good news?” Zollin said. “Did you see Brianna with the dragon?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t. The beast was so high in the air, it was hard to make out much detail,” Hausey said.
Zollin knew the hardened soldier was trying to be positive for his sake, but the effort fell short.
“No, she isn’t with the dragon, which probably means she’s dead,” said Zollin, his eyes stinging with tears. “My only course of action left is to avenge her death.”
“Well, let’s push on,” said Hausey. “The dragon might be headed for Orrock.”
Zollin doubted it, but he kept his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted was to go to the King and be pressured into fighting a battle he had no desire to be involved with. But he was determined to follow the dragon: it was the only link he had left to Brianna.
“Is your horse suitable to ride?” asked one of the other knights.
“Yes,” Zollin said, as he swung up into the saddle. The trauma Lilly had suffered with her leg had left her skittish, but the leg was completely healed. She circled nervously as Zollin settled into the saddle, and he took control of the horse’s reins.
“Right then, I guess we’re ready,” Hausey said.
Zollin should have noticed that neither Mansel or Kelvich was with the soldiers, but his fear for Brianna blinded him. He rode along behind the soldiers and was reminded of leaving Tranaugh Shire. That had been a cold day, and he’d just watched his best friend die. The pain of that memory loomed up again, and he couldn’t stop the tears that streaked silently down his cheeks. Now Brianna was gone, and he knew he had to face that fact. There was nothing else he could do. He would probably never know what happened to her, but he would spend the rest of his life finding out.
Mansel joined the group silently, riding up behind Zollin and falling in without a word. He’d expected Zollin to ask about Kelvich, and he had a lie ready, but Zollin didn’t even look up. They rode late into the night, and Mansel was given first watch. Zollin didn’t speak or eat; he just saw to his horse and then rolled himself in a blanket. The other knights were busy fixing something to eat when Hausey approached Mansel.
“Have you seen Kelvich?” the commander asked him. “We rode away from the farm so quickly, I’m afraid he got separated from us.”
“No, he stayed behind,” Mansel said. “That’s why I was late catching up. I tried to change his mind but he said he never had plans to go to Orrock with us. He’s not a warrior.”
“No, I suppose not,” Hausey said, “although his healing skills would surely have been an asset.”
“Zollin can heal anyone,” Mansel said. “I wouldn’t worry about the old man. He’ll be fine.”
Hausey didn’t question Mansel further. The night passed without incident, and Zollin was the first one ready to ride at dawn the next day. The others were tired from their hard journey, but Zollin felt as hollow as a reed. His body ached from lack of rest and sleeping on the ground night after night. Exhaustion had become a familiar state, but he was also crushed emotionally. He didn’t speak and rarely made eye contact; he just rode along with the others, occasionally nibbling some stale bread or sipping water from his canteen.
Mansel stayed beside him, as quiet as a shadow. The big warrior was frustrated by the delay; all he could think about was getting Zollin back to Lodenhime. He hoped that this sad turn of events would make his task easier. Once they dealt with this invasion, he would take Zollin south, and Gwendolyn would give him his reward. The thought of being with the witch made his skin tingle and his head light. It was a pleasant fantasy, and even though he had no proof that Gwendolyn would reward him by becoming his lover, in his foggy mind that was the only way he imagined she could respond.
Zollin was the most powerful person Mansel had ever seen, and he could not imagine a greater gift being given to his Queen. He felt sorry that he had thrown Quinn overboard to drown in the Great Sea. He felt guilty for having stabbed Kelvich, too, but he considered both these to be necessary steps to get what he wanted. It was more than just base desire: Mansel felt he deserved Gwendolyn, and the more he thought about her, the more he felt like she was his destiny. He still saw the lonely woman by the sea when he tried to imagine what Gwendolyn looked like. His heart ached when he saw the woman even though he could not remember who she was or why he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
They rode hard all day, not even stopping to rest the horses, and it was almost midnight when they finally saw Orrock in the distance. There was very little to be seen; the city seemed like a dark shadow.
“Where is the invading army?” Zollin asked. It was the first time he had spoken since healing his horse.
“I don’t know,” Hausey said. “King Felix must have found a way to delay it.”
They were pushing their horses along the Weaver’s Road when a savage cry rang out, and four men rushed forward. They had pikes with hooks that they used to pull the knights from their horses. Zollin sat on his horse, watching Hausey and his knights struggling. He heard the crunch of metal and bone as the knights fell off their horses. Mansel drew his sword beside Zollin, but neither attacked. They sat watching, and then the arrows came. Two thick bolts, racing toward them, one aimed at Zollin, the other at Mansel. Zollin raised his hand and both projectiles bounced back after hitting his invisible shield.
“Crossbows,” Mansel said calmly.
“That means we have a minute or so before they can reload.”
“More than enough time,” Mansel said, smiling wickedly.
Zollin sent a ball of fire shooting into the air, which lit the entire area in bright light. There were half a dozen horses, all tied to single tree. The ambushers had made a cold camp, and two men were busy trying to reload their crossbows. They were bent over, with one foot in the stirrup of their weapon as they pulled the thick cord up toward the nut. They had stopped and looked around when Zollin’s fireball lit up the sky, but quickly they realized that they needed to reload their weapons quickly, before the men they were ambushing turned on them.
Mansel didn’t hesitate. He kicked his horse into action and charged at the two crossbowmen. One dropped his bow and ran for his own horse. The other got his weapon loaded and raised just in the nick of time, but his nerves got the best of him, and his shot went wide. The bolt flew harmlessly past Mansel, who brought his sword down on the crossbowman’s shoulder as he galloped past the man. The blade cut deep and sent blood arcing up into the air. As Mansel turned his horse, Zollin looked back at the knights who had been pulled off their horses. They were well armored, which protected them from the weapons of their attackers, but it also made it difficult for them to get back onto their feet. The assailants had closed in and were hacking at the knights with their pikes. Zollin levitated the ambushers into the air. The men were totally surprised and dropped their weapons as they shouted in fear. Zollin tossed them away from the knights the way a bored child might toss dolls.
“Get up, Hausey!” Zollin shouted. “Let’s see how they like a fair fight. Mansel, let them be.”
Mansel was anxious to renew his attack, but he angled away from the ambushers. He wanted to see how the knights would fight, and although he hated to move away from the action, he knew better than to cross Zollin. He reined in his horse and sat watching.
Hausey was the first on his feet. He moved stiffly, drawing his broadsword and taking a defensive stance while his comrades struggled to get up. The ambushers were terrified. It was obvious that they were Oslian soldiers and should have been familiar with displays of magic, but they had not anticipated Zollin’s attack. Being lifted into the air had terrified them and they weren’t anxious to rejoin the fight. Two of the men broke and ran.