Loremaster - Palace Of Kings Part 26

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never done before. 'Do not draw breath until you reach the Wayhouse!' he shouted to Arbel and Rubel as Stumble carried him forwards under the eaves of the black forest.

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A Nero Keeper at Stumble Hill

Kyot reined Sprjnt to a halt before the ruined hut of thorns ;: and dismounted, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, and picked a way through the carca.s.ses of the slaughtered N'ghtbe8StS ~ quick glance showed him Esteron's saddle and bridle with the broken spear shaft lying beside them. 'Thane must be on the road through Notley Marsh,' Kyot muttered,

stroking Rockspray~s chest feathers as he left the hut and remounted Sptint For a moment he sat, undecided. He knew the quicker, straighter road through Mantern's and Meremire Forest but if he rode that way he would miss Thane who could be lying wounded, less than half a league into the marsh He s.h.i.+vered, nocked an arrow on to his bow and spurred Sprint on to the ancient road that led through the marshes.

F,ather would counsel against this road, but need pushes us to It, he thought as they descended, leaving behind the clean afternoon air and the bright sunlight on the valley top. Lifting his arm he sent Rockspray up into the sky, bidding him to search flee road ahead

'Run, Sprint, run! And keep us to the centre of the road through this foul place,' he shouted as the little horse lengthened his stride.

By late afternoon they had pa.s.sed the bubbling pools and ascended the steep slope on the far side of the marshes.

Reaching the great divide Kyot pulled Sprint to a halt and dismounted.

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'Thane can run as fast as I can ride,' he exclaimed, examining the footprints that led towards Stumble Hill. Kyot pointed with an arrow at the Nightbeasts' prints that spread across the road. Moving on with care and with a sharp eye on the lengthening shadows Kyot covered the last league to the Tower and stood before the ruined doors.

'Nigh/beasts!' he hissed, tying Sprint's reins in a knot on the saddle, leaving him free to fight in true Warhorse fas.h.i.+on.

Crouching, he drew the bowstring and, with his careful Archer's eyes, he searched every shadow, tree and stone before he darted forwards into the darkened courtyard. A blinding white light stopped and dazed him, making him loose the arrow, sending it shrieking across the courtyard to strike sparks off the tower wall.

'Father!' he cried, seeing Archer in the centre of the white light that glittered beneath the horse's battle coat. 'Father,' he whispered, running forwards and falling on to his knees at his side. Gently he touched the cold mutilated arms, pressing his fingers into the tattoo mark that burned with white fire.

'Who has done this?' he wept, looking up at the towering crescent of dead Nightbeasts a dagger's length away. 'Who has done His cling?' he shouted in rage, leaping to his feet, necking every arrow in the quiver on to his bow and loosing them into the pile of Nightbeast dead until he fell back in despair on to his knees whispering over and over, 'I love you. I love you'. Bending down he "athered his father up into his arms and rocked him, crying out against the night for revenge.

Gradually his weeping stopped and he laid his father gendy back on to the cobbles, drawing the coa.r.s.e steel-ringed bathe coat up over his head. Sitting quietly the emptiness of the moment overtook him.

'Who did dais?' he questioned, looking at the wall of the Nightbeast dead. 'You could not have taken his hands. None of you trod close enough to do chat. But who stood here with you, Father?' Kyot frowned, looking around the courtyard, and his eyes rested on the barbed spear blade lying beside the

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aoaken shooting b.u.t.t with theneady-cut bowstring. 'Thane! He must have brought the Nightbeasts close on his heels through Nodey Marsh and found Fadler tied to the shooting b.u.t.t.'

Kyot examined the lifeless Nightbeasts and nodded to himself. The only arrows used against them were his own, loosed in anger, long after they were dead. Each one had a dagger wound. Thane had obviously fought them alone.

'I will avenge your death, Father!' he cried, kneeling and gripping the hem of the bathe coat so hard chat the steel rings bit into the palms of his hands.

'Only one foul Nightmare could have done dlis . . .' Kyot shook with a new rage and rose to his feet. 'Sprint!' he called, summoning the relay horse to his side. 'Krulshards, the Master of Nightmares, has destroyed my father. I shall hunt him Throughout Elundium, no matter where he hides. Will you take me and carry me into such danger?'

Sprint arched his neck and sniffed the bathe coat, his eyes glittering with anger. Lifting his head he neighed at the darkness and struck sparks from the cobbles as he pawed tile ground. Kyot leapt into the saddle and turned Sprint swiftly towards the broken doors and cantered him hard out into tile dark night.

'Which way?' he cried, pulling Sprint to a halt ten paces beyond the doors and reaching into tile quiver for an arrow.

'Fool!' he muttered to himself, his hand closing on emptiness, remembering chat every spine had been loosed into die Nightbeast dead. Turning, he rode back into the courtyard, s.h.i.+elding his eyes against the tattoo's blinding light chat shone even through the steel rings of the bathe coat.

'Father, you still guard tills place, but I will ring your body with new-forged arrows. They will protect you until the Archer strikes return.'

Dismounting, Kyot entered the armoury and lit his spark. 'By Nevian!' he hissed, dropping the Bow of Orm and jumping backwards. The spark fizzled and died in his hand.

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Quickly he took a tar-dipped torch from the wall beside the door, lit it and held it aloft to face the far wall.

'KRULSHARDS!' He read in large-scrawled, b.l.o.o.d.y letters painted across the wall. 'Go to Clatterford, seek out Fairday, he knows the measure of your revenge. He will arm you against the Nightmare.'

Kyot ran to the armoury wall and touched the blood-sticky letters.

'Thane wrote His,' he cried, 'but where is Clatterford? And how will I be armed, why must I go Here? Surely I should hunt down the Master of Nightmares; he cannot be more Han one daylight ahead.'

Kyot sank down, his back resting against the wall, and absentmindedly kicked over the armourer's iron pot chat Thane had filled with Nightbeast blood to paint the letters. He sat and thought hard as the night hours pa.s.sed away, trying to riddle out She meaning of the words. 'Clatterford! Clatterford!

What or where can it be?' he sighed, twisting his head and looking up at the other name written on the wall. Rockspray flew into the armoury and stooped back to his shoulder, hooted and spread his wings before lifting from his shoulder and hovering by each blood-painted word. Stooping to the arrow stands he hooked an empty quiver up in his talons and brought it to Kyot, dropping it at his feet.

'Yes we will take new arrows with us. If only I could know who Fairday is or where Clatterford lies,' sighed Kyot again.

Pus.h.i.+ng aside the quiver he began to rise. The tar-dipped torch spluttered, "uttering on its wick, and went out, plunging the armoury back into darkness. Kyot searched in his pocket for

another spark, muttering to himself. 'The grey hours are upon us and I am still none the wiser which path to take. The Nightbeast tracks will be cold and more difficult to follow if I hesitate here any longer.'

'Keeper of the Tower,' whispered a voice in the darkness.

Archer's tattoo blazed for a moment in the courtyard, casting long shadows in the armoury. Kyot drew his knife and

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