Curse of Blades (Blades #1)

Chapter 7

Letting the women have a moment together, Coulta scouted the small house for another door, and found one that led to a garden nearby. He was relieved to realize it was early afternoon – they hadn't lost much time. Wildas left a few coins on a table and followed.

"Can you make a hard ride?" Coulta asked him, looking the prince over.

Wildas forced a smile that was more of a grimace. "If we make it fast. The tea they gave me helped, but I have a feeling it will wear off sooner than I'd like."

"Probably in less than an hour," Myri agreed, joining them. She handed each of them a plain brown cloak and pulled one on herself. "Mother thought it would help hide your fancy clothes and your... darkness. Most people don't dress like thieves."

Coulta ignored the comment and pulled the cloak on, carrying his own in case he needed it later, and followed Myri as she led them through the garden and around the house. Most of the soldiers were still occupied down the street, so they made it to the stable without incident.

The horses were agitated, but at least they were all still there. They found Quiver and Silverblade, Wildas's horse, but didn't see where the saddles and bridles were. Myri had gotten her own scruffy horse from its stall and was saddling it. Coulta assumed the stable girl had fled already, so he started searching the place for the tack, frustrated by the delay.

He was just considering the idea of riding without tack, as difficult as he knew that would be for his inexperienced self and an injured Wildas, when he heard a muffled sound from the other side of a haystack. Edging closer, sword in hand, he heard it again, and realized it was a muffled scream.

"Now, stop that squirming. If you just lay still it won't hurt a bit."

Coulta stepped around the haystack and found the stable girl pinned under a burly man who was in the midst of unfastening his belt. Grabbing him by the back of the green tunic, Coulta hauled him back with astonishing ease, and threw him against the far wall. The shocked man barely had time to realize what was happening before Coulta's sword was in his chest.

Coulta wiped his sword on the man's pant leg before sheathing it. He almost expected the girl to be gone when he turned around, but she was still on the ground, hurriedly pulling her skirts back down.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Thank you."

He held out a hand to her. "Come with us." When she hesitated he insisted, "I need to get the prince to Ryal. He's going to be delirious soon and I know nothing about horses. I'm going to need help with them. The healer will be too busy trying to help him." He hated himself as he admitted what he knew would be true, "Everyone in this village is going to die. Come with us."

She finally took his hand and he pulled her to her feet, making sure she was steady before letting her go. He didn't know why he felt the need to help her. Maybe she reminded him of Teeya.

"Your tack is over here," she said, leading him to a corner by the door where the items hung. How had they missed it?

With her help they were riding out of the stable courtyard within a few short minutes, Coulta and Wildas pacing their horses to ride just behind the women. But they hadn't reached the edge of the village before three mounted soldiers blocked their path.

Coulta barely thought as he dropped the reins and pulled two daggers from his belt. He'd never tried throwing knives before, but once again the magic seemed to be leading him, and the first dagger flew with impossible precision into a soldier's throat, above his shirt of mail. It then came back to his hand, trailing a misty tail of black. He immediately threw it again, along with the other, killing the last two soldiers just as his group reached them. The daggers came back as he wanted them to once again.