Surfacing Ch. 21

I made a note to ask Gavin if it was always this tedious to get his undead servants to move. He made it look so easy...

*Either no one is there or no one is curious,* Mourn sent to me. *The longer she remains out there, the less natural she looks.*

*Shall I have her approach the entry? If anyone is there that is sure to get a response. They must act on it in some way, whether she looks natural or not.*

*That may be the same as sending her to set off these traps for us.*

I smiled to myself without showing teeth. *Not quite. She can't bite back at a tripwire, and a snare has no tattoos on its arms to chomp.*

If Mourn had been lying next to me, he might have grunted. *She also can't bite through spiked chains.*

I rolled my eyes up even though he couldn't see them. *What next?*

*Send her to walk beneath the covered path next to the wall. They will hear her but have no line of sight. Have her walk back and forth at least five times, or until we see them.*

I did as instructed figuring that Jael was probably even more anxious to see something happen. I could not complain that my bodyguard had taken to keeping a closer eye on her than on me in something like this; I liked what it told me about his opinion of me.

Night-mare padded in that lumbering way only a herd animal could as I picked her path for her, trying to avoid hard-to-see areas or anything that looked dangerous. It made her path very strange but the best I could do was hope she seemed confused and aimless. She made it beneath the covered pathway with no attention, almost to my surprise, and I wished I could see a bit better as there couyld be a trap there as well. It was a natural place to approach for any basic military.

I did not think anyone remaining at Manalar was truly basic anything.

She walked back and forth, making plenty of noise, but after the fifth time Mourn instructed me to let her go completely still. I was relieved I could stop thinking every minute instruction while clutching the bone.

*I don't like this,* Mourn told me. *They are back there, they are aware of the noise but they are waiting.*

*How do you know?*

*I finally got eyes on them.*

*How? From the inside?*

*Yes. Three. They use hand signs like us, but he cannot read them.*

*He? Who in the Abyss is on the inside?*

*Wait. Send the mare walking again, toward the traps but I will tell you when to stop so she does not hit them.*

No answer? Fine.

At my nudging, Gavin's mare turned to leave the shaded path and head toward the harvester and some of the brush. I lost sight of her from my angle at this point but strained my ears to listen to every footfall that horse made. I tensed as I waited for the signal from Mourn to stop the horse from blundering into one of the traps.

*Stop.*

The next moment I heard the sweep of a branch arcing through the leaves before it crashed into the low trunk of the second nearest, and largest, tree to the harvester. I heard a few strange metallic pieces and several woody things splintering and breaking the exact same instant that I heard Mourn roar out as if in a complete rage from sudden pain. It was so convincing that I almost panicked.

*Mourn?!*

*Focus! Watch.*

Damned half-blood. He was faking! Although I admit I wished I could've seen the Hellhounds' expressions right there when they heard something other than a horse cry out when a trap of theirs was set off. Still, however, this did not send them scurrying to the entryway or to make themselves visible at the top of the wall. They waited yet, and Mourn went completely silent again, the mare almost as much.

*Make her lie down.*

*Done.*

Gavin's mount looked purely dead as she lay flat on her side and things grew quiet as the Sun continued its crawl behind the clouds. Soon it would touch the horizon and the shadow of the mountain would grow deeper over the city. If we would lie in wait to test the others' nerves into night time, I was not against it. The way my eyes ached was so constant on the Surface that I often forgot about it until night had fallen or I was somewhere dark; it never failed to provide me with near-ecstatic relief.

*We have movement from the west field,* Mourn updated me. *We could wait them out, but they will have reinforcement soon.*

*Retreat?*

*Yes. Send the mare back up the mountain and you draw back using a separate path.*

I began doing just that but I paused when I heard a few spoken words of Ma'ab as the horse got back up and trotted up toward the mountain. It went quiet yet again so I continued my retreat.

*What is going on?*

*Either we were seen long before we settled into place, or those three were instructed not to step outside the wall. They will take no bait at this point, all they have to do is wait and they win this standoff.*

*How much time do we have before reinforcements arrive?*

*Five are running toward this wall. If they do not stop they will be here in less than a quarter hour.*

I thought about that, about running the streets of the city across its entire width and making it in that time. I didn't think I could do it. *And if they chase us beyond the wall?*

*Yet to be seen. If so, an opportunity. If you and Tamuril on the mare will lead them, Jael and I can come up behind them.*

*Against eight of them?*

*Team Lung is ready. So is your Sister.*

I was moving through this entire conversation, with Night-mare taking the long way around to meet me farther down the slope. *What do you mean she is ready? Does this have anything to do with last night?*

*What about last night?*

*You taught her something. I saw it in her face earlier. What is it?*

I could've sworn I detected a hint of laughter behind his next thought. *I think she wants to surprise you. If at least some of the Hellhounds oblige us, she may get the chance.*

*What the fuck, Mourn?*

*You have proven many things to her. She still needs to prove herself to you.*

I probably should not have brought this up; a few vivid images, a warm surge in my belly leading to a tingle between my legs distracted me for a moment as I found myself hoping for another opportunity such as the three of us in that room within the retreat. Maybe as a reward after we were done here.

I heard distant calls that would be mistaken for an animal if I hadn't already pinpointed that the sound had jumped over from the inside of the city wall, and if not for the fact that most if not all of the natural wildlife had fled this area. Whatever the signals were, they stood out to me and heralded the chase. Mourn knew this, too.

*Get on the mare as soon as you can. Tamuril is already down the slope and ready to meet you. Make some noise but don't be obnoxious about it. Run straight out from the city, do not circle it or head in the direction of the bunker. Trust us that we will be right behind you.*

My heart beat elevated but controlled, as was my breathing as I finally reached a fairly flat area and called for the dark horse to run straight for me and stop. She obeyed and I grabbed her bristly mane, pulling myself easily up into the saddle. My heels kicked her sides out of habit but when that didn't work I squeezed the bone again and leaned down almost to her neck, looking ahead between her ears.

*Run. That way.*

Night-mare remembered enough to compensate for a rider's weight as my job remained merely to hang on and tell her which way to go. I did not have to worry about her being startled by anything or stopping suddenly of her own accord and throwing me from her back. I thought she would run off the edge of a cliff if I did not tell her to avoid such a fall; her survival instinct had become obsolete. In some ways it was easier not having to account for the separate will of an animal, but in other ways it was more difficult not to take certain things for granted.

Assumptions could get me killed here just as easily as they could back home.

Tamuril was covered up in her browns and greens and I did not see her blonde hair as a signal to stop but merely her movement toward me. She could not be pleased to leap onto the back of the mare behind me, but she hid whatever distaste she had for the mare and held on to my waist from behind.

"Higher," I instructed.

"What?"

"Away from my belt, hold on higher."

"Your breasts are sore," she protested, and the choice detail surprised me. When had she discovered –?

Never mind.

"Better than agitating my guardians or the relic," I bit out impatiently as I got the mare moving again. "Stop questioning me!"

The Druid wrapped her long, slender arms around my torso and if I had been nude her hands would be cradling the sides of my breasts. She could squeeze hard enough on my ribs to cut off my breath at this point – she was correct that there were better holds on horseback – but I still did not want to risk her hands brushing or pressing upon various items on my belt.

We had been riding for several minutes before I got the warning from Mourn.

*The three from the wall have left it. They are headed in your direction, very fast.*

*And the five from west field?*

*At the wall, planning.* He paused. *And casting. Probably endurance spells.*

*Find a defensible place?*

*No. Keep running. Do not stop unless you reach the deep canyon, then circle around to the north back toward Manalar. Farthest out you will approach the city in the same direction from when we first arrived.*

*Check.*

Both our hoods had long fallen down to expose our bright hair, probably visible in glimpses through the trees even though the grey Sky became darker as the Sun finally descended behind the mountains. Tamuril and I passed plenty of small groups of bodies, most of them probably Manalara, and I remembered the area we were in was that from which the Ma'ab Army had approached from the back. We did not have to worry too much about leaving an obvious trail, the hoof and boot prints were in the millions. Ours would be the freshest, no doubt, but still camouflaged at first glance.

Gavin's mare was tireless and carried us through the hilly forest at a rate that I did not think even a Hellhound on a spell-drug could maintain indefinitely. Several times when I heard another call, I felt the urge to stop the horse and look behind me, to try and judge how far behind us they were. I resisted, though, because already Tamuril looked behind often and if Jaunda or Rausery had ordered me to keep going, I wouldn't be stopping now. I had demanded Tamuril not question me every step, I would not do the same with Mourn.

At some point, however, I got the feeling I was out of the pearl's range and this made it harder to continue on toward some unseen canyon ahead of us. What if they had caught up to the Hellhounds but were overwhelmed behind us? What if they captured my Sister?

I gritted my teeth behind closed lips. The Templars' concern over what might happen to her wasn't something about which I felt nothing, despite what I had said to them earlier about "dead is dead." But at least I had a personal reason; I knew what Jael looked like when she came. It wasn't simply by virtue of some disembodied concept of having a pussy rather than a prick that made me angry to imagine the Hellhounds hurting her. Some sort of warrior bond I could understand, but simply being female, or male, for that matter? I did not understand.

*Go back...*

Soul Drinker.

"We should go back," Tamuril said near my ear.

I smirked at the timing, and the temptation. Fuck.

"I don't hear anything," I said, slowing the mare up a bit but continuing at a jog.

"Willven tells me the Hellhounds were cut off from us but are harrying our teams, the fight is hit-and-run and they are going in circles. We must help them."

I frowned. Mourn could speak to Krithannia, who could speak directly at Isboern, who was talking to Tamuril. It was reasonable, but... "What does Krithannia say?"

The blonde was quiet for a few moments and had her eyes closed when I glanced behind me. I was aware the moment her mouth opened again, preparing to speak.

"She says do not engage unless you can get in contact with Mourn again. Otherwise follow the last order he gave you."

I thought that sounded like something the Guildmistress would say. Tamuril didn't like it.

"We should go back," she insisted.

I smiled as we trotted farther and farther away. We all wanted to go back. That was where the action was.

"If Pilla can find Mourn –"

"Already done."

"Very well. Let us get back in range."

We turned around and started a gallop which for me was blind as I went where Tamuril told me to go without questioning her every step. Turnabout was fair play, I supposed. I ducked branches even as I reached out with that nameless other sense, seeking the maker of my unique ear stud. I waited for Tamuril to confirm that we were close.

*Slow. Walk. Stop.*

"What are you doing?" the Druid whispered even as she followed my lead in pulling her hood back up.

"She makes too much noise."

I directed Gavin's horse once again to lie down and wait; she would be hidden from view beneath a mossy stone overhang on the side of this hill. It was nearly full dark now with no Moonlight and I relished the change in my view as I prepared a much more familiar stalking environment. I listened for any sign of battle or "harrying," but heard none at this moment.

*Mourn.*

No answer yet. I gestured to Tamuril asking which direction to go, and she understood it well enough. She pointed and we slipped through the forest keeping to cover, masking our trail and avoiding unnecessary noise. I was dismayed how quiet everything was, and I could not sign any detailed questions to Tamuril about what might be happening, according to Isboern. Was a fight still going on?

*Mourn.*

Nothing. Keep moving closer. I touched the smoky pearl attached to my lobe, though doing that made no difference in what I sensed. Perhaps I just wanted to reassure myself that it was still there.

Another five minutes crept by and abruptly I went stiff, gripping the bark of the tree behind which I hid as I got Mourn's first order within range.

*Get the fucking falcon out of the sky. They see it.*

Shit.

I slowly took hold of Tamuril's forearm and squeezed, then squeezed harder until she met my eyes and understood from my intense expression there was a problem. I directed my gaze deliberately upward, mouthed the name of her bird and jerked my head toward the direction of the unknown canyon. Tamuril's eyes widened and she took in too much air too quickly and made a sound I wished she hadn't made. However, Pilla obeyed whatever instruction the Druid had flung her way and turned around to fly quickly out of the area.

I half-hoped that the Hellhounds would make a hurried attempt to strike the bird out of the Sky so I could pinpoint where at least one of them lay in wait, preferably after having missed the falcon. However, if they had been preparing any shot of any kind, they did not take it, and Pilla was let go unharmed.

*Status?* I asked.

I could imagine Mourn taking a breath as he thought. *Of the three chasing you, one Hellhound beheaded, two injured but not killed. As suspected, these are much tougher. It took my full arm and a perfect strike to get the one. The five joined and forced us away from their wounded and now have split up. We have been leading each other around in wasted ambushes.

*They have not gone toward the injured at all since saving them and those two may soon be back into the conflict. We have not been able to keep tabs on the locations of the other five, they are masking their life auras somehow as well as their magic, the same as us.*

*Have you called for a backup team?*

*No. Word from Krithannia is that other Hellhounds watch for movement toward this area. If I called, they would have a good idea where the bunker is.*

*So it is us and them.*

*Yes.*

I paused. *What if Tamuril and I finished off the injured?*

*They may be better off now than they were half an hour ago. You may have to fight them.*

*We can bind them and their chains with web and vine from afar. It will not be hand-to-hand.*

Mourn did not reply immediately, which I took to mean he considered it to break the stalemate. Or at least finish up the first clash he had missed.

*What are their injuries?* I asked.

Mourn somehow rumbled a growl before answering; it was my first indication that I heard him more through his pearl that I did straight mind-linking.

*Blunt force to the back and head, perhaps a shallow sword thrust or two. If you move, do it soon and be silent. Tell me what you see and when you need backup. Do not risk yourself unnecessarily.*

I agreed and Mourn told me where to find the headless body. The first thing I did after we broke the connection, as the Noldor watched me, was carefully tie one of my web pellets to a bolt before setting it ready to shoot in my right hand. Tamuril tilted her head toward me, offering her ear, and I smiled a bit as I leaned in with my lips close enough to feel her heat.

"Find two injured, capture with vines. Kill."

She pursed her lips as she absorbed that, her eyes seeming to study the tree bark in front of her, but she nodded once. She was ready.

I never failed to check above us as well as behind even as Tamuril noted every possible point we might slip on the mud, dislodge a stone, or crack a branch by accident. I tried to filter the night scents through my nose to catch a living sweat or musk, even passing gas, anything wholly separate from the lingering rot which drifted ever-present on the breeze. My ears were wide open to catch one even scratching his balls.

Soon I smelled that sweat I sought, as well as blood and recently-loosed bowels. We were moving downward into a slight depression and I glimpsed through the trees the headless body of the Hellhound ahead and below us. There were drag marks leading away from that spot in the direction back toward the city wall, which implied one battered Ma'ab might have moved the other if he was unconscious.

The first thing that struck me was: Too obvious.

Tamuril and I remained low where we were, eyes constantly sweeping yet I was proud the Druid was not swiveling her head like a puppet on a stick. My hand crossbow was out and ready as I pondered which direction they might have gone if not where the tracks led.

It was the sudden though minuscule warmth of the sapphire against my skin which caused me to grab Tamuril's arm and yank her forward with me straight toward the drag marks. It was the only direction I knew they had *not* gone.

The spiked chain narrowly missed my head as I ducked behind a tree which took the first two loops instead of my neck, and a dagger flew in from my left to pin the Druid's cloak to a tree. Finally I had a direction and I heard the movement, and they had been far too close for my liking.

I spun, aimed, and whispered, "Faeriluci..."

As it had been with Kain so long ago, the magenta flame outlining the two large, male bodies was harmless and blinded no one, least of all me. It simply gave me the best spot to shoot my bolt between them, nicking one shoulder but binding them both.

The sticky web released as soon as the pellet ruptured, tripping up both of them and causing the first Hellhound to actually drop his chain. It gave us precious response time but I soon realized the web would not hold them long. Few Elves could move their arms as much as these two Ma'ab already were, and they could reach weapons to cut it; the second one was going for his chain. I frowned; I had seen these webs hold much larger creatures in the Underdark. Was it one of their tattoos helping them now, or was the potency of my pellets weakening?

"Vines," I demanded. "With spikes."

"Li'shentinae!" Tamuril responded immediately, even before she had fully freed herself from the dagger holding her cloak.