The Raven Collection

‘Thraun, leave him!’ yelled Erie

The little man had curled into a ball and was rocking slowly to and fro. He was silent but tremors racked his body, pushing breath through his clenched teeth in a juddering hiss.

‘Will?’ Erie

Thraun padded to her side and nuzzled him, licking his face. There was no reaction but a movement in the mana had Erie

‘Casting!’ she said. She yanked at Will’s sleeve. ‘Come on! Get up!’ He wouldn’t move. And then Sol was at her shoulder. He stooped and swept Will into his arms.

‘Run,’ he said. They ran.

Jandyr galloped into the stableyard wondering how he was going to saddle and bring four horses to the College in the short time he had, only to find Denser already there. He was barking orders at the stable lad, whose fear was all too apparent. Denser had what appeared to be wings folded at his back.

‘You took your time,’ he said.

Jandyr didn’t reply. He dismounted and ran to the lad. ‘Which one next?’ he asked.

The lad pointed at Thraun’s horse. ‘T-tack and saddle inside on the left, first h-hook,’ he said. And then to the elf’s back, ‘He just flew down. He flew. He shouldn’t . . .’

‘All right, son.’ Jandyr reappeared with saddle and bridle. ‘He won’t harm you.’ He caught Denser’s gaze briefly. His blasted cat poked its head from his cloak and Jandyr swore it was smiling.

The mage pulled a girth strap tight and buckled it. ‘You lead, I’ll be above you,’ he said. ‘I’ll make sure the other horses follow you, don’t worry about them.’

‘Whatever you say,’ said Jandyr.

‘Hurry.’

‘Shut up.’

Erie

Sol forged on ahead, carrying Will like a sack over one shoulder. Thraun loped easily by Erie

Even so, Erie

Jandyr would have preferred to smooth his passage with apology but he’d never have left the stableyard. Pausing only to flick some coins to the lad, he climbed on to his horse, kicked its flanks and charged out into the streets of Dordover. Above him, Denser kept pace at a height of about one hundred feet, and behind him, the quartet of riderless horses kept close form.

The streets were busy with early evening traffic and walkers. Jandyr kept up a barrage of shouted warnings, conscious of the attention he was undoubtedly drawing to his headlong dash in the direction of the College. Most cleared the way but the odd one, he knew, would take a kick or be trampled by the barely controlled stampede.

Thundering away from the centre of the City, Jandyr was approaching a residential and parkland area when Denser abruptly swooped to his side.

‘Trouble ahead,’ he shouted above the clatter of hooves on cobbles. ‘Take the next left, carry on to a large warehouse and go right. Keep going down there and I’ll catch you.’ He disappeared back into the sky.

Jandyr had no desire to find out what the trouble was and swung his horse left as indicated. The others followed, though not without some pause, Denser’s influence diminishing with distance.

Two things saved Erie

And so it was that they rushed out of the gate and on into the bedlam that was overtaking Dordover.

Denser flew fast for the College. The mana over the buildings was again a solid orange and he refocused to search for Erie

Between them and the horses, Denser knew, was a cordon of City Guards. More would follow. To the north, the College Guard was coming together, some already on horseback. And there, ru

Jandyr turned along the side of the warehouse and continued his gallop. His eyes pierced the dark of night and the blank of shadow, while at his back, the four horses were getting skittish. Denser had strayed too far. A few strides further on, Jandyr halted to tie the horses off and fix the reins to his saddle. In the midst of the mêlée of flank and fetlock, he grabbed at bits and bridles, snapping out orders that were half obeyed.

He linked pairs of reins then looped the master set over the rear of his saddle, tied in a slip knot. Halfway back on to his horse once more, he was stopped by a voice.

‘Want to sell those horses? They look a little much for one man - I beg your pardon, one elf.’

Denser dropped to Sol’s shoulder.

‘You’re ru

‘Damn it.’ He melded minds with his Familiar. ‘Follow my eyes and bring Sol to me.’ The demon flew from his cloak.

There were five of them, one for each horse, noted Jandyr drily. Three carried torches, all carried blades. He had snatched his ready-strung bow from its ties, quiver already over one shoulder. With one arrow nocked, he backed off, keeping the horses behind him. He knew he had to buy time, he just wasn’t sure how much.

‘Move away from the rides,’ repeated one. Their faces harsh in the torchlight, the men moved forward.

‘I can’t do that.’

‘Then we’ll be forced to kill you.’

‘One of you goes first. Which will it be?’ Jandyr swung his bow in an arc, encompassing them all. ‘You,’ he said, targeting one with unease in his eyes. ‘One more pace and you’re a dead man.’

His intended target stopped walking, but the others moved on, quicker now as they closed.

‘You can’t stop us all that way.’

Jandyr glanced at the sky in the direction of the College and saw Denser descending like an eagle on its prey. He smiled.

‘I won’t have to.’

Denser, knees raised, ca

‘If you want to run, run now.’ They needed no further invitation.

Ignoring the men he had felled, Denser untied the horses and climbed on to one, his ShadowWings gone. Jandyr paused to cut the arrow from his lifeless victim.

‘Let’s go, come on.’ Denser urged his horse to move, the others following mutely. Jandyr hauled himself into his saddle and the race was on.