Blood and Iron 4 Read online

  He was quick to be so large, damned quick. His blade flashed forward, catching her off guard. Bela brought her long axe up just in time to manage a weak parry. The shock of the blow sent her reeling backwards. He snorted, stepping to one side and raising a single sword. Glancing over, she saw Altair appear, racing towards her at a full gallop along the wharf’s edge. All he needed was a few more moments.

  Just a few…

  The Raven Knight’s steel sliced through the air, coming down hard, searching for her chest. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its bite. Instead, it sliced her cloak and sent shards of cobblestone flying through the air. Bela shrieked.

  The stallion’s nostrils flared wide with each breath as he aimed for her. Lowering his head, he drove himself harder still.

  Just a moment more…

  The wraith stepped forward and swung the glinting broadsword. Bela came up on one leg and met him with her axe and all the force she could muster. Iron struck iron, screaming as it did, shearing the axe head in two. Shrieking, she tumbled backwards again. “You should’ve left,” he said, his voice grating her soul. Whatever he was, he was no mortal.

  “You should’ve swung with both swords, you black bastard,” she snapped. Legs aquiver, she flung the axe handle at him and scrambled away on all fours, stumbling towards the pier.

  The Raven Knight lunged at her, but Altair was already there. She grabbed a fistful of his mane and felt him heave her up and onto his back. Hooves clattered on cobblestone as he swung his wide rear around and chased after the Kaniere.

  With every passing moment, the gap between ship and berth widened. Loose in the saddle, Bela wrapped her arms around the horse and clenched her eyes shut.

  We can make it, we can make it, we can make it…

  Squinting a single eye open, she saw the gap.

  We can’t make it…

  “Altair, stop! We can’t make it! You can’t make that jump! Stop!”

  He snorted and pumped his legs as hard as he could, ignoring her shouts. But there was no way, the Kaniere was half again too far for them to reach.

  At the edge of the pier, he leapt.

  Looking down, Bela watched the icy water move underneath them. She imagined its cold bite. Was it better to drown or to be run through by the Black Knight? She wasn’t sure.

  Up ahead, she saw Ezra and the others with their mouths open wide, but she heard nothing. All there was, was the pounding of her heart in her ears, and the voice that screamed over and over again, we can’t make it.

  The crowd on the Kaniere roared as the horse’s front hooves hit the deck. Tucking them in, he slid a third of the ship’s length to the base of the first mast. Bela was flung forward, tumbling end over end until she came to a sudden stop against the rail.

  Groaning, she opened her eyes to see Ezra and Mery and dozen other men standing over her. The taste of copper filled her mouth. An arm thrust towards her, but she rolled her head from side to side, preferring to lay. Kneeling, Ezra scooped her up and carried her down into the hold. Leaning in, he whispered, “You’re crazy as hell, you know that?”

  With a weak chuckle, she just closed her eyes and smiled.

  * * * * *

  That night, she sat on the bow and rested her head against Altair’s belly. He lay on his side, legs stretched straight out, fast asleep. Overhead, a black mantle lustered with ten thousand distant lights, as the clouds drifted towards the horizon.

  “That was the most foolish thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Rolling her head to the side, she saw Father Brayden standing over her. He took a seat.

  “I wasn’t leaving without him.”

  “I saw that.” After a time, he added, “He’s a special horse, but you already know that.”

  A smirk curled her lips. “What’s his story?”

  Brayden patted the sleeping horse’s side. “He’s a familiar.”

  “A what?”

  “A helper, of sorts. A friend of mine, a long time ago, happened upon him. Altair was in a bit of trouble and needed some help, so my friend did what he always did. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “Where’s your friend now?”

  “He left us, sadly, a long time ago.”

  “He’s very special,” Bela replied, after a moment, “Altair I mean.”

  “He thinks the same of you.”

  She smiled.

  Patting the horse again, the priest said, “Take care of him,” before standing to his feet. As he was leaving, he paused and looked back. “About Rowan…”

  “Yes?”

  “Before he left, he said he had something that belonged to Thatcher Frost. Do you know what that might’ve been?”

  “A sword, black blade, a beautiful thing. I would love to meet the smith that forged it.”

  “I doubt you would,” replied Brayden. After a moment, he asked, “Did he give it to Frost?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  Epilogue I

  Eldrick D’Eldar

  Uhnan’akk Camp

  Braeridge Mountains

  Slowly, Griffon’s eyes opened. Eldrick knelt beside him, clutching his hand, just as he had for the past half hour. “How do you feel?”

  Blinking, the young lord looked around. “Where am I?”

  “You are with me and Wyrmblood,” said Kren, leaning over. “Welcome back, lowlander.”

  Alexander groaned. “How long have I been out?”

  “Days,” said Redstorm.

  “Do you remember anything?” asked D’Eldar.

  “I remember pulling a sword from a crypt, and then…”

  “It will come back,” said the titan reassuringly, “in time, though you may not want it.”

  Looking up at the skins stretched tight between the poles, Griffon said, “We were… under the Brae. Why am I here?”

  Eldrick sighed and looked away.

  “Do not wait,” said Kren. “It is right for him to know.”

  “It’s right that I should know what?” he asked, sitting upright.

  The spy turned back and met Griffon’s green eyes. He stared in silence for a while, searching for the right words – just as he had searched a hundred times before – but there were none, there never were.

  “El, whatever it is, tell me.”

  He sucked in a deep breath. “…My lord, the Brae has fallen, she is no more.”

  He watched as the words washed over Griffon. His eyes were empty. His lip quivered. “Were there… surely, there were survivors, right?”

  “Many fled, including the Lady Alyna, and her retinue, and many of your house men.”

  “My house? What of…”

  Eldrick looked down. “He and I stayed. We opened the gate. We meant to surrender the Brae, to save it, and to negotiate peace. Surely, a lord would be spared. Such is the way of things…”

  A tear streamed down Griffon’s face. “Where is he?”

  “He’s at the Brae.”

  “Take me to him.”

  A Note from the Author

  I hope you enjoyed Part 4 of my serial!

  Part 5 of B&I is due for release in December 2019/January 2020!

  Visit my blog for updates: https://elisteele.blogspot.com/

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