moving, barely. Hamar looked at the knife protruding from his
throat and the one piercing his chest and cursed aloud. He forced his mind to
acknowledge what his eyes showed him; his companion was dead already. He gave a
silent prayer for his fallen comrade and turned and pushed his way through the
panicked crowd.
He fought through the crowd and they fell back
before him, all too aware of his guns. He scanned the rooftops behind him, and
caught sight of a lean man with his face masked leap from one angled rooftop to
another, following him. The man darted back before he could so much as raise his
gun. Hamar cursed. How many of the bastards were there?
He looked ahead, and in the milling crowd saw a
lone priest trying to calm the folk, limping from one panic-stricken person to
another. The priest was dressed in the fashion of the priesthood, a black robe
with the bottom half of his face covered. Hamar could have laughed at the
priests attempts to calm this wild herd. He looked behind him, saw a figure
leaping from one roof to another, exposed at last, and raised his gun.
He felt the blade as it sliced into his chest.
He looked before him, and stared into the priest’s cold, green eyes.
Hamar struggled to breathe, but all that came
from his mouth were froths of blood. The priest moved before him in fluid
motion with no hint of a limp and planted a knife in the nape of his neck.
Hamar fell to the ground, life fading, and the last sight before his eyes was
that of the priest’s calm gaze looking down on him.
His last thought was of Alexis and the boys.
5
The Legionnaire led the boys up the angled street
at as fast a run as the frenzied crowd allowed. The sound of the guns had some
raising their heads and looking about hoping to catch a glimpse of the source.
The sound of those gunshots worried Alexis. Cold anger that he was not doing
anything to help his comrades swelled in him. It was an effort for him to keep
moving and not simply turn back.
“Alexis, what’s going on?” Adrian asked.
“I don’t know,” Alexis told him absently, hating
the worry that tinged his own voice. He couldn’t help but feel a coward. I
should be helping them! But underneath the anger and the feelings of
cowardice lay a deep shame as well; he desperately wanted to turn back and
prove himself. He reminded himself firmly that this was not the time.
They ran through the sea of people, with Alexis
looking over his shoulder every few steps. Each shot they heard caused their
heads to jerk around towards the noise. They continued to run, pushing through
the curious and frightened throng of Haven. Then they heard three consecutive
shots, and Alexis stopped for a moment. He looked back the way they had come,
but there was nothing to be seen through the crowd. For a few moments his heart
was still, and the desire to go back and see if that had been the end of it was
almost too great to ignore, but he resisted the urge.
They continued to run, and after those few shots
they heard nothing.
They had left their horses behind, with them it
would have been near impossible to get through the crowd, but Alexis wished
that they had them as they came out onto the Great Road. He looked both ways of
the wide highway frantically, trying to decide which way to go. He looked east
and west, but the road was too open, they could easily be ridden down and shot
whichever way they went. He came to a decision at last.
“Into the woods,” he said, and darted across the
road, pulling the boys along with him.
“What about Hamar and Owain?” Connor panted.
“They’re better Legionnaires than me, so enough
with the questions!”
The three disappeared into the green embrace of
the forest.
6
When all was said and done that eventful morning
in Haven, three bodies littered the streets. When the Haven Guard arrived, they
found only the dead. The people stood far back and watched as the Guard
searched the bodies. They were eager to watch, but none
throat and the one piercing his chest and cursed aloud. He forced his mind to
acknowledge what his eyes showed him; his companion was dead already. He gave a
silent prayer for his fallen comrade and turned and pushed his way through the
panicked crowd.
He fought through the crowd and they fell back
before him, all too aware of his guns. He scanned the rooftops behind him, and
caught sight of a lean man with his face masked leap from one angled rooftop to
another, following him. The man darted back before he could so much as raise his
gun. Hamar cursed. How many of the bastards were there?
He looked ahead, and in the milling crowd saw a
lone priest trying to calm the folk, limping from one panic-stricken person to
another. The priest was dressed in the fashion of the priesthood, a black robe
with the bottom half of his face covered. Hamar could have laughed at the
priests attempts to calm this wild herd. He looked behind him, saw a figure
leaping from one roof to another, exposed at last, and raised his gun.
He felt the blade as it sliced into his chest.
He looked before him, and stared into the priest’s cold, green eyes.
Hamar struggled to breathe, but all that came
from his mouth were froths of blood. The priest moved before him in fluid
motion with no hint of a limp and planted a knife in the nape of his neck.
Hamar fell to the ground, life fading, and the last sight before his eyes was
that of the priest’s calm gaze looking down on him.
His last thought was of Alexis and the boys.
5
The Legionnaire led the boys up the angled street
at as fast a run as the frenzied crowd allowed. The sound of the guns had some
raising their heads and looking about hoping to catch a glimpse of the source.
The sound of those gunshots worried Alexis. Cold anger that he was not doing
anything to help his comrades swelled in him. It was an effort for him to keep
moving and not simply turn back.
“Alexis, what’s going on?” Adrian asked.
“I don’t know,” Alexis told him absently, hating
the worry that tinged his own voice. He couldn’t help but feel a coward. I
should be helping them! But underneath the anger and the feelings of
cowardice lay a deep shame as well; he desperately wanted to turn back and
prove himself. He reminded himself firmly that this was not the time.
They ran through the sea of people, with Alexis
looking over his shoulder every few steps. Each shot they heard caused their
heads to jerk around towards the noise. They continued to run, pushing through
the curious and frightened throng of Haven. Then they heard three consecutive
shots, and Alexis stopped for a moment. He looked back the way they had come,
but there was nothing to be seen through the crowd. For a few moments his heart
was still, and the desire to go back and see if that had been the end of it was
almost too great to ignore, but he resisted the urge.
They continued to run, and after those few shots
they heard nothing.
They had left their horses behind, with them it
would have been near impossible to get through the crowd, but Alexis wished
that they had them as they came out onto the Great Road. He looked both ways of
the wide highway frantically, trying to decide which way to go. He looked east
and west, but the road was too open, they could easily be ridden down and shot
whichever way they went. He came to a decision at last.
“Into the woods,” he said, and darted across the
road, pulling the boys along with him.
“What about Hamar and Owain?” Connor panted.
“They’re better Legionnaires than me, so enough
with the questions!”
The three disappeared into the green embrace of
the forest.
6
When all was said and done that eventful morning
in Haven, three bodies littered the streets. When the Haven Guard arrived, they
found only the dead. The people stood far back and watched as the Guard
searched the bodies. They were eager to watch, but none
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