is private property, friend," he said firmly. "I'm going to have to ask you to turn around."
Gabriella glanced at her comrades. Erak looked surprised, as did Oaks and Komo, while Tanner kept a poker face. The soldiers-at-arms were all professionally blank, waiting for orders. Erak nudged his horse forward.
"Captain...?"
"Sarkos."
"Captain Sarkos, We are members of the Order of the Swords of Dawn -"
"So I can see."
Erak kept his voice polite but low. "We are on our way to the estate of one Karel Scarra. I suggest you let us past. You may escort us if you wish."
"I'll be perfectly happy to escort you off this land."
"That's not what I meant." Erak kept his voice level, but Gabriella could see in his eyes that he knew which way this conversation was going to go. She was also certain that every moment they spent here meant a bigger lead for Scarra, who was no doubt wobbling off in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry his ungainly load.
"I know." Sarkos smiled and Erak's fingers began to flex.
"Let me," Gabriella said, putting her hand on Erak's forearm and gently pushing his hand away from his sword. "Are you religious, Captain Sarkos?"
He hesitated, put off his stride by the interruption. "Depends what you mean?"
"Do you observe the Tenthday?" Gabriella asked. "Make the proper offerings and tithes?"
He nodded reluctantly. "You don't meet a lot of soldiers who don't. It's always a good idea to keep your soul in good shape when you know you might end up in the clouds or the pits any minute."
"Sounds wise to me. So, here's the deal to keep your souls in good shape," Gabriella said, smiling. "You dismount, chat to our Confessor, pay a penance for your sins."
"Or?"
"Or you stay mounted, take on a numerically superior, better-trained force, and make your confessions to the Lord of All when you meet him; which you will, very quickly thereafter."
"You're threatening our employer."
"I'm dealing with a serious morality crime. The attempted assassination of a Final Faith Eminence by a member of a heretical sect." The mercenary Captain paled, clearly shocked by this news. "By rights I should have you under arrest already."
"Then why haven't you?"
Gabriella leaned back in the saddle. "Because you, personally, haven't committed those crimes yet. But the instant you draw down on any of us, you're contributing not just to the morality crime, but to the heresy. And there's only one course of action we can take about that."
"That's what you want, isn't it?"
Gabriella shook her head. "I'm sure that's what Scarra and his Brotherhood friends would want you to think of us but, all things being equal, I'd rather there was another troop of faithful soldiers raising mankind towards the Lord in the world, than another bunch of heretics burning in the pits."
The mercenary stiffened. "I assume you mean well, but your implication that we would betray our paymaster -"
"I wouldn't have used quite those words -"
"Once my men have been paid," he said grimly, "they follow the job through. If we accepted a contract and a payment, then abandoned our client to his enemies, then we'd quickly be out of business."
"You'd be alive."
"If you call that life." He wheeled his horse around.
"Are you going to die for the ignorant?"
"Maybe that's what I take their coin for. I'm paid to protect Scarra from attack, not bring him intelligence. I won't be mentioning our meeting."
Gabriella understood. Sarkos wanted to be honourable and professional. That was fine, but aiding and abetting a heretic was not. The mercenary had made his decision. She wished she didn't have to do what now became necessary, but as her father had always said, if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
Sarkos was quick. He actually managed to raise his shield just in time to deflect her first cut, so it barely scraped his ear rather than rip his throat out.
Hanging onto the reins with her left hand, Gabriella couldn't draw her other sword, but she
Gabriella glanced at her comrades. Erak looked surprised, as did Oaks and Komo, while Tanner kept a poker face. The soldiers-at-arms were all professionally blank, waiting for orders. Erak nudged his horse forward.
"Captain...?"
"Sarkos."
"Captain Sarkos, We are members of the Order of the Swords of Dawn -"
"So I can see."
Erak kept his voice polite but low. "We are on our way to the estate of one Karel Scarra. I suggest you let us past. You may escort us if you wish."
"I'll be perfectly happy to escort you off this land."
"That's not what I meant." Erak kept his voice level, but Gabriella could see in his eyes that he knew which way this conversation was going to go. She was also certain that every moment they spent here meant a bigger lead for Scarra, who was no doubt wobbling off in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry his ungainly load.
"I know." Sarkos smiled and Erak's fingers began to flex.
"Let me," Gabriella said, putting her hand on Erak's forearm and gently pushing his hand away from his sword. "Are you religious, Captain Sarkos?"
He hesitated, put off his stride by the interruption. "Depends what you mean?"
"Do you observe the Tenthday?" Gabriella asked. "Make the proper offerings and tithes?"
He nodded reluctantly. "You don't meet a lot of soldiers who don't. It's always a good idea to keep your soul in good shape when you know you might end up in the clouds or the pits any minute."
"Sounds wise to me. So, here's the deal to keep your souls in good shape," Gabriella said, smiling. "You dismount, chat to our Confessor, pay a penance for your sins."
"Or?"
"Or you stay mounted, take on a numerically superior, better-trained force, and make your confessions to the Lord of All when you meet him; which you will, very quickly thereafter."
"You're threatening our employer."
"I'm dealing with a serious morality crime. The attempted assassination of a Final Faith Eminence by a member of a heretical sect." The mercenary Captain paled, clearly shocked by this news. "By rights I should have you under arrest already."
"Then why haven't you?"
Gabriella leaned back in the saddle. "Because you, personally, haven't committed those crimes yet. But the instant you draw down on any of us, you're contributing not just to the morality crime, but to the heresy. And there's only one course of action we can take about that."
"That's what you want, isn't it?"
Gabriella shook her head. "I'm sure that's what Scarra and his Brotherhood friends would want you to think of us but, all things being equal, I'd rather there was another troop of faithful soldiers raising mankind towards the Lord in the world, than another bunch of heretics burning in the pits."
The mercenary stiffened. "I assume you mean well, but your implication that we would betray our paymaster -"
"I wouldn't have used quite those words -"
"Once my men have been paid," he said grimly, "they follow the job through. If we accepted a contract and a payment, then abandoned our client to his enemies, then we'd quickly be out of business."
"You'd be alive."
"If you call that life." He wheeled his horse around.
"Are you going to die for the ignorant?"
"Maybe that's what I take their coin for. I'm paid to protect Scarra from attack, not bring him intelligence. I won't be mentioning our meeting."
Gabriella understood. Sarkos wanted to be honourable and professional. That was fine, but aiding and abetting a heretic was not. The mercenary had made his decision. She wished she didn't have to do what now became necessary, but as her father had always said, if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
Sarkos was quick. He actually managed to raise his shield just in time to deflect her first cut, so it barely scraped his ear rather than rip his throat out.
Hanging onto the reins with her left hand, Gabriella couldn't draw her other sword, but she
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