Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,24
Knight could. His pass through the camp lasted a handful of heartbeats. In that short period of time he’d struck down three and trampled another five to what he hoped was a painful death.
Boen raced off into the forests. Snow kicked up in his wake. Shouts and roars, oaths of vengeance trailed after him as the mercenary camp was struck. Skaning gave in to his fury and ordered them after the Gaimosian. All thoughts of Bahr, brother of the king, fled as the irrepressible desire for payback subsumed reason. Men strapped on their armor and weapons and climbed into saddles. The dead and wounded were forgotten, left in the care of a skeleton group consisting of the lone medic. Skaning led the charge, never realizing Boen had slowed enough to allow them to catch up.
The chase ranged across fields and small patches of woods. Boen took them due north, hoping to put enough distance between them and Bahr that they wouldn’t be any hindrance in the next three days. Standing his ground wasn’t an option. If the enemy was smart they would surround him at distance and gun him down with enough arrows to slay an army. Boen wasn’t counting on them being intelligent, especially now that their ire was up.
Foresight would have given Boen time to plan a few surprises along his escape route, but time and necessity seldom cared for one’s desires. Boen had no other option but to flee as fast and hard as he could. The rest would settle itself. Not even his great endurance was enough to outlast his foes forever. At some point his faithful mount would flounder, giving out long before they reached Arlevon Gale. His one hope, slender as it was, came from the need to reach safety by nightfall. Unfortunately the day had just begun.
Exhausted, horse covered in sweat, Boen dashed into the trees as the sun dropped. The snow was blessing and bane. No matter how hard he tried there was simply no way he was going to lose his pursuers. Not with several feet of snow covering the ground in most places. He’d tried running up streams and over rocks where the heat of the sun melted the snow and ice. None of it worked. Skaning’s mercenaries continued, plodding their way closer and closer.
Boen tried, unsuccessfully, to get Skaning to split his forces but the young lord was wise enough to know that was akin to a death sentence. No good commander divided his strength, especially not when facing a lone warrior. Frustrated and hampered at every turn, Boen welcomed nightfall. Tired as he was, so too must be the others. The chase was long, arduous at times, and time consuming. He hadn’t been involved in such a situation for as long as he could recall, leaving him certain neither had the mercenaries.
No doubt by now they’d been filled with complaints and argued to stop. Mercenary companies were seldom paid well during the campaign and, given the conditions afflicting Delranan, Boen wagered on this crew being no exception. He guessed he’d opened up at least an hour’s lead, that time lengthening the longer the day went. It wasn’t much but it was enough for him to leave something special.
Boen quickly dismounted and took the time to rub some feeling back into his aching legs. His body wasn’t what it used to be. It took longer to recover from the simplest things. Frowning, he secured his horse under a small rock overhang deep in the trees. Boen cut a large branch from the nearest pine and hurriedly began erasing his tracks as he made his way back to the edge of trees. He didn’t have long before Skaning’s mercenaries arrived, if they chose to attempt an attack at all. Darkness falling certainly provided enough dissuasion, at least in his estimation.
Crouched down behind a large tree trunk, Boen produced his looking glass and scanned the surrounding area. He didn’t like how easily his tracks led to the tree line but saw little else he could have done. Winter was his enemy. After a few seconds of searching, his efforts were rewarded. The lead scouts ranged into view. They were clearly in no rush to catch up to the man who’d singlehandedly removed nearly ten of their numbers in a matter of moments. No doubt rumors that they were chasing the Gaimosian had already spread. Skaning might be a fool, but he was more cautious than Boen hoped.