reach of the Affinity beast. Garzik left an ominous dark streak on the snow.
The secondary head speared down. Byren rolled, bringing the sword up, straight into the creature's mouth. The head reared back, pulling the hilt from his hands which left him with only his hunting knife. Again.
'Help Byren, not me!' Garzik urged.
The primary head swung in an arc, going for Byren's face. He slashed, leapt and rolled. Luckily the injured secondary head was slowing the amfina down.
'Garzik, are you all right?' Captain Temor charged down the path with the others puffing behind. 'Byren?'
'Over here. Watch out. Amfina!' Now that the pressure was off him, he felt dizzy from lack of air.
Temor darted between him and the amfina, yelling to distract it. The old captain stumbled into a rock and lay still. Must have hit his head. There was little room to manoeuvre, too many rocks, narrow path, a terrible drop. The primary head swerved for Temor. Byren sprang to his feet. No point in attacking one head with a hunting knife and leaving himself open to the other head. He searched for inspiration; nothing but rocks and snow.
The other men-at-arms got in each other's way. Orrade stood over Garzik, prepared to defend him.
The secondary head writhed as it flung Byren's sword away. The weapon clattered, falling over the edge, striking rocks on the way down. Enraged, the amfina's secondary head turned on Orrade. He was the only person who did not back off, refusing to leave Garzik undefended.
Byren cursed again.
Throwing his weight behind the chest-sized, balanced rock, he thrust at it with all his might. It teetered. Muscles straining, he put his legs into it. The rock slipped off its perch, rolled and landed on the amfina's back. Pinned by the rock, the creature's two heads writhed, hissing in fury.
One of his men cheered and threw Byren a sword. He caught it, the hilt slapping into his palm. Now they could deal with the beast.
He ploughed in, distracting the primary head as he dragged Temor out of striking range. There was blood on his forehead but he was coming around.
Byren placed him next to Garzik and straightened.
'So that's why the pass was unguarded,' Orrade muttered.
Byren laughed, then took another deep breath. 'Why waste men, when a beast will do it for the price of a few tethered goats?'
The new warlord was a clever man. Byren stood back and let his men hack the amfina to pieces. With no Affinity warder to say the words, Byren whispered them hoping to settle the beast's innate Affinity. Then he and Orrade carried Garzik to the camp fire. Of course, the boy protested all the way. They peeled off his bloodied clothes.
'It's nothing,' Garzik insisted.
'You're lucky the amfina is not poisonous,' Byren told him.
Orrade and Temor caught his eye. The amfina's bite was not poisonous, but it was prone to going bad. Garzik would have to be treated by a healer, and soon.
'I'll wash the bite out with wine and pack it with herbs,' Temor announced. 'With his woolens and bearskin coat it isn't deep, but anything that breaks the skin is dangerous.' The bleeding from his head wound had slowed.
Byren nodded. 'Treat yourself, too.'
'I'll help,' Orrade offered.
'We'll ask the warlord's healer to take a look at Garzik,' Byren said.
Now there was even more reason to get down to Unistag Stronghold. Byren inspected the stars. 'Be dawn soon. We'll move out at first light. We'll need to build a litter for Garzik. Exertion will only weaken him.'
'I'm sorry,' Garzik croaked.
Byren laughed. 'You jumped in to save my life. I won't forget. It could have been me with the bite or worse.'
Garzik grinned, but already his face was flushed and his eyes too bright. Byren's spirits sank. It would break Elina's heart if anything happened to him.
Leaving Orrade and Temor to look after Garzik, Byren moved off to walk around the campsite, stopping to speak with the men and see how they had fared. He was annoyed because now he would be greeting the warlord from a position of weakness, needing a healer's help.
In the darkest time of the night, just before dawn, Fyn stood at Master Wintertide's side fighting exhaustion. They were surrounded by many abbey masters who had come to witness the starkisses bloom. Being allowed to attend was an honour, but he could barely keep his eyes open. If he could just stay awake long enough to escort Master Wintertide back to his chamber...
Sweat trickled down Fyn's face. Hot water -