The clacking was his teeth. He clenched his jaw together, willing the chattering to stop, and blinked his eyes open again; the skin around his eyes pulled taut but there was no pain, no feeling. Where was he? Why was he so cold?
Louisa’s face appeared over him. She was soaking wet, and her skin had such a bluish tint. He could barely make out her freckles. Where? What? It all flooded back to him. Blaise’s wedding, getting on the Lady Anna, the shuttle, Percy Edmonstone and the other diplomats. A pang hit him in the chest. He didn’t like Percy, but he hadn’t wanted the dandy to die.
A thundering sounded in the distance, and Bannon tried to sit up, but his body didn’t respond. Glancing around, he searched for something to help. The storm had slowed back to a soft steady sprinkle. How long had they slept?
“Bannon, d-do you see what I s-see?” She pointed.
Squinting, he rolled to his side. Something… no, not something, but several somethings were moving. Coming closer. The rumbling thunder grew louder, and Bannon fancied he could feel the earth move. Panic clawed at his chest, and his mind whirled. That wasn’t thunder.
Big dark beasts came into view. Smoke poured out of flaring nostrils as the harsh sounds of breathing filled the air. The red glow behind the mountain gave the appearance of fire. Or was it really fire? Maybe they had died and these were beasts from hell.
They had to get up, to run, to…. No! Bannon shook his head, trying to clear it. They weren’t dead. That was steam from the cold, and those were horses with riders. About a dozen of them.
He forced himself to a sitting position as the riders drew near. Maybe they weren’t going to die out here after all.
The ground stopped shaking, and the men stopped about six yards away from them. The man in the lead jumped off his horse, grabbing its reins, just as the last of the red glow behind the mountain disappeared for good. Darkness made it difficult to see, but he looked big, dark, and very rough with a long shaggy beard. A billow of steam surrounded his head, giving him a demonic look.
Bannon swallowed the lump in his throat and ignored the hairs standing up on the back of his neck and arms. Something in the way the man stood, legs apart, shoulders stiff, made him seem menacing. The giant drew a large sword from a scabbard on his back. Bannon had the sudden realization that this was not a rescue and these men were not here to help them. Then his gaze drifted lower and…. “Is h-he wearing a skirt?”
Louisa nodded against his shoulder. “I was going to say a b-b-blanket, but yes. I guess that means you see him too?”
§ § § §
“Get moving, outsider!”
Bannon winced at the shove to his back, but at least it wasn’t a sword point again. Their situation had gone from bad to worse in a hurry. The group of men barely said two words to them—just hauled them up and marched them up a mountain. At this point, Bannon could barely feel his toes and his knees threatened to buckle every five steps or so, but at least he wasn’t in imminent danger of being run through by a sword if he stumbled and fell backward.
Rolling his shoulders, he tried to get the feel of being poked by the tip of a sword out of his mind. That was how the men had made him move to begin with. Then they’d realized he was so weak and tired that they didn’t need the swords to herd him. It was both a hit to the ego and a relief, because moving as they were, up a slope with loose rock underfoot, was not an easy task when one was dead on their feet. Right now, if not for Louie, Bannon would just collapse and refuse to go farther and deal with the consequences. Honestly, he was beginning to wonder if death might be preferable. He was soaked to the bone, cold, and hurt absolutely everywhere.
Bannon peered over his shoulder at Louie, who was walking slightly behind him, and his heart stuttered in his chest. She was drooping, her eyes were even closed, and her complexion was so pale, she looked like a ghost. They had to stop before she collapsed. Glancing back at the men behind them, Bannon debated the best way to get their compliance.