The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,14

up in the world.”

“Told you, Pytor!” said Nikolai. “We put our heads together, the world’s ours. Just got to think long-term.”

It was about then that Jorge began to wonder if death might be preferable to a lifetime of servitude to a group of bandits.

“Rider coming from the east!” Vasily called down from his perch.

“Everyone back into position,” called Nikolai. “Wait for my signal.”

He pushed Jorge down onto the frozen ground and crouched next to him so they could peek over the edge to view the road below.

“You just watch and marvel at our skill, potion maker,” Nikolai advised. “Don’t get any ideas about warning them off, or I reckon Alexi will just have to suffer with his itchy feet awhile longer, if you catch my meaning.”

Jorge nodded, and tried not to show the sudden surge of hope he felt at the prospect of being rescued. Perhaps it was a battalion of soldiers. Or a formidable band of mercenary warriors…

But a few moments later, any hope of rescue vanished. It was a lone rider on a black-and-gray stallion riding slowly against the snow and wind that funneled through the pass. The rider wore a coat of thick leather lined in white fur, their face hidden in a deep hood. Whoever they were, they were not particularly large. Not much bigger than a child, in fact. They were armed, but only with a simple longbow and a small quiver of arrows that would be all but useless while so blinded by the swirling, gleaming snow. Jorge could expect no aid from this poor, lone traveler.

But then he heard Nikolai draw in a sudden gasp.

“Is that… a Ranger of Marzanna?”

“Couldn’t be,” Pytor whispered back as they stared down at the slowly approaching rider. “They were all killed in the war.” He glanced worriedly at Nikolai. “Weren’t they?”

“Of course they were.” Nikolai’s voice firmed somewhat. “None left. The empire made damn sure of it. This has to be someone dressed up like a Ranger to scare off men more gullible than us.”

“Yeah.” Pytor sounded like he wanted to believe it. “Whoever it is probably pulled that coat off a corpse on a battlefield all them years ago.”

“Right,” said Nikolai.

They watched the rider draw closer.

“Even if it is a Ranger that somehow survived the war, it’s only one,” said Nikolai. “We’ve got the advantage of surprise, position, size, and numbers.”

Pytor stared down at the rider. After a moment, he said, “You know… We could let ’em pass. Just in case.”

Nikolai chewed on his lower lip, then nodded. “It doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Jorge had never heard of these Rangers of Marzanna. It surprised him that knowledge of what was apparently an infamous organization had never reached Raíz. But the rider proceeded along the pass, and despite having all the advantages, it appeared that Nikolai and his bandits were going to let them through unmolested.

But then the rider stopped directly below their perch. They pushed back their deep, fur-lined hood to reveal the face of a young woman no more than twenty years old with the pale skin of an Izmorozian but the wavy dark hair of someone from Aureum.

She looked directly up at where Nikolai, Pytor, and Jorge were crouched, as if she could somehow see them through the snow that swirled all around her. Then she smiled.

“Hey! I don’t suppose you boys saw an imperial cavalry detachment pass through here in the last day or so? Probably pulling a small jail wagon?”

Nikolai spat. “Nearly scared off by a fucking girl playing dress-up.” His voice was flat and angry. “We’re going to teach this little bitch a lesson.”

6

Peppercorn was a swift horse, so they reached the beginning of Bear Shoulder Pass in only a few hours. There the road cut through a narrow valley between a pair of small, jagged mountains that were full of nooks and crannies perfect for bandits to hide.

Sonya reined Peppercorn in to a walk. They probably could have been through the valley before the sluggish bandits had time to spring their trap, but she was hoping she could get some information on the soldiers who held her mother and brother captive. It was a Ranger’s responsibility to slay any bandits that plagued the honest people of Izmoroz. But if this group proved useful, she might even let them go. For now, anyway. Once her family was safe, she could hunt them down at her leisure.

The reason Bear Shoulder Pass was so beloved by bandits, besides all the convenient nooks and