Ghostwalker (Book 1) (21 page)

Uther dropped his sword with a yelp of pain. He grabbed his hand. Blood flowed from where the blade had slashed it.

The rapier came up to Uther’s neck. “Drop the crossbow,” the bearded man ordered.

Stunned, Uther swiftly complied.

Jade rose to her feet and stared in awe at the weathered man in front of her.

With a grunt Montrose pulled the dagger free and dropped it to the ground. He wrapped a handkerchief as tightly as he could around his arm with his free hand.

“This is none of your affair,” Montrose hissed to the bearded man. “You have no right to intervene.”

“This is my camp,” the newcomer said slowly, moving carefully forward with his rapier still bobbing before him, “so I think it
is
my affair.”

Jade came back to her senses. “Help me,” she said, her voice wavering. “These men are trying to kill us.”

“I’m a bounty hunter,” Montrose snapped. He grimaced as he tried to staunch the flow of blood from his arm. “These two are wanted fugitives. I’m taking them in.”

“He’s lying!” Jade blurted desperately. “Please, you have to help us.”

The bearded man forced Uther back with the point of his blade, then glanced down at Kendril’s unmoving form. His hard stare fastened on Montrose.

“Were you taking this one in, too?”

“He’s a dangerous man…” said the bounty hunter, his mind trying to work quickly.

“Doesn’t look like too much of a threat right now,” the man commented. “What crimes have these two committed, exactly?”

Montrose’s face turned dark. “All right,” he said after a brief moment. “Name your price. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

The bearded man stared at Montrose in silence for about a minute. His eyes measured the bounty hunter.

Jade held her breath, tears still burning her cheek.

“Get out of my camp,” said the man. His rapier came up. “Both of you.”

“You’re making a mistake,” said Montrose hurriedly. “That girl is worth a fortune.  Hundreds of coins. You can have whatever cut of it you want.”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time,” said the man in a measured tone. “I said get out of my camp.”

Uther cautiously leaned forward to retrieve his sword. The point of the rapier was at his throat in an instant.

“Leave it.” The bearded man nodded over to the mace lying on the ground. “And that.”

Uther backed off, still cradling his wounded hand.

“You’re a fool,” snarled Montrose.

“And one other thing,” said the man. “I wouldn’t think about coming back, if I were you. I’ll be watching for both of you.”

Montrose stared at the bearded man in frustration and rage, then finally turned, still holding his bleeding arm. Uther hesitated for a moment, then followed his captain. The two disappeared into the night.

Jade sank down onto a log by the fire. Her arms were shaking. “Thank you,” she managed.

The bearded man carefully sheathed his sword. He bent down over Kendril, but his eyes flitted up to the forest every few seconds.

“Can you help him?” Jade asked, hardly daring to hope.

“Maybe. He’s lost a lot of blood,” the man said, examining the wound carefully. “This crossbow bolt will have to come out.” He glanced up at the young woman. “Go to my saddle bag and bring me the small blue pouch.”

“What about the bounty hunter?” asked Jade, searching through the saddlebags until she found the pouch. “Won’t he—”

“Probably,” the bearded man said. He tore Kendril’s shirt, pulling it up to the Ghostwalker’s chest. “He’ll have to get back to his horse first to get his crossbow, though, and that should take him a minute or two.” He grabbed the pouch from Jade, and opened it. Inside were a number of what looked like salves and herbs of various kinds.

Jade gave him a confused look. “How did you—?”

The man smiled. “They tied up their horses back in the woods. I found them on my way here.” He took out a clean cloth, then rubbed some yellowish salve on it. Leaning over, he grabbed a half-f pitcher of water that was near the fire. “I need your help,” he said as he worked. “I’m going to take the bolt out. As soon as I do, you need to press this cloth down over the wound, understand?”

She nodded.

“All right,” he said, glancing up at the tree line again. “On the count of three, ready?”

Jade took a breath, holding the cloth in her hands.

“One…two…
three
.” He grabbed the projectile by the bloody stump, and carefully but firmly wrenched it out.

Jade instinctively turned her head away.

“Now,” the man said, his voice calm.

Without looking, Jade pressed the cloth down over the wound.

“Good job. Just keep pressing down.” The bearded man got up and walked quickly to his horse’s saddlebag. He removed a long stretch of white bandage along with a needle and some thread.

Jade kept her eyes focused on Kendril’s face. He was white as a corpse.

Immediately the bearded man was kneeling down again next to her, with the pitcher of water and a clean cloth in his hand. He set the needle and thread down nearby.

“Take it off,” he said softly.

She did, and he immediately went to work washing out the wound, then stitching it. There was no pause or hesitation in his actions. In less than three minutes he had washed out the wound and sewn it shut.

“All right,” he said again, “put the cloth back again.”

Jade pressed the cloth back against Kendril’s side. She bit her lip.

“Is he going to make it?” she asked, still keeping pressure on the wound.

The man looked up at her, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “I don’t know. The wound’s pretty bad, but as long as the bolt didn’t pierce any organs, he may have a chance.” He nodded towards the cloth in Jade’s hand, then started to wrap the bandage around Kendril’s side. “That salve is the best I have. It should help to accelerate the healing. It’s the best I can do for now.”

He continued to wrap the white bandage around Kendril’s torso, gently passing it underneath the Ghostwalker’s back and crossing it over his chest again.

“So why were those men after you?”

The question took Jade by surprise, and reminded her suddenly of the gaping hole in her memory. “I…don’t know,” she said, tentatively taking her hands away from the cloth. The bandage was tight enough now to hold it in place. “I…I can’t remember anything that happened to me more than a couple days ago. Not even who I am, or where I came from.”

The bearded man glanced up at her. “So you don’t know who you are, or who those two men were?”

Jade sat back against a log, suddenly exhausted. “I know it sounds crazy, but no, I don’t. I can’t remember a thing.”

He finished wrapping the bandage, then pulled it tight and tied it. “What about him?”

“His name is Kendril.” Jade looked down once more at the Ghostwalker’s face. “He found me in the forest just a couple of days ago. There was another man that we met, too, named Maklavir.” She paused for a moment, suddenly remembering her cheerful companion. “Come to think of it, I don’t even know whether he’s all right or not—”

“You’re both soaking wet,” the man said as he pulled Kendril’s shirt back down. “What happened?”

She felt a lump form in her throat. “We got ambushed on the bridge just north of here by that bounty hunter. We fell in the river, pulled ourselves out on the bank, and ended up here.”

The bearded man leaned back, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his hands. He was silent for a moment before he spoke.

“The name’s Joseph.”

“Jade.” She felt her face flush. “Well, not really. I can’t remember my real name.”

Joseph rose, looking off towards the forest. “I see.” He gave Kendril a curious look. “Your friend here is dressed rather strangely.”

“He’s a Ghostwalker,” said Jade.

The man raised his eyebrows. “A Ghostwalker? For someone who can’t remember anything you certainly keep strange company, ma’am.”

She looked down at the wounded man. “He’s risked his life for me countless times in the last few days,” she said. “It’s only because of him that I’m still alive.”

Joseph nodded. He retrieved his knife, wiped the blade clean, then replaced it in a sheath at the top of his boot. “I suspect you have a lot to tell, but there’s no time right now. Stay close to the fire, and dry off if you can. I’m going to have a look around, and make sure that bounty hunter doesn’t decide to circle back around.” He saw the sudden look of concern on Jade’s face. “Don’t worry,” he chuckled as he grabbed his greatcoat off the log. “I know these woods like the back of my hands. No one will get within two hundred yards of this campsite without me knowing it. There are blankets in the left saddlebag. You can keep the fire going as long as you like.”

A sudden feeling of security flooded into Jade’s mind, something she hadn’t felt for a long while. “Thank you, Joseph. I can’t begin to repay you for what you’ve done,” she said, the heat of the fire seeping into her bones once again.

The man smiled and gave a slight nod of his head, then melted into the woods.

“How’s the arm, boss?”

Montrose scowled, looking down at his tightly wrapped wound. “Fine. No muscle, just flesh.” He stopped by the twisted trunk of a tree. Both of their horses were tied up nearby. He reached for his double-bowed crossbow on the saddlebag.

Uther shivered in the darkness. “We’re going back?”

“Of course we’re going back.” Montrose fumbled around in his saddlebag. “We almost had the girl. I’m certainly not going to stop because of some meddling trapper.”

The henchman rubbed the cut on his hand gingerly, now wrapped in a dirty handkerchief. “That guy knew how to handle that sword of his,” he said with a fretful glance over his shoulder. “I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.”

“So we’ll shoot him. Save us both a lot of trouble.” Montrose cursed, and threw aside one of the saddlebags. “Where in blazes are my crossbow bolts? Uther, get me yours.”
The thug obediently went to his horse, straining to see in the blackness. “They’re not here,” he said in a dumbfounded tone. “I had a whole quiver full. I don’t—”

Montrose smashed his fist against the saddle. “He must have taken them!”

Uther gave him a confused look. “The Ghostwalker? But I thought—”

“Not
him
, you idiot. The other one. He found our horses and took our bolts, while we were in the camp.” He cursed under his breath.

“How many friends does this girl have in these woods?” the henchman asked in amazement. “I thought you said she didn’t have any help?”

“She doesn’t,” Montrose snapped. “Vesuna’s blood! Don’t you see? This is a string of coincidences, just plain dumb luck. That man at the campsite, he must have seen our horses, got suspicious, then grabbed the bolts and hidden them somewhere. Then at the campsite he saw you holding a struggling girl, and me about to kill a wounded man. What should he have thought? He probably took us for highway bandits.” The bounty hunter cursed again. He held up his wounded arm and flexed his hand.

Uther breathed into his hands. “So what do we do know?”

Montrose snorted. “We have no weapons, and no element of surprise. We need to get Calham and Derik—well, Calham, anyway—and rearm. Then we come back here in force.” He turned to Uther, his face simmering with rage. “Let’s go. We’ll follow the river back to the bridge.”

The henchman nodded, then mounted his horse.

Montrose looked back one last time at the direction of the campfire, spat an obscenity, and then mounted his horse as well.

Chapter 15

Jade woke with a start. The blanket fell off of her as she sat upright.

For a brief, terrifying moment she couldn’t remember where she was. The brooding shapes of the trees all around created an atmosphere of uncertainty and danger.

The disorientation only lasted a moment, however.

Jade pulled the gray blanket to herself, shuddering against the cold. The fire had almost burned out, and the stars above were just visible through the gaps in the trees. Somewhere in the darkness an owl hooted, its cry sounding strange in the still night.

Joseph had not yet returned, though that knowledge somehow comforted her. At least he was out there somewhere, watching for that bounty hunter and his gang of thugs. Even though she barely knew her bearded rescuer, she already felt safe around him.

She had gotten used to trusting complete strangers in the last few days. It was getting to be a habit.

Reaching over towards a small pile of wood, Jade grabbed a large piece and threw it on the dying fire. Joseph must have cut quite a bit earlier in the day, for there was enough there to keep the fire going at least until morning. She had placed the pistols in a neat little row in front of the fire itself, hoping to dry them out as soon as possible. As she watched the fire creep back to life a breeze rustled the tree boughs hanging above her head. Their leaves whispered together in an eerie song.

She brushed the hair out of her face and turned to look at Kendril.

He was lying on his back on the other side of the fire. The blanket she had spread over him earlier that evening was still in place.

Jade pushed her own blanket aside and crawled over to him.

“Kendril?” she whispered, hoping that he had regained consciousness.

There was no response.

She lay down next to his side. The owl sounded in the distance again.

Kendril’s face was still a sickly pallor, and for one sickening second Jade thought he was dead. Then she noticed that his whole body was shaking.

Without thinking she reached out a hand towards his cheek, then realized what she was doing and stopped halfway. A few feet away the fire continued to spark and grow as it slowly devoured the piece of wood she had put on it.

“Kendril?” she said again. Her voice sounded loud in the cold night air.

He didn’t stir.

Jade took a deep breath, then touched his face gently with the back of her hand.

He was cold as ice.

Jade glanced over at the fire. The blaze was only a few feet away, but Kendril was still shuddering. The heat didn’t seem to be making much of a difference.