In the Shadow of Swords by Val Gunn Read Free Book Online Page A

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    Beyond the stable where the Prince‘s son had been slain, there was only a scattering of clues. And Marin, sometimes frustrated by Lavvann‘s caution and the routine of managing a company of riders, impulsively took up the chase alone. Convinced she would succeed on her own—or force her company to follow her strategy—she set out just after dawn the next day. She left her horse in another stable at Darós, one that had not seen any butchery, and continued westward on foot. She knew her comrades would come after her .
    It had been a long trek. The suns were invisible in the gray sky, and the passing hours seemed endless. Damp wind and spits of drizzle soaked and chilled Marin as she made her way across rough, wild country. But, as she told herself again and again, she had seen worse .
    She would never stop hunting .
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    “WE ARE wasting time,”Marin said .
    She measured Lavvann‘s reaction to her words and saw he was no longer amused .
    Still, despite his silence, she stood strong, her tone quiet but firm. “Yes, I was wrong. But let me make it right by finding our ghost, if our voices have not already spooked the thing.”
    She glanced toward the dark openings in the wall of trees just ahead. “This kayal is alone and very near. We should make haste or we‘ll lose it in the dark,” she said, looking up at Lavvann‘s face .
    Behind her captain she noticed six of her fellow riders scanning the landscape. She knew what they were thinking. Weathered hills, wild woods, and cold streams at nightfall added up to a place of extreme danger. Here the conditions favored the kayal .
    “We will follow your lead, Marin,” Lavvann said at last. “We have little choice in the matter.”
    Marin moved onto the road. At a signal from their captain, the riders closed in and flanked her. She knelt to study the crumbling stones
    and sprouting weeds beneath her feet—all that remained of the ancient road. Hunched over on her knees, studying the ground while her companions peered into the shadows, she smiled discreetly at having forced Lavvann‘s hand .
    She shook her head, unable to find anything of use to their mission. She rose, pushed past the horses, and hopped over the low wall of rough-hewn rock into the field that bordered the trees. Here she found some hope: faint claw marks gouged into the soil, and a flake of that ashy dander which the kayal often left behind. Though it was only the smallest of traces, Marin knew the thing had recently passed here .
    Their prey was still nearby .
    Lavvann raised two fingers to his eyes, a signal commanding two riders to join him. Both nodded and guided their horses closer .
    “Speak your thoughts, and make them quick,” said Lavvann .
    “It is too risky if we continue from here,” murmured the first rider. “We have encroached on territory beyond our control. I fear an ambush.”
    “It will be pitch black very soon, and night favors the kayal,” said the second. “If they are out in force, then their powers will be greater than our strength.”
    Marin glanced back at Lavvann to observe his reaction. Slowly he shook his head at the others. “Valid complaints. I too fear an assault in the dark. Still, I doubt that they are out in numbers. We shall not let the Prince‘s killer slip through our fingers as we close in on it. Marin has done good work.” Turning to her, Lavvann said, “The matter is settled, for now. Lead on, but be wary. I sense a trap.”
    At his signal the riders fanned out once more .
    “Stay alert,” Lavvann whispered to Marin .
    She moved forward with a grin of triumph, away from the company of riders toward the shadowy tree line .
    The steady rain soaked the hard, rough ground, and Marin had to search long and hard in the gloom for another sign of the kayal. She noticed a few more claw scrapes where the kayal had pivoted and crossed to the other side of the road. But there the tracks were once again lost in the ground cover. She turned back toward Lavvann