Oathbreaker

As it happened, the end came sooner than they had anticipated.

Kethry frowned, and broke off her teasing in mid-sentence.

'Keth?' Tarma asked, giving Ironheart the signal to slow.

'There's -- oh Windborn! I thought I'd thrown that bastard off!' Kethry looked angry -- and frightened. A gust of wind pulled her hood off and she didn't even bother to replace it.

'The mage,' Tarma guessed, as Jadrek brought his horse up alongside theirs.

'The mage. He's better than I thought. He's waiting for us, right where the path breaks out of the hills.'

'Ambush?'

Kethry frowned again, and closed her eyes, searching the site with mage-senses. 'No,' she said fi-nally. 'No, I don't think so. He's just -- waiting. In the open. And he's got all his defenses up. He's challenging me.'

Tarma swore. 'And no way past him, as he probably damn well knows.'

Kethry looked at her soberly, reining in Hellsbane.

'She'enedra, you aren't going to like this -- '

'Probably not; what if we charge him? You mages seem to have a problem with physical opposition to magical defenses.'

'On that narrow path? He could take us all. And in no way are we going to be able to sneak past him, not with Jadrek. I'm going to have to challenge him to a duel arcane.'

'What?'

'He's an Adept, I can tell that from here. If I issue Adept's challenge he'll have to answer it, or lose his status.'

'And you've been Adept how long? He'll eat you for lunch!'

'Better he eats me alone than all of us. We can't just think of ourselves now, Stefan is depending on us. If -- Tarma, he won't take me without a fight, and if I go down, it won't be alone. You can find another mage to disguise you. Once we get into Rethwellan, I become the superfluous member of the party.'

'You're not going down!' Tarma choked, as Jadrek tightened his mouth into a thin line.

'I don't plan on it,' Kethry said wryly. 'I'm just telling you what to do if it happens. Contract, my love.'

Tarma's face went cold and expressionless; her heart stopped. 'This is professional, right?' They lived by the mercenary code and would die by it, probably -- and by that code, you didn't argue with the terms or the contract once you'd agreed to it.

Kethry nodded. 'This is the job we've contracted for. We're not being paid in money -- '

'But we've got to do our jobs.' Tarma nodded. 'You win. I stopped trying to keep you wrapped in wool a long time ago; I'm not going to start up again. Let's do it.' And she kicked Ironheart into a canter, with Kethry, Warrl and Jadrek following behind.

I've got to do this, Kethry thought, countering her fear with determination. If I don't, he'll kill them. I might escape, but I could never shield all four of us, not even at Adept level. I haven't tapped into enough of the shielding spells to know how, yet. But he doesn't know I'm Adept, and there aren't that many White Winds mages around. I might well be able to surprise him with a trick or two.

She kicked Hellsbane and sent her galloping past Tarma, up the slope of the barren hill before them, knowing that she would have to reach the waiting magician first and issue her challenge before he caught sight of the others. Otherwise he would blast first, and ask questions after.

Her move took both Tarma and the mage by surprise, for she was able to top the rise and send up the challenge signal before either Tarma or her foe had a chance to react.

The mage waiting below her was one of the ones she'd seen wandering about Raschar's court; a thin man, dark of hair and eye. He was clean-shaven, which made it all the easier to note his sardonic expression, and he wore his hair loose and shoulder length. Now he wore his mage-robes; whatever his school was, it was one Kethry didn't recognize. The robes were a dull red, and banded and embroidered in dark brown. Like hers, they were split front and back for ease in riding. The chestnut gelding he straddled appeared tired and drained, and stood quietly with head down as he sat with his reins loose.