“Why would a girl do that?” asked the other guy carrying him. “You can’t hump gold.”
Well, thought Jerico, that explained Bellok’s distaste; and also confirmed why he hadn’t gotten a laugh from either of the two lugs. He knew donkeys with better senses of humor. And wit, now that he thought about it.
“So where are we going?” Jerico asked. “I hope not anywhere fancy. I must look a mess, what with the beatings and all.”
“For someone an inch away from death, you seem in rather good spirits,” Bellok said.
“Anything to stave off that final inch.”
For once, Bellok smiled.
“You’ll definitely be one of our more amusing captures, of that I’m certain.”
Jerico fell silent. Well, this Kaide person had had captives before. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“What happened to the other captives?” he asked.
The lug behind him leaned down, and his foul breath washed over Jerico.
“We ate them.”
Jerico shifted his weight again, this time waking up his other arm and reigniting similar pain throughout the sleeping limb.
“Fantastic,” he muttered.
He kept quiet as the minutes passed, spending the time in prayer with Ashhur. He didn’t feel in any immediate danger, and his god gave little warning in his mind. Strange… the two captors carrying him were on the slow side, but they didn’t seem particularly vile, beyond their smell. Bellok was intelligent, and appeared to take no joy in the situation. What had happened to the rest who had beaten him, though? They probably deserved a good walloping of Ashhur’s mercy, and by god, he’d be glad to give it…
“We’re here,” Bellok said.
Jerico found himself unceremoniously dropped to the ground, landing hard on the twisted root of a tree. Biting down his cry, he pulled aside the net to stand. Both big lugs had drawn swords, and they pointed them at him. Jerico frowned. The men might be stupid, but they certainly took care of their weapons.
“Nothing funny,” said one. “You run, we gut you.”
“He won’t run,” Bellok said, gesturing for Jerico to follow.
Jerico didn’t have the heart to tell him he was a bad judge of character. Instead he took in his surroundings, which were meager. Deep in the forest, it appeared Kaide’s men had built a small cluster of homes in cleared areas of pine. They were small, a single floor with one or two windows and a door. They looked like a strong storm could blow them away.
“Cozy,” Jerico said as Bellok led him toward the nearest of the homes.
“This is no time for joking,” Bellok said, glaring. “If you value your life, you will listen and respond in an appropriate manner. Griff, Adam, you two guard the door.”
“What if he tries something funny?” one of them asked. Whether it was Griff or Adam, Jerico hadn’t a clue. Now that he was free of the net, the two looked like brothers, if not twins. Only the scars across their faces and arms failed to match.
“I may not care for Ashhur, but I know how his warriors behave. Don’t worry. Inside, paladin.”
Jerico stepped inside, Bellok following. The house was dim, lit only by the open window. A fire burned in the fireplace, the smoke drifting up a small chimney. In one corner was a bed, and lying atop it was a young woman buried up to her neck in blankets. A man sat beside her on a stool, his grey hair tied in a ponytail. There was something familiar about him, his hardened face lurking in some recent memory…
“Kaide,” Jerico said, remembering that man’s face peering down at him, ordering the rest of the men to take him. “You’re their leader?”
The man stood, tearing his attention from the woman. His eyes were red, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Forgive me for our first meeting,” he said. “But you have no choice in this matter, and neither do I. Sandra is dying. I need you to save her.”
Jerico approached the bed, making sure he kept his movements calm. Two long dirks hung exposed from Kaide’s belt, their edges wickedly sharp. Jerico still wore his platemail, but unarmed, he’d be at a serious disadvantage if this Kaide knew at all how to wield those blades. Given his reputation, Jerico had a feeling he did. Trying to put such things out of his mind, he turned his attention to Sandra. Her skin was pale, her forehead beaded with sweat. Her hair was also grey, almost silver. No doubt if the color returned to her face, and her small lips smiled, she’d be beautiful. Removing his gauntlets, he set them on the floor.
“What is wrong with her?” he asked, pulling his gorget off his neck and putting it beside his gauntlets.
“She’s been burning with fever for days,” Kaide said.
“Sandra cut herself on some thorns,” Bellok added. “Just regular cuts, but they’ve grown infected, and no matter what we do, it continues to spread. Check her arms, if you wish.”
“You could do nothing?” Jerico asked.
“I’m good at destroying things, not fixing them,” Bellok said, frowning.
“My sister is not a thing,” Kaide said, a hard edge in his voice. Jerico found himself impressed by the sheer authority it carried.
“Quiet,” he said. “Let me have a few moments of silence.”
Jerico pulled down the blanket. Sandra slept in her shift, the short sleeves leaving her arms exposed. He took one in hand and turned it, looking at the marks. The skin around them had gone purple, the cuts themselves angry and red. No wonder she’s overwhelmed with fever, he thought.
“Can you heal her?” Kaide asked as Jerico closed his eyes. The bandit’s voice was soft, but had no hesitation, no quiver. This was a man who had seen death, and often.
“I can do nothing,” Jerico said. “All I do is through Ashhur, and I assure you, nothing is beyond him.”
He closed his eyes and prayed. He felt the closeness of his deity, and warmth spread across his hands. Clutching Sandra’s arm, he pictured the healing light plunging into her skin, banishing the wounds, and pouring a cold fire across her fever. The woman shivered at his touch. A ringing sound filled his ears, then his prayers completed, and everything went silent. Dizziness overcame him, and he leaned against a wall to remain standing. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes to see the results.
Sandra still slept, but the cuts on her arm were but faded lines, soon to be nothing but scars. Already her skin had warmed in tone, and her sleep looked restful instead of pained.
“You did it,” Kaide said, a smile crossing his face.
Jerico chuckled. “Not I, remember?”
Kaide waved a dismissive hand. Jerico stepped aside so the man could rejoin his sister. As he held her hand, Jerico plopped to a sit, still feeling dizzy. It sure didn’t help that his entire body ached from the clubs that had beaten him, as well as the kicks from Griff and Adam. Bellok patted Kaide on the shoulder.
“I’ll go tell everyone she’ll be fine,” he said.
Kaide nodded, and then the wizard left.
“So, Kaide,” Jerico said, feeling like he should resume conversation. He wasn’t sure what his current predicament was, and he wanted to get a far better idea. “I’m surprised you were here. Your, uh, men gave me the impression you were… occupied elsewhere.”
A grin tugged at the corner of Kaide’s mouth.
“There are twenty women who will readily claim to have bedded me tonight. Makes it difficult to track my whereabouts, wouldn’t you think?”
“You keep this secret from your men?”
“Would you trust those two with any plan of yours?”
Jerico shrugged. Good point.
“Well, now that your sister is better, I feel like I best be going.”
Kaide squeezed Sandra’s hand, kissed her fingers, and then stood.
“No,” he said, his hand falling to the hilt of a dirk. “I’m afraid that’s not the case.”
Jerico tensed. “I will tell no one of this place. Whatever you are, I will bear no ill will, especially since what was done to me was to save a loved one… even if you could have just asked.”
“I fight a war,” Kaide said, and he gestured toward Sandra. “And in a war, you don’t let go of any advantage.
