girl’s spear bit into the back ofhis knee, and he spun around to slap her down, but Flerys had let go the shaft and fled into M’Baddah’s arms. Blorys surged against the man’s grip andhalf-spun out of it. Hebold came back around, dagger swinging. The point sank into Blorys’ shoulder. He sagged as the barbarian laughed and threw a secondblade at Eddis, but she’d dropped flat.
Behind her, Jerdren choked and went down. Hebold staggered back, his wounded leg collapsing under him. M’Baddah, Willow, and M’Whanfinished him off.
“Oh, gods.” Eddis scrambled to her feet and ran to Blorys.There was blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were clear.“Blor-gods, don’t move, Blor! Panev can-”
She turned. The priest was bent over Jerdren, who lay flat and still two paces away. She touched Blorys’ face gently.
“Wait, just
He nodded, and his eyes sagged shut, but he was still breathing. Eddis’ legs gave way. She crawled over to Jerdren on her hands andknees, swallowed dread.
Bloody froth covered the man’s chin. Hebold’s daggerprotruded from his belly, just below his short leather armor.
“All… right,” he whispered and tried to smile as sheleaned over him. His eyes shifted, flicked over his fallen brother, then met Panev’s squarely. “Priest,” he said. “I remember what… you did for Willow.That… box of powder?” He swallowed, raised his voice a little. “I know youcan heal us both. I’m… not as bad off as Blor, though. Take care of… ofhim first, will you?”
Eddis’ throat closed. “Jers!” Her voice wouldn’t rise abovea whisper. “Gods, no, don’t do this!” His fingers gripped her hand, his eyeswarning, and she fell silent.
“Do it, Priest,” Jerdren said, “before… one of us…dies…”
Panev gripped Jerdren’s fingers and signed a blessing overhim.
“That’s right,” Jerdren whispered. “Go. Save him. I… canwait.”
Eddis’ eyes filled with tears. Jerdren clung to her fingers.“You can’t do this,” she choked out.
“Shhh.” His eyes flicked warningly toward his brother. Shecould see the priest sprinkling his powder around the knife, remembered the man’s words as he brought Willow back from near death. Panev could use this cureon one man only. Her tears spilled over and fell on Jerdren’s face. He laid hisfree hand gently against her cheek.
“Don’t cry, Eddis. You’re… my kind of warrior, remember?”He coughed and brought up a smile. “Tough, skilled. And so… so beautiful. DidI ever tell you that? So… gods’ blessed beautiful.” He swallowed, grimacedas pain knifed through him. “Take… care of him for me.”
She brushed her lips against his fingers as they slipped from her hand, as the breath eased out of him on a long, quiet sigh. Eddis closed his eyes, dashed tears aside with the back of her hand, and let M’Baddah help her upand hold her. Flerys clasped her close, tears plowing a muddy path down her face.
The priest staggered up. “The man will live. He will sleepfor some hours, though. Those of you with the strength for it, carry him.” Hemade another sign of blessing over the still Jerdren. “And his brother. We willnot leave such a hero behind.”
“What about ’im?” Flerys demanded, black eyes fixed onHebold.
Eddis stroked the girl’s hair. Her eyes were hard.
“We leave him where he fell, child. He’s got everything hedeserved.”
Ten days later, Eddis sat cross-legged and barefoot in theopen doorway of the small, private sleeping room of the Keep’s inn, staringblankly at the paving stones, fingers absently working through a long strand of dean hair. Even that seemed too much of an effort all at once, and her hands fell to her lap.
They’d been welcomed as heroes, and Jerdren had been given ahero’s funeral pyre. Not one of them could enter the tavern or walk into theopen without folk cheering them or asking about their great adventures. The castellan had brought out the treasure they’d sent ahead, and with the restthey’d brought in, each of them was wealthier than they could have imagined,even after shares were set aside for the families of men who’d died out there.
“Adventures,” the swordswoman muttered. She felt old andused, too tired and disinterested to even rise from the floor, though her back was beginning to ache and one foot had gone to sleep. “Heroes,” she saidbitterly. “We had luck and skill, and even then…”
Even then, they hadn’t finished the job-not the way she andJerdren had planned. There were hobgoblins and goblins still alive, including their chiefs. Possibly these would scatter, now that the priest was dead and his temple and chapel burned. The minotaur might keep to his maze and be no threat to those who traveled the road. It didn’t matter, she thought. I won’t go backthere again.
Just now, she wasn’t certain she’d go back out to guardingcaravans. People here were friendly, but she didn’t feel like one of them.Nothing in the realm called her back there, and now M’Baddah was talking aboutreturning to his homeland. M’Whan would go, of course. She wasn’t surprised whenFlerys decided she wanted to go with them.
“She’s a good child, and I’ll miss her, but M’Baddah’s betterfor her than I would ever be.”
Eddis knew he’d stay if she decided to go back to the road.He’d welcome her if she chose to travel with him. It was too much effort tothink about, at the moment.
One good thing had come out of all this: Flerys. It was hard to remember the wild, filthy creature who called itself Blot. Now the girl walked confidently about the Keep. She kept the golden earrings Jerdren had told her to take from the bugbear chieftain’s wife, wearing them on a chain aroundher neck since they were much too large for her ears.
“I’ll wear them and remember him that way,” she said.
Odd, Eddis thought. Other than that brief kindness, Jerdren had paid little heed to the child.
Blorys-she hadn’t seen him in days. Not since Jerdren’sfuneral. I should find him, tell him… She couldn’t complete the thought.Tell him she was sorry his beloved brother had chosen to die, so he could live? Her throat tightened.
To her surprise, most of the Keep men had quietly returned to their companies, and those she saw seemed little changed by what had happened.
Willow and Mead had left hours earlier, stopping to talk to her on their way out. Willow had been sympathetic. Mead tried to talk her into sense. It didn’t matter.
“If I hadn’t dropped when he threw that second knife, Jerdrenwould still be-” She swallowed hard, shook her head.
“Don’t think that.” Blorys’ voice.
She started, blotted her eyes and looked up, then away.
“Eddis…”
She shook her head again, and this time he dropped down next to her.
“Mead told me. I… gods, I should have come to see youbefore now. I didn’t know you thought…” His voice tightened. “It’s not yourfault. How can you think that?”
“He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“He’s dead because he chose to let me live. If you’re placingblame, lay it on Hebold. Black hells, lay it on Jers for taking the man into that temple with us.” The man’s voice was suddenly tight. “You can’t just sithere, brooding on it. Jers would hate it.”
She frowned, puzzled.
“I saw how he looked at you, Eddis. I know how he felt,because I feel the-never mind.” He got to his feet, reached down and waiteduntil she finally took his hand to let him pull her up. “I know my brother.Wherever he is now, he knows he died doing something heroic and tragic at the same time.” He managed a faint smile. His eyes shone with unshed tears. “I’dlike him alive again, so I could strangle him just for that. But it won’t helpanything, and it won’t change anything.”
“I-” She tried to smile at the awful joke, bit back a sob.“He was the most annoying, frustrating, crazy-! And I hate that he’s done thisto you.”
“What?” Blorys asked quietly. “Left me? Left me in his debt?Stepped aside with a noble bow to leave the field to me? I’m angry with himright now, but that’s grief. He’d have been angry if our places had been changedthat afternoon. There
