The Pilgrims

don’t or you’re probably Marked.’

‘You’re welcome, boss,’ murmured Kiown.

The Invia was less cautious of these men than she’d been of the Marked one. Most humans knew better than to shoot arrows at her — these ones would learn their mistake sure enough.

She flashed through them, her swiping arms too fast to see, breaking bones and cracking open their hard plate armour. Ah, they would stop spears and arrows, those pretty polished shells, but not her hands if she hit with all her strength.

Little nicks from swords cut her as the panicking soldiers slashed at the blurred force in their midst. Others fired more arrows, foolish so close to their own men. Sure enough two fell back with arrows in them. Ten were dead or near enough after just a few seconds. For fun, she broke some of their swords without removing them from their owners’ hands.

Then her arm caught behind the hole of a breastplate, which she had punched through up to her forearm. It was enough pause for one of them to hack down with a halberd and cut her badly down the side. She shrieked. Newly strong with pain, she yanked free her arm with a spray of gore, then swatted off the attacker’s head and sent it flying like a punted ball. Light burst from the wound he’d inflicted and blood gushed down her side. Their blades hurt!

No more cuts. Later, later, she’d return. First she’d heal. The charm was old and would wait a little more. She might never find these men again — to wound her was not enough to be Marked, unless she soon died — but enough of them had already paid for firing upon her. She launched herself skywards, flying awkwardly and painfully, a dozen corpses below her, the rest of the unit scattering in panic, some holding badly broken arms, swords and armour in pieces on the ground like broken toys.

Case hardly even knew what happened. One minute, he’d jogged away from the supply cart, thinking he’d seen Stranger, the young lass, standing up on the rocky pathway that led up like a steep ramp on the right side, the quarry side. Just a glimpse of her, less than a blink of her green dress, and he couldn’t even be certain he’d seen it.

When he’d jogged off that way, the soldiers had been arguing. The furious commander had demanded to know who’d given an order to fire, because he sure hadn’t, he reckoned. The others had said yes, he bloody well had. Case had heard the commander’s voice too, but it had almost sounded like it came from some distance away from him.

Next time Case looked back, most of them were knocked over like ninepins, and the woman was flying skywards with slow lurches of her wings, dark blood dribbling down one side and over her foot as the army unit scattered.

He’d heard something going on — shouts, clashes of metal, and an unearthly shrieking that had been like a stabbing pin to all his senses. But she couldn’t have done all that damage herself, not in so little time. Surely. ‘Stranger?’ he called. ‘You here, miss?’

‘Case?’ called a surprised, familiar voice above.

‘Eric?’

‘Case! You’re kidding me. Is that you?’

‘Stay down,’ growled a less familiar voice. A head popped over the edge of the rock wall nonetheless and had time to glance around before someone up there yanked its owner back down. Case waved, then remembered that no one could see him.

He ran panting up the steep pathway, pausing for breath at the top. He passed the woman with the bow and arrow — he’d seen her fire, and the soldiers had seen her arrow sailing across. Now she turned at the sound of his steps and reached for her knife, crouching low like a hunter, but he was quickly up the path.

Out onto the open platform and there he was, crouched down at its far end with a bunch of others, all armed. ‘Eric!’ Case called. ‘Don’t worry, I think the fight down there’s all over. They got a piece of that winged woman, too. What in Christ she did to them I’d like to know, but she’s hurt. She flew away.’

Eric turned and stared about, as did a few others. ‘Case?’

‘They won’t see me. I got this weird necklace on, keeps me hidden. Magic, I guess. Safe here? These guys OK?’

‘Yeah, they’re OK. Are you?’

‘Need a drink and a bed. Back rub too if anyone’s granting wishes. You sure it’s safe? I see a lot of swords in their hands …’

‘Your friend?’ said Sharfy to Eric.

‘That’s his voice at least.’

‘I’m gonna take off the necklace,’ said Case. ‘Eric, you aren’t gonna believe the things I seen.’

Eric laughed. ‘Try me!’

Below, only two live soldiers remained. One had unhitched a mule from the supplies wagon, stuck a wounded friend on its back and slapped its rump. The mule didn’t move until the soldier started dragging it. They left behind the supply cart, with the second mule. ‘Weapons away,’ said Sharfy. ‘Fight’s over.’

‘Are you in charge now that Anfen got a face cut?’ said Kiown, who did not sheathe his sword.

‘Put it away,’ snapped Sharfy. ‘Anfen! Safe out here. They scared it off and it scared them off. Guess we won. And we got a visitor who can’t be seen.’

Case took off the necklace. Eric spotted him, laughed and ran over. They embraced as the bandits murmured amongst themselves. Siel jogged up the path and stared at Case, her knife still in hand.

Anfen emerged from the cave and gazed at Case, his Oriental-looking face a neutral mask, the sword Sharfy had thrown him held at the ready. He seemed about to speak, but let the pair have their moment, instead turning to the wreckage below. To the others: ‘Get down there, grab that supply cart. Don’t dawdle. They’ll send more out here now. We won’t get another chance through the pass.’ To Sharfy, ‘Stay with the Pilgrims.’ Anfen paused as he saw the necklace hanging in Case’s hand. ‘By Nightmare! And what might that be?’

Case quickly stuffed it in his pocket and backed away, cursing himself for a fool: had Stranger not warned him to keep it hidden?

‘You’re safe from me,’ said Anfen impatiently. ‘Time’s pressing; we’ll deal with it later. But keep that thing hidden.’

‘You folks see a young woman in a green dress up here?’ said Case.

No one had.

Embarrassed, Case wiped tears from his eyes. ‘I thought they’d got you, is all.’

‘What about me? Thought I’d killed you with a message in the dirt. Case, I hope you didn’t come here to rescue me or bring me back. I’m not going, not yet anyway. This is a new start.’

‘Hadn’t thought that far ahead, to be honest.’ They followed the rest of the bandits who hustled along the ridge and down the steep pathway. Sharfy walked with them, listening. ‘Who opened the door anyway?’ said Case.

‘Not these guys. They just saw it was going to happen, and ducked in to get the morning paper.’ Eric lowered his voice. ‘So I’m told.’

‘You’re told true,’ said Sharfy.

‘Eric, you really won’t believe what I seen. They had me inside this big huge castle. I saw this guy, this sick bastard they call “friend and lord”. I stole his drink! Believe that? It was a good drop too, let me tell you. He’s their king or something, and I stole his wine!’

Sharfy made a strangled noise, and was suddenly so agitated he hopped from foot to foot. ‘What? You saw Vous? How? Invisible! How close you get? Could’ve put a sword in his guts! Why didn’t you? No! Don’t speak of it. Wait for Anfen. Hush about that. Hush!’

‘You got it, I’ll hush,’ said Case, giving Eric a look that said: what a nut …

Down by the roadside’s carnage someone had already beheaded the remaining mule. Eric paused, transfixed by the sight of Siel carving from its flank with her curved knife, her forearms covered in blood. It was that which tipped him over the edge in his gorge’s battle to cope with the bodies scattered over the road. He bent over and retched.

Others went through the soldiers’ pockets, taking coins and such small tokens. Anfen crouched beside a survivor and asked questions, but didn’t get much response. ‘Valour men,’ he sighed, giving up. To Eric, ‘There’s a myth. The last-second reprieve on the battlefield for the dying, if they have fought well enough. Talking to the