All Shadows Fled - Ed Greenwood [98]
"In one of the cells where we can lie down?" Sharantyr asked sleepily.
"No," the guardcaptain said with a cruel grin, "our orders are to hang brigands from the dangle-bars."
"We're not brigands," Belkram said sourly, dragging Sharantyr to the hitching post on the other side of the path and draping her over it, "and you'd do well to let us into Hie tower!"
"We're not hired to do well," the guardcaptain said. "We're hired to follow orders. You're not getting past, and you've spent enough of our time. We're supposed to watch who passes on the road, not waste words with ruffians on our doorstep. So get you gone, now, or there'll be trouble."
"There will indeed," Itharr said, from his post.
The guardcaptain looked at him coldly, then turned his head back to catch the eyes of the guard with the baton, who stood menacingly close to Belkram, and said pleasantly, "Aldus, pray dispose of these petty annoyances."
"Gladly, Captain," Aldus replied, raising his baton and reaching forward to take Belkram by the throat.
"Have a care, Aldus," Belkram said softly to him, "that's my Harper pin you're hauling on."
"So?"
"A Harper pin should mean something to you, Aldus."
"Oh, aye." The guard stepped back and turned to the guardcaptain. "This one's stolen a Harper pin, Captain!"
"Hit him and take it, then!"
"Gladly, Captain!" Aldus spun around and brought his baton around in a wicked arc. Belkram stumbled back with inches to spare, and the guard rushed forward, pulling his baton back for another blow.
It never landed. As he charged forward, a slim hand rose from the post, caught hold of his arm, and pulled. Aldus's head rammed the post with all the strength of his charge, and Sharantyr stepped back, turned to survey the line of guards witheringly, and asked, "Who's next, dolts?"
There came a roar of anger, and five men started forward. "Hold hard!" their captain roared out, but none of them paid him heed.
Two reached the Lady of Shadowdale first, batons out-and she dropped to the path and flung herself at their boots. They went over her with a crash.
The third man in snarled a curse and kicked at her; Shar grabbed the boot flashing past her and hauled sharply upward. With a ground-shaking crash, the man fell on his rear. Then the batons of the fourth and fifth were raining down on her-for a few instants, before Belkram hit them from one side and Itharr from the other, and two helmed heads rang together.
Itharr fell on his knees atop the groaning third guard. The man emitted a sort of strangled whistle and thrashed around, struggling for breath enough to shout out his pain. Itharr rolled away, letting the senseless fourth and fifth guards fall on him.
The guardcaptain started forward hesitantly, seeing only two of his men left. They were rising with murder on their faces and swords in their hands.
Shar got to her own feet in time to face them, her hands empty-but by then Belkram had smashed aside the captain's hastily drawn blade and run the man up against the lintel, hands on his throat.
"Call your men off attacking the Lady of Shadow-dale," the Harper snarled at him as they strained eyeball to eyeball, "or so help me I'll tear your throat out!" Iron fingers dug deep into the man's flesh to back up those words, then loosened enough to let the man whimper.
"Aid!" he called out in a raw voice. "An attack!"
Disgusted, Belkram bounced the man's head forcefully off the stones. The captain's eyes rolled up for a brief instant before he slid to the ground, but the Harper was already snatching the captain's blade out of his hands and whirling around.
The retreating Shar had fallen back over the tangled trio of unconscious guards, and Itharr was crouched over her, trying to ward off two jabbing blades with a pair of batons he'd snatched up.
Belkram snarled an oath and charged around the pile of bodies. He lunged at the two guards, waving his captured blade.