Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [30]
"Have it your way," said Berun, and he feinted forward.
Dren's smile turned into a snarl and he lunged, sweeping the dagger before him. Berun jumped back, raised the thumb of his fist, and shook the open bottle of tep yen in the man's face. The red powder burst out in a cloud and enveloped Dren's head and shoulders.
"Try-" began Berun, but Dren's shrieks cut him off. The man dropped his dagger and clutched at his face, but he kept his feet. Berun waited for the heavy cloud to dissipate, then stepped forward and punched Dren squarely in the temple. The man went down like a sack of stones.
"-not to breathe it in," Berun finished. "That hurts even worse."
Berun looked to Lewan. The boy stood a few paces away, wide-eyed and holding a burning brand in one hand.
"Come," said Berun over the screams of the three men. "Gather your things. Find my bow."
Kneeling beside Val, who was still thrashing and whimpering, Berun reached for the buckle of the man's belt. Val cried out and punched blindly in Berun's direction.
Berun slapped the punch away and brought his elbow down hard into Val's gut. The man's cries cut off in a choke. "Enough of that," said Berun. "Just getting my knife back."
He removed Val's belt and retrieved his knife and sheath. He held Val's belt and knife in his hand a moment, considering. It was a fine blade. Not too ostentatious, but well crafted. The belt was well made but had seen a lot of use. Berun tossed both into the fire. His pouch still lay where Val had dropped it. Berun picked it up and cinched the flap shut.
Val had stopped his full-throated screaming, but he still rubbed at his eyes and rolled back and forth on the ground. "I'll kill you," he said between sobs. "You godsdamned bastard. Don't care what Tali says. I'll kill you."
Berun looked down at the blond man. "First thing the Old Man ever taught me," he said. "The assassin's greatest weapon is not dagger or dart or poison. The assassin's greatest weapon is the weapon at hand and the willingness to act. I just bested the three of you with spices and boiling water."
"I'll kill you!" Valmir lashed at Berun with one foot, but Berun sidestepped.
"Listen to me," said Berun. "Listen closely. You leave me alone. You leave the boy alone. You come after either of us, and I'll teach you the second thing the Old Man taught me."
Berun lunged down and punched Val in the gut. All the air shot out of the blond man, and he clutched at his midsection. His eyes, still clenched shut, were red and swollen. Berun punched him again across the side of the face.
"I'll-!" Valmir swiped at Berun and tried to sit up.
Berun punched him again, and Val went down, out cold. For a moment, Berun considered kicking him a few times, maybe cracking a few ribs. Might make up for the chattering Berun had been forced to endure all day. And that smug smile. It would feel good to knock that smile off his face for a long while.
"Another time," Berun said, and turned away.
The boy still hadn't moved.
"Lewan," said Berun.
The boy started.
"Listen carefully," said Berun. He walked over and lowered his voice. It was doubtful that the men would be able to hear him over their own shrieking, but it never hurt to be careful. "I must take care of Sauk and his men or we won't make it out of these woods alive. You remember the lightning-blasted tree where we cleaned the deer last spring?"
Lewan thought a moment, then nodded, but the fear did not leave his eyes.
"Get as far from here as you can. Sauk and the others went west after the yaqubi. You go east. Find that tree. I'll meet you there tomorrow. You understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"Good. We don't have much time."
"Master?"
"Yes?"
"What about the tiger? You can't take her on your own."
"Taaki and I have… crossed purposes before. Leave her to me. Now move."
Berun watched while Lewan gathered a few supplies, gave his master a final questioning look, and disappeared into the dark. In moments the darkness and swaying boughs of the storm-tossed