Prophecy of Power: Quarry

Chapter 4

Caroline rode as hard as the trees, brush and uneven ground would let her. Slowed by her injured left shoulder and poor support from too-short stirrups, her back jarred with each stride, only keeping balance due to the unsure grip of her legs. Others carried injuries, some much more serious than her own, but she could only assume Captain Bastion kept up the pace in the hope of resting some distance from the road.

Poor Tellise. Her maid had fallen, trampled.

They slowed for a deadfall and passed around it, changing direction a few yards beyond as thick bushes and a nasty slope barred the way. A low branch slapped her shoulder. "Ahh!" she cried, struggling to hold onto the saddle with her good hand and almost coming to a complete stop. As soon as she righted herself she kicked her horse up the slope again, grimacing at the chafing on her thighs and knees, but she didn't dare ask for assistance.

"Hard eastward at the top of the slope," Captain Bastion yelled.

Caroline cantered the last few yards up the hill before pulling up. No one was turning, but going straight down the other side. She kicked her horse again. "Go!" She slapped the reins on her horse's neck. It jumped forward, making her grip its mane with her good hand. She held tighter as the horse slipped several times on mud and debris, each time barely regaining its footing. She spotted a fallen tree trunk just before they jumped over it and fell hard against the horse's neck when its hooves hit mud, the impact jarring her injured shoulder. She cried out and came close to toppling off, clinging desperately to the mane for long moments before righting herself. She wasn't sure if it was tears or rain on her face now.

Everyone waited at the bottom of the slope. Caroline pulled up behind Jared and Jonathan. Jared looked very pale. She felt no better as she held her badly aching shoulder. The bleeding had mostly stopped even if the rain hadn't, though the full brunt of the storm had passed.

With numb fingers she managed to adjust one stirrup as Kirsty, the soldier holding Rhonda, and the rear guard caught up. Rhonda looked ready to pass out, a nasty bruise already showing on her forehead from her fall at the road.

"Are you okay?" she asked Rhonda, wondering if she should demand a reprieve from Captain Bastion. Rhonda looked her way, but couldn't seem to focus her eyes.

"Forward!" Captain Bastion ordered.

"Hold tight Rhonda. The Divine Lady is looking after you," Caroline said as she kicked her horse into a canter. They rode over the next rise, turning at the bottom. They slowed to follow a freshly flowing watercourse for a few minutes before moving into the trees again, but Caroline didn't get the chance to adjust the other stirrup when they stopped. She could barely feel her shoulder anymore. When Rhonda and the soldier supporting her caught up she found her friend unconscious, slumped but held upright by the soldier.

The guard's nickname came to her. Grimms. "Is Rhonda..." she couldn't say the last word. Alive. A sickly feeling filled her stomach, and she didn't know whether it was a reaction to the fight at the road or Rhonda's condition. Kirsty looked close to tears. Rhonda had been marked by the Divine Lady of Healing. Surely she couldn't be dead?

The veteran nodded. "She'll be fine, Your Highness."

Bastion yelled for everyone's attention. "We'll try and go a little more quietly from here. If anyone gets separated, head for the main pass but stay off the road for as long as you can. If you're threatened, try to get into the next valley instead. There's a clansmen's village there. We've had no trouble from the clans for several decades now and they seem to be on good terms with King Phillip. They may even help if offered gold, but should at least let us pass without trouble. For now we'll go north-east and swing north-west within the hour."