Reckless (Mirrorworld #1)

Reckless (Mirrorworld #1) Page 20

They had a girl and a fox with them, just as Threefingers had said. And they had caught themselves a Dwarf. Not dumb. Not even Nesser knew how to get past the Unicorns, but Hentzau had heard rumors that some Dwarfs knew the secret. Be that as it may, Hentzau had no ambition to be the first Goyl to see the Fairies' island. He would rather have ridden through a dozen Hungry Forests or slept with the blind snakes in the depths of the earth. No. He would get the Jade Goyl before he could hide behind the Unicorns.

"Commander! They're fighting each other." Nesser sounded surprised.

What did she expect? The rage came with the stone skin, just like the gold in the eyes, and who would feel the brunt of it first? The brother, of course. Yes! Kill him! Hentzau thought, watching the Jade Goyl through his spyglass. Maybe there have been times when you wanted to do just that, but he was always the older, the stronger. You'll see: The rage of the Goyl more than makes up for that.

The older brother fought quite well, but he didn't stand a chance.

There. He fell to his knees. The girl ran to the Jade Goyl and pulled him away, but he shook her off, and as his brother struggled back to his feet, he kicked him in the chest so hard that he staggered back under the trees. The blackness beneath the branches swallowed them both, and Hentzau was just about to give the order to ride down, when the Jade Goyl reappeared from under the leaves.

He was already recoiling from the glare of the sun, pulling his hood down over his face as he headed toward his horse. The fight had made his step a little unsteady, but he would soon feel how much quicker his new flesh healed.

"Mount up!" Hentzau whispered to Nesser. "Let's catch ourselves a fairy tale!"

25

The Bait

Rocks. Shrubs. Where could they be hiding? How would you know, Jacob? You're not a Goyl. Maybe you should have asked your brother.

Jacob pulled the hood closer around his face and forced the horse into a slow gait. How could the Goyl have known they'd be coming through this gorge? Not now, Jacob.

He couldn't tell which hurt more, the shoulder or his face. Human flesh was so soft compared to jade knuckles. For a few terrible moments, he had really thought Will would beat him to death. He still wasn't sure how much of the rage he'd felt in those blows was that of the Goyl and how much was his brother's.

Water sprayed on his feverish skin as he urged Will's horse through the creek. The hoofbeats echoed through the narrow gorge, and Jacob was beginning to wonder whether Will hadn't just sensed the Goyl in his own flesh, when suddenly there was movement on the slope to his left.

Now. He slackened the reins. Will's bay gelding was not as fast as the mare but it was very hardy, and Jacob was an excellent rider.

They of course tried to cut him off, but their horses shied on the loose rubble. Just as he had hoped. The gelding dashed past them, galloping into the misty valley. Immediately Jacob was assaulted by memories that seemed to have been lying in wait for him among these mountains. Happiness and love. Fear and death.

The Unicorns lifted their heads. Of course they weren't white. Why were things in his world always whitewashed? Their hides were brown and gray, mottled black, and pale yellow like the autumn sun drifting through the damp fog above. They were watching him, but so far none of them looked ready to attack.

Jacob looked around at his pursuers.

There were five of them. He immediately recognized the officer. It was the same one who had led the Goyl at the farm. His jasper-brown skin was cracked at the forehead, as if someone had tried to split it open, and one of his golden eyes was as cloudy as watery milk. So they really were following him.

Jacob leaned down over the neck of his horse. The gelding's hooves sank deep into the damp grass, but fortunately he hardly slowed down.

Ride, Jacob. Draw them away, before your brother gets it into his head to join them.

The Goyl were coming closer, but they didn't shoot. Of course not. If they believed Will was the Jade Goyl, then they'd want him alive.

One of the Unicorns whinnied. Jacob shot a look at the herd. Stay where you are.

Another glance over his shoulder. The Goyl had split up. They were trying to encircle him. The pain from the wound made his eyes water, and for a moment Jacob thought he was falling back through time, and he saw himself lying on the grass again with a hole in his back.

Faster. He had to be faster. But the gelding was already panting heavily, and sadly the Goyl no longer rode those half-blind horses they bred under the earth. One of them was getting very close. The officer. Jacob averted his face, but the hood slipped off his head just as he tried to reach for it.

The surprise on the jasper face quickly turned into rage, the same rage Jacob had already seen in his brother.

The game was up.

Where was Will? Jacob glanced desperately behind him. The Goyl officer was looking in the same direction.

His brother was galloping straight at the Unicorns, with the Dwarf perched in front of him. He was riding Clara's horse and had given her the mare. The grass beside her rippled as if the wind were blowing over it. Fox. Nearly as fast on her paws as the horses.

Jacob drew the pistol, but his left hand no longer obeyed him, and he was a much worse shot with his right. Still, he managed to shoot two Goyl out of their saddles as they turned and headed toward Will. The Milk-Eye leveled his gun at him, his jasper face stiff with rage. The anger had made him forget which brother he was supposed to hunt, but his horse stumbled in the high grass, and his bullet missed its mark.

Faster, Jacob. He barely managed to stay in the saddle. Will had nearly reached the Unicorns. Jacob prayed the Dwarf had told them the truth this time. Ride! he thought desperately, but Will suddenly slowed down. He brought his horse to a halt, and Jacob knew it wasn't out of concern for him. Will turned in the saddle and stared at the Goyl, just as he had done at the farm.

Milk-Eye had meanwhile remembered whom he was charged to capture. Jacob took aim, but his shot just grazed the jasper skin. Damned right hand!

And Will turned his horse.

Jacob screamed his name.

One of the Goyl had nearly reached Will. It was a female, amethyst on brown jasper. She drew her saber as Clara steered her horse protectively in front of Will's. But Jacob's bullet was faster. The Milk-Eye uttered a hoarse howl as the She-Goyl fell, and drove his horse even harder toward Will. Just a few more yards. The Dwarf was staring, wide-eyed, toward the Goyl. But Clara had gotten hold of Will's reins, and the horse she had ridden so many times yielded as she pulled it toward the Unicorns.

The herd had watched the hunt as indifferently as humans would watch a group of squabbling sparrows. Jacob forgot to breathe as Clara rode toward them, but this time the Dwarf really had told the truth. The Unicorns let Will and Clara pass.

It was only when the Goyl rode toward them that they attacked.

The valley was filled with shrill whistles, beating hooves, and rearing bodies. Jacob heard shots. Forget the Goyl, Jacob. Follow your brother!

His heart pounding in his throat, he rode toward the agitated herd. He imagined he could once more feel the Unicorn horns tearing into his back, warm blood running down his skin. Not this time, Jacob. Do as the Dwarf told you. "It's easy. Close your eyes and keep them shut, or they will skewer you."

A horn brushed his thigh. Nostrils snorted in his ear. The cold air carried the scent of horse and deer. Keep your eyes closed, Jacob. The sea of shaggy bodies seemed endless. His left arm felt dead, and his right hand clutched the neck of the gelding. Then, suddenly, he no longer heard snorting but the wind in a thousand leaves, the lapping of water, and the rustling of reeds.