Manhunter

Manhunter

                Riding a horse at a gallop was a vastly different experience to the handful of other times Tadyel had ridden. At least she didn't have to control the horse - she spent the ride with her arms tightly around Vanna, holding on for dear life. The speed and the bouncing and everything terrified Tadyel. It felt like she'd hurtle off at any moment and slam into the terrain as it raced past.

                It was also hard to hear the discussion that was taking place. The wind whipped past her ears fast enough to obscure what was being said, and she completely missed a lot of it. From what she had caught one of the guardswomen in the group was concerned about the horses running this fast for so long - they weren't bred for endurance at speed. Frennet had said something about the head of a snake, too.

                Time flew by like the ground underfoot as Tadyel tried to calm her near panic. I've been in fights where I could have died! Calm down! she thought. It was true; but in those fights her nerves had been quashed by adrenaline and the immediate threats. A constant state of high nervousness about falling from the horse wasn't treating her well.

                One of the guards yelling "There they are!" cut through her mental mantra and soothed her nerves with the relief of the imminent dismounting (or at least slowing down).

                "When we get closer, archers off horses! Vanna, Dorothea and Ilwinne - circle around behind and take down anyone who flees! For Green Creek - charge!" yelled Frennet. Tadyel's stomach lurched as Vanna turned their mount off to one side, separating them from the dozen horse strong main group. Dot and Ilwinne, each with another guard behind them on their mounts, split off as well.

                Peering around Vanna let Tadyel see the fleeing Followers and their 'mercenary' assistance. All told there were probably twenty of them, six Followers and roughly a dozen others. They were making their way up a small hill that had just come into view through a patch of trees, and it didn't look like they had noticed their pursuers. Tadyel wondered where Vanna intended to take them - the other side of the hill, maybe?

                Tadyel's guess proved right - once the six mounted archers were a fair distance along the trees they turned again, moving parallel to the other group. It would take them around the hill far quicker than trying to charge over it.

                The fleeing group had noticed their pursuers. A handful stopped and begun readying themselves for a fight; the rest had begun to run.

                "That's weird," muttered Vanna. Tadyel just barely caught it.

                "What's weird?" yelled Tadyel.

                "A couple of the Followers are getting ready to fight as well. Also that they're running - they can't hope to get far, even if the rest slow the guard down," said Vanna.

                The distant battle was joined halfway up the hill just as the three archer pairs came around to the far side. At the base of the hill sat a small camp, reasonably well hidden amongst a copse of trees. A dozen horses were standing around, mostly tied to one another. They were kept under control by a pair of mercenaries who were busily untying them.

                Vanna muttered something that Tadyel was fairly sure was very rude under her breath. She turned their mount again, moving directly towards the camp. "Nail the horses!" she yelled. "They'll bolt!"

                Somehow Vanna made the horse go even faster. Isn't there a maximum speed horses can travel at? thought Tadyel, gripping Vanna tighter in shock. Vanna coughed politely, and Tadyel loosened her grip embarrassed.

                Only a few moments had passed when Vanna pulled the horse to a halt and pulled Tadyel's arms apart. Immediately after she vaulted off gracefully and said, "Fall off."

                Tadyel obliged, tumbling sideways off the horse into Vanna's waiting arms. On her feet in moments she levelled her crossbow towards the mercenary camp, Dot and Vanna doing the same. The guard archers had already fired, their bows sending arrows flying towards the two hundred metre distant camp.

                Shouts came from both the camp and the fleeing group who had just crested the hill. The first volley of arrows missed, but one of the crossbows that were fired moments later found its mark. The struck horse whinnied in pain, causing the rest to edge away nervously as the mercenaries tried to calm them.

                "Can you hurry the fuck up?" yelled one of the mercenaries, his words somehow catching on the wind and reaching Tadyel clearly. The fleeing group ran down the hill at full speed, moving remarkably fast with gravity on their side.

                Two more horses were hit, one catching an arrow across its throat. It panicked, rearing up as its blood sprayed out over one of the others. The faster thinking of the two mercenaries started splitting up the horses, but she only managed to keep three - one uninjured horse ran, followed immediately by the others. Two horses were dead - the one with the cut throat and another from several hits. The group of fleeing horses split up just as Tadyel finally sent her second bolt flying.

                To her great surprise the bolt found its mark - the male mercenary crumpled. The female ducked behind the horses, dragging the three of them towards some trees despite their protests. One took an arrow to the flank and reared up, forcing the woman to release it.

                The Followers and their companions reached the camp, running through it towards the remaining two horses. They ignored the tents and the rest of the camp completely - whatever was in them was far less valuable than their lives.

                Four people mounted the horses, two mercenaries and two Followers. They started galloping away immediately as the rest huddled up behind some trees to plan their next move. "Mount back up!" yelled Vanna, cupping her hands for Tadyel.

                It took an embarrassingly long time for Tadyel to mount the horse - she managed to fall off the first time in a rush - so her and Vanna's horse was a fair distance behind the other two when they started to move. It had taken them long enough that the combined force in the camp had started rushing towards them, only to split up and head towards the various spooked horses that had now calmed down enough to stay put.

                As she looked back Tadyel spotted the rest of the guard force cresting the hill themselves, archers beside sword-wielding riders on horseback. It was an impressive sight, and the charge even more so.

                "Eyes forward, Gel," said Vanna. "Grab the lance and level it on my right side; I'll swing to the left." Vanna had taken her sword in her left hand while holding the reins in her right. Tadyel did as instructed, lifting the lance out of the saddle's holder.

                "How do I do this?" asked Tadyel. She'd seen mounted lancers before - the Thrath had some - but she had never had any mounted combat training herself.

                "Hold it steady and point it at them," said Vanna. "If we come up behind them, stab with it."

                "Okay," replied Tadyel. A large bump in the ride made her realise that she was now only holding Vanna with one hand. "If I stay on."

                Tadyel peered around Vanna again. They were gaining on the other riders slowly - they seemed unwilling to push their mounts quite as hard. Dot's rear rider held a lance as well, whereas Ilwinne's was taking wild bow shots that missed quite broadly.

                Shortly after the fight behind them went out of sight - Tadyel had been sneaking glances - the two enemy riders wheeled around. The back rider on each hopped off, spear in hand, and the remaining riders charged with swords in hand.

                Ilwinne and Dot took on the riders and Vanna guided her horse between them to charge the two on foot. Initially it seemed as if they'd go wide around both of them, but Vanna gently nudged the horse over until they were right on target. All Tadyel had to do was hold the lance steady-

                And it stabbed right through the spear-wielder on the left, tearing itself from Tadyel's grasp as it did so. A last minute bump had made the lance dip low and the mercenary woman had ducked down in an attempt to get close enough to use her spear. She crumpled and dropped her spear, probably dead already.

                Tadyel didn't see what happened with the spear-wielder on the other side, but as they came about she saw that he'd been cut lightly in the shoulder. He glared at them and hefted up his spear, and threw it as they charged towards him again. It missed, and Vanna cut him down with ease.

                Vanna pulled the horse to a stop and Tadyel took in what had happened to the rest of the fight. The woman mercenary rider - she looked like the one who'd been handling the horses - had her hands up, Dot's sword at her throat. Thinking back, Tadyel had caught something like a woman yelling 'surrender!', although she'd figured it was a request rather than a forfeit.

                The other rider was dead, but so too was the guardsman who'd been mounted behind Ilwinne. Ilwinne's horse was injured as well, a huge gash in its side. The guardswoman had already mounted her dead opponent's horse. Vanna guided their horse over to the prisoner.

                "Get off the horse," she said. The woman went to nod, then remembered that there was still a blade at her throat.

                "Uuuh," she forced out.

                "Drop the sword, Dot," said Vanna. Dot smirked and complied, and the mercenary hopped off the horse.

                She started talking immediately. "I'm just in charge of the horses and I'm very sorry for helping these miscreants and I'll tell you what-"

                "I only care about whether you're Thrath," said Vanna.

                "Thrath?" asked the woman. "The people who invaded the south? No, why would I be?"

                "The Followers of Ormgus were controlled by the Thrath, and here you are - with others - rescuing their leaders," said Vanna. "It is likely that those you were fleeing with were Thrath, unless they were hired for the same purpose as you." Vanna's words made Tadyel remember something - the mercenary that she'd hit had reminded her of someone.

                "Um, well," said the woman. "I was, um, paid a lot not to ask questions."

                Tadyel carefully dismounted, whispering, "I want to check something," to Vanna.

                "Tell me everything," said Vanna. "Dot and you"- she pointed at the guardsman mounted behind Dot -"help Ilwinne with the bodies."

                As the mercenary started to babble - initially trying rather hard to figure out where to start - Tadyel headed over to the mercenary she'd impaled. They were definitely dead, still lying exactly as they had fallen. Tadyel wedged her right foot under the body and heaved her over.

                The face that stared up at her was one she recognised. It was the traitor, the Thrath, from her village - Unthun. Tadyel had only talked to her a handful of times, as their families had a couple of links. Primarily, their mothers had been friends. Unthun had kept herself apart from others, but Tadyel had done the same. It was considered a good idea given the frequency of killings or injuries dealt by the Thrath.

                Tadyel smiled. Of all the people she could've killed, killing this one Thrath made her happy. Her treachery had caused her village to lose several people to the Magi's fell needs as raw material for their constructs. This was revenge and justice, for them and in part for everything the Thrath had done. Or it felt like it, at least.

                "Do you recognise her?" asked Vanna, coming up behind Tadyel on her mount. A glance backwards let Tadyel see Dot binding the mercenary woman, the bodies already gathered up.

                "Yes," said Tadyel, "It's Unthun."

                "The traitor from your village?"

                "Yes. I guess this is what she's been doing after she turned traitor."

                Vanna smiled. "It's good that we got her."

                "Yeah. What's next, though? Have we won? Will the Thrath come for us?"

                Vanna shrugged. "Probably. They've turned Green Creek against them, so they won't come for us. There might be struggles in the other towns, but really, we just need to wait for the war. A lot of admin work and keeping an eye on things, training. It'll be good, or better. I can get married now that my secret is out, and you'll have time to settle in properly, maybe even start a relationship of your own with Ilwinne or so-"

                "Shutup and help me get on your horse."