Garinor sided with Nomwel and he kicked out his leg and struck the flank of the woman’s horse. The horse reeled, sending her sprawling to the ground.
“Good work, boy,” said Nomwel, sheathing his sword. “Now come, quick as you can.” He snapped his reins and Garinor followed suit. They pounded off to the east, leaving the others still battling each other, unaware they had run off.
They pushed the horses hard and soon the sounds of the scuffle faded away. A small grove came into view and Nomwel brought Garinor toward its shelter. “Let us rest here.”
Garinor dismounted, surprised that he had managed to stay astride his horse in the panicked run. Nomwel took a swig from his canteen. “That went well, boy. I could not have gotten you away from the others without your help.”
“Shouldn’t we keep moving? Won’t they figure out soon that we ran off?”
“A smart lad. It’s no wonder the prince wants to find you.” He took another swig of his canteen and then walked over to Garinor’s horse. “A perfect diversion,” he said, slapping the horse’s rear and sending it cantering on its own out of the grove.
“What are you doing?”
“We’ve only a little further to go,” Nomwel said.
Garinor’s brow furrowed in confusion. “The cave is much further away than that. We needed that horse.”
“I see your point, but it’s no matter.” He pounced suddenly and grabbed Garinor, pulling him close. A dagger appeared in his hand and he pressed it to Garinor’s throat. “See, we are not going to your precious cave. The prince has need of you.”
Garinor’s eyes opened wide. Nomwel had tricked him. Furious, Garinor slammed his foot down onto Nomwel’s, causing him to pull back for a moment, during which Garinor broke free.
“Foolish boy.”
Garinor backed away, wondering if he could manage to hop onto Nomwel’s horse and escape before the man killed him. He looked at the beast and that told Nomwel of his plan. “I’m faster than that,” he said tauntingly. “You’d never get on that horse so quickly. Go on, I’ll even let you try.”
Confidence permeated the man’s tone and Garinor doubted he had the agility to even reach the horse, much less clamber onto it. But he had to try something. Pausing for only a moment, he turned and darted toward the unsuspecting animal, but he didn’t try to hop onto it. Instead, he dove underneath and went through to the other side.
Nomwel muttered angrily at the tactic and let his dagger fly. He aimed for Garinor’s shoulder, hoping only to stun him, but at that moment Garinor leaped over a large fallen branch and the dagger caught him full in the back.
Nomwel ran over, genuinely concerned about his miss. He sputtered at the boy for not giving him the chance to cash in on the reward.
As his lifeblood seeped out of him, Garinor didn’t much care.