Fighting Assassins part-2

"Yield! Gods we yield!" One yelled as he tossed down his sword, the other two doing the same.

"Smart," Jason muttered before he noticed someone behind the pleading men and some trees, a figure dressed in some worn red robes. Suddenly the figure tossed something at them which tumbled to land between the Surgebinder and the men. The thick smell of powder and smoke was all the warning Jason needed as the bomb's fuse quickly burned through.

"What the-?" One sellsword muttered in confusion before burning shrapnel shredded his gawking face.

The fierce explosion blew the three raiders into pieces as fire and metal flew about. It took all of Jason's honed reflexes to dodge away along with flexing his fingers to make the Quen Sign, hoping it shields him from the blast. He just hoped the Sign wasn't too weakened, else one side of his body would be mutilated by the bomb. The magic shield thankfully held, flaring as it absorbed the blast which flung him hard into a tree. The rough blow and landing winded him, though he quickly recovered and grabbed his dropped sword, ready for another attack.

Panting, he sees the figure was gone, having disappeared during the chaos of the blast. Already he wondered who would use such a rare and deadly weapon since bombs were limited to only a few knowledgeable groups in this world. Whoever it was they had nearly killed him if it weren't for his Surgebinder abilities.

For now, though it seemed the raiders had been wiped out or retreated. He returned to the camp, needing to find Renly and see if anyone had survived the initial ambush. Pacing around the camp, he examined a few of the slain servants and guards, finding them all dead by arrows or stabs to the back. The horses were also gone, either spooked off from the fighting or let loose by the raiders to make sure no one could make a quick escape. Checking one of the raiders, he recognized they had a House emblem on the arm or shoulder, a red three-headed dragon, the symbol of the Targaryen's.

"Crudely done." He muttered before yanking armour pierce off, touching the emblem to find the paint for it was just fresh. "Recent too." He stopped speaking when he heard movement behind him, making him tense up and raise his sword. Moving closer to the supply wagon, he heard someone mutter from under it as he approached. "Is someone still alive?"

"Ugh…I am…" The familiar voice of Renly spoke out as the young noble crawled out of hiding, bruised and dirtied from what seemed to have been a rough fall.

Jason relaxed, lowering his sword as he examined Renly more closely. "What happened? We heard the attack yet didn't see what happened."

"Archers. Seemed like over a dozen considering how many arrows flew." Renly muttered as he glanced around the camp. "Just…one of the guards saved me. Pushed me down under the cart before an arrow got him in the side." By now he noticed dismembered limbs of the men Jason had killed, face paling at the gruesome sight. "Where's Robert? Did they hurt him?"

"He and Barristan fled the camp. I just hope I took care of most of the ambushers so they could escape safely." Picking up a sword, he offered it to Renly who took it, though he seemed too shaken to be good in a fight. "We should go, try to find Robert before any more trouble comes."

"Right…right…" Renly nodded in agreement as he followed the Surgebinder through the camp.

Approaching the northern edge of the camp, they soon found a small trail of slain ambushers, no doubt Barristan's work considering the lethal cuts and stabs across their bodies. He focused his senses to pick out the two men's trail, following along for a few long minutes. Soon Jason could hear low voices, mainly Robert who was giving a low pained curse.

"I was careless damn it. Thought I hit him hard enough." He hissed out.

"Happens to the best of us sire. You've suffered worse than this." Barristan remarked back.

"Aye…I have."

Jason and Renly rounded a large grouping of trees to see the two men, Robert sitting back against one with a hand grasping at his belly, blood soaking over the cloth and leather. When the King saw his younger brother, he smirked with a thankful look hinting his eyes.

"Again you're surprising me more and more brother. First, the boar now arrows…tougher than you look."

Renly shook his head, a grim look on his face. "An odd time to praise Robert. The servants dead and you're injured…"

"Bah this is…mgh…nothing. Just stings…ugh…a little."

Jason gestured for Barristan to move aside as he crouched down, moving the King's arm aside. "Deep stab wound. Going to need more than bandages for this. How did this happen?"

"Bashed one man in the head as we were retreating. Must have been tougher then he looked, or my arm's gotten that weak. Was just able to get me before I cracked his head open properly…" Robert muttered.

"The one wound is all it takes to end a life. May have reached your liver…or what's left of it."

"Heh…amusing Surgebinder," Robert grunted weakly.

The Surgebinder shifted away, looking to Barristan with a serious look. "I can stop the bleeding, but for every hour we delay the worse his condition will become."

Suddenly there be a familiar voice of Lancel called out back in the direction of the camp. "Your grace! W-Surgebinder! Is anyone out there?"

"The bloody boy. Guess that little trip to the stream saved his hide." Robert grunted.

"Quiet your grace," Jason remarked back before looking to Renly and Barristan. "Need to get back to camp and get him onto the cart. He's too injured to ride on a horse safely, even if we had one for him." Jason looked to Renly and Barristan, nodding for them to help Robert up onto his feet.

"Going to take twice as long to return to the capital on foot, even longer if we have to pull the cart ourselves." Barristan quickly stated.

"Have a plan for that. Let's just get back." Already Jason was taking the lead, while Barristan and Renly carried Robert. Soon he saw Lancel wandering through the woods, a worried look on his young face as he glanced about. "Everything alright squire?"

The boy flinched when he saw the Surgebinder, only relaxing when he noticed the rest of the group. "I just returned and…everyone…"

"Dead, I know. Self-proclaimed followers of the Targaryen's attacked us."

"Bastards…" Robert muttered before giving a winced grunt of pain, silencing him.

"Overall you're lucky Lancel. Stayed a few minutes longer and you may have been riddled with arrows."

The squire seemed pale for a moment, nodding in agreement. "Ah…r-right sir."

The whole group returned to the camp and headed for the supply cart which they clear off to lay Robert down on after getting some blankets to make things more comfortable. With that done Jason whistled loudly out and after a few moments there be some movement coming to the south until the horse walked out from the forest.

"Where did…" Renly started.

"A one of a kind loyalty," Jason answered casually back as he'd guide the horse to the cart front, getting the mare strapped up to carry the wounded King back to the city. "May not be used to carts but she'll manage."

"Guh…the boar…throw the boar in beside me," Robert grumbled.

"Brother it's just a damn pig," Renly argued back as he'd climb in to sit beside the King. "We'll have a party of guards to come back for it."

"Nah…meat will be bad by then. Fucking criminals…kill my men and rob me of my hunting prize." However, he quickly becomes quiet, seeming too tired to argue any further.

Lancel got up to the front of the cart to guide the horse forward while Jason and Barristan followed on foot to keep watch along the road if any more ambushers lurked about. Soon they were back on the King's Road and heading northward for the capital. After a while though the Surgebinder glanced to the Lord Commander, feeling it was time he spoke his mind after the attack."

"The Targaryens didn't plan this." He said in a hushed voice.

"And I'd agree," Barristan answered back.

"Not surprised really, but care to explain your reasons?"

"There is simply no one in Westeros who has any loyalty left to that family. They are all either dead, exiled to the corners of the world or have long lost their faith to the Targaryen line."

"This was a setup. A ruse to kill the King…maybe we included."

"Yet who?"

"Have some ideas…not sure if I should share them…"

At that moment the old man had a sharp look in his eyes. "Surgebinder I understand your secrecy yet keeping the truth from me doesn't help anyone."

"Maybe so…but you are a man who puts honour and loyalty to the royal family above all else considering what you let the last king do. How can I be sure you won't repeat past mistakes?"

Barristan was silent, his gaze showed a hint of anger and guilt at the Surgebinder's words. "I have always put duty before all else…it is all I've ever believed in when it came to knighthood." Taking a deep sigh, he calmed himself. "Yet in this case, the King's life is in danger and I know the threat is within the court itself."

"It is. Jon Arryn was close to a conspiracy that would affect the future of the Iron Throne. Led to him being killed for looking too far."

"How far does this go?"

"To the top…the queen herself."

"You can't be serious…"

"I wish I wasn't." Jason sighed, wishing he had told Robert sooner before the attack. Right now he knew he needed strong allies like Barristan on his side, honest men that he knew he could rely on. "Cersei's children…they are not Robert's…"