The Damned Paladin-Chapter 130: Race To Kelmar

They rode before dawn broke.

Gabriel’s ribs ached with every breath, his throat still raw from Castor’s grip, but he pushed the pain aside and focused on covering distance. The horses were tired from the journey to Bridgedon, but there was no choice. They had to make Kelmar before the deadline expired.

Six days. We’re on day five.

The first day back was brutal. They alternated between canter and walk, stopping only to water the horses and force down cold rations. Gabriel’s body protested every mile. His ribs sent sharp pains through his chest with each jarring step the horse took. His throat made swallowing difficult, each breath a reminder of how close Castor had come to crushing his windpipe.

But he didn’t slow down.

Around midday they spotted patrol movement on the road ahead. Church colours, moving with the methodical precision of soldiers conducting a search.

"Off the road," Gabriel said quietly.

They guided their horses into the forest, picking their way through underbrush until the patrol passed. Adan watched from behind a tree, hand on his sword, while Gabriel kept the horses calm with steady pressure on their reins.

The patrol took twenty minutes to pass. Twenty minutes they couldn’t afford to lose.

When they returned to the road and resumed riding, Gabriel could feel time slipping away like sand through his fingers.

Tess is waiting. The ship might already be gone.

The thought made his chest tighten in ways that had nothing to do with cracked ribs.

By evening of the first day, they’d covered thirty miles. Not enough. They made camp in a shallow ravine, no fire, eating dried meat that tasted like leather. Gabriel’s body wanted rest, wanted time to heal properly, but they couldn’t spare it.

"You’re pushing too hard," Adan said as Gabriel checked the horses in the fading light. "Those ribs need time."

"Don’t have time." Gabriel ran his hand along his horse’s leg, checking for swelling. "The deadline is six days. We’re already on five."

"The ship will wait."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Gabriel moved to check the other horse. "Torrhen’s a merchant captain. Waiting costs him money. If we’re not there, he’ll assume we’re dead and leave."

"Tess won’t let him."

Gabriel’s hands stilled on the horse’s flank. "She can’t stop him if he decides to go. She doesn’t have that kind of leverage."

Adan was quiet for a moment. "Then we ride harder tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Gabriel finished checking the horses and lowered himself carefully to his bedroll. Every movement sent protests through his ribs. He lay flat and stared up at stars that barely penetrated the ravine’s darkness.

I promised her six days. I’m going to make it back in six days.

Sleep came eventually, thin and broken by pain.

The second day was worse.

Gabriel woke before dawn with his ribs screaming and his throat feeling like he’d swallowed broken glass. The healing had begun but it would take another week at least before he was back to full strength.

They were riding again within minutes.

The horses were showing real fatigue now. Their responses came slower, their gaits less smooth. Gabriel could feel his mount struggling beneath him but there was nothing to be done except keep pushing and hope the animal held out.

Around midday they encountered another patrol. Larger this time, at least a dozen soldiers in Church colours moving south with purpose.

Hunting for Castor’s killer.

Gabriel and Adan detoured deeper into the forest, losing an hour circling around the patrol’s search pattern. When they finally returned to the road, Gabriel’s jaw ached from clenching against the pain in his ribs.

By evening they’d covered another thirty-five miles. Better than the first day but still not enough.

They camped beside a stream, letting the horses drink their fill while Gabriel and Adan ate in silence. Gabriel’s body was approaching its limit. The ribs weren’t just aching anymore, they were grinding with every breath. His throat had swollen enough to make eating difficult.

"You need to rest properly," Adan said, watching Gabriel struggle to swallow dried meat. "At this rate you’ll collapse before we reach Kelmar."

"I’ll rest when we’re on the ship."

"If you’re alive to board it."

Gabriel met his eyes across the darkness. "I made a promise. I’m keeping it."

Adan didn’t argue further.

The third day started before dawn and didn’t stop until well after dark.

They pushed the horses past what was safe, alternating between canter and trot, walking only when absolutely necessary. Gabriel’s vision swam occasionally from pain and exhaustion, but he kept his seat through will alone.

Almost there. Just keep moving.

They passed through two more patrol checkpoints by detouring through farmland and forest. Each detour cost them time they didn’t have.

By evening Gabriel could smell salt on the wind. The coast was close.

Kelmar.

They rode through the night, walking the exhausted horses through darkness, following the road by memory and moonlight. Gabriel’s entire body had gone numb from pain and fatigue, which was almost a mercy.

Dawn came grey and cold as they crested the final hill.

Kelmar spread out below them, walls and buildings and harbor all visible in the early light. Gabriel’s eyes went immediately to the docks, scanning for green sails.

There.

The Serpent’s Tooth sat at dock seven, exactly where it had been when they left. Green sails furled, crew visible on deck preparing for departure.

Relief hit Gabriel so hard he nearly fell from his saddle.

"They waited," Adan said quietly.

Gabriel couldn’t speak. His throat was too tight, and not from Castor’s damage.

They descended toward the city gates at a careful walk. The horses were spent, barely able to put one hoof in front of the other. Gabriel’s own exhaustion was catching up now that the desperate urgency had faded slightly.

At the gate, guards in city colors stopped them with raised hands.

"Business?"

"Returning," Gabriel said. His voice came out rough and damaged. "We have rooms at the Brass Anchor."

The guard studied them, taking in their exhausted horses and road-worn appearance. "You look like you’ve been riding hard."

"We have."

The guard seemed to consider pressing for details, then apparently decided it wasn’t worth the effort. "Gate fee is two copper."

Gabriel paid and they rode into Kelmar.

The city was just waking up. Merchants opening shops, early workers heading to the docks, the smell of baking bread drifting from somewhere nearby. Normal life continuing as if Gabriel’s world hadn’t been turned inside out over the past six days.

They headed straight for the docks.

Gabriel’s eyes never left the Serpent’s Tooth as they approached. Crew members moved across the deck with purpose, loading final supplies. Captain Torrhen stood near the gangplank, speaking with his first mate about something that required hand gestures and pointing.

They’re preparing to leave.

We’re too late.

The thought crystallised just as a figure emerged from the ship’s cabin.

Tess.

She stood at the railing, scanning the dock with an expression Gabriel recognised. The same focused intensity she got when hunting or fighting, every sense directed toward finding what she sought.