Chapter 11: Battle at the Mansion
"I knew it, I knew it was too bad to get our hopes up!" ranted Delly.
"Maybe it would have been better if she'd never come at all!" Madge agreed.
They, along with Johanna, were pacing back in forth in front of the mansion windows, currently being bombarded by a heavy rain.
And it was about to be bombarded by something else. Noises from outside made the girls look up.
"Could it be?" Madge wondered, momentarily forgetting that they should never get their hopes up.
"Is it her?" Johanna wondered.
The three girls looked down into the front courtyard below - which was currently being flooded by Gale and his men.
"My God, it's invaders!" Madge gasped.
"And that man in front - it looks like he has the ordinance for Prim's release!" Johanna cried.
Delly sprang into action. "Warn the master! If it's a knife fight they want, we'll bring guns to them! Who's with me?"
The three split up to rally the other mansion's servants. Down in the courtyard, Gale gave final instructions to his troops:
"Take whatever booty you can find! But remember: the Peacekeeper's MINE!"
The men of District 12 charged for the big oak double doors armed with the trunk of a tree as a battering ram. At the same moment, the mansion servants desperately barricaded the doors with any furniture, then bracing these with their own bodies for good measure.
On and on for a while it went like this: a standoff at the gates while Johanna entered Cray's chambers to try and rouse him to action. The voices echoed inside and outside the castle:
"Pardon me, Master?"
"Leave me in peace….."
"But, sir! The castle is under attack!"
Outside: "KILL THE PEACEKEEPER! KILL THE PEACEKEEPER!"
Another ominous BOOM rattled the doors. Madge winced. "This isn't working!"
"Madge, we have to do something!" Brutus, one of the manservants, groaned.
"Wait, I know!"
"KILL THE PEACEKEEPER" - BOOM - "KILL THE PEACEKEEPER!"
Meanwhile, up in Cray's western chambers, Johanna pleaded with him one last time.
"What should we do, Master?"
"It doesn't matter now," Cray said resignedly. "Just let them come."
"KILL THE PEACEKEEPER" - BOOM - "KILL THE PEACEKEEPER!" - BOOM - "KILL THE PEACEKEEPER!"
With an almighty crash, the double doors finally gave way, even breaking down the barricade behind it. Gale and his men looked into…..
Silence. Silence and Darkness. Noting the remnants of the barricade, Gale cautiously beckoned his men forward into the entryway. No response. Then, suddenly -
"NOW!" The bellow came from Madge just as the mansion was flooded with candlelight.
"Awwwhhhhhhhhhhhwwwww!" Screams and roars of pain went up as Gale and his men were ambushed all at once from all sides by cooks, the housekeepers and even Cray's many prostitutes! Letting his own men take the fall, Gale slipped away in the confusion and rushed to the mansion's upper floors….
Back in District 2, Katniss and Prim finally hacked off the lock of the bomb shelter with a rusty axe. Breaking out of their prison, Katniss bravely attacked a sentry on duty, stealing his horse. Helping Prim up behind her, the young women galloped at top speed back towards District 12…..
The battle between Gale's men and Cray's servants raged throughout the mansion. So far, it was clear who was winning and who was losing.
Oh, some of the brash hunter's followers got enough of their wits about them to put up a decent fight, but after Brutus managed to trap them in the kitchens and then tried to burn them alive, even these braver lieutenants had had enough. It was not long before all of the District 12 townspeople were fleeing the mansion in a mass retreat, leaving the servants to proclaim victory.
But it was not quite over yet. After going door to door through the mansion, Gale had finally entered Cray's western wing, proceeding into his bedroom unimpeded and finding the forlorn Peacekeeper there by the window. Gale let an arrow fly right into the older man's shoulder before mercilessly pushing him through the glass panes of his window.
Cray rolled onto the balcony, but Gale just then pushed him onto the rooftop, where the Peacekeeper rolled down onto a parapet overcropping.
"Get up!" Gale ordered, kicking Cray dangerously close to the edge of the parapet when he received no response. "Get UP! What's the matter, Cray? Too kind and gentle to fight back?"
Cray only looked at his would-be murderer sadly. Since Katniss had gone, he no longer cared what happened to him. Gale ripped off a chunk from a gargoyle statue and raised it over his head, preparing to deliver the killing blow.
"NOOOOOO!" The cry - a female's voice - came from far below them in the courtyard. Cray peered over the edge to see….. was it really?….
"Katniss….." he moaned.
"NO! Gale, don't!"
Lightning flashed, and Katniss's plea gave Cray strength at the last moment. A strong hand stopped the downward motion of Gale's club and Cray stood, reinvigorated.
As the fight resumed, Katniss urged on her horse, leaving Prim in the courtyard to gallop right into the mansion. She then raced up the stairs, not even bothering to remove her traveling cloak.
Gale and Cray struggled for control of the club; the grappling caused Gale to slide partially down a slick stretch of rooftop. Cray leaped after him, tackling the hunter and they tumbled down to lower awnings. Hitting a lower level hard, Gale kicked Cray off of him. But when he leapt to his feet, there was no sign of the Head Peacekeeper. Momentary lightning only added to the shadows and pouring rain.
"Come on out and fight!" Gale goaded. He proceeded amongst the gargoyles. "Were you in love with her, Cray? Did you honestly think she'd want you, when she had someone like me?"
Having blended in amongst the gargoyles, Cray slipped out of the shadows and behind Gale, but the hunter turned, swinging out with his club. He managed to back the older man into a corner of the rooftop.
"It's over, Cray! Katniss is MINE!"
Cray lashed out in anger, knocking Gale off-stance just enough to seize the hunter by the throat and dangle him dangerously over the abyss.
"Let me go! Let me go! Please! Don't hurt me! I'll do anything! ANYTHING!" Gale begged, his bravado suddenly gone.
Strange - which words could trigger a memory. For Cray, it was the memory of Katniss promising to do anything to save her sister. The anger in his face receded, and he pulled a whimpering Gale back to safety.
"Get out," Cray growled, casting the hunter aside.
"CRAY!"
Cray spun to see the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld: Katniss, on the balcony of his room, reaching down to him.
"Katniss." Slowly, despite his age and the slickness of the rain, Cray scaled the rooftops back to his balcony. Finally, he came close enough to reach for Katniss's outstretched hand.
"Katniss." Now at level with her, his free hand caressed her face. "You came back!"
Smiling softly, Katniss leaned into his touch. He felt so soft and warm…..
A sudden roar of pain and anger snapped her out of her relieved thoughts. Cray was writhing in agony. And the source of that agony was Gale. Somehow, the sadistic hunter had followed Cray up the rooftops and was burying a knife into his side. He pulled out the blade to stab again.
And that's when he made a mistake. The motion of re-loading, so to speak, as well as Cray's flailing arms, knocked Gale off-balance. Desperately, Katniss seized Cray by the scruff of the neck and held fast, but Gale was not so lucky in finding such a handhold.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Gale's terrifying scream echoed as he tumbled off the rooftops and fell to his death far below.
