DISCLAIMER: I don't own any part of King Arthur and don't make any money from my writing. Blah blah blah….
Arthur looked at the arrow Tristan had brought from scouting along the trade roads. It looked to be of Woad origin, but something didn't look right. He turned it over in his hands while studying the fletching and then the arrowhead. Finally, it came to him. The arrowhead had been made out of forged steel. No Woad arrow he had ever seen had an arrowhead made from forged steel. He looked to the knights gathered around him, "This arrowhead is forged steel and not of any Woad making I've ever seen." He passed it to Gawain.
Tristan looked back the way they had come, "The attacks on the farms don't make sense either. The farms had trade goods of Woad origin. An attack wouldn't make any sense if they've been trading."
Gawain handed the arrow to Galahad, "That arrow fletching is close to what I've seen from Woads, but not quite right. Someone wanted us to believe these attacks were made by Woads." He didn't say any more.
Arthur looked back they way they had come, "Whoever killed those people went to a lot of trouble to disguise themselves and make it look like Woads." He looked to Tristan, "Go back to the last farm and look at it again. We will continue on but much slower. Keep an eye for signs of whoever was through here to lay this path for us."
Tristan nodded and sent his hawk back into flight while riding back the way they had come at a much slower pace. Arthur and the remaining knights began to travel further along the route away from the main trade road at a slow pace. Each knight kept his eyes to the surrounding woods and fields looking for any sign of who had set the deceptive killings at the last two farms.
On the third day of her captivity Taneris came to visit Kiana in the room again. He walked around the room occasionally picking up an item to look at it and setting it back down. Kiana studied him cautiously and silently not wanting to draw his attention back to her. Finally, he stopped to look at her, "I wonder. Will you continue to fight me?" he began to advance on her with a sneer, "I hope you do."
She knew the door would be locked and there would be no way to escape him or fight him off, "I cannot escape you and you are too strong to fight against." She said as bravely as she could.
He laughed, "It's good that you understand your position here now." He sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space beside him in a silent command. When she didn't do as he bid he frowned, "I can always have you bound here." He threatened.
Hating him and silently despairing, she reluctantly walked to the bed and sat beside him. She shuddered as he began to unlace her dress and closed her eyes as he undid his breeches. He was rough with her again this time and she couldn't help her involuntary cries of pain which seemed to please him all the more. When he was done he left her without a word.
After the door was locked she felt a horrible twisting in her gut. She ran to the chamber pot and violently vomited for several minutes. When she no longer had anything else in her stomach to bring up, she sat shaking from the anger and disgust. She no longer had tears to cry and felt a deep rage beginning inside.
The old serving woman brought her lunch tray and removed the chamber pot without a word. She looked at Kiana several times in silent concern but couldn't say anything with the soldier watching. She could see the younger woman was being held and used against her will and the situation made her sick at heart. She had been the maid for Alia for the past five years and had come to know the perversions of this Roman Captain and his black haired whore. The rumor going around the servants was that Taneris wanted this woman to replace Alia. Judging by the woman's battered appearance and her becoming so sick, she very much doubted that Taneris would ever get his way completely with this one. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Taneris tired of the woman and she met the same fate as the others before her. The servants were all fearful of Taneris and his soldiers and hesitated to lend her any aid. There had been a great many rumblings about his rumored plans and many were fearful of what their life would be like if he succeeded.
As soon as she could, the old woman slipped away from the kitchen to seek the council of her sister. When she arrived at her sister's hut, she found her grinding dried herbs to store for her medicines, "He's using this one badly." She said as she sat down at the table.
The healer stopped grinding the herbs and looked at her sister with a stern frown, "My herbs were wasted on that one. She's been the knights whore these past few months. I only just learned who he had taken."
"She was no whore when he took her days ago! I saw the blood on her gown and tell you she was a maiden when he violated her." She frowned, "Why do you hate her so?"
The old healer set her jaw in a stubborn line and resumed grinding the herbs. Her sister's patient silence finally prompted her to answer, "Mayia, that woman came to my hut when Sameal fell ill. She then insulted me by telling me I shouldn't choose who I spend my hard earned skills on! She's ever been a friend to those knights and no friend of anyone of our standing."
Mayia slapped her hand down on the table, startling the other woman, "Our standing? When our parents left Rome we were nothing but lower class servants and barely that above their slaves! You're hard earned skills were a gift from our mother sending you off to learn an honest trade so you wouldn't end up earning your keep in a mans bed. Who have you ever been to judge when someone deserves the aid you could provide? Our mother would be ashamed to hear you speaking and acting so."
Both sisters glared at each other for several moments before the healer looked down, "Sameal said much the same when he told me who had been taken." She looked back up, her eyes uncertain, "He speaks very fondly of her and has been sick with worry. Is there anything I can say to him to ease his mind?"
Mayia knew her sister had secretly loved Sameal for some time and had been too afraid of his rejection to ever let her feelings be known. Perhaps she could use this to gain her aid, "That man has beaten her to take her body. There a rumors of his plans to kill Arthur and the knights to take over command here. He's cruel and many of us fear for our fate if he succeeds."
"What does that have to do with her?"
"She could tell the knights of his plans. They would believe her."
"You mean to free her? From under his guard? How do you plan to do that and how would you send her out of the fort in time to warn Arthur and the knights?" The incredulity of the situation completely shocked her.
"Plan to meet Sameal and me here later tonight. I might know a way and we will need your help. We have very little time." She got up and went to the door, "Say nothing to anyone. Taneris is known to have many spies who listen for plots against him." She left and hurried back inside the keep to the kitchen while frantically thinking. It was more than past the time for Taneris and his plans to be put to an end.
Time seemed to crawl by for Kiana and she began to feel more and more frantic with each passing moment. How was she to escape the room if the door was only unlocked when food or bathing water was brought to her? There was always the same soldier standing guard and he paid close attention to the servants who tended to her. She knew that with each passing day the knights were drawing closer to an ambush and possibly their deaths. She had to do something. She began to think of plans and spent the night pacing her room as she frantically thought.
The next morning she was groggy from the lack of sleep and was surprised to feel hands shaking her into wakefulness, "You need to get up! Now! Hurry and be quiet!" She opened her eyes to see the old serving woman standing over her bed. She swung her legs out of bed and began to reach for a dress. The serving woman handed her a dress, "Put this on." As she was dressing the woman told her, "We don't have a lot of time. I have to get you out of the keep and to a safe place before the soldier wakes and sounds the alarm to Taneris."
The woman led Kiana out of the room and past the soldier who was slumped against the wall asleep and snoring with an empty wine flask at his side. They went down a little used set of stairs to the back of the keep. The woman gave her a cloak, "Put the hood up." She did as she was told and followed the woman out of the keep and through several alleyways.
Kiana had been peeking out from under the hood of the cloak to try to get her bearings when she suddenly realized she was standing in front of the old healer's hut. She would have balked at going inside but was immediately relieved when the door opened and she saw Sameal in the doorway. He gave her a smile and stepped back, "In here. Hurry."
When she was inside the hut she pulled the hood back off the cloak and looked at Sameal. He was staring at her with horror on his face, "Mayia said it was bad but I had no idea." His voice was sad and his eyes full of compassion. She would have hugged him but stopped when she saw the healer.
"I don't understand. Why would you help me?" she asked warily. She was still shocked at how easily she had been removed from her captivity and wondered what had been in the wine the soldier standing guard over her drank. It had to have been strong to knock him out so completely and she wondered at the healers part in it.
"What do you know of Taneris' plans?" the other woman asked.
Kiana glanced at Sameal and was reassured by his nod, "He plans an ambush to Kill Arthur and the knights. The mission they were sent on was a ruse to get them away from the keep where no soldiers could help them and no one could see what he has done. He had been taking women thinking he would learn why the knights were so loyal to Arthur hoping he could force their loyalty to him when he had him killed."
Sameal let out a breath and looked to the healer, "If Arthur and the knights are killed, he will take command of this fort and everyone who lives here under Roman rule. His reputation coming here from Rome was that of a harsh man with harsh rules. We would be little less than slaves if he took command and no one would be able to stop him with Rome so far away."
The healer had been staring at Kiana from the moment she stepped foot into her hut and she finally spoke, "Let me see to your injuries while we make plans for getting you out of the fort."
Kiana sat down on one of the kitchen chairs in stunned silence and allowed the woman to examine her injuries. While several were painful, none were serious and she would eventually heal.
Sameal had several small packs gathered together and he began to explain, "We won't have much time before the soldier guarding your door wakes and sounds the alarm from your escape. Taneris won't want to risk anyone finding out that he was the one who had taken you so any searching he does will have to be from the soldiers loyal to him. He will have the fort gates watched but shouldn't be able to get them closed with the spring trade beginning. We have to get you out of here before he can get organized for a search."
Kiana agreed and looked to the woman who had helped her, "What about you? They will know you helped me escape."
The woman smiled, "I've already planned on disappearing out of here just as soon as you make it out. What Taneris has never understood is that many of us living in this fort have made friendships outside these walls. He won't find me easily."
"What about Vanora and her children? He would know that they mean much to Bors."
Sameal chuckled, "I helped Vanora and her brood get out last night. We've known for some time that she may have to leave here with little notice during a time when Bors and the knights were away. You've no worries there." He picked up the bags from the floor, "There are about a weeks ration in these. We need to get to the gate now or we won't be able to sneak you out. Once you get out you will have to travel off the trade road and as fast as you can. The knights mission was along the trade road. I know it isn't much of a guide, but it's all I know."
Kiana pulled the hood back up over her head and took the packs from Sameal, "Go to the gates and wait for me. I think I know a way to find them faster." She told them with a desperate plan forming in her mind.
Sameal studied her closely wondering what she was planning, "We have very little time." He cautioned her.
"I know. I'll hurry." She looked at the healer and the other woman, "Thank you for getting me out of there." She then left the hut and slipped back into the alleyways.
Sameal looked to the healer, "If he sounds the alarm before she gets to the gate she may need our help." Seeing the woman's reluctance to further involve herself he reminded her, "There will be questions about how the wine that soldier drank made him pass out for so long. Not too many people in this fort have that kind of knowledge."
The healer quickly went to her collection of herbs and removed the mixture she had saved, "They won't find any here if they come to look." She said as they went out the door. As much as she hated wasting her work the thought of being discovered in this plan chilled her to her bones. She followed him out of the hut towards the gate to wait and watch.
They weren't at the gate for very long before Sameal spotted a soldier walking hurriedly from the keep towards the gate with a grim expression on his face. Sameal looked through the throng of people going in and out of the gate for Kiana. Where was she? Time was running out. Just as he was getting desperate he saw her cloak.
He was amazed to see her leading a dirty and manure covered horse behind her. The horse had what looked to be a traders pack on its back as well as several ropes and mismatched tack on its head and body. The animal appeared to be some poor pack animal and he wondered how she had come to possess it now. Kiana herself was walking with a hunched and shuffling gait which belied any sense of urgency. If he hadn't known the situation was so desperate, Sameal would have said she was deliberately going slow. He glanced up at the guard post and watched the soldiers eyes pass over her as she drew closer to the gate. Her disguise was working for now. When she was almost to the gate one of the soldiers left his post and began walking through the people heading out of the fort. He realized Kiana would almost certainly be spotted and knew he had to draw the soldier's attention away. He looked to the healer and told her, "We need to draw their attention so make this believable." That was all the warning before he raised his voice to yell, "Woman! I knew I'd find you sneaking out of here! Were you going off to meet your lover again? Were you?" He made sure his voice carried and noted the soldiers eyes immediately shifted towards him.
The healer was initially shocked at his outburst. If they were going to put on a show she was going to make it one nobody forgot. She reached up and slapped him across the face, "How dare you talk to me like that! No man speaks to me that way! I go where I want and don't need your permission. Old man!" she made sure her voice screeched like an old crone knowing it would draw more attention. She was rewarded as she noted all the soldiers eyes were looking at her and Sameal now.
"You forget that I as good as own you!" He bellowed back and made a broad movement with his arms to keep attention on them.
The healer let out a harsh laugh deciding the best way to keep everyone's interest would be to make their staged fight sound as personal as possible, "You own me? If you call that wrinkled old stub in your pants any kind of a manhood I wouldn't need to spend my time searching for satisfaction!" She heard several people in the crowd gasp and glanced out of the corner of her eye to see if the soldiers' attention was on them. She smiled when she noticed they were all watching with sneering grins on their faces.
They continued their mock fight exchanging personal and creative insults back and forth until Sameal noted that Kiana had made it through the fort gate and was heading more rapidly down the trade road. He stopped yelling at the healer and suddenly gasped and grabbed at his chest in mock pain.
Catching onto Sameal's ploy, the healer began to sob and cry, "No! You old bastard, you can't have one of your fits here." She deliberately looked at one of the soldiers and cried in desperation, "Good sir, he's been a loyal servant to Rome all his life. Will you help me get him to our hut so I can see to him?" she made sure her hands shook and her frame looked as frail as possible. When it looked like the soldier would refuse, she added, "He's Roman, just like you and me. Won't you help your fellow countryman?" The soldier spared one last look at his fellows and went forward to help her carry Sameal. She kept his attention as they went back to her hut knowing he would not have had the chance to pass the orders to the other soldiers at the gate to look for Kiana. She made the most of keeping him as busy helping her as possible until he finally told her he had to leave to attend to his duties. Once he left she looked to Sameal, "I hope that gave her the time she needs."
He sat up from the bed the soldier had laid him on, "It is not up to us now." He stood and looked down at her, "Thea, I know it was hard for you to help her out feeling the way you have about Arthur and the knights. It meant a lot to me." He gently cupped her cheek in his hand.
Thea smiled back at him and wondered if perhaps she had misjudged Kiana if Sameal thought as highly of her as he did. Looking into his eyes she decided that if Kiana were to ever return to the fort she was going to owe her an apology.
Kiana had kept her arm over the neck of the horse she had stolen all the while she had been shuffling through the gate. She had occasionally whispered soft words to the horse to keep it calm and quiet as Sameal and the healer drew attention away from her with their loud argument. Once through the gate she had sped up to a fast walk hoping to make for the cover of the nearby woods before anyone thought to look for her outside the fort walls. The walk seemed to take a lifetime as she hurried along as fast as she dared go for fear of drawing attention to herself.
As she neared the woods she was relieved to see heavy clouds coming and she knew it was going to rain soon. While she didn't want to be caught outdoors in one of the notoriously heavy spring rains, she knew the downpour would wash away tracks of her passing allowing her to travel more on the road and less in the woods. Once she was in the woods she began to remove the mismatched ropes and useless tack from the horse. She pulled the spare oiled tarp off the horses back revealing a fine Roman cavalry saddle underneath. She checked the bags that held her food rations as well as bags with extra grain rations for the horse to make sure they were securely in place. She folded and tied the oiled tarp behind the saddle knowing it might be useful when she would have to stop.
Checking the horses cinch to make sure it was secure she spoke softly to the now nervously dancing animal, "Easy now. I need your help. Just please don't buck." She took a deep breath and quickly climbed onto the horses back. The horse stood still for a moment with every muscle tensed. She spoke softly and gently tugged on the reins to guide it towards the trade road. She clucked softly and grasped a handful of mane as she squeezed her legs into its sides.
The horse danced in place for a moment and then lunged forward into a full out gallop. Kiana held on with her legs and her hand in the mane as she guided the horse down the trade road. As they were running the clouds seemed to heave and rain began to pour down on them. She hunched down on the animal's back and pulled her cloak as close around her as she could. The rain soon soaked through her and the horse causing the dark dirt and mud from the stable to run off to reveal the sleek dark grey coat of Anthes.
Kiana made no move to slow the stallion knowing the gallop was not only putting crucial distance between her and the fort, but also serving to calm his nerves from not being ridden in well over a year. With each passing moment she felt his tenseness drain and his strides become smoother. She had taken a desperate risk when she went to the stable to find a horse and hadn't initially thought to take him. When she had walked into the stable and started looking in stalls she was dismayed to find only the finer bred Roman cavalry mounts. While any of them would have served, she knew they would have been easily spotted at the gate. Most of the Roman soldiers served as infantry and were not accustomed to dealing with horses, but even they would be able to tell the difference from a work horse and the finer bred Roman horses.
When Anthes has put his head over his stall door and began to nicker at her she ran to him and put his halter on. With Jols being gone on the mission the stable hands hadn't done much to clean his stall. His tail and mane were caked in manure as well as most of his coat. She had quickly brushed off his back and sprinted to grab a saddle. She was glad when he stood calmly to allow her to put the saddle and the extra gear on his back. She had rubbed as much dirt into his coat as she could to further disguise his appearance as a knights horse. He was of a much heavier frame than the Roman horses and might not be as easily recognized. She had worried the entire way to and through the gate while leading him for fear he would strike out at someone or give them away by acting up. He had responded to her soft calming words and walked out quietly.
She kept Anthes moving along the trade road at the fastest pace he could safely manage. The jarring to her body from the sudden exertion was agonizing but she kept her teeth clenched together and endured it. Lives of men she cared about were in danger and she wasn't going to allow the pain from being beaten to get in her way. Instead, she used the pain to drive herself onward.
When darkness started to fall she knew she would have to stop. Anthes was no longer pushing forward and she knew he was as tired as her. She took him far enough off the road so they would not easily be seen and where there would be enough grass for him to graze. She pulled off the saddle and gave him a ration of the grain before she wrapped the gear in the oiled tarp to keep it dry for the night. The rain had stopped falling and she shivered in the cold knowing she couldn't risk a fire. She ate some of the food Sameal had sent with her and curled up into a ball to get as warm as she could throughout the long night.
The night seemed to last forever as she shivered and startled from every noise. Anthes had grazed for several hours and she had kept him tethered close for fear of him wandering off. When the early dawn light finally came, she stiffly got up and saddled him again. He had his ears up and was eagerly looking towards the road and she knew the previous days run hadn't worn him down. When she stiffly climbed onto his back he was more relaxed and he broke into a smooth lope at the touch of her heels into his sides. She was glad she had taken him knowing that even though he may appear to be a bigger and bulkier horse by Roman standards, he would have much greater endurance for the ride ahead.
Her travel for the second day was much the same as the first. The sun had been out during the morning hours and by the afternoon it rained heavily again. While the rain kept her wet and cold, she was grateful that it would erase all tracks she had left of her passing. Just before evening she discovered one of the first villages said to have been destroyed by the Woads. Most of the buildings were burned and there were no people left. She was about to pass the village by when she noticed part of one of the barns was still standing. She dismounted and led Anthes into the barn and found a sizable crop of hay had somehow not been burned. That night she and Anthes were able to rest under shelter and she slept on a warmer pile of hay.
She had no way of knowing that several eyes had been tracking her desperate flight from the fort. As she had been walking towards the remains of the barn an arrow had been aimed at her back with the archer ready to fire. The archer had been stopped by a low whistle and had silently melted back into the woods.
The archer had met the glare of the wizened old man dressed in animal skins and painted with blue tattoos, "Why did you stop me. She rides a knights horse and goes to warn them."
The old man nodded once in agreement, "Yes, but our fight has never been with women and her blood comes from this land. The Romans at the fort are killing those they should be protecting and laying the blame at our feet. Better to let her go and warn the Arthur and the knights so they can stop this madness before it spreads."
The archer would have liked to refuse this reasoning but had seen the needless deaths himself. He had no idea who this woman who rode a knights horse was, but if Merlin wanted her left alive then he would obey. He signaled his fellow archers hidden within the woods and they silently melted back into the forest.
Kiana felt better upon waking in the third day of her escape and checked Anthes carefully for any signs of lameness. He playfully nipped at her cloak and she realized he was happy to be away from the fort and being allowed to run. She smiled as she put the saddle and gear back on him. She looked up at the sky and noted the lack of clouds. This day was going to be sunny and warm. As they set off at another fast gallop she thought of how much she would have been enjoying the day if the situation weren't so desperate.
During the next two days she ran across two more destroyed villages and one destroyed farm. She began to feel nervous about being out alone with no weapons other than a small knife and kept a wary watch on the woods. During the night she slept poorly despite the weather being warmer. Finally, late into one of the nights she realized Anthes was standing over her and his sense of hearing and smell were going to alert her to danger far faster than her own. She was finally able to sleep for the remaining few hours until dawn.
The next morning she came to a smaller path that led off the main trade road. She had stopped Anthes while she thought back to what Taneris had told her about wanting his planned ambush in a more isolated area. She had no idea where the path would take her and didn't know if she should risk going down it for a while or continue on the road. Her indecision gnawed at her as worry for the knights grew. She feared that they may have already reached the planned ambush site and her frantic flight may have been futile.
It was Anthes who ended up making the decision for her. He had been trained and used as a knights horse for several years before he had been given to Taneris and he remembered his training well. He had been accustomed to traveling fast and hard and knew in his own way that this journey was urgent. When they had stopped at the path he sensed his rider's uncertainty and his training took over. A knights horse would always be able to find the other knights if they were separated or lost. His rider would not have known how close they were to the other knights, but his keen sense of smell told him which way to go. He started off the road and down the path at a smooth lope without hesitation.
Kiana had thought to pull Anthes to a stop when her father's teachings came back to her. When lost, always trust your horse to guide you. She was certainly lost and desperately hoped Anthes was taking her towards the knights and not to a loose herd of horses. She allowed him to pick his way and breathed a sad sigh of relief when they came upon another destroyed farm. She looked to the ground and saw several sets of hoof prints that could not have been more than a day old. She kept her eyes on the ground and pushed Anthes onward hoping to catch up to the knights as fast as possible.
Tristan had gone back to the destroyed farm as Arthur had ordered and spent more time looking for clues that someone other than the Woads may have done the killing. It wasn't long before he spotted the telltale signs of several shod horses in the field and woods on the outskirts of the farm. Only Roman cavalry and wealthy merchants shod their horses. He began to carefully follow the tracks away from the farm and realized the tracks were leading along the woods back towards the trade road. Someone had wanted to lead them off the road and hadn't wanted their presence discovered. He had pushed his own horse into a fast gallop to go warn the others and tell them what he had found.
Arthur was listening to Tristan's report when all the knight's horses suddenly lifted their heads and looked back down the path they had followed from the last destroyed farm. The horses were all too well trained to neigh and give away their presence, but the knights knew their response meant someone was approaching. Tristan and Gawain broke away from the group and went off into the woods with their bows ready. Lancelot drew his twin swords and guided his stallion with pressure from his legs to move off to the side of the path. Arthur, Bors, Galahad, and Dagonet kept their weapons close but not drawn as they settled into a defensive position.
Kiana was almost thrown over Anthes' shoulder when they galloped through a cluster of trees and suddenly burst into a group of men on horses. Anthes suddenly stopped and reared up with a challenging neigh. When he settled back onto all four feet he began sniffing the air and just as quickly settled into a relaxed stance. It took her a moment to grasp who the riders were before Lancelot had dismounted and came rushing towards her, "Kiana! What are you doing out here? And why are you on that horse?" He was stopped suddenly as Anthes pinned back his ears and struck out with his front feet with an angry squeal.
Kiana held her hands in front of her to ward off any further attempts from Lancelot or the other knights to come closer, "Stay back. He doesn't trust anyone but me and perhaps Jols." She gingerly got off and spent a moment to speak calmingly to Anthes before turning to face Arthur and the rest of the stunned knights, "Taneris is planning to ambush you very soon. He's ordered his soldiers to leave none of you alive." Exhaustion and pain from her ordeal began to make her head swim and her vision fade. She turned to Anthes and tethered him to a nearby tree. Once he was safely secured she started walking back towards the men who had also dismounted. She stumbled and would have fallen if not for a strong set of hands that gently steadied her. She looked up into Arthur's concerned eyes, "I had to escape and warn you." She managed before the world began to spin and blackness claimed her.
A/N: Don't worry! I'll update soon! This chapter was getting very long and I wanted to get it posted before working on the next part. I've wanted to get to this part of the story for a while now!