Disclaimer: They still ain't mine - Jonathon, Alex, Ardeth or the Med-jai.
"They're moving out"
When Jonathon heard the lookout's report he expected Ardeth to start swearing again. Instead he just nodded calmly, and began to give orders. Within minutes the whole camp was up and ready to go. Even Caitlin seemed to know what she was expected to do. Jonathon and Alex just grabbed their things, then headed off after everyone else. When they got to where all the horses were kept Caitlin came over holding three horses.
"Horses are better than camels for fighting" she explained. Jonathon grinned. If he didn't have to travel on a camel, then the day was looking up.
"So, what's the plan?"
Caitlin smiled. "Kill them." Then she said more seriously "Use your guns to try and kill the Hesal. They're more important than the Med-aran. We must try and prevent them from reaching the city, if we can." The two men nodded, then mounted their horses and followed the Med-jai out into battle.
Alex sighted, and shot one of the men whom he assumed were the Hesal. The man gave a strangled scream, and fell off his horse. Alex felt sick. He had killed people before - when you went on archaeology trips with his parents you were bound to end up fighting someone - but he'd never felt comfortable with taking away someone else's life. He looked around, checking to see if everyone he knew was all right.
Caitlin looked around quickly for her horse. She'd been dragged off by a Med-aran some time earlier. She saw a horse wandering, riderless and began to run to it, hoping to gain the advantage of height again. Before she reached it she saw a Hesal, also horse-less, and she changed her course to intercept him. Just before she got there a Med-aran charged up on horseback, and leapt off. The Hesal grabbed the horse, climbing into the saddle and racing off, while the Med-aran turned to face Caitlin.
For a second, fear swept through her, but it was quickly replaced by a different kind of emotion. She danced forwards, sword darting out, relying not on strength, but on speed. Once, twice, three times her sword slashed out and the Med-aran parried with growing desperation, when she disengaged and stepped back, gaining some distance, the Med-aran was already bleeding from two wounds- one on his sword arm, one across his shoulder.
Before the man could regain his breath she attacked again, driving him backwards, turning aside each blow, or avoiding it. Exhilaration swept through her, and every move seemed effortless. In contrast, the Med-aran seemed to be in some trouble. Her instincts told her that this was because he was bound to the old ways. The Med-jai, and the world, have moved on, while the Med-aran were seeking to regain the glory of times past.
She changed her technique and when the man struck with his sword she caught it on her blade and stepped in. This would normally have been dangerous, if not fatal, for he was much stronger than her and could quickly overwhelm her, but she was able to hold him for the second required while her foot swept out, hooking his ankle and throwing him off balance. He stumbled, and before he could recover her sword lashed out, cutting across his neck. She danced away from the spray of blood, and the body collapsed to the floor.
She turned quickly, looking for her next attack, and saw Alex, still on horseback, desperately trying to fight a Med-aran. He was using his sword and she guessed that he'd used up all the bullets in his gun. While he was good with the sword, the Med-aran was better. Caitlin quickly tossed the sword from her right to left hand, catching it smoothly, while pulling out a knife with her free hand. She flipped it so she was grasping the blade, then threw it at the Med-aran's back. He stiffened, then fell off his horse. Caitlin gave Alex a nod of acknowledgement, then ran off to find a horse of her own.
"They're making a break."
Caitlin heard the shout, and looked up to see that what was left of the Hesal, guarded by a few Med-aran, had broken free of the Med-jai, and were heading out to the city. She quickly glanced at the battle scene around her and was shocked by what she saw. Although the Med-aran had outnumbered the Med-jai, a large amount of the dead were Med-aran, and a few Hesal. The Med-jai who were dead all seemed to have been killed by swords, or hand-to-hand combat. Which confirmed what had been suspected- the Med-aran didn't use guns. 'Which probably means we have a chance', she thought.
Then she heard Jonathon shouting Alex's name. She looked over, and saw that Alex had been cut off from the rest of the Med-jai, and was now charging across the desert on horseback with four Med-aran in pursuit. She kicked her horse, and shot off in pursuit, following Jonathon who was also chasing after them. The Med-aran seemed intent on pursuing Alex, seemingly not even noticing that they were being followed. Once they were close enough, Caitlin transferred the reins into one hand, and grasped at her knife with the other. She fought for a moment to regain her balance, then threw the knife. It didn't fly true, but did clip the shoulder of the man she'd aimed at, and he yelled, slipping in his saddle. As he lost grip of the reins he fell, and disappeared beneath the hooves of the horses.
The Med-aran finally realised that they were being followed, and the remaining three all pulled their horses to a stop. Caitlin frowned - recognising the move as tactically unsound, as Alex was now behind them. Why weren't the Med-aran co-operating with each other? A faint memory seemed to suggest that the Med-aran's structure of society was based on personal power, and advantage over each other, as well as their enemies. Whatever the reason, it would make things easier.
One of the men was wounded so Caitlin left that one for Jonathon, spurring her horse forwards to engage the other two. She wished that she'd picked up another sword from somewhere, and pulled out her last knife instead. It was possible to block a knife throw, even catch it out of mid-air, so she quickly threw it at one of the horses. The animal screamed and Caitlin felt guilty. Attacking people who can defend themselves is one thing… she brought up her sword in an almost reflex action as the remaining Med-aran on horseback struck at her. It was becoming clear that fighting on horseback was harder than ground combat, as her horse danced beneath her, obviously spooked by the smell of blood. She fought for control, parrying the Med-aran's attack, and noted that the Med-aran whose horse she'd killed was now in his feet. This was beginning to look bad.
Then, the Med-aran on the horse stiffened, and slumped forwards, and as Caitlin moved her horse forwards to attack the other Med-aran she realised that Alex must have managed to stop his bolting horse and return. She quickly killed the man and turned to help Jonathon, to see that Jonathon needed no help, and that all four Med-aran were dead.
She quickly put her sword away then slid off her horse, catching hold of one of the dead men and pulling his scabbard off his back. She slipped the scabbard over her shoulder, then picked up the man's sword and placed that in its scabbard. She remounted, and as she did so she was shocked to see that the sun had moved in the sky - it was now early afternoon. The battle had taken so long.
Without a word she nudged her horse into moving again, heading for the city of Jentar and the final battle, and the others followed behind her.