Author's note: Funny thing is, I have a waving cat figure in my dorm room. Totally forgot about until now. Perhaps it'll come in useful later on. They're from Japan and are supposed to bring good fortune and money if placed in stores or where-ever. Cami - yes he touched her while she was sleeping, you make it sound like a celebration. But I'm glad I made your day better. Well, here's the long awaited attack. After this I think it'll be one more until I go solo.
Chapter 6: Protector of the Small - (original title, I know)
They never tell you in training that an empty village usually bodes no good. They never tell you that the crawly feeling up your spine is a nearly primal warning system in human instinct that most likely ought to be followed. However, in our situation, we had no other choice but to continue with or without that warning. Thankfully, the animals were not required to fight their nature.
Horses and birds were panicked. The advance party that had again been sent out had come to another stop and the mounts would go no further. My stomach knotted. The dogs on patrol ahead came bursting out of the brush, led by our lone feline, hackles raised and tails fluffed. When they reached the road in sight of our forces, they turned to face the turn hidden by rocks, snarling at some unseen creature. No sound broke the sudden silence.
Keladry prepared her bow and ordered. "Ropes!"
My stomach tightened even further.
"Dom, do you remember the last time the birds got this upset?"
Indeed I did, curses all on the killing machines. I wheeled my horse.
"I do. Boys, let's have the special ropes out."
The men looked none too happy at my command. Faces grim, they made sure to have them close at hand. I noticed Keladry watching.
"We borrowed a page from your book. Ropes with a chain core."
A grinding noise floated from behind the rocks, accompanied with faint clangs of metal. I set myself for combat.
"Oh, look, Mother. We have company for supper."
Three of the unnatural things came around the bend. Hard armor rubbed against itself as they ambled forwards, looking to and fro for their opponents. My hate for them grew, as did my pity. When they saw us, they spread out in a line. I couldn't help wondering if the mage who had created them had included strategy in the binding spells.
Wolset and Fulcher knew what to do - we had fought these things many times. Ironic that Keladry had been the one to discover their weaknesses. They quickly rode forwards, ropes ready. It all depended on timing and they executed the maneuver perfectly. In a moment the device had been flipped onto its back, legs flailing. I nodded to the others who darted in to tie down the deadly feet. All they had to do was hold it in place long enough for me to crack open the head.
The instant the soldiers had secured the rope-chain around the forelegs, I jumped down from my mount and grabbed my battle ax. The thing turned to look at me as I approached, almost as if it wished to speak for its life. The pity doubled for the soul that had been enslaved. This was all I could do for it - the body was already gone. I raised my ax and brought it down with all my strength.
When I pulled free, the white mist emerged, drifting straight into my face. In shock I accidentally breathed in and felt my lungs freeze. Coughing and hacking, I tried to rid myself of the cold void that took hold of my chest. Wolset dismounted and pounded on my back. For what seemed like a lifetime I couldn't catch my breath, fighting the invading substance. Then, as if the soul realized what it was doing, the mist left and I fell to my knees heaving. Only when I was sure everything was in working order did I try to stand.
"Sir, are you all right?"
I waved my sergeant away. "I'm fine, thank you. Just don't ever breath in one of those things. Not a pleasant experience."
The look on his face promised he would never get close enough to be in danger of such a thing. I couldn't blame him. Looking around, I noted that the other two machines were nothing but a pile of bone and metal, both with holes in their head domes.
Tobe's young voice called out. "Lady, we got visitors."
In the blink of an eye, people materialized out of the woods. The missing villagers carried anything that could be used as a weapon in nervous, thin hands. Silently watching us and the dead machines, they moved to cut us off from the road.
Keladry turned to Gil. "Take a scout and go ahead, in the woods. I need to know what that Stenmun is doing."
We all moved to face the threat at our back. Owen groaned,
"This day just gets better and better. Why can't we fight real warriors, who know what they're doing?"
I mounted my horse but didn't fully trust myself to speak just yet, a nasty aftertaste making me reach for my water skin. When I finished, a little girl had appeared seemingly from no where and stood directly in front of Keladry. She looked just over five and was the only child present out of the villagers. Pushing back a mass of light brown hair, she smiled up at the lady knight. Turning to the others, she said matter-of-factly,
"That's the one, all right. I told you she would come, the Protector of the Small. And she's got her knowing animals, the healer, and the horse boy, the armed men and the marked men, the trapper, and the bitter mother. They're all here. Blayce will fall."
Dark green eyes drifted over our group once more. This time they stopped on me, staring hard before she smiled. Interrupting Keladry who was talking with a man who had stepped out of the line, she spoke calmly,
"You must come with us. They're closing the castle gates now. Blayce has your children."
Keladry's face turned blank as she whirled on Peachblossom and galloped down the road. We all followed and met Gil coming from the other direction. He gave a bleak nod to her inquiry about Stenmun. Even with the words of her loyal convict soldier, she had to see for herself. I followed discreetly.
It wasn't a large castle, but was placed on a mountainside with a deep, fast flowing river on the east side, cliff on another, and well defended on all the remaining. I figured the only chance we had of scaling the walls would be at night. Even then it would be tedious business, for now we were expected. Next to me Keladry raised her spyglass to focus on the dark things which dangled from the castle walls like strange beads.
"They're people." Her voice was hard. "Those are cages hanging from the walls with corpses."
The thought made my stomach twitch. We returned to the others without further words. The little girl ran back to Keladry.
"Come with us. We'll help you."
She was torn, I could tell. She longed to storm the castle and finish whatever destiny had been given her by the Chamber but was held to her responsibility and promise to return with every lost child under her care?
"How? And when?"
"Tonight." A man spoke up. "We know a way inside."
Keladry's eyes caught fire. "A way in? Then we can't wait. We'll distract them, draw them off."
The other was unmoving. "We wait. There's no cover, and the way lies right under their walls. Unless you've a mage who can hide everyone, we're not killing our own so you can bravely charge in."
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Keladry lost that argument. To hear of the perverse niceties that Blayce treated the children to made me want to vomit. What kind of man takes pleasure in decorating children before brutally slaughtering them to create things of destruction? He could not be a man. Not in the sense of humanity could he be a man.
My skin crawled like it always does in the presence of something supernatural when the little girl, Irnai, spoke last. She called Keladry the 'Protector of the Small' in a voice not her own and that the time to face Blayce had come. When she had finished, Keladry gave up and followed the villagers.
We discovered a land and a people which had been abused for years. Not one child existed for miles around. The adults were hollow-eyed and starving, fearful for their loved ones forced to work in the castle. But the seer girl had appeared with words of hope on our coming to put an end to the suffering. Now all we had to do was live up to their hopes.
Through the late afternoon and evening we plotted. Those who had once served inside the fortress now used their knowledge to aid us. Keladry arranged her forces into parties, some to enter through the secret way of the kitchen drain, some to wait until the gate was lowered, and some to snipe the guards from their stations. Keladry would go on her own to face Stenmun and Blayce once the children were safe. Her argument was that we would more than have our hands full with the soldiers. Neal and I disagreed.
"I wish you'd let one of us go in with you." Neal tried to reason.
"Connac's squad and Gil's convicts will do very well inside. Dom and his lads on horseback will create more confusion when they get in. You're best placed with Dom." She paused to look me straight in the eye. "Your group will be in more danger from archers than mine. You must also take command if I don't make it."
Neal and I both started at her statement. She pressed on.
"If I die in there, you have to get our people home. Listen to Dom -" This was directed to Neal. "He's more used to commanding groups. But your duty is to take our folk back to Tortall."
I leaned against a nearby tree and stared at her. She really had thought through everything. Everything up to the possibility that she may not return with us. I could hardly even imagine what that would be like.
Stalling for time, I said, "We'd best take these people, if they'll go. Leaving them here for King Maggot seems like a bad idea."
She nodded thoughtfully, then frowned. "Will you talk to them? After, I suppose, if we get an after."
How I wanted to shake those depressing thoughts out of her. But those thoughts were reality, a reality we would face in a few hours. Instead I accepted them.
"We'll get it, Kel." My eyes locked with hers. "I have faith in you."
My cousin nodded, extremely serious for once in his life. "So do I."
"Me too."
Drat that boy! Owen had the uncanny ability to appear from the blue and pick up on a conversation. The dark air about the three of us didn't seem to faze him at all as he continued.
"It'll be jolly, Kel. An evil mage destroyed, a chance to take a bite out of Stenmun and his men - isn't this why you became a knight?"
Dumbfounded we all stared at him. He looked from one to another and shrugged.
"It's why I want to be a knight. I may not get to be one now, but it'll be almost worth it, to rob Maggur of the killing devices. And I thought we were supposed to rest, and here you three aren't doing it."
I sighed. The boy had an over-romantic view of knighthood if this is what he believed it. I could only hope that the truth would spare him a little. Keladry smiled at her friend.
"We're coming, Mother. Or did you learn that from Wyldon?"
Owen's face lost none of it's enthusiasm. "Nope, I learned it from you, Mother."
With a laugh he dodged the good-natured swing she took at him and scampered back to the building we were using as headquarters. Neal watched him with a wistful groan.
"That boy makes me feel old."
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All the excitement seemed to happen at night on this journey. For what seemed like a lifetime I waited for Keladry's group to open the gate. Everything depended on my men and I to raise the Dark God himself once we got inside. Neal and Owen fidgeted on either side of me, impatient. Neal stiffened.
The guards had vanished. Weather they had been cut down by arrows or had left their posts, I couldn't tell. My hand drifted towards my sword. A grinding noise drifted from behind the walls of the castle. The war horses snorted and pawed, waiting for their signal. A resounding boom let us know that the way was open. I signaled the charge.
The great gate opened as we reached it and we ploughed into the face of death. I had only a second to note that no archers threatened us from above - at least not presently. The horses held their own, with or without mounted men. I yelled to my men to watch the barracks and fan out to hold the enemy within their buildings. The fewer that made it into the open, the better chances we had at overcoming them. As I fought two men with a pike and long sword, I lost track of everyone else.
Bodies fell and littered the ground. Most were Scanran, but some were our own. I heard a scream and turned, heart hammering. Tobe was down - shot by an arrow. A girl, one of the Haven refugees, was bent over him as five soldiers surrounded them. I raced to help, noting the others who joined me. Keladry gently picked up her helper and carried him to Neal who had stopped fighting and was trying to keep our wounded alive. Gil was down. I turned back to the battle.
Minutes later it was nearly over. No more men tried to fight their way past the half-blocked doors. Those left were fighting halfheartedly. I found no sign of Stenmun, then looked again to see that Keladry had vanished. She had gone to confront what the Chamber had foretold. And I could do nothing to help her.
When it became clear that the castle was ours, I made my way over to Neal. Tobe appeared to be out of danger. Gil, however, was too far gone. Neal was still trying to close the vicious slash that had opened his chest. The convict pushed him away with a cough.
"Leave me be. I ain't fit enough to cure."
Neal started to protest.
"Look, the Lady will need you to save others. I'm too much trouble. Them'll die if you spend more time with me."
My cousin frowned, but realized the truth in his words. Laying a hand on the man's shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
Gil smiled and looked away to me. Neal moved on to the next wounded.
"Sergeant Dom, remember what I says earlier - bout our lady knight."
He coughed again, blood beginning to run out of his mouth. I could only nod before his body went still. Swallowing hard, I looked up at the castle we had just conquered.
A place like this needed liberation, but it would not come at an easy price. I already spotted my corporal Fulcher and Lofren laying next to a barrack door. As I wandered across the eerily quiet courtyard, I found Sergeant Connac leaned against the portcullis winch, an arrow through his neck and chest. Earlier he had valiantly held the doorway of the barracks. Animals were gone too. Owen was kneeling over the great war horse, Happy, a great hunting dog lay among the bodies of three soldiers, and a few others who were once a part of our noble force would never rise again.
Where was Keladry? Turning back towards the castle, I looked up. The only sign of life was a lit window high above. I watched it closely. A flicker of blue jerked me into action. Sprinting across the yard, I paused to touch Owen's arm.
"I'm going to find Kel."
He nodded wordlessly. Reality had finally hit him. I supposed it could have been worse. He lost a horse, I had to be sure we lost no more.
Entering the castle, I held my sword ready. Finding the main hall, I followed it to the stairs leading to the second floor. Not a sound echoed from the stone. I caught glimpses of fine bedrooms with silk and children's toys and the sight made me shudder. This is where that devil had his 'fun'. I could only pray Keladry had finished him.
On the third floor I found Stenmun's body, his face smashed and throat cut. Above him I discovered a man who I assumed was Blayce. I could hardly stand walking into the strange room where I assumed he created the killing machines. I noted the headless body on the floor, then turned, and walked away. It was over then, but where was Keladry?
Back on the first floor I found her leaning against a wall in the shadows, unconscious. Her left shoulder was a mess. I untied the cords hold the mail shirt together to take a closer look. What appeared to be a spike had punched through the mail into her shoulder between the bones. The loss of blood had knocked her out. She was never one to take time to care for herself when something needed to be done. I sighed.
A whine and thump made me whirl, sword in hand. Jump limped up to me, eyes imploring. Next to him was the orange and gray cat that had accompanied me during this last bit of the trip. However, something was wrong with her for she couldn't seem to walk straight. Jump kept nudging her in the correct direction. I smiled at him.
"Don't worry, I'll get her out of here."
Mindful of her wound, I bent to carry her. Keladry was a strong woman, and even without armor I could guess her to be no featherweight. I managed to curl her up in my arms and pick up her glaive. I paused to make sure things were still clear and couldn't help savoring the feel of her fine hair pressed under my chin. Carefully I made my way outside with my precious burden.
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I was busy for the rest of the night arranging a funeral pyre for our fallen comrades. The villagers came to help us, but were un-content to hear that the two men who had tormented them for the past four years were dead until they saw for themselves. Everyone avoided the bodies except to venture close enough to spit on them. It seemed to satisfy them once they could see that their troubles were over.
Keladry would not stay down for long. I watched her exchange words with my cousin before struggling to her feet. When she made her way over to one of the refugee children, I followed. She was consoling the younger girl for having to kill and when she finished, the girl and I had to help her stand. Exhaustion etched its way into her face but she would not let it slow her down.
"We need to get out of here sooner rather than later. I want the torch put to the keep - make sure the level where Blayce kept his workroom burns in particular. Take nothing out of there. I mean nothing."
I pointed to a few of my less-injured men to get to it. They were closely followed by a group of villagers eager to have their own revenge on the castle.
"The keep burning will be a torch for the countryside. The quicker we go, the safer we'll be."
She moved to Peachblossom but again required assistance to mount. We all gathered around the funeral pyre for our prayers. The usually cheerful Owen lit the kindling with a set face and sad eyes. This was war. There was no real glory - only death. What made the glory was what one fought for, the belief that what one did was made right by its better cause and purpose.
When it came to the Scanran dead, Keladry proved how much she had changed over the past night. After staring thoughtfully at the bodies of her two greatest enemies and the hovering Stormwings, she turned Peachblossom out the gate.
"Someone ought to get some good for this. Leave them for the Stormwings."