Chapter 10: Sweet Revenge and Good Riddance.
The next morning, the Tortallen soldiers, knights, and sergeants lined up, readying their army against Maggur if something should go wrong.
Dom was the first to see the cloud of dust, signaling the arrival of the enemy. He counted only twenty horses. Why hadn't Maggur taken more with him? Was the rest of the army invisible? Which horse was Kel on?
The riders stopped, and the lead rider slipped off his horse first, then the four other followed. Dom almost smiled, if Kel could slip off that gracefully, she was surely unharmed.
"Lord Raoul, Lady Alanna," a gruff male voice called out, and as the dust settled, Dom saw a huge mountain of a man, just as tall as Raoul, with thick blond hair, ice blue eyes, and muscles popping out of his arms.
"I, King Maggur of Scanra, Lord of the North, Uniter of the Scanran Clans, and Ruler of Fear, bring you your Lady Knight, as we agreed, in trade for Lord Raoul and Lady Alanna, and Blayce's boy."
There was a deathly silence, but finally Alanna walked forward, her fingers playing with the hilt of her sword.
"Show us that you really have Lady Knight Keladry, King of Scum." She hissed in a low but hearable voice.
"As you wish, Lady Alanna," Maggur bowed gracefully, sweeping out his hand, and clapping his hands together.
One of the men with him came forward, carrying an unconscious, bruised, and beaten Kel. Dom gasped, running forward, towards her.
"Ah," Maggur said as Alanna and Raoul held Dom back, "so she does have a love," he stroked Kel's soft cheeks almost affectingly, watching gleefully as Dom struggled against his Commander and the lady Knight's tight grip.
"Maggur, you are bordering trouble," Lord Raoul warned in a voice that froze Maggur for a moment.
"Why, I'm almost shaking," Maggur replied calmly, stroking her cheek again. "How do you propose we make our exchanges without harming anyone?"
Alanna's face was almost as red as her hair, as she sheathed her sword. "How about you come over here and we take a little talk, Maggur, just you and I?" she sneered.
"Sorry, Lioness, but I already have a love," he grinned at the furious expression on her face, then turned to Lord Raoul. "Golden Lake, I believe you are the more calm of you two," but at this point Raoul looked even worse than Alanna.
"You want your Protector, and I want the boy," King Maggur looked around the crowd, and one of the soldiers came forward, leading Peachblossom with a bound Tobe on top. On his shoulder perched a single pair of unseen spiders.
Dom, shaking his head, and trying to calm down, tore free of Alanna and Raoul's grip. "We will send you the boy, on the horse, over to you, and you send us back Kel at the same time."
Maggur snapped his fingers, and the same man who had carried Kel forth came again, this time with his horse. Setting Kel over the back, he turned to Dom.
"There, man, now send them over," King Maggur was tense and anxious now, as he pointed to an emotionless Tobe.
Neal almost grinned inside himself, as he watched Tobe ride over to Maggur. The years with Kel had left a mark on him, and Tobe was most certainly a better actor than Neal.
Yuki, dressed for war, gripped his arm tighter, her usually emotionless face now drowning in fear for her friend and Tobe. Neal put an arm around, whispering reassuringly, but whether it was for himself her his wife-to-be he wasn't sure.
Kel was swaying dangerously in the saddle, threatening to fall off. King Maggur was clearly enjoying this, but he had made a grievous mistake. Her hands weren't bound.
What happened next startled everyone. As she passed Peachblossom and Tobe, the once close to toppling over and falling to the ground, Keladry straightened up, and, though she was close to crying out in pain, flung herself over on Peachblossom's back, with grace of a shang, and settled herself in front of Tobe.
"Hang on, Tobe," she whispered, and charged Peachblossom towards a frozen stunned Maggur.
King Maggur awoke from his shock, and, quick as lightening, drew his sword, though knowing he stood no chance against this mad horse, and, although injured, lady Knight.
Kel shook her head, and bit her lip till the cut there opened again, biting back the extreme pain she felt in her back and rib cage.
A sudden swooshes of bird wings surprised her, but as she looked up she saw her sparrows, and a large Golden Eagle, which she guessed was Daine. Behind her came a sudden thud of horse hooves as Neal, Dom, Yuki, Alanna, Raoul, and Numair joined them, plus a few other soldiers.
Keladry looked at Maggur.
Sweet revenge.
She charged Peachblosssom straight into Maggur, as he was too slow to move.
Slipping painfully off Peachblossom's back she picked up an abandoned sword, walking towards Maggur's groaning body.
"Enjoying yourself, Maggur?" She hissed. She let him stand up without helping, grinning at the marks Peachblossom had left and the bones he had broken.
"Get your sword, you useless piece of garbage." She sneered, though swaying dangerously. She knew she would faint soon. Maggur raised his sword preparing to hack down on her.
"I'm going to kill you now, you little whore," he spat, as she parried his sword, falling on her knees at the strength in the blow. Maggur laugh and, despite his injuries, he raised his sword over her neck. She clenched her jaws, and swept her foot out to trip him, though missing. The laugh rang in her ears, and she knew was going to kill her if she didn't do something.
Preparing herself, she rolled away so the sword hacked into the ground beneath her, instead of her neck. Strong arms pulled her up, and Dom's gentle voice whispered in her ear, "Stay with me here," as he met Maggur's sword in mid air, and left her in the arms of Neal.
Through blurry eyes she saw Dom fighting Maggur, saw the sparrows zooming about Maggur's eyes as Dom's sword buried itself deeply in the Scanran's King's heart.
Kel pulled out of Neal's grasp, and staggered over to Maggur's body.
"Say hello to Blayce, bastard," she whispered to his dying, ice blue eyes. "Good riddance to you."
She swayed, and just before everything went black, she felt the familiar strong arms catching her.
What'd you think??????
The next morning, the Tortallen soldiers, knights, and sergeants lined up, readying their army against Maggur if something should go wrong.
Dom was the first to see the cloud of dust, signaling the arrival of the enemy. He counted only twenty horses. Why hadn't Maggur taken more with him? Was the rest of the army invisible? Which horse was Kel on?
The riders stopped, and the lead rider slipped off his horse first, then the four other followed. Dom almost smiled, if Kel could slip off that gracefully, she was surely unharmed.
"Lord Raoul, Lady Alanna," a gruff male voice called out, and as the dust settled, Dom saw a huge mountain of a man, just as tall as Raoul, with thick blond hair, ice blue eyes, and muscles popping out of his arms.
"I, King Maggur of Scanra, Lord of the North, Uniter of the Scanran Clans, and Ruler of Fear, bring you your Lady Knight, as we agreed, in trade for Lord Raoul and Lady Alanna, and Blayce's boy."
There was a deathly silence, but finally Alanna walked forward, her fingers playing with the hilt of her sword.
"Show us that you really have Lady Knight Keladry, King of Scum." She hissed in a low but hearable voice.
"As you wish, Lady Alanna," Maggur bowed gracefully, sweeping out his hand, and clapping his hands together.
One of the men with him came forward, carrying an unconscious, bruised, and beaten Kel. Dom gasped, running forward, towards her.
"Ah," Maggur said as Alanna and Raoul held Dom back, "so she does have a love," he stroked Kel's soft cheeks almost affectingly, watching gleefully as Dom struggled against his Commander and the lady Knight's tight grip.
"Maggur, you are bordering trouble," Lord Raoul warned in a voice that froze Maggur for a moment.
"Why, I'm almost shaking," Maggur replied calmly, stroking her cheek again. "How do you propose we make our exchanges without harming anyone?"
Alanna's face was almost as red as her hair, as she sheathed her sword. "How about you come over here and we take a little talk, Maggur, just you and I?" she sneered.
"Sorry, Lioness, but I already have a love," he grinned at the furious expression on her face, then turned to Lord Raoul. "Golden Lake, I believe you are the more calm of you two," but at this point Raoul looked even worse than Alanna.
"You want your Protector, and I want the boy," King Maggur looked around the crowd, and one of the soldiers came forward, leading Peachblossom with a bound Tobe on top. On his shoulder perched a single pair of unseen spiders.
Dom, shaking his head, and trying to calm down, tore free of Alanna and Raoul's grip. "We will send you the boy, on the horse, over to you, and you send us back Kel at the same time."
Maggur snapped his fingers, and the same man who had carried Kel forth came again, this time with his horse. Setting Kel over the back, he turned to Dom.
"There, man, now send them over," King Maggur was tense and anxious now, as he pointed to an emotionless Tobe.
Neal almost grinned inside himself, as he watched Tobe ride over to Maggur. The years with Kel had left a mark on him, and Tobe was most certainly a better actor than Neal.
Yuki, dressed for war, gripped his arm tighter, her usually emotionless face now drowning in fear for her friend and Tobe. Neal put an arm around, whispering reassuringly, but whether it was for himself her his wife-to-be he wasn't sure.
Kel was swaying dangerously in the saddle, threatening to fall off. King Maggur was clearly enjoying this, but he had made a grievous mistake. Her hands weren't bound.
What happened next startled everyone. As she passed Peachblossom and Tobe, the once close to toppling over and falling to the ground, Keladry straightened up, and, though she was close to crying out in pain, flung herself over on Peachblossom's back, with grace of a shang, and settled herself in front of Tobe.
"Hang on, Tobe," she whispered, and charged Peachblossom towards a frozen stunned Maggur.
King Maggur awoke from his shock, and, quick as lightening, drew his sword, though knowing he stood no chance against this mad horse, and, although injured, lady Knight.
Kel shook her head, and bit her lip till the cut there opened again, biting back the extreme pain she felt in her back and rib cage.
A sudden swooshes of bird wings surprised her, but as she looked up she saw her sparrows, and a large Golden Eagle, which she guessed was Daine. Behind her came a sudden thud of horse hooves as Neal, Dom, Yuki, Alanna, Raoul, and Numair joined them, plus a few other soldiers.
Keladry looked at Maggur.
Sweet revenge.
She charged Peachblosssom straight into Maggur, as he was too slow to move.
Slipping painfully off Peachblossom's back she picked up an abandoned sword, walking towards Maggur's groaning body.
"Enjoying yourself, Maggur?" She hissed. She let him stand up without helping, grinning at the marks Peachblossom had left and the bones he had broken.
"Get your sword, you useless piece of garbage." She sneered, though swaying dangerously. She knew she would faint soon. Maggur raised his sword preparing to hack down on her.
"I'm going to kill you now, you little whore," he spat, as she parried his sword, falling on her knees at the strength in the blow. Maggur laugh and, despite his injuries, he raised his sword over her neck. She clenched her jaws, and swept her foot out to trip him, though missing. The laugh rang in her ears, and she knew was going to kill her if she didn't do something.
Preparing herself, she rolled away so the sword hacked into the ground beneath her, instead of her neck. Strong arms pulled her up, and Dom's gentle voice whispered in her ear, "Stay with me here," as he met Maggur's sword in mid air, and left her in the arms of Neal.
Through blurry eyes she saw Dom fighting Maggur, saw the sparrows zooming about Maggur's eyes as Dom's sword buried itself deeply in the Scanran's King's heart.
Kel pulled out of Neal's grasp, and staggered over to Maggur's body.
"Say hello to Blayce, bastard," she whispered to his dying, ice blue eyes. "Good riddance to you."
She swayed, and just before everything went black, she felt the familiar strong arms catching her.
What'd you think??????