(A/N Owen is in this little meeting too)
"Kel, that's insane! You're going to get yourself killed! Not to mention Fhire!" Neal said.
"No really, I don't mind." Fhire said quietly
Kel rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad. We're going to go through one of the escape holes, kill anyone who opposes us, and then open the gate, letting you come in and kill everyone else."
Neal stood up. "I really must protest! This is madness, Kel."
Kel stood up too. "But it will get us the camp back. You agree, don't you, Dom?" She shot him a look.
"Actually, I don't this is madness. I think Neal is right, you are putting yourself in unneeded danger, but my word means nothing. If that's what you want to do, we can't stand in your way." He looked really upset to say it.
Kel felt sadness flow through her. He wasn't backing her up. He didn't think she could do it. "Fine." She said, feeling the colour rise in her face. "Please, give me your ideas, so I can consider them."
No one said anything.
"Err, Kel, we could just storm them." Owen said.
Neal shook his head. "No good, Owen. This may just be a camp, but it's pretty well protected. And we don't know how many of them there are."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking. "Is that it? Because I really have better things to do." Kel said, glaring at them.
No one answered, so Kel stood up. "I'd like you to brief your men, please. We'll leave at sundown, and Neal, I think you should get some sleep."
She and Fhire walked over to their horses to feed them.
"Lady Kel" Fhire asked quietly. Kel looked up. "Is it really as dangerous as Sir Neal said?"
Kel sighed. "Fhire, I'm not going to lie to you. It is that dangerous, and if you don't think you're up to it, I won't think any less of you for backing down. But if you stay, I think we can do it."
Fhire smiled. "I think you're right. Let's do this is."
Kel laughed. "You are going to be one good knight."
"Lady Kel, maybe you should talk to Dom and Neal. You did yell at them, they were only trying to help."
Kel sighed again, trying to stay like a stone. "Maybe that's a good idea."
An hour before sundown and after she was in her armour, Kel went to look for Dom. She found him skipping stones into the stream. "Dom?"
He glanced back at her, but went back to skipping stones.
"Dom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you. But I have to do this. I feel it. This is important, and I think this is why I'm here. If they keep New Hope, they have part of Tortall, and they therefore have control over us."
Dom shrugged. "I think I knew that all along. This could be the turning point in this war. And I stand behind you, not just because you're my superior, but because I think you're right."
Kel smiled. "Thank you so much, Dom." She kissed him. "I love you."
He hugged her. "I love you too. Now go knock them out."
Kel jogged up to Peachblossom. "Alright, we're off? Walford, Merric, Dom, do your units all know where they should be?"
"Yes." They all said in unison.
"Very good. We are going to ride until just before the hill. That is the first place they will be able to see us from. After that, it's just by foot, gents."
A few of them chuckled.
"Walford, your distraction unit will be on horseback so that you can ride quickly into the camp once we raise the gate. Merric and Dom, your units will leave to walk when the sparrows fly back. Walford, your men will ride just over the hill. . . Wait. Scratch that."
She paused. "Walford, your men will not be a distraction, at least not right away. I want you to wait to come out. That way, when Fhire and I arrive, they will still be asleep."
Walford nodded.
"Alright, so, Walford, your men will come out after the sparrows come to you, just like we planned. But it might be longer. Now let's go!"
She rode off at a gallop, Night Warrior giving Peachblossom a run for his money. "Hold up, Fhire. We're here." Fhire stopped instantly, and they both slid off their horses.
"We're off." She said, pecking Dom softly on the cheek.
She and Fhire walked silently towards the camp. They stopped behind a small patch of trees. Kel pulled out her glaive, Fhire her sword.
"This is the hard part." Kel whispered. "there is a fairly long stretch without tree cover. We are going to move swiftly, on my command, understand?"
Fhire nodded, and they crept forward. Kel shushed the sparrows, and they slowly stepped towards the edge of the trees. Kel saw the guard walk in the other direction. She signalled to Fhire, and they ran to the wall.
"Lady Kel, there is no entrance." Fhire said.
Kel grinned, and beckoned Fhire closer. She suddenly disappeared into the dirt. Fhire followed, but the sparrows did not. They would come back soon, Kel knew that.
They walked slowly towards the front gate, hiding behind buildings, animal pens, or just in the shadows.
Finally, they made it to the gate. Kel silently slit the gate guards throat. "Stay on guard. They are going to be here very, very soon."
She pulled on the winch. It was tough, but it slowly opened the gate. One of the guards atop the wall noticed, but did not raise the alarm. Instead, he quietly walked down the stairs to check it out. Fhire gutted him quickly.
But the winch was loud, and more people were coming. Kel had underestimated how long it would take to get to it, and the sparrows were not back yet.
Just as she thought that, they came barrelling towards her. She nodded, and they turned around immediately.
More and more men were coming, and Kel could see Fhire was going to need her help. Finally, the gate was open enough to let Merric and Walford's parties in. She could hear the rumbling steps of the horses.
She glanced behind her at Fhire. She was giving it her all, doing exceptionally well.
Before Kel could raise her glaive, she felt a breeze on the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She collapsed, and everything went black.
* * * * *
Dom ran into the camp with the rest of his party, but he was looking for Kel. He ran up to Fhire and chopped off the head of a man behind her.
"Kel's still alive, don't worry." She said, lifting the anxiousness in his chest.
Soon, all of Kel's soldiers were in the camp, and all of the Scanran soldiers had either been killed, or retreated.
Dom looked around for Kel. She was not among the men trying to close the gate, nor the men lining up for healing.
"Mithros, don't let her be dead." He muttered, scanning the bodies lying on the ground. Hers wasn't there.
"Fhire! Have you seen Kel?" He ran up to her.
She shook her head. "Not since you came in."
She stood up and helped him look for her. After going through every man in the camp, living and dead, they knew Kel was not there.
She had been kidnapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ooh, cliffhanger! Well, I don't know if I'll have time to update, I'm going to Lord of Ther Rings at the Paramount theatre tomorrow. My friend and I are dressing up like hobbits!
Thanks for the reviews,
-unolimbo
"Kel, that's insane! You're going to get yourself killed! Not to mention Fhire!" Neal said.
"No really, I don't mind." Fhire said quietly
Kel rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad. We're going to go through one of the escape holes, kill anyone who opposes us, and then open the gate, letting you come in and kill everyone else."
Neal stood up. "I really must protest! This is madness, Kel."
Kel stood up too. "But it will get us the camp back. You agree, don't you, Dom?" She shot him a look.
"Actually, I don't this is madness. I think Neal is right, you are putting yourself in unneeded danger, but my word means nothing. If that's what you want to do, we can't stand in your way." He looked really upset to say it.
Kel felt sadness flow through her. He wasn't backing her up. He didn't think she could do it. "Fine." She said, feeling the colour rise in her face. "Please, give me your ideas, so I can consider them."
No one said anything.
"Err, Kel, we could just storm them." Owen said.
Neal shook his head. "No good, Owen. This may just be a camp, but it's pretty well protected. And we don't know how many of them there are."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking. "Is that it? Because I really have better things to do." Kel said, glaring at them.
No one answered, so Kel stood up. "I'd like you to brief your men, please. We'll leave at sundown, and Neal, I think you should get some sleep."
She and Fhire walked over to their horses to feed them.
"Lady Kel" Fhire asked quietly. Kel looked up. "Is it really as dangerous as Sir Neal said?"
Kel sighed. "Fhire, I'm not going to lie to you. It is that dangerous, and if you don't think you're up to it, I won't think any less of you for backing down. But if you stay, I think we can do it."
Fhire smiled. "I think you're right. Let's do this is."
Kel laughed. "You are going to be one good knight."
"Lady Kel, maybe you should talk to Dom and Neal. You did yell at them, they were only trying to help."
Kel sighed again, trying to stay like a stone. "Maybe that's a good idea."
An hour before sundown and after she was in her armour, Kel went to look for Dom. She found him skipping stones into the stream. "Dom?"
He glanced back at her, but went back to skipping stones.
"Dom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you. But I have to do this. I feel it. This is important, and I think this is why I'm here. If they keep New Hope, they have part of Tortall, and they therefore have control over us."
Dom shrugged. "I think I knew that all along. This could be the turning point in this war. And I stand behind you, not just because you're my superior, but because I think you're right."
Kel smiled. "Thank you so much, Dom." She kissed him. "I love you."
He hugged her. "I love you too. Now go knock them out."
Kel jogged up to Peachblossom. "Alright, we're off? Walford, Merric, Dom, do your units all know where they should be?"
"Yes." They all said in unison.
"Very good. We are going to ride until just before the hill. That is the first place they will be able to see us from. After that, it's just by foot, gents."
A few of them chuckled.
"Walford, your distraction unit will be on horseback so that you can ride quickly into the camp once we raise the gate. Merric and Dom, your units will leave to walk when the sparrows fly back. Walford, your men will ride just over the hill. . . Wait. Scratch that."
She paused. "Walford, your men will not be a distraction, at least not right away. I want you to wait to come out. That way, when Fhire and I arrive, they will still be asleep."
Walford nodded.
"Alright, so, Walford, your men will come out after the sparrows come to you, just like we planned. But it might be longer. Now let's go!"
She rode off at a gallop, Night Warrior giving Peachblossom a run for his money. "Hold up, Fhire. We're here." Fhire stopped instantly, and they both slid off their horses.
"We're off." She said, pecking Dom softly on the cheek.
She and Fhire walked silently towards the camp. They stopped behind a small patch of trees. Kel pulled out her glaive, Fhire her sword.
"This is the hard part." Kel whispered. "there is a fairly long stretch without tree cover. We are going to move swiftly, on my command, understand?"
Fhire nodded, and they crept forward. Kel shushed the sparrows, and they slowly stepped towards the edge of the trees. Kel saw the guard walk in the other direction. She signalled to Fhire, and they ran to the wall.
"Lady Kel, there is no entrance." Fhire said.
Kel grinned, and beckoned Fhire closer. She suddenly disappeared into the dirt. Fhire followed, but the sparrows did not. They would come back soon, Kel knew that.
They walked slowly towards the front gate, hiding behind buildings, animal pens, or just in the shadows.
Finally, they made it to the gate. Kel silently slit the gate guards throat. "Stay on guard. They are going to be here very, very soon."
She pulled on the winch. It was tough, but it slowly opened the gate. One of the guards atop the wall noticed, but did not raise the alarm. Instead, he quietly walked down the stairs to check it out. Fhire gutted him quickly.
But the winch was loud, and more people were coming. Kel had underestimated how long it would take to get to it, and the sparrows were not back yet.
Just as she thought that, they came barrelling towards her. She nodded, and they turned around immediately.
More and more men were coming, and Kel could see Fhire was going to need her help. Finally, the gate was open enough to let Merric and Walford's parties in. She could hear the rumbling steps of the horses.
She glanced behind her at Fhire. She was giving it her all, doing exceptionally well.
Before Kel could raise her glaive, she felt a breeze on the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She collapsed, and everything went black.
* * * * *
Dom ran into the camp with the rest of his party, but he was looking for Kel. He ran up to Fhire and chopped off the head of a man behind her.
"Kel's still alive, don't worry." She said, lifting the anxiousness in his chest.
Soon, all of Kel's soldiers were in the camp, and all of the Scanran soldiers had either been killed, or retreated.
Dom looked around for Kel. She was not among the men trying to close the gate, nor the men lining up for healing.
"Mithros, don't let her be dead." He muttered, scanning the bodies lying on the ground. Hers wasn't there.
"Fhire! Have you seen Kel?" He ran up to her.
She shook her head. "Not since you came in."
She stood up and helped him look for her. After going through every man in the camp, living and dead, they knew Kel was not there.
She had been kidnapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ooh, cliffhanger! Well, I don't know if I'll have time to update, I'm going to Lord of Ther Rings at the Paramount theatre tomorrow. My friend and I are dressing up like hobbits!
Thanks for the reviews,
-unolimbo