Kel woke up well before the sun rose and with a heavy heart she realised that this could very well be the last day that she saw Dom. She was riding out tonight and she didn't really expect any of her men to come back and she thought she would die with them. She turned and expected to see him next to her, where he had been when she had fallen asleep, but he wasn't there.
Sighing, she flung the covers off of her and threw some clothes on. Then she sat by her window until dawn broke and she knew Dom would be awake.
She crept through the corridors, trying not to wake any of the people who were sane enough to still be asleep. As she entered the Own's barracks, she was even quieter. She couldn't tell why, whether it was just because she respected that they wanted their sleep, or whether it was because she didn't want them knowing she was going to visit Dom.
Rapping on his door, she stood back. He opened the door and his surprise registered on his face.
"Kel? Is everything okay?" he asked anxiously as he gestured for her to come in.
Kel nodded mutely. "I'm fine. I — I just wanted to say goodbye, because I can't make lunch and…" she trailed off.
Dom took two large strides towards her and wrapped his arms around her. "You are coming back," he whispered, but Kel could hear the doubt in his voice. "You are."
Kel smiled at him, but didn't believe him. What chance did she and some half-trained men stand against the best Warriors in the Yamani Isles?
Dom swallowed and kissed her firmly. "You are coming back! You'd better!"
Kel didn't know what to say to that, so she turned her head up for another kiss. Dom was happy to oblige and kissed her slowly and sweetly. His hands deftly pulled her shirt from her breeches, giving his hands further to roam up and down her back. She gasped as she felt him fiddling with her breastband and moved to catch it as he unhooked it and let it fall to the floor. Kel was about to protest and then made the mistake of looking into his eyes, they were filled with such longing that she could hardly say no. His tunic had found its way to the floor and he was about to pull her shirt over her head when shouting down the corridor brought them sharply back to their senses.
Kel moaned and cursed whoever it was. It was only when the shouting got closer that she actually separated from Dom.
There was a brusque knock on the door and a voice shouted, "Dom, we've been called out. Yamani raiders have struck the coast and my Lord is taking the Third Company."
From all around the barracks, Kel could the men cursing as they scrambled into their uniforms and hunted around for weapons and cloaks. For a brief moment she was reminded of the common scenes in the barracks that the narwabis and calawabis had shared. The training masters in the Isles had believed that the best way to train fighters was to give them battle experience, so whenever a major attack came or pirates struck the palace they were rooted from their rooms and told to get there and fight. She could remember being woken up at all times of the night and having to hunt for clothes and weapons in the dark and then she had to find Hoshi in the courtyard where all the horses had been led and saddled.
Dom looked down at her, smiled and kissed her one last time. "I'd better get ready. My Lord won't be pleased if I'm late."
Kel nodded and was about to leave when Dom caught her sleeve. "Stay a while?" he asked, almost plaintively.
Kel sighed and smiled. "I'll see you off," she replied and sat back down on the bed, watching his graceful movements as he ransacked his cupboards to hunt for a spare cloak.
"Thanks," Dom replied as the two of them lifted his saddlebags from the floor and headed for the Own's stables.
He readied his mounts with speed and eagerly bit into fresh bread that Lerant was handing out. Kel attached his saddlebags to his mount and then turned to his other horse and fussed over it.
"Seems like she prefers your horse to you," Lerant drawled, clapping Dom on the shoulder.
"Can't say I blame her though," another voice joked.
Kel smiled and turned to greet Qasim and Lerant. She bowed to them both and was about to make a rude reply to their earlier comments when she heard someone shouting.
"Kel!" a voice yelled frantically.
Kel turned to see Edric running towards her. "Edric?" she asked in surprise. "Is everything alright?"
Edric stopped just in front of her and it was only when he did that Kel managed to take in his appearance. He was dressed in full battle gear, his sword was strapped to his waist and he gripped his glaive.
"Edric," she said warningly. "Please tell me your just playing at dressing up!"
Edric shook his head. "Myles was – looking for you – he says that – we ride out – as soon as – he checked – the troops," he gasped as he struggled for breath. He looked like he had been running for a while.
"I thought we rode out tonight!" Kel snapped as she watched her troops making their way to the forest, all in full battle gear and leading their horses.
"Apparently Myles got some more information, the Prince and the troops he is leading left yesterday. They left at full speed. They could be at the coast by tomorrow night."
Kel cursed. "Mithros! I thought we had until tonight!"
Qasim looked bemused. "Do you want to tell me what's happening?"
Kel shook her head. "Can't." She turned back to Edric. "Um…Get down to the forest with your horse. I presume Myles is headed down there?" When Edric nodded, Kel continued. "I'll be down there as soon as I can, get the men to run through the Hawk Flies Free pattern dance at full speed and then divide yourselves into two unequal teams and have a mock battle. I'm sure you know the drill."
Edric nodded and headed towards his horse.
Kel turned with an apologetic smile to Dom. "I'm sorry. I can't see you off."
Dom smiled back, but Kel could see he was disappointed. "It's no problem." He hugged her tight. "Now get to your troops. Goddess bless Kel."
Kel smiled tightly at him and ran for her rooms where she struggled into her chain mail and strapped her sword to her waist, a spare glaive to her back and grabbed her saddlebags and her glaive. The men of the Own were still milling around in the courtyard when Kel rode through on Hoshi and towards the forest.
"With most of your men, you wouldn't be able to tell that they haven't had three or four years of training," Myles commented.
"However," Wyldon said, striding into the clearing. "Some of your men look like clumsy buffoons who haven't paid the slightest bit of attention to your teaching."
"My Lord!" Kel exclaimed as she bowed to him. "Aren't you meant to be teaching?"
"You didn't show up, so I came to find you. A palace servant said they saw you rushing down here just after dawn," Wyldon replied, looking from Kel to the men she was training and back again.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, but this was completely unexpected. I was going to tell you in this mornings training session that I probably wouldn't be around for a while, but I didn't even get the chance to come to the session this morning."
"So what is going on here?" he asked, more of Myles than Kel.
And it was Myles that replied. "Kel is leading these troops, along with two other squads down the coast to meet the Yamani Prince and the elite fighters he's bringing with him. She was meant to be leaving tonight, but our schedule was suddenly brought forwards."
Kel didn't bother to glance at Wyldon to gauge his reaction, but instead she ordered her men to stop and mount up. They did with ease and soon Kel had two columns of fifteen men and horses waiting to leave. She bowed to Myles. "We are still meeting Neal and the other men on the beach?" she asked as she mounted Hoshi.
"Nealan of Queenscove?" Wyldon asked with amusement. "He's in charge of a squad of men?"
Myles grinned slightly. "A squad of ex-spies," he replied and nodded to Kel. "Yes, you meet them on the beach. Neal's squad may be a little longer in coming, they're coming from all over the city." He handed Kel a map. "I've marked on the map all the possible areas where they may try to dock, you'll need to find some way of keeping them all covered."
Kel nodded. "I know, sir."
Myles smiled at her. "If you come home, I'll recommend to Jonathan that you have more posts like this, you're good at it."
Kel shrugged.
Myles sighed. "Mithros be with you, Kel," he said quietly. Then louder, he said to the men, "Try to remember everything that Lady Kel taught you. Mithros be with you all."
It was only after Kel had rode out at the front of the men that Wyldon turned to Myles.
"If?" he questioned. 'If' wasn't a word you said to soldiers going into battle.
"If," Myles confirmed. "The men they're up against could easily slaughter one and a half squads of the King's Own, maybe more. We're sending sixty fighting men and women, excluding commanders. They don't really stand a chance, but they're our best hope."
Wyldon sighed. He didn't fancy trying to explain to Lachran why he had stood and watched Kel ride out to her death.Kel sat on the sand and stared out to sea. Idly she picked up a handful of sand and let it trickle through her fingers. The waves lapped gently at her bare feet and, reaching around for a flat stone, she sent it skimming over the sea.
"You're a fair shot," Edric commented as he sat down next to her.
Kel grinned slightly. "I guess that's what comes from having lived on an island for most of my life."
Edric nodded. "That would make sense."
Neither of them said anything more, they just sat there in silence until Edric turned to Kel with a slight grin on his face. "Who was that man you were talking with when I came to find you?"
The Kel of a year ago would have blushed, but not this one. "Which one?" she asked cheekily. "As far as I can remember I was talking with a lot of them."
Edric grinned. "You know exactly who I mean. The sergeant."
"What? Dom?" Kel asked innocently.
"Yes, Dom."
"What about Dom?" Kel asked, stretching out and staring up into the sky.
Edric groaned. "You know exactly what I mean!" Kel looked at him with such innocence that Edric couldn't help but laugh. "Don't play games."
Kel shrugged. "I've no idea what you mean."
Edric raised his eyebrows. "So, who is this 'Dom'?"
Kel smiled slightly to herself as she pictured his face. "A sergeant in the Third Company of the King's Own. Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle. He's actually the cousin of the man who will be leading one of the other squads."
Edric nodded. "And how long have you been courting him?"
Kel spluttered. "What? Why did you ask that?"
"It's true, isn't it?"
"Yes, but how did you know that?"
Edric grinned. "You honestly think that someone as famous as yourself can do anything or go anywhere without someone finding out and then gossiping about it?"
Kel grinned ruefully. "I guess not."
"So?" Edric asked.
Kel glared at him. "You're as bad as my sisters!"
Edric shrugged. "Just interested. And anyways, what else will we do until the other squads get here unless we talk?"
"We could talk, just not about this?" Kel suggested.
Edric grinned.
Kel sighed. "A few months under two years." She turned so she could see Edric. "And what about you and your lady?"
"How did you know about that?" Edric asked in surprise.
"I saw the two of you in the gardens a few weeks back," Kel explained.
Edric nodded. "We got married last year."
Kel grinned. "Congratulations, I know it's late, but congratulations."
"Thanks."
Kel heard the sound of voices and looked up. Riding towards her was Neal and a woman. Behind them were roughly fifty men or women. Ten of them wore the clothes of a Yamani servant, a long kimono in brown with a white obi. They had their hair cut above their ears, all of them, showing their low rank as was the custom in the Isles and all were armed. In most respects they appeared to be Yamani, but when they got closer, Kel could easily tell that their tan was fake and that underneath it they were as pale as any other Tortallan. They were obviously the reconnaissance team. It was a wise idea to dress as a Yamani, if they were caught on the ships, they could just claim that they were Yamani servants. The other forty or so wore light chain mail under leather jerkins and carried glaives and other pole arms, Kel even spotted a Targita. They were obviously the men that Neal was commanding.
"Kel!" Neal cried as soon as he saw her. He leapt off of his horse and ran towards her. As he swept her up in a tight hug, accusing wolf-whistles came from the men that they commanded.
Kel laughed and untangled herself from Neal. She turned to face her men. "This is Sir Nealan of Queenscove, my best friend."
Her men laughed. "Sure," Leon drawled.
Neal walked over. "Believe me soldier, there's nothing between Kel and I. She's too good with her glaive for my liking."
"So is Yuki," Kel replied, then told the men who Yuki was.
"That's different," Neal answered. "She doesn't use it against me. Now you, on the other hand, have nearly lopped my head off with it more than once."
Kel shrugged. She turned to the woman Neal had been walking with. Proffering her hand, she said, "I'm Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. I'm in charge of those men over there." She gestured at her men who were lying around in the sand, enjoying what would probably be their last chance to relax.
"I'm Sofia, I've got the joy of commanding these lovely folk," the woman replied, gesturing at the ten men and women in the Yamani costume and Kel liked her immediately. She had dark but honest eyes black hair which Kel expected was dyed.
"Aww, Sof, you know you really like us," one of the men joked.
Sofia raised her eyebrows. "Really? Why on earth would I like you?"
Neal gestured to Kel and the two of them walked away from the group, to where they couldn't be heard. "How did Dom take the news that you were leaving?" Neal asked her with concern showing in his eyes.
Kel thought of the few moments they had shared in his room. "We didn't talk about it much." Then she added, "He got called out." She didn't want Neal getting the wrong impression – although in some respects, he wouldn't have been far from the truth. "And what about Yuki?"
Neal sighed. "Upset would put it mildly."
Kel laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine. They'll be plenty of other ladies at court whose men are away at war, she'll have plenty of company."
Neal closed his eyes. "But most of those ladies think their men will come back. We're not coming back." As he said it, his voice cracked.
"No," Kel agreed quietly. "We're not. But there is no need to tell the men that. My men think we've got a fighting chance, they don't realise exactly what it is we're up against."
"Mine do," Neal replied. "And that's what scares me. I must be such a coward!"
"Coward?" Kel asked in amazement. "You're here. We're going to be fighting some of the best warriors on the other side of the Emerald Ocean! You're not a coward!"
"I'm only here because I've been ordered to, because it's my duty. My men are here because they volunteered. They've got husbands or wives and children, yet they are still here! Given the chance, I wouldn't be here. I'm a coward Kel."
Kel laughed slightly. "Neal, you aren't a coward. A coward would run away. You're not."
Neal sighed and finally opened his eyes.
"Come on," Kel said gently. "We've got to get moving."
"Neal!" Kel hissed, shaking her friend awake. "For Mithros' sake, Neal! Wake up!"
Neal groaned and pulled his sleeping bag over his head.
Kel ripped his sleeping bag out of his hold. "Neal, wake up. Get up now. The patrol that was sent out at dawn has sighted what they think to be the fleet!"
Neal sat up, suddenly awake. "How long do we have?" he asked as he scrambled out of his sleeping bag and started to scrounge for clean clothes.
Kel watched her friend with amusement. He had no clue where anything was in his tent. She handed him one of his tunics and a pair of breeches. "Enough time to be ready. They were sighted a good fifteen miles down the coast —"
"There's a village down there!" Neal exclaimed, his voice muffled as he pulled a clean tunic over his head. "The Lioness and I spent a lot of time there, doing healing stuff."
Kel cursed. Having to fight against the Emperor's Chosen Warriors was bad enough, but knowing that if they failed a good one hundred people could die was even worse. "We'll have to find some way to evacuate the village," she replied.
Neal nodded. "I'll go and talk with the headman, maybe he'll be able to get the people away. Could you get me some breakfast to eat on the way?"
The camp that they had made had been up for only a week, and dissembling it was light work, especially for the knights who had been trained for this sort of thing. Within fifteen minutes of the patrol coming in, Kel was mounted and behind her was her troops and the men and women that Neal commanded. The reconnaissance team was still going over their brief and were huddled a few metres away. Neal had left a while ago, leaving Kel in charge of his troops. They were to meet him at the village.
She could sense the nervousness of her men and that feeling was easily transferred to their horses. The massive beasts shifted from leg to leg and their riders fought to keep them still. Kel sighed and looked down at Hoshi who stood perfectly still, a credit to his Yamani training. She wished she didn't have to ride her mount into battle, she didn't want it getting killed. It seemed like a waste. Hoshi was too good a horse to waste in battle, but she had no other horse.
"Ready?" she yelled to Sofia.
Sofia nodded, said something to her team and they mounted up. Sofia rode over, and her team formed a single line behind her. "Goddess bless," she said quietly.
Kel smiled slightly, it was a strained smile. "And you. We'll need it."
Sofia shook her head. "You'll need it. Our orders strictly tell us that we aren't to go anywhere near the fighting. You're on your own."
Kel nodded. "I can see the sense in that, after all, they'll need the information that you gather to help in the war."
Sofia nodded and gestured towards the sea. "Don't you think we ought to be going?"
Kel sighed. "Yes." She turned to her men and suddenly realised she didn't know what to say. They were riding into battle, a battle that she didn't expect any of them to live through. She ought at least to have some inspirational words to say, all the good commanders did. She didn't though. A good commander would be able to rally their troops, Kel thought sadly. I'm not a good commander. I won't even survive my first command mission. "May Mithros be with you and let Him guide your blades," she said. Her voice was so quiet that the men had trouble hearing, but they did and they gave the customary reply.
"May He guide your blade and be with you," they murmured, most of them looking uncomfortably down at their saddles.
Kel kicked Hoshi into a gentle gallop and as she rode, she studied the sea. It was restless and a few big waves slapped against the beach, not the ideal weather for sailing, but it wouldn't delay the Yamani troops. A mist was rolling in off of the sea and it was making the air feel damp and uncomfortable.
A lone rider advanced towards them at a gallop, then slowed and joined the head of the troops.
"The village are retreating to the hills, apparently there are some caves there that they can hide in," Neal replied. He was pale and his emerald eyes flickered around nervously as if he expected someone to jump out in front of him almost immediately.
Kel nodded. "Thanks." She looked at her best friend with obvious sadness. "I just realised I never told you how much you mean to me," she said quietly, her voice pitched so that only the two of them could hear. "I just wanted to say…thanks for being there when I needed you."
Neal tried to smile. "Yeah, I could say the same thing to you. Thanks."
They rode on for perhaps ten minutes in complete silence. No one uttered a word. It seemed that maybe the men who didn't know they were going to die had caught on, everyone was too caught up in their own thoughts to talk to anyone else.
Kel recognised a cove they were coming up to as one of the coves Myles had said the fleet could land in and she brought the columns to a halt as Sofia and her troop went to a hiding place and awaited the arrival of the ships.
"Commander, over there!" Leon yelled, gesturing out to sea. "A Yamani fleet!"
Out on the rough sea, fourteen red sailed boats were floating. No one could be seen on deck and the boats seemed deserted. Eerie blue winds whipped around the sails, pushing the boats forward as they vied for the first landing spot. On the lead boat, there was a small movement. A tall man moved to the bow. He wore the red gloves and sash of commander. His dark eyes were murderous and he just stood there, waiting to land, waiting until he could kill the traitor and finally give her what she deserved.
A/N: Well…that's interesting, I didn't really like that chapter, it just seemed…well – odd, but I re-wrote it again and again, but it didn't turn out that different, so you're stuck with this. And i can't get section breakers to work again. I know the stars don't, but now the dashes don't work either, so I apologise for the confusing nature of this chapter. However, I've got good news for you people though! I've finished this fic! I've even written a long epilogue for you! Just one more chapter and the epilogue to go! So hopefully the whole thing should be up by the end of my summer hols (Sept 3rd). If it isn't, it'll be up very soon after that.
Hannah