Note: "A mulatto, an albino,a mosquito, my libido! Yea... Entertain us!"

Chapter Ten

Battle! Part 1:

The troops were lined up, armed up and ready to march and in front of them, serving as officers, were the five Mystic Knights. Their armor had not been called on just yet. It was a long trek to Maeve's castle and the Kells army had planned on making several stops along the way to rest and regroup.

Sam had lagged behind, studying the skies. There was a general sense of anticipation, as if the world was holding its breath, as if all the air had been sucked out of this green land escape. Again, Ona was not to be found.

Sighing, Sam turned back around to watch as the formations began to move out. Ahead of everyone were the Mystic Knights. For three days, the knights had had an unrelenting influence on her. Perhaps it was because she was getting older, but it felt as though she was starting to lose grip with herself. She was seeing ghosts again and not only that, they were contacting her. Ghosts fed on open-minds. It seemed to Sam that she had been doing a poor job of keeping that part of her mind closed to the rest of the world.

She stirred herself from her thoughts to see that the formation was already beginning to move. With a last glance at the Kells castle behind her, Sam followed the soldiers as they all moved as one beyond the kingdom's outskirts.

By the first pit stop, the troops were still in good order except for the occasional mundane argument over food supplies. Rohan had strayed from the rest of the group in order to take in the miles to the Temran Castle. The thick forest broke apart along the pathway, which they had been cautiously avoiding though maintaining an avid watch on it as they traveled. As they came closer to their destination, it would be harder to travel by this road without the danger of being seen. They would also be moving under darkness and Rohan knew they would have to forgo the use of campfires, lest they be seen. 'It's going to be a very cold night,' he thought.

As he glanced over the troops, fifty or so in all, he recognized many of their faces. They were good people; they didn't deserve an early death but life thus far had taught Rohan to accept death rather than fear it, no matter when it came. He just wished that the others had learned this lesson as well but it was something he would never know, something he would just trust. Then, he saw Deidre coming towards him. He shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded down to her.

Her lips were tight and her face seemed strained with constant anxiety; however, she would not admit it. Rohan admired her strength, this inner rebel that fought off young suitors, that fought off her marriage alliance to an arrogant prince, and that had apparently caused her to fight off the crown as well. If her father ever desired a son, he was still just as blessed with Deidre…and her pride.

When she came up to him, she crossed her arms and looked up at him with cold, determined eyes. "Why have we packed so little essentials? The troops are starting to get worried that you've let your ego rule you to think that we can accomplish this task in less than two days."

Rohan was well accomplished with her tempers. "It's not ego, princess," he said. "We've got an advantage over Maeve, one she hopefully has not got wind of yet."

"Sam," said Deidre with a raised brow. She paused to think. "What makes you so certain she is an advantage? She's just one person."

He formed his words with a tender care, hoping to not sound overzealous or too trusting of the situation. After all, they had only known this stranger three days, but Sam had vowed to prove herself to the king. That alone was an advantage. But the wings were helpful. "It was only I who fought off my guardian to retrieve my armor. Same with you and Angus and Ivar and…Garrett," he added softly.

Deidre did not relent, however. "It was a fair match. You're expecting a one-against-one-thousand situation. Tell me that's fair…or for that matter not dangerous."

"Princess," Rohan said. He paused. "Deidre," he said, leaning up against the tree next to him. "You're just going to have to trust me on this one. It's not like we had the time or the supplies to generate a well-bred army. We have to make due with what we got and I say with what we've got, we have a shot to save those people." He paused. Then, a broad smile appeared on his face.

She frowned. "What?"

"You're jealous."

"I resent that!" she said, stepping back, looking every bit appalled.

"It's true," Rohan shrugged.

"I am not…I am not jealous," she whispered, as she caught glares from the other soldiers. "I mean, how can we put all our trust in a stranger who battles with demons for a living?"

Rohan didn't have an answer. What he did have was an idea. "We let her show us."

"How?"

"Well…that's up to her, now, isn't it? Do you think she'll give us up to Maeve as soon as we get there? I don't know." He sighed. "But I think we should at least give her a shot. She is on our side…for the moment anyway."

Deidre 'hmphed' and shook her head. Rohan smiled at her temper.

In the silence of the night, when the wind was blowing cold, the army heard creatures in fright, running from the castle grounds. They had trekked since their last rest stop and did not pause. Rohan had decided that they would attack at dawn. The army would serve as a distraction while the knights and Sam would find their own means of entering. The only trouble lay in where the actual people were being held captive. Rohan never liked this plan from the start; however, he considered that the villagers did not have much time anyhow if Kells army was attacking. Supposing that Maeve had desired to put up a ransom, there would have been a messenger of some kind. Of that, Rohan could not be entirely sure then. It was always a shuffle with Maeve. No two battles were fought on the same grounds, at least not by the same conditions.

He had called upon Aideen, the Tir Na Nog fairy who had given up her home to aide Rohan and his knights, and who had also been scanning the coastlines for days on end to check for spies rumored to be there. She returned, a little breathless, but as ecstatic as usual. "Yes, Rohan," she said in her small voice.

Though small she was, Rohan immediately recognized how the fairy ignored Deidre on the spot. The fairy was mad for him but could not do a thing about it…even if Deidre wasn't in the way. He looked at her with a keen eye. "What have you found at the castle?"

"The villagers are not anywhere outside, although there could be dark magic being used as a cloaking spell. I'm not so sure stampeding straight in the castle would be the best way," she added as an undertone.

"I know," he nodded. "But we need to get those people out of there. There's no telling what Maeve could do."

Suddenly, a soldier came trampling down through the campsite and nearly crashed at Rohan's feet. The two knights helped him to his feet. He panted, "Sir, Temran soldiers have been spotted."

"Where?" said Rohan.

"Up the hill. There's at least a hundred of 'em but in the darkness, no one can tell for sure."

Rohan nodded. "Thank you," he said as the soldier ran off towards the other groups. Rohan thought to himself for a moment.

"Rohan," said Ivar as he strode through the campsite.

"Ivar?" asked Rohan, squinting in the darkness.

"Yes, it's me."

"Ow, watch it! My foot!"

"Oh, I'm sorry milady. I did not realize you were there. You breathe softly," said Ivar, stepping back. He could barely see the outline of Rohan and Deidre against the tree trunk. "Rohan, we have to distract these soldiers. We can't put ourselves up against them now. We need to reserve our strength."

"I know," said Rohan. He breathed. "A distraction? What d'you think?"

"How 'bout a thief bribes them out of the way?" suggest Garrett from out of nowhere.

Rohan frowned though no one could see. "Leave Angus out of this."

"Well, it's nothing new to him is it? I'd be willing to bet that old dog could pull it off. It would show he's got something other than pick-pocketing skills to honor his kingdom."

"I'll have you know that Angus is ten times the honorable man than you are or will ever be," said Deidre.

"She's right," said Rohan. "And you would do best to keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing of…sir," he added.

Suddenly, there was a crack of twigs as a person approached. "So, ladies and gents, what have I missed?" Angus said as he clapped his hands together and rubbed them warmly.

"A lesson in humility," said Ivar.

"Oh good, nothing too important," said Angus.

"And that Temran soldiers are heading this way, which has obviously skimmed passed your supposed cunning intellect. Funny," said Garrett. "I thought thieves were well accustomed to the darkness."

"We are," said Angus. "And how do you know I haven't set a trap already near the oncoming soldiers?"

Rohan smiled but Deidre fumed. "You did what?" she whispered for fear of losing control over her voice. "You could have been seen. At the very least, you could have warned us first."

"Now, now, fair princess," he said. "Ol' Angus boy has got a few tricks up his sleeve that not even Rohan knows about. But an old thief never gives up his secrets to just anyone."

"Apparently, they don't," said Rohan, peeved that he couldn't have been informed of this earlier.

"So what have you done?" asked Ivar.

Angus thought for a moment. Then, he grinned. "Come with me and see for yourself."

Minutes passed by before they were crouched behind thinly settled trees, the basking glow of the nearly full moon threatening to give away their cover…just the sort of conditions a former thief fell victim for. Angus seemed to quiver in his boots with excitement.

"All right, Angus," whispered Rohan. "Are you gonna tell me what you've rigged in this near impossible predicament?"

"Shhh," said Angus. "Just wait. Okay, you see those soldiers just over the ridge," he pointed. Rohan nodded as several heads of soldiers appeared at the top of a hill. They were moving around, talking amongst each other, but not showing any real signs of battle. "Me and some of the other guys saw them just a little over an hour ago while we were scanning the area. One of them just happened to be walking our way so we ambushed him. Then, we got some answers out of him." Angus paused.

Rohan blinked. "And?" he said, anxious. "Answers like what?"

Angus smiled. "Like where to find the villagers."

"Where?" breathed Rohan.

"They're inside. Maeve's got them confined to her dungeons, four to each cell, which will make our lives a living hell because there is a different key to each lock and only she's holding them all."

"Right," said Rohan deflated. "So we have no keys."

"No keys…and no entrance."

"I thought you said that soldier gave you answers, not more questions."

"Patience, dear friend. Let me get to the good part." Angus licked his lips. "Okay, after shuffling him around a bit, he was able to tell us that dark magic enclosed the entire dungeon and her three-headed buffoon is guarding the outside."

"Maeve's dragon!" said Rohan.

"No, Torq," said Angus. Rohan settled down. "Anyway, he also made reference to a relic room in one of the towers, which leads straight down into the dungeon room. There's a hidden shaft that only certain guards know of…namely this kid we obtained and a few others scattered around the area. That shaft is big enough for one person. It's hidden on the inside of the wall. Which means no air for a certain amount of time but if one moves fast enough, it's just a quick drop."

"How quick?" asked Rohan, raising his brow.

" 'Bout three hundred feet."

Rohan's jaw dropped. "Are you insane? You can't just drop in there and…."

"Remember Sam?" he asked.

Rohan stopped. Then, it dawned on him. However, he frowned. "Do you think she'll be able to open her wings in there?"

Angus shrugged. "She says she can open 'em just about anywhere if she wants to." Angus paused. "Anyway, Sam volunteered to find the tower with the gaping hole at the top, climb through and reach the villagers."

"And what do we do?"

"Well, that's the other good news. Her fairy friend Ona appeared out of nowhere to tell Sam something about some of those sentinels. Of course, Sam, in her usual manner, was a little…annoyed as soon as Ona showed up but they managed to work out a plan for us."

"Which is?"

"Fight off the soldiers."

Rohan shot back. "Are you daft, boy? Do you know what we'll be putting our army against?"

"I know that. I'm not as stupid as you think."

"Prove me otherwise," he said.

Angus smirked. "You'll regret saying that." He paused. "Especially when our army increases tenfold…with sentinels."

"I thought Sam said she had to kill them all. Now they want to fight for us?"

"Ona's promised them leeway or something like that and anyway, these guys are willing to fight. They said something about…feeling bogged down by the centuries and needing some fresh air…whatever that means," shrugged Angus.

There was a brief pause between them both and then Rohan asked, "How is she going to get the keys?"

"Oh, trust me, she don't need any keys," said Angus, looking out towards the hillside.


Sam shook herself as though a dog would and the wooden chip pieces clanked to the floor. The dust settled and she sneezed. She shook her head. "'Sxcuse me. It's the dust," she said. Nothing made a sound. She looked around at each of the four people. "Oh, hi," she said. "Don't mind me, I'm just the roofer," she muttered, looking up at the gaping hole in the roof. She whistled. "Man, what a drop." She flexed her wings back and forth, sending dust flying. The people coughed. "Oh, sorry," she said.

"If you're gonna kill us, be quick about it," said an old man emerging from the corner. Dry blood crusted across his forehead.

Sam frowned. "Kill you? I'm not here to kill you," Sam said. Then, she glanced at her wings and then to the pistols in her hands. "Oh…oh, no," she breathed. "I'm not gonna kill you. You're not who I'm after."

"Don't you dare touch my daughter!" he shouted, blocking the door. "If you do, so help me God, I'll…."

"Don't drag Him into this. He's busy already."

"Geoffrey," came the voice of a young woman. "Settle down. I know who this is. She's with Rohan and his friends." The woman emerged, stout, small, eyes gleaming with watery, courageous determination. She wringed her hands in her skirts. "They must have sent you here to save us. But why wouldn't they come themselves?" asked the woman mournfully.

"They can't," said Sam. "No one else would have been able to come down through the tower like that and I'm the only one of them with a pair of wings. But don't worry," she said, raising her hands just as the young woman was about to speak. "They're…fighting the good fight outside…as a distraction." There was a pause. Sam glanced at the door where the old man still stood. She looked past him and through the barred peephole. Each door was presumably like this one and had a different lock, which required a set of various keys and Maeve had them. Sam walked to the door and looked out of the peephole. Their door was set probably somewhere in the middle. There were at least five doors on either side of her and ten more on the other side of the dungeon. "Where's MacGyver when you need him?" she sighed.

"Who?" said the old man.

Sam smirked. "Just a friend with unique escaping capabilities. But," she added, stepping back from the door. She surveyed the walls. "Unlike MacGyver, I carry a gun. Could you please step behind me?" she said to them all. "Crouch down and cover your heads."

"Why? What are you going to do?" said the woman.

"Give Maeve a run for her money,' said Sam. The woman shrugged and followed the others.

The cell was relatively long backwards. There was nothing in there, save for the rotting mice bones on the floor and the chains. The four villagers tucked themselves into the back of the room and protected their heads.

Sam had in her hand two pistols: one for Sentinels, one for the Daemons, who were never around anyway. On the highest setting, the firepower could blast a small hole through the trunk of an oak tree.

However, Sam was also running the risk of collapsing the tower overhead.

When she was about to set her first pistol to its medium setting, there was a loud clanking as guttural loud men came barreling down the stairs to the dungeons. A light bulb ignited in Sam's head in that instant and she whipped around to the villagers all crouched down before her. "Start screaming. Get their attention. Say that you're trapped in here with a monstrous creature."

"They won't…."

"Just do it!" Sam shouted over the noise now barreling down with the soldiers.

"Which one?" asked a gruff, fat man.

"I don't know. Maeve said it was the one sitting below the tower."

"I still don't understand how…."

"In here, it's in here!" shouted the old man through the barred peephole. His hands were grasping the bars.

"Get it!" shouted the fat man to the thin man. The thin man rolled his eyes but did as he was told. He fished out a skeletal key from within a hidden pocket. The door's lock clicked and he swung the door open wide, raising his sword high above his head…which gave Sam ample room to launch a pistol shot into his armor. He shot back across the room and collapsed to the floor. The fat man barely had a chance to run, but not that he would have gotten far anyhow. Sam glimpsed at him once but as soon as he was passed out on the ground, she immediately forgot his face. She went over to the thin man, took the keys from him and handed them over to the old man. "Open the rest of these doors as fast as you can. I'll get us a clear way out."

And then she left to go up the stairs.

As each door had been unlocked after several unsuccessful attempts had been made with the large enumeration of keys attached to the ring, more and more villagers were released, spreading relief throughout the people. There remained one more door to open. Sam was already at the top of the stairs, glancing beyond the doorframe, waiting for an ambush of some kind. There were torches flickering against the walls made of stone. It just looked like every other castle she had ever seen. Nothing about Temran castle resonated evil, the kind emitted from Hell, of course. It was just too cold, too obscure with protective spells and paranormal enchantments.

There were two hallways leading down dark corridors. Sam took the corridor to her left. She followed it for only a minute before she heard soldiers stampeding down the opposite corridor. She ran to the end of the hallway and hid herself up against the wall. Six soldiers in rust-crusted armor clambered down the stairs. Sam waited, listening for other footsteps.

The people had all been freed from their cells; however, their relief was immediately crushed as soon as six Temran soldiers came barreling down one by one. The people scattered back into one massive sheep-like group. They were cornered.

Sam crept behind the young soldier nearest her. As soon as she was close enough, she grabbed his mouth and punched his flesh where the armor didn't cover. He turned around and she landed a right hook in his face. The others soldiers whipped around and the fight began.

The last one to fall grunted and grabbed his stomach as he collapsed to the ground. She glanced at the villagers, approximately fifty in all, and inclined her head. "Up the stairs. Before we go, does anyone have a map?" she asked.