So...here's another chapter! (A week's wait is better than six months, no? :P)

We've just got a PUPPY! He is mega cute, but quite a handful so I'm spending my days chasing round after him and preventing the mass destruction of our house and garden, and then writing when he falls asleep (usually on my feet!)

If you're one of those lovely, wonderful five percent of readers who bother to leave a review, then THANK YOU! It means so much, even if it's just a simple note to say you're enjoying Fallen. Whenever I feel to lazy to write I just flick back over your messages and then get typing!

Hope you're enjoying summer!

Confusedknight xx

The progress continued on as the summer days lengthened and then shortened again, with Kel's only word of what was happening in the north being the occasional reports that Raoul allowed her to read.

Kel had begun to joust in the tournaments and this provided her with ample distraction. Raoul took to coaching her every day and Kel threw herself into this bizarre sport with gusto. Her ribs were permanently bruised, her back sore from where she was slammed over and over into a tilting saddle, her arms achy from the impact, but it felt nice to charge down the tilting lane and empty her head of its swirling thoughts.

Autumn came in a rush as they returned to Corus and before Kel knew it, Midwinter was upon them again. The Palace was quiet, with many warriors up north and the rest of court overly fed up with parties. Neal, Merric, Owen and all of Kel's other friends that she'd travelled with on Progress had remained up at the border with their respective knights, leaving Kel with Lalasa, her parents, Raoul and Dom for company during the festive period.

She watched the fourth year squires enter the Chamber Ordeal and all emerge relatively unscathed. She watched as their shining faces accepted their shields and she clapped with everyone else, wondering if all new knights looked so young. They would be sent north as soon as the snows melted, north to experience the horrific reality of Maggur's warfare.

She shuddered, the war was coming too fast.

When the snow had melted down to a level where calf-high boots could protect you from the wet, Raoul sent Kel out on a variety of tasks, all involving Third Company's supplies. By the third day Kel saw through Raoul's sudden desire to teach her about the logistics of the Own.

'So when are we leaving?' Kel asked that evening.

Raoul blinked.

'This,' Kel flapped the papers that she was holding, 'We're preparing for a long trip up north, aren't we?'

Raoul let out a bark of laughter. 'Well Flyn owes me a gold crown. He said it would take you a month to figure out.'

There was a moments silence.

'It's not going to be easy,' Raoul sighed. 'Second company are already down twenty-three men and need to return here to recruit. We need to travel north, erect a fort and then try to defend many miles of border from that fort.' He looked seriously at Kel, 'And you probably know better than anyone what we're up against.'

Kel nodded.

'Last I heard Maggur had eight clans under his banner.'

'Nine,' corrected a voice from the open doorway. Kel twisted her neck round to see who the speaker was. It was Sir Myles of Olau, one of Kel's old teachers and the king's official spymaster. Next to him stood the king himself and Flyndan. 'May we join?'

Kel leapt up and set about fetching chairs and brewing tea. She hoped to overhear some news, any news of Scanra.

'The news from the north isn't good.' Said Myles gravely, 'Keladry, please join us.' Kel obeyed, her heart beating slightly faster than normal. She perched on a stool, upright, alert.

'Maggur's been a busy boy. According to Daine's sources he's spent all winter sorting out Tinei.' Kel's heart sank. The last clan that had been standing between Tortall and Maggur's domain. 'Seems to have rounded up as many able-bodied men as he could find and it hammered them into a giant army,' continued Myles.

'But if these are untrained peasants, Sir, then surely our companies will make short work of anyone sent at us.'

'If only that were true,' sighed Myles, sipping at his tea. 'I fear that this war is going to be unlike any we've experienced before. We'll be outnumbered ten-to-one at the very best, and there is a huge expanse of border to protect.'

'How's he managed this?' Growled Raoul. 'There've only ever been alliances of three clans before, and even then it didn't last very long.'

Kel fought not to fidget with impatience as Myles recounted an inaccurate version of how Maggur had first taken over Rathhausak and had then tricked, black-mailed, kidnapped and fought his way into control of all the fighting clans.

'Once he had an army there wasn't much that could be done.'

'They could've fought him,' pointed out the King. 'If an army banded together in Tortall everyone would've fought to protect their own fiefs.'

'Some did fight back,' Myles answered soberly. 'A clan,' he pointed on one of Raoul's maps, 'In the middle there, Somalkt, tried to defend itself. My agents report over two thousand dead, and the battle lasted for only a day and a half.' There was a sharp intake of breath from Raoul and Flyndan. Kel closed her eyes slowly and opened them again. These men were discussing it in terms of the implications for Tortall, Kel had been there, seen the sea of bodies, witnessed the brutal assault on the city.

Flyndan was asking Myles something about his agents. Kel wasn't paying attention.

'Do you know how long it takes to place an agent in a clan house?' Myles was asking incredulously.

Not that long, thought Kel. And suddenly, unexplainably she had a mad urge to giggle at the absurdity of the situation she was in. Kel schooled her face into a measured expression of mild interest and was pulled back to the conversation by the mention of her name.

'-Kel did the work then I wouldn't notice you're stockpiling for a prolonged jaunt?'

'It's an exercise in logistics and supply,' Kel replied promptly, her face innocent and eyes wide and surprised. 'He makes me study such things.'

Myles chuckled, shaking his shaggy head. 'Very good. If you ever want work as an agent, I hope you'll come to me.'

Kel caught Raoul's eye and they both had to look away before one of them laughed. Kel wondered just how much this jovial old knight new. Did George share every detail with his second-in-command, or was he holding some details back? Did Myles of Olau know about Alexei of Rathhausak?

Raoul was arguing with the King; the same old conflict; Raoul wanted to be doing proper work rather than attending court and attending to the king's wishes.

'If you want a dancing-master, get Glaisdan and the First down here!' Kel could almost feel the change in the King and Myles, as the elder man replied;

'Glaisdan of Haryse is dead.'

Kel listened in horror to how Glaisdan, commander of the First company had led nineteen other men to death at the hands of a "war party". Kel wondered just what Glaisdan had stumbled on. In her experience Scanrans didn't have "war parties". They held tournaments just as Tortallans did. They also held festivals, but Kel couldn't see why they'd hold a tournament or festival so near to the border. More likely they'd wandered in to a camp and were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of warriors.

Flyndan made the sign against evil on his chest. Kel didn't. No hand gesture was going to help them fight evil, fight Maggur.

The King was apologising to Raoul. It was a costly mistake; Kel herself had been there when Raoul had told the King that Glaisdan wasn't fit to command up north.

'You'll go north with the first thaw, along with five Rider Groups. Try not to get killed.' He looked at Kel, Flyndan and Raoul. 'I need all of you.'

'And I need every prisoner you can take,' Myles said, getting slowly to his feet. 'It's becoming near impossible to smuggle scraps of information across the border. Without more definite information we're fighting blind against an enemy who's already proved that he can do what we previously assumed was impossible.'

They struck a fast pace as they journeyed north, over two hundred horses tramping over the frosty land, breath furling like steamy clouds before them.

Raoul chose to not always ride at the head of the column, but dropped back, talking to different men each day. Kel knew that it was important for the men to trust Raoul, if they didn't already, implicitly. They had to feel that they were being taken into the unknown by a man whose they both liked and had confidence in.

Rather than following Raoul around like a lost puppy, Kel too rode with different people. The company she enjoyed most were Dom and his squad, although she couldn't ride with them too much or people would talk. Kel wasn't sure how many people knew that she'd been in a relationship with Dom before becoming squire or how many they'd managed to fool with their "just friends" routine.

Over the winter in Corus it had been easy to sneak away, spend time with Dom in private, but now they were riding off to war opportunities to be anything other than friends were looking to be few and far between. Dom had told her that he could wait until the war was over. Kel hadn't said anything, if she was still alive when the war ended, she hadn't a clue whether she'd be in Tortall, in Scanra, whether Alex would be King, whether she'd be a knight... She'd simply kissed him in reply.

They arrived at Northwatch, an impressive structure housing the toughened army that had been defending the border for years. General Vanget, a grizzled man in his early fifties, came out to greet Raoul with obvious relief in his expression. Kel spent the day listening to talks and discussions, only leaving Vanget's study to fetch refreshments for the commanders.

After only one night safe behind Northwatch's giant walls, Raoul led the Company to a large meadow, bordered on two sides by thick woods.

'Here it is boys, and girl,' he added with an apologetic look at Kel. 'Our new home.'

The next two weeks were an anxious affair. Kel and the Own laboured intensively, chopping trees, erecting a barricade, digging trenches, building latrines, a mess hall and an infirmary. Although it was April, the ground was still soft and soon Kel, like the others had acquired a layer of mud and grime that was unable to be washed off until wash houses had been built. Wells were constructed to provide fresh water and once the outer perimeter of their fortress was entirely closed of by the wooden wall, supplies and reinforcements started to arrive; food, clerks, mages, healers, a blacksmith to mend broken armour and a couple of rider groups.

Kel welcomed the rider groups because the women helped her to erect a separate barracks, latrine and wash room for women only. The fort was taking shape and everyone relaxed as much as being so close to Scanra allowed.

Local guides gave them tours of the very large area they'd been sent to defend, and patrol duties were assigned. Kel would ride with every fourth patrol, whoever they may be.

April faded into May and still there was no sign of Maggur or the enemy. Gardens were planted inside the stockade and furniture was hewn roughly out of wood from the forest. An office was built for Raoul, the fort's commander, as well as a separate, small sleeping area. Animals were brought in and kept in pens. The horses were split into groups of twenty and lean-to shelters were constructed to shelter them from the elements.

As May wore on the bleak northern sun began to shine strongly and Kel came in from her days outside with cheeks and forearms pink with sunburn. During the days Kel practised swordplay with anyone she could find, and soon found herself being asked to demonstrate new moves to those interested.

Targets were erected for archery practice and small tournaments were held in the evenings. Men spent their free time lazing in the barracks, telling stories, playing cards and chess.

The waiting made Kel uneasy. She felt like Maggur's armies were always present, but hiding just beyond their reach. When they engaged the enemy it would be at a time of their choosing. Kel didn't like this at all, feeling that some of the men were being given a false sense of security.

Kel hadn't given her eighteenth birthday much thought, but when it arrived Raoul gave her a beautifully crafted long bow and a clutch of arrows with griffin feather fletchings.

A week to the day later, the enemy struck.

The mist was so thick that Kel couldn't even recognise Raoul until he was five paces away.

'Cursed mages,' he muttered, 'We can't see a thing.'

'And our mages, sir?'

'Doing everything they can think of to try and lift it. No luck so far.'

Kel grimaced. She felt like a sitting target. Suddenly the high log walls they'd constructed felt like no protection at all against the scanran forces at their doorstep.

'So what do we do now?'

'Wait,' he replied grimly.

A man materialised out of the fog to Kel's left and she drew her sword in the time it took to blink. Rather than a scanran soldier however, it was a thin, stringy looking man that Kel knew to be one of Third Company's mages.

'We still can't make it disappear,' he spoke hurriedly, words tumbling from his mouth. 'But we think we've found a way to blow it back.' He bit his lip. 'But it's strong, my Lord, I doubt we'll be able to clear more than thirty metres.'

'It's our best chance,' replied Raoul, 'Get ready to move the fog on my signal.'

The mage scurried away. Raoul looked more worried than Kel had ever seen him. 'Our only chance is if we can drew them out to where we can see them. If there's more than a Company...' he let the sentence trail away. Their newly built fort offered little protection when surrounded by an army and mages.

Kel tightened her wrist guard, not re-sheathing her sword.

'Ready when you are, my Lord,' she said calmly, not portraying outwards signs that her heart was already beating a frantic rhythm within her chest.

They climbed down from the watch tower to the assembled squads.

'Six squads with me.' Everyone swung into their saddles.

A horn was blown and seconds later Kel felt something whoosh over her head, like a strong, warm breeze. Grey cloud was retreating towards the tree line. No longer muffled my the magical fog, there was an almighty clattering and clanking as armoured scanrans started forward.

'Let's GO,' hollered Raoul in a voice that Kel envied.

The gates swung open and the defending force galloped out. Kel heard, rather than saw the whizz of a volley of arrows, heard a cry as someone in the mass behind her was struck. Before she had time to worry about who that might be they were on top of the scanrans.

Reacting instinctively, Kel felled soldier after soldier. Prince reared up and struck out with iron-clad hooves, landing fatal blows to those whom Kel's sword couldn't reach.

Suddenly, without warning Kel slipped sideways, she landed with an almighty crunch on top of one of the enemy, lucky that she hadn't been skewered on his sword. She rolled off of the man, sword still in her grip. On her knees now, Kel swung courage awkwardly round. An iron clad fist slammed into her nose and pain exploded in her face. Blindly Kel hacked and felt Courage connect first with plate armour and then with flesh.

Blinking the tears of pain from her eyes, Kel staggered up, already faced with another opponent. The blood pouring down her face made it difficult to catch breath.

Someone was calling for a retreat and for a moment Kel was unsure of her surroundings, looking round and half expecting to see the city of Somalkt perched ontop of a bluff behind her. Instead she saw several squads of royal blue cantering out from a wooden fort, covering their retreat. By some miracle, Prince wasn't far away, saddleless and riderless he danced skittishly, lashing out at any scanran who tried to take control of the magnificent gelding.

Kel broke into a run, ignoring pains from where she'd landed heavily, and dodging fallen soldiers managed to grab Prince. With a huge leap Kel threw herself sideways over Prince's back, scrambling to slide her leg over. She kicked him forward, grimly concentrating on staying upright, ignoring the light-headed feeling that had over taken her since standing up.

Back inside the fort she slid off of Prince until she was shakily standing on her own two feet. Kel examined the slash in Prince's side, the result of the cut through the girth of Kel's saddle. It didn't look life-threatening.

She tethered him along with a couple of other horses and with no time to saddle Hoshi, Kel prepared to return to the battlefield on foot. She tried to wipe her blood-slick hands on her tunic, only to find that the forest green outfit was already a mess.

'Kel, KEL,' said Raoul dismounting rapidly from Drum and hurrying over to her. 'Are you alright?'

'Mmph finebh' Kel had difficulty speaking through her nosebleed.

'Go find a healer,' Raoul instructed.

'No, mm finbh-'

'That's an order Kel.'

Kel tried to scowl but it made her eyes water, so she stalked off to the infirmary. Her nose was broken, but luckily the nose guard of her helmet had taken the worst of the blow, according to the weary healer, preventing shards of bone from piercing her brain. It took five minutes for the healer to reset the bone, although the healer said that Kel would have to come back later when it swelled up properly. The healer also gave Kel some towels and a bowl of water, telling her to mop herself up. Kel did so, rapidly and hurried back outside.

The noise had died and Kel knew that the battle was over. Raoul was busy giving orders to clean up the battlefield and didn't seem to need her, so Kel made her priority looking after Prince. Examining the torn horseflesh, Kel saw that fortunately it was a very shallow cut. She bathed the cut gently, muttering soothingly to the agitated horse.

Once Kel was satisfied that the cut was clean, she joined the clean-up parties without being asked. Helping to drag a horse that hadn't been as lucky as Prince over to the pile of dead scanrans, Kel suddenly heard a huge commotion.

'We got a live 'un,' yelled someone, hauling a dazed-looking scanran to his feet. The scanran struggled and tried to run, his legs not coordinated, he crashed to the ground again.

Two more men hurried over to help the first soldier to pull the scanran back to his feet.

'No, no! Please, let me go, please!' He called out in scanran, clearly terrified.

Kel continued to watch as the man was marched back inside the fort.

'Kel.' Qasim dragged her attention back to the present.

'Sorry,' she muttered, and helped to drag the horse the last few metres.

Later on, properly clean from blood and wearing a fresh change of clothes, Kel reported to Raoul's office. Two purple bruises had bloomed spectacularly around her hazel eyes and the swelling was making it difficult for her to see. Kel would visit the healers later; there were others with far more serious injuries than black eyes.

She found her knight-master pouring over maps and reports from the other forts in the area; Northwatch and another one being erected by the regular army, commanded by Lord Wyldon. Kel could see the strain in Raoul's forehead, wrinkled with a frown.

He looked up as she entered.

'What news from Northwatch?' Kel asked, sitting down on a low stool.

They chased off fifty well-armed raiders at the same time as we did. Raoul ran his hands distractedly over the stubble that was building up on his chin. 'Gods above I hate this Maggur. Time was scanrans didn't have enough organisation to set up double-pronged attacks.' He sighed. 'And there's fierce fighting nearer the coast, and at Fraslund.'

'What news from Daine?'

'None in the last few days. We're gods blessed to have Daine's abilities on our side, but like any mortal she can only be in one place at once and it takes her days to collect the information from her feathered-friends.' He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

'You should rest, Sir,' Kel advised.

'The enemy are still out there,' Raoul cast a glance over his maps again. 'We haven't run into nearly as many as were sighted crossing the Vassa, but the gods-only-knows where they're hiding.'

'What about the captives?' Kel asked, 'Have you got anything out of them?'

'One died,' he replied. 'The other has refused to answer any of our questions, although we don't have a proper translator here. Vanget is promising to send one along with more mages.' He shook his head disgustedly, 'we were near helpless before that fog was blown away.'

Kel thought through this information. It would be a couple of days before the reinforcements arrived from Northwatch. They needed to know now exactly what the enemy had planned because they were exposed, sheltering behind their small wooden walls. Kel didn't even want to thing about what would happen if the army got their hands on any blazebalm.

Raoul looked up from his desk, hope in his eyes. 'You've spent time in Scanra,' he said slowly. 'You must know some scanran.'

Kel nodded, knowing what was coming next.

'Can you talk to him? He might refuse to say anything at all, but he's jabbering on about something and it might be relevant.'

Kel nodded again and stood up. 'Could we keep this quiet?' she asked. 'I'd rather not have to answer questions to everyone about how I can speak scanran.' Raoul nodded. 'I'll send the guard away.'

The summer's evening was warm and peaceful as they crossed to the building which was housing the scanran captive. Kel toyed with her sleeve nervously, as Raoul instructed the guard to leave them. Kel hoped that the guard would presume that Raoul wanted to talk to the prisoner.

When Marcus had left, Raoul turned to Kel. 'How do you want to do this?'

'It might be best if you waited out here,' replied Kel, thinking that the only hope she had of extracting information from the man would be to try and gain his trust. But how to do this without giving away too much?

Raoul looked slightly apprehensive at the thought of his squire facing the prisoner of war alone.

Kel unbolted the door and slipped inside. The man was still filthy from the battle and sat in in the corner, bleeding slightly from a cut on his cheek. He looked surprised to see a woman enter his makeshift cell.

They stared at each other for a moment, Kel searching for the right words to begin what could be a very important conversation.

'Are you hurt?' she began, faltering slightly at the scaran syllables that she hadn't used for so long.

The man blinked in surprise, though at the question or that it was posed in scanran Kel didn't know.

'Please,' he croaked, 'Please let me go. I don't know anything, I'm just a soldier. Please...'

Kel perched herself on a roughly hewn wooden bench by the door.

'What's your name?' she asked.

He looked at her suspiciously.

'I'm Kel.'

After half a minute's silence he replied, 'Novak.' And then he began again, 'And I'm not a sergeant or anything so you can just let me go...'

Kel listened hard. 'You're from Dundine?' He sounded a lot like Eron, Jacqui's husband.

He stared harder than ever. 'Tinei, but the west, so close to Dundine.'

Kel smiled, 'Ah, well I've never visited Tinei, but I've stayed at Dundine for a while. Are they similar?'

Nodding the man replied, 'Both farming areas.'

There was another pause. 'Your accent is hard to place. More northerly, yes?'

Shrugging, Kel replied, 'I've stayed all over.'

'Then you will know that we don't want to make war with Tortall. I am a farmer, I don't want to be fighting, but Maggur. You have no idea, he makes us fight, he threatens our families. Please just let me go,' he pleaded.

'I can't let you go,' she sighed. 'But no harm will come to you here. My lord is a good man, you'll be held as a captive until the war is over.'

The man began to cry pitifully.

'So Maggur came to your village?' asked Kel.

'His men came,' croaked Novak.

'They told you if you didn't fight then harm would come to your women and children.'

Novak nodded, more tears liking down his bloody cheeks. 'And they are bad men. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to go. We had no choice.'

Kel considered the man quietly, wondering how to proceed.

'Novak, I know what Maggur and his armies are capable of.' She spoke rapidly, sure that Raoul was listening and not sure how good his understanding of scanran was. 'I was there when Somalkt fell.'

The scanran's teary eyes widened, 'The battle of the bloody plains?'

'Is that what they're calling it now?' asked Kel humourlessly.

'I know that the country is in ruins, thousands slaughtered, enslaved, impoverished by Maggur's schemes. But there is no fighting force left in Scanra that can oppose him. The only way to bring him down is if Tortall wins this war. They don't want to invade Scanra, they want to save it, to save it from the hands of a tryrant like Maggur. And we need your help.'

'I don't know anything,' the man repeated, 'I told you.'

'But you know small things that are important to us.' Kel argued.

'Some of the men are my friends,' he whispered. 'How can I help their attackers?'

'Because if you don't they'll likely die anyway,' said Kel quietly. 'And without our armies the killings will just go on and on. Maggur will empty every village in Scanra of men before he gives up. Think how many millions will die if this war isn't stopped.'

'How do I know that you aren't just making all of this up?' he asked.

Kel unsheathed Courage and the man cowered back, eyes fixed on the blade, terror overcoming his features.

'I'm not going to attack,' said Kel hurriedly, 'I just want to show you the blade.'

You will always have the strength and the courage. Small words inscribed in scanran near the hilt. Kel had been hoping that Novak would recognise a gift from a clan chief, but there was no spark of recognition in the farmer's eyes.

'I made a promise, swore by the Goddess that I would help, a friend, to set things right in Scanra. And I mean to stick by that promise.'

'What friend?'

'It doesn't matter,' said Kel in a falsely off-handed tone. 'But surely you must've heard of rebel groups fighting Maggur?'

Novak's eyes were wide, 'There have been rumours. Ambushes, poisonings, six months ago three mines were destroyed.'

'That sounds like them,' said Kel, her heart leaping at some news of what Alex had been up to.

'Alright,' he whispered, 'I'll tell you anything I know.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, reaching forward and squeezing the farmer's hand. 'My lord is waiting outside.'

Fear sparked afresh in Novak's eyes.

'He's a good man.' Kel assured Novak.

She sheathed Courage and poked her head around the door. 'He'll help us.'

With Kel translating Raoul's questions, they coaxed information out of the man. Three hundred scanrans had crossed the Vassa, the day before yesterday and had split into two armies and several smaller raiding parties.

'You never fail to suprise me, squire of mine,' said Raoul, as they left Novak and returned to the main office. That was more than just basic scanran...'

'My life often depended on passing as a local,' Kel said quietly, 'I learned fast.'

When they were inside Raoul asked, 'Do you think he was telling the truth?'

Kel nodded. 'He's terrified. A farmer yanked away from his home and family and forced to wage war. It's not right,' she growled. 'We train for years, volunteer to protect our country. They don't stand a chance in battle. And yet because they're only farmers, Maggur treats them like they're disposable objects.'

'We'll get him Kel, it make take a couple of years, but we'll win this war and Maggur will retreat back up north with his tail between his legs.' Raoul said consolingly.

Kel didn't reply, knowing that it was going to take a lot more than a Tortallan victory to dispose of Maggur. It was going to be down to whether one man had enough brains, luck and skill to outwit Maggur against all the odds.

Raoul was looking at his maps again, pinpointing the locations that Novak had described. Although not an officer, Novak believed it would be the enemies plan to strike at local villages whilst occupying the forts with larger armies. This forewarning would give Raoul time to come up with counter moves and plans to defend the border.

'And what of these metal machines, sir?' Novak had mentioned overhearing two officers who were complaining about having to wait for the "metal machines" they'd been promised.

'I don't know,' said Raoul, a worried frown across his ruddy face. 'I'll send an urgent message to Sir Myles, see if he has any idea what they could be.'

He didn't need to tell Kel that whatever these machines were, they didn't bode well for the Tortallan forces.

-a/n- Well another update! I enjoyed writing this chapter because it's one I've had planned for AGES, and it's satisfying to finally have it completed.

Would love to hear your thoughts on how the story's progressing...

Confusedknight xx