Chapter Fifty Three

The Fall of Fort Steinfall

ANNA

A shadow at the base of the wall began to stir, and Vonco rose out of it, pulling himself from the pile of snow on the ground as though he was emerging from a swimming pool. "First two are up and the coast is clear," he said. "Who wants to go next?"

"I'll go," Anna said before she could change her mind.

"Me too," Horatio said, clutching his pistol. He wore the colours of the Xerflorians and had his cavalry sabre scabbarded on his hip.

The two of them took Vonco's hands and Anna felt strange. She'd never experienced Vonco's sorcery at work before, and to be honest, it was both thrilling and disturbing. Her body slowly melted into the shadows together with Vonco and Horatio, but her consciousness was retained. She could feel herself travelling up the side of the bastion wall in nothing but a trail of darkness, shimmying quickly up and over the parapet. There, both Anna and Horatio reformed into humans as Vonco returned to the base of the wall to fetch the rest.

"Trippy, ain't it?" Hansel whispered as he checked his rifle. "Who would've thought we would go from hunting sorcerers to working with them?"

"Hush," Gretel said sharply and turned to Anna. "Coast is clear for now, but things might get messy later. Might not be able to watch your back when the Exonians start shooting."

"Don't worry about me. I'll manage," Anna glanced at the two towers on opposite ends of the bastion wall. The guardrooms were lit by warm lights, most likely from oil lamps to keep the soldiers inside protected from the bitter winds outside.

"You sure you want to do this?" Horatio asked. "I'm all for a good fight, but you might want to keep your head down."

"Let's just get this over and done with," Anna said, tone cold and impassive. She felt like she had something to prove, being out here with the rest who thought she couldn't cut the mustard. This was her plan, and she'd been through sticky situations before. Why should this time be any different?

Honeymaren and Ryder were next to be beamed up, and finally Vonco, Rikhard and Cornelius joined them. Together, the nine of them crouched low by the parapet.

"Distribute the spikes," Horatio said in a low voice.

The two Northuldra fished out barbed steel spikes from satchels and handed them out to the others.

"You know the drill. Find the artillery guns, drive the spikes into the touch holes and hammer them in as far as you can. It isn't a permanent solution, but it should cripple the Exonians' artillery long enough for our allies to get across the field without getting blasted by round shot." Horatio hefted the spikes in his own hand. "If you run out of spikes, jam a bayonet in and break off the blade. Other than that, don't touch the guns. We'll be commandeering them after we take control of Steinfall."

A round of nods indicated everyone was well versed with the plan.

"Rikhard, Cornelius, you two go with the Northuldra to take out that tower on the left," Vonco said. "I'll stay with Anna, Horatio and the Witch Hunters to deal with the other tower."

"Once we take out the towers, move out in pairs and spike as many guns as you can," Horatio added. "My team will go down and get the fortress door open. And most importantly, keep a low profile. As much as I'll like to charge in there guns blazing, we don't want to raise an alarm. If we're caught, we're screwed. Got it?"

Another round of nods, and the nine of them split into two teams. Anna joined Horatio, Vonco and the two Witch Hunters as they ran, bent over to avoid attracting attention. Their footsteps were muffled by the thick snow coating the stone on which they trampled. Before long, they reached the guardroom where the door was shut. Inside, Anna could hear soldiers inside laughing and swearing. It sounded like they were playing cards.

"Here," Horatio held out a powder horn for her. "Keep some spare with you just in case."

"Thanks." Anna accepted it. Like herself, Horatio knew that a firefight would be inevitable at some point. Trying to push that horrid thought to the back of her mind, she pocketed it and felt in her coat for the pistol. It was still there and loaded, thankfully.

"Stay sharp," Gretel motioned for them to take up positions beside the door. Slinging the rifle over her back, she drew her sword as did Hansel. Glancing back at Horatio, Vonco and Anna to make sure they were ready, she nodded and rapped on the door.

Anna's heart leapt as the handle turned and the door opened, an Exonian soldier poking his head out. Before the soldier could exclaim, Gretel had already spitted him on her sword and tugged it free. Her shoulder slammed the door wide open.

Inside the guardhouse, two more soldiers stood up in shock and fumbled for their muskets. Vonco slipped through the shadows and appeared behind them, cupping both hands over each of their mouths and pulling them back. Sword drawn, Hansel darted forward and slashed the two soldiers' throats. They pitched forward and fell with much gurgling.

"Simple enough," Hansel sheathed his sword. "Easy money."

"Don't go celebrating yet, bounty hunter," Horatio said. "We still have to make it through the night."

"Start spiking the guns," Gretel gestured at the guns stashed away in the corner of the guardhouse. They'd been wheeled into shelter to avoid the increasingly heavy snowfall, making it an easy, grouped target for the intruders.

Anna emptied a couple of her spikes into the cannons' touch holes, hammering them in using the butt of her pistol. The others did likewise, working quickly to sabotage the enemy's cannons with the hopes of commandeering them later once the Exonians had surrendered or were routed. Meanwhile, Vonco stood watch at the door for any potential signs of trouble.

"Are those all the guns?" Horatio asked when they were finished.

"Looks like it." Gretel said. "And that's it?"

"They aren't as many as I thought there would be." Anna admitted. Perhaps there was a smaller force within these walls than they'd initially suspected. Maybe Hydrech didn't have that many people in here after all.

"We'll sweep the adjacent towers," Hansel said. "If this Hydrech is as competent as they say he is, he'll have guns to cover the flanking walls."

"We'll head over and clear the area, then once we're done we're going down the well." Gretel told the others.

"We're heading down to the courtyard. Someone has to make sure the fortress doors are compromised," Horatio patted his kit which was full of black powder. "Don't wait up for us."

"See you on the other side." Hansel gave a mock salute then took off after his sister who was already headed to the adjacent tower.

"And you're very sure the doors will blow?" Vonco asked as he, Horatio and Anna began to make their way down the stairwell towards the courtyard.

"I bet my ass they will," Horatio sounded overconfident - as usual. "Did this once before. All you have to do is get the right mix of flash powder, acid and a couple other explosives from the artillery guys. Reinforced or not, it'll blow the doors straight to hell."

Anna didn't want to question any further. She just fervently hoped that the hot-headed marquess knew what he was doing. Otherwise, all of this would've been a damn waste.

The courtyard was empty - surprisingly. Either Hydrech was really lacking the manpower to keep the fortress well guarded, or the Exonians were just complacent seeing as how they were able to repel the Coalition earlier today. Whatever the case, Anna didn't care right now. They just had to get the doors primed to blow before any unsuspecting sentry happened to walk by and catch them.

There was a high ceiling right above the fortress doors that blocked the snow, and thankfully the wind direction was in their favour. Horatio went to work quickly, giving Vonco instructions to empty the flash powder onto a cart that they'd wheeled from the middle of the courtyard. Anna watched as they worked, all the while sneaking an anxious glance around the area to make sure they were still alone. They were.

"It's done," Horatio finally stood, indicating a slow burning fuse that he'd laid out on relatively dry and snow-free ground, which trailed behind a wall of sturdy masonry.

"Hell of a job," Vonco levered himself to his feet, already sweating a little.

Honestly, Anna was impressed. She had no idea that the brash, blood thirsty marquess had any skills other than leading a noisy, rambunctious cavalry charge on the battlefield. "You ready?"

Horatio nodded. "Once we light the fuse, we start running for the well."

The well, which stood at the other end of the courtyard, served as the soldiers' means of drawing water, but it also served as an escape route. The well was one of the sea's outlets, and during high tide, seawater would fill up the well to nearly the brim. Right now, it was low tide, which would allow the nine of them to escape from the Exonians through the well which would wash them out to sea, where they would be out of the Coalition's way while Steinfall was attacked.

Someone shouted, and Anna spun, her heart leaping into her throat. There on the stairwell were two soldiers in red, one pointing at them and the other already levelling his musket.

Vonco melted into the shadows and emerged right under the two soldiers. He sprung up and exploded into the jaw of the soldier whose musket was levelled, knocking him backwards. The other began to fumble, his hands shaking. Horatio was on him in an instant, his cavalry sabre whipping and producing a spray of arterial blood as the soldier fell down the rest of the stairs.

A musket crack went off somewhere above, echoing through the quiet night sky. Anna jumped and looked up. Another soldier had fired at them and missed, but more importantly, an alarm had been raised. The Exonians would be upon them in an instant.

"We have to move!" Anna hissed. "They know we're here!"

Before they knew it, more soldiers were beginning to stream towards the courtyard from the opposite side, prompting Anna, Horatio and Vonco to scurry behind the mason wall. More cracks filled the air, and the courtyard was soon populated with the footfalls of soldiers against the snow, trying to advance on their position.

"Light it!" Anna winced as another lead ball pinged off the wall. "We're running out of time!"

"Light it and run like hell!" Vonco shouted.

Horatio lit a match and applied it to the fuse which promptly sparked to life and began snaking its way back to the cart by the fortress doors. "Move!" He yelled, violently motioning for them to start running.

Taking off at a sprint, Anna tried not to look over her shoulder as they broke out from behind their cover and dashed towards the well at the far end of the courtyard. Lead balls whizzed past them, but at this range, it would be hard to hit the three of them. She just had to hope that the rest of the team had already escaped through the well.

"Gah!" Horatio roared and stumbled, his momentum still carrying him forward as he fell into the snow. Crimson began to stain the snow beneath him.

"Horatio!" Anna stopped and stooped down by his side, as Vonco conjured a shield of dark shadowy substance that blocked the musketry from the advancing Exonians. The Marquess' left arm had been shot through by a lead ball, a nasty red hole contrasting against his shirt's dark fabric.

"Can't hold them off much longer!" Vonco shouted.

"Go!" Horatio grunted and struggled to get up. "I'm alright, just leave me. I'll catch up!"

"Like hell we're leaving you behind!" Anna slung his unwounded arm over her shoulder and hauled him to his feet with great difficulty. The man was heavier than he looked. "Get your ass up and moving!"

Under the veil of Vonco's shield of shadows, they managed to make it to the well, albeit with great difficulty. Anna looked down into the pitch black well. In spite of the schematics, the well appeared to be much deeper than Anna had thought it would be, and the water was considerably shallower. Nonetheless, this was no time to be second guessing themselves, what with the damn Exonians almost on top of them.

"Vonco! Help me get him into the well!" Anna grunted as she tried to lift the marquess over the edge.

The sorcerer dropped his shield and helped Anna to hoist him over the edge and dump him into the well. Horatio fell into the well, halting his descent with a faint splash.

"Hurry, get in and get Horatio out of here!" Anna ushered Vonco in next, and he plummeted into the water below.

A lead ball whizzed right past Anna's face, so near that she heard it. Muskets cracked and soldiers' shouts grew louder as they closed in on her. Just a while longer! Just need to know if-

The flash powder exploded in a brilliant coruscation of light, the thundering roar of the combustion deafeningly loud and jolting all the Exonians in a panic, some sent flying from the sheer magnitude of the explosion. Fire rose high into the sky, the fortress doors blown cleanly off its hinges just as the marquess said they would.

Horatio, you son of a bitch. Anna grinned and dove into the well. It felt like she was falling forever, and then she hit the water at such velocity that every inch of her body smarted with pain. The water was freezing cold - as expected = and it dealt a minor shock to her system. Quaking from the cold, she burst to the surface and gasped for air. Above, more explosions ensued. The signal was definitely going to be seen by the Coalition, and no doubt they were already mobilising.

Vonco and Horatio were already gone, no doubt trying to swim through the well's pipe and out into the open ocean where they could regroup on the coast. Hopefully the rest had made it out too. Sucking in a few successive deep breaths, she puffed out her chest and submerged herself beneath the surface again.

Narrowing her eyes, she tried to see in the pitch black water. At the base of the well there was a wide gap, serving as both an inlet and outlet for the ocean water. She swam down towards it, controlling her breathing as best as she could. Reaching the base, she squeezed through it and found herself in a long pipe, just as the schematics had detailed.

Feeling herself growing tired, Anna pushed on rapidly, swimming through the pipe and using her hands to push herself off the sides of the pipe's walls to spur her on quicker. She could feel her lungs burning, her head slowly growing clouded.

Gritting her teeth and conserving her oxygen, she kicked and scrabbled against the pipe, working her way towards the open waters. It was in a moment like this when she wished she had Melody's half-mermaid biology.

Just as she was about to fade into unconsciousness, she reached the end of the pipe and with one last breath, launched out of the pipe and pulled herself towards the surface. She burst through the surface, gasping and gulping cold air. Her throat hurt like hell, but her lungs thanked her immeasurably.

Casting about in the water, she orientated herself in the dark and saw two figures swimming towards the shore, with the rest already waiting for them on the beach carpeted with snow. Pushing past her exhaustion, Anna began to swim towards the coast and collapsed the moment her feet sank into sand. Half awake, she felt hands under her armpits pulling her further up the beach.

Shivering intensely, she looked up into the faces of the Witch Hunters and the Northuldra siblings.

"You alright?" Honeymaren asked worriedly.

"F-fine." Anna shuddered and sat up, rubbing her arms. "It's just s-so damn cold." She turned and saw Vonco and Horatio a distance from them, surrounded by Cornelius and Rikhard. Her shoulders loosened as she heard screaming from afar and overlapping musketry.

"We did it," Ryder exclaimed excitedly. "The Coalition is taking the fort now."

"Oh, thank God. We won," Anna suddenly felt nausea rising from the pit of her stomach and brimming into her throat. She knew what was coming next. Gesturing violently for everyone to clear the area, she crawled on her hands and knees as far away as she could and retched.

"Oh, that's nasty," Hansel remarked as he, Gretel and the Northuldra hurried over.

"Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" Honeymaren looked concerned as she knelt beside Anna.

She shook her head, the sides of her vision growing blurry again. Must be the exhaustion. Collapsing back onto the beach beside her own pile of vomit, Anna let her eyes loll into the back of her head as the exertion finally began to overwhelm her, muttering to herself. "It's over."

"Yeah, about that," Hansel chimed in as yet another round of musket cracks filled the air in the distance. "When do you reckon we're gonna get paid for this?"