Maragin led her soldiers back to Rabigar’s position.
‘Thirteen,’ she whispered.
Thirteen of the fourteen rock walkers were here. They had suffered the first casualty of the war. War, when lives suddenly became assets which leaders traded for advantage. If they lost just the one life in exchange for opening the gates of the fort, it would be considered a good trade.
‘Are we ready to go then?’ he asked her.
‘Ready.’
They moved off, the plan of attack agreed before they had climbed into the boulders. They all headed to the left, away from the tower, before moving ahead. Rabigar, along with most of the Krykkers, aimed straight for the main gate.
‘Who goes there?’ came a call, from the walkway along the wall above them.
It was quickly followed by warning shouts.
‘Invaders!’ went the cry.
They had been seen. No great surprise, but they had to act fast. Rabigar ran faster, hoping to make the gate before he was shot down in the open. He sensed an object flash past him in the darkness, but kept on moving.
Two other groups, each made up of three rock walkers, had peeled off to the sides: heading for two rooms located either side of the gate. Beyond the gate was a portcullis. One of the rooms would contain the lever mechanism that raised it. The gate and portcullis had been built a few feet apart, creating an area known as a killing field. The two rooms would have murder holes facing this area, used to kill an enemy that got trapped between the gate and portcullis. The two smaller groups had to neutralise these rooms. It was risky, because they didn’t know whether Haskan soldiers would be stationed there; and if they were, how many there would be.
Rabigar and the main group of Krykkers got to the main gate. It was made of solid wood, shod with iron. Their first job was to lift off the heavy iron locking bar that ran horizontally across the full width of the gate. They heaved together, lifting it up from the hooks it rested on. They walked back with it a few steps, before dumping it on the ground. The other Krykkers got to work on the locks on the gate, fumbling in the dark. Rabigar got to his knees and took out the torch he had brought with him on his belt. Holding it between his knees he then reached inside his pockets for flint and steel. Scraping the steel along the flint, Rabigar got a spark to land on his char cloth. He carefully coaxed it into a flame until the tinder of his torch caught alight.
Without warning, a blow on his chest nearly knocked him over. He put one hand out to break his fall, only just managing to keep hold of his newly lit torch. Quickly getting to his feet, he saw an arrow lying on the floor. Luckily, it had deflected off the tough scales on his chest, and he was unharmed.
The other Krykkers had got the gate open. Rabigar rushed forwards. Ahead, he could see the portcullis being raised. That meant that the other rock walkers had successfully cleared at least one of the rooms. There could still be Haskan soldiers in the other room, plus there were the soldiers manning the walls. But he had to risk it.
Rabigar sprinted through the gate and kept going. Before he knew it, he was ducking under the portcullis, still only half way up, and then outside the fort. He waved his torch from side to side, and hoped that he could be seen.
21
Pentas the Wizard
AFTER THE EXCITEMENT OF THE TREBUCHETS, Belwynn rushed over to the forward position of the assault squads. They were located as close to the fort as they could get, without the risk of being seen. Here, a jut of rock emerged from the ground that provided sufficient cover. If Rabigar and the rest of his Krykkers managed to open the gate, it was a relatively short dash to get inside the fort. Sebastian wanted both the Knights and the Krykkers to gain credit for a victory, so there were two units. On the right side of the rock, Guremar led a force of Krykkers. On the left, Theron led a force of Knights, all on foot. Both units were fully armoured, to give them maximum protection when they approached the walls.
There was a nervous tension in the air as the soldiers waited in silence. It began to affect Belwynn. She started to worry about Rabigar—had his gamble worked or not? It had taken her aback when she had first heard his plan. The idea that some Krykkers could immerse themselves inside rock was something she had never heard of. Moreover, the news that Rabigar was one of those with the power surprised her further. It wasn’t just that he had never mentioned it before. She remembered, more than once, the Krykker expressing a hostile attitude towards magic. If walking through rock wasn’t magic, she didn’t know what was. But it appeared that the Krykkers didn’t see it that way.
Excited murmurs rose amongst the Krykkers, suggesting that they had seen something. Belwynn peered in the direction of the fort, but couldn’t make anything out in the darkness. The Knights hadn’t reacted either—perhaps the Krykkers had better eyesight in the dark.
Guremar moved his forces out, around the jut of rock towards the fort.
‘It’s open,’ he shouted gruffly across to Theron and his knights.
Belwynn could see Theron’s Knights hesitate, before they too began to move out from their hiding place. She peered towards the fort a second time. Yes—perhaps she did see a flicker of light at the bottom of the fort, where the gate would be.
Once they were out in the open, the Krykkers and Knights picked up speed, running for the fort as fast as they could in their heavy armour. The Krykkers moved faster, since they only required armour for their limbs and heads; the thick scales on their torsos negating the need for the heavy coats of mail that weighed down the Knights. There was no time to waste. Rabigar’s team may have got the gate open, but the fort’s defenders would be desperate to get it closed again as soon as possible.
Belwynn watched on anxiously, as the assault squads disappeared into the night. Part of her wanted to chase after them, but she stayed where she was. She peered into the darkness, and listened out for the sounds of fighting.
The rising sun shed its light over the newly captured fortress of Masada. The generals of the army, led by Sebastian and Prince Dorian, made their way through the gate that Rabigar’s team had forced open. Sebastian’s knights now manned it, as they did the high walls of the fort, which had been left undamaged by the trebuchet attack.
Belwynn had spent the night inside the fort. She had helped Elana tend to the injured. There were mercifully few of them: only four fatalities in all, and the priestess had been able to carry out her healing on those with serious wounds. Elana was confident that there would be no more deaths, though some of the soldiers would survive with permanent disabilities. The priestess had healed the injured Haskan soldiers with equal attention. There had been some grumbling at this, but they had been allowed to complete their work.
Sebastian and Dorian inspected the courtyard of the fort. While the walls of the fort had been avoided, the same could not be said for this area. Great boulders, that had once contained Krykkers, still lay scattered about where they had landed the night before. It was a strange sight, and Belwynn had to smile at Sebastian’s slightly baffled expression. He noticed Belwynn at the far side of the courtyard, and he and Dorian walked over to join her.
‘Lady Belwynn,’ Dorian said, formally.
‘Your Highness,’ she replied. ‘Theron is in the main hall. I can take you both there, if you wish.’
‘Yes,’ said Sebastian. ‘We need to be on our way this morning.’
Belwynn led them to the far end of the courtyard, where the fort buildings were located. She passed the barracks, where some of the soldiers still slept, and led them to the hall of the fort commander. It was a simple affair, with an open space for public meeting, and some private quarters. Inside Theron was alone, standing over a table. On it was a map he was carefully studying, but he stopped when he noticed his visitors.
‘Congratulations!’ said Dorian as they entered.
‘I can hardly take much credit, Your Highness,’ said Theron, moving over to shake the Prince and then his uncle by the hand. ‘That should go to Rabigar and the Krykkers, for getting insid
e and opening the gate. Once we got inside, the Haskans couldn’t put up much resistance, they were too small in numbers. When we forced our way onto the walls it was over.’
‘Well,’ said Dorian, ‘I shall make sure that I find Rabigar and offer my thanks.’
‘We have about fifty of them altogether as prisoners,’ continued Theron. ‘I wasn’t sure whether we should keep them alive—’
‘Theron!’ said Belwynn, shocked.
‘I should think so,’ said Dorian. ‘The Haskans aren’t our real enemy, after all. They are following the orders of Arioc and Erkindrix.’
Theron shrugged. ‘If we keep them alive here it will mean leaving a larger force behind to guard them. Otherwise we should just let them go.’
Sebastian nodded. ‘Letting them go may be the best option. Have you any thoughts about today?’
‘It gets difficult from here. We need to head north-east so that we threaten the Ishari fortress of Samir Durg. That is likely to have the biggest impact. But we need to scout carefully about us. The Dardelles mountains become a forest to our east, and it’s a perfect place to hide an army. To the west lie the lands of the Drobax. If he doesn’t know already, Erkindrix will soon learn about our invasion. We’re in very dangerous territory from now on.’
‘At least we have the fort here to fall back on,’ commented Dorian.
Theron looked at him. ‘I’ve been thinking about that. We need to leave a garrison behind here, and I think your Kalinthian force is the perfect size. It would also mean we don’t lose any Knights or Krykkers from the army. We’ll need every one of them should we come to battle. Would you be willing to stay as the commander?’
Dorian looked taken aback by Theron’s suggestion, glancing first at Sebastian, then at Belwynn.
‘It makes sense,’ Sebastian added. ‘We need a strong presence here. It’s strategically vital.’
‘Then of course I will stay at the fort,’ said Dorian, regaining some composure. ‘I will organise my men at once. If you will excuse me?’
Sebastian nodded and Dorian turned about, leaving the hall at pace.
‘Was that necessary?’ Belwynn asked Theron when the Prince had left.
‘His force is perfect for the job,’ said Theron. ‘Able enough to defend the fort, but not so big a loss from the army.’
‘Yes, but someone else could have stayed behind to lead them,’ Belwynn pointed out.
‘Well, I don’t trust him,’ Theron admitted. ‘He’s only here to gain the glory from the campaign for himself.’
‘That’s unfair,’ said Belwynn, angry that Dorian was being done a disservice.
‘Maybe so,’ said Sebastian. ‘But this way at least he stands a better chance of living through it. I don’t particularly want to get an heir to the throne killed. Those of us who carry on need to be aware that their chances aren’t good.’ He paused, looking her in the eyes. ‘I think you should stay here too, Belwynn. I know you want to get your brother freed. But there’s no point in getting killed in the process.’
‘No way,’ she insisted immediately.
‘It will be dangerous,’ commented Theron. ‘But the Knights...many of them will fight better if she comes. They’ve come to see her as a fortune bringer.’
A fortune bringer. It was a stupid idea, and Theron had played it for all it was worth. But Belwynn wanted to go, so she kept her thoughts to herself.
Sebastian sighed. ‘I’ve noticed. Warriors are superstitious by nature. We have no king to inspire them, and now we are leaving our Prince behind. But if you come with us, Belwynn, you can’t expect any special protection. We can’t spare a single soldier.’
‘I understand that. And should there be a battle I hope that I will be of some help to Elana.’
The Grand Master of the Knights nodded, his expression grim. ‘So be it.’
After days of sunshine, grey clouds covered the skies above Haskany and the temperature cooled. On the ground, the combined army of Krykkers and Knights left the fortress of Masada far behind, heading out into the featureless landscape of the far north.
Dry scrub dominated the terrain, making it seem, to Belwynn’s eyes, an inhospitable land. It certainly wasn’t farming land, and they didn’t pass near a single settlement as they trudged along. Despite the cloud cover above, it didn’t rain, and the land looked like it rarely got watered. Instead, Belwynn could see evidence of fire damage on the tinder dry landscape, as the army marched along a dirt track that would take them to the lands of the Ishari. The Dardelles mountain range receded behind them, but nothing of interest replaced it. As the hours dragged by it felt like the scrubland would stretch on forever. It reminded Belwynn of their visit to the forests of the Caladri. The Grand Caladri had used magic to make it seem like they were making progress, when in fact they were walking in circles, getting nowhere. Was it possible that the Isharites were doing the same thing?
The army’s march came to a mid-morning halt. Evander and Alpin, the squires to Theron and Sebastian, came riding down the line. Evander stopped when he found Belwynn and Elana, while Alpin continued going; presumably on his way to find Rabigar and the Krykker chieftains. Something was going on.
‘What is it?’ she asked the squire, as she and Elana nudged their horses over to join him.
‘A man...a magus has arrived,’ replied Evander, sounding slightly troubled. ‘He says he knows you. Count Theron asked me to fetch you.’
For a brief moment Belwynn’s heart leapt, imagining that Soren had somehow escaped and met them. Then her logic kicked in and told her that she was being ridiculous.
‘What does he look like?’ asked Elana.
‘He...,’ Evander paused, frowning. ‘He has red eyes.’
Belwynn and Elana shared a look.
‘You’d better take us to see him,’ said the priestess.
‘He was just standing in the road. Waiting for us,’ Theron whispered to her.
Belwynn allowed herself a grim smile. Pentas was just as Belwynn remembered him. Friendly; seemingly oblivious of the reaction his sudden arrival had caused. But Belwynn knew that it was all an act. She recalled his magical fight with Nexodore on the Great Road. She recalled too their brief meeting in Onella’s Temple in Edeleny, before he had spirited them away. The corpse of Dorottya, the Caladri elder, had lain dead on the floor. We had an argument, he had said. She knew that they were dealing with a powerful and ruthless individual.
They were standing in a patch of scrub by the side of the road. There was Belwynn, Elana and Rabigar, who had all confirmed the identity of the wizard; Sebastian and Theron, representing the Knights of Kalinth; Torinac and Maragin, representing the Krykkers.
‘Your brother lives,’ said Pentas casually, as if it were something he had almost forgotten to mention.
The information provoked a flood of emotions and questions in Belwynn. All she could get out, though, was a brief question, in a croaky voice.
‘Where?’
‘In Samir Durg.’
‘And the others? Clarin, Herin...’
‘All alive for now.’
‘For now? What do you mean?’
Pentas looked at her with his unreadable red eyes.
‘None of them are safe,’ he replied, as if it were such an obvious point it shouldn’t have needed saying. ‘You’ve done well getting this far, the three of you. Much better than I had hoped. Though I was hoping the fourth member of your party would be here. The dagger wielder.’
‘Dirk died a few days ago,’ said Elana. ‘He didn’t recover from his injuries.’
‘I see,’ said Pentas, sounding disappointed. ‘I am genuinely sorry. I owed him my life.’
‘Why are you here?’ asked Belwynn.
Pentas looked around the group. ‘As I say, you have done well; enough to create some doubts on the Council of Seven. Erkindrix has ordered an army to be raised to defeat you. As we speak, Isharite magi, Haskan soldiers, and Drobax, are being gathered just south of the Ishari border. The army is und
er the command of Rostam, Nexodore’s successor on the Council. It is a hastily assembled force. Militarily, you stand a chance. But Rostam will also command magic users. You will need my help.’
‘Who are you?’ asked Elana, in her direct manner.
Pentas looked at her thoughtfully, as if weighing up what to say. He nodded, whether to himself or at Elana, Belwynn couldn’t tell.
‘I am a servant of Madria, Elana. Just like you. Unlike you, I was born into it. My job has been to halt the rise of Ishari—as much as possible. To undermine them, I have served Erkindrix. More accurately, I have served Diis: the being who sent the Isharites to Dalriya, to take control of our world from Madria. Most of the peoples of Dalriya have let themselves forget about this foul creature. But he hungers for control as much as he ever did.’
Maragin spat on the floor. ‘You’re a member of the Council of Seven; no doubt responsible for countless atrocities. Are we supposed to believe that all this time you’ve really been on our side?’
‘You may doubt what I say,’ responded Pentas, ‘but twice in the last few weeks I have stopped Madria’s weapons from falling into their hands and you three,’ he said, pointing at Belwynn, Elana and Rabigar, ‘have witnessed that. Some in Ishari have their suspicions of me, but I have evaded them so far. Now, if your army does meet theirs, I must again ensure that the three weapons you carry are not lost.’
Torinac put his hand to the hilt of Bolivar’s Sword, frowning at the idea.
‘What of my brother?’ asked Belwynn, desperate to know more. ‘Is he well?’
‘I have not seen him personally. But no, he will be far from well.’
Belwynn put a hand to her mouth.
The wizard watched her impassively. ‘I have a plan that will give your brother and his friends a chance of escape. A chance, mind you—and a small one at that. But that is the best you can hope for. To give them the best chance possible, we must hurt Erkindrix. Even if we don’t win, we need to land a blow. We need to hurt the Isharites and shake their confidence.’
The Weapon Takers Saga Box Set Page 62
