Chapter 19
May 3rd, 770; Talon's Last Dance
Talon, almost forgetting his javelin, headed back inside the forest compound. He grabbed his javelin and double-timed it to catch up with the first patrol. It was late, well after midnight, and after the last attack, Talon wanted to make sure there weren't going to be any more surprises.
"Talon." Trall yelled after him. When he realized Talon didn't hear him, he jogged after him. "Talon."
Talon turned and waited for Trall to catch up.
"They can do it on their own, you know."
Talon grinned even though he was enormously tired and yet he couldn't fall asleep. "I know. I'm wide awake and I guess I am still worked up from that last attack." Talon could tell Trall wasn't happy with that answer. "Okay. Let's make a deal. You get some sleep and when I come back we can switch."
Trall looked at him and knew he wasn't going to listen to reason, but he had a compromise. "Okay, okay. I know when I can't win, but as soon as you get back, wake me."
"Sure. Sleep tight." Talon ran off to catch up to the patrol, leaving Trall to head back to their makeshift camp.
Talon caught up with the four Guardsmen as they started to walk down the waterfront, keeping closer to the warehouses than to the docks.
Guardsmen Ronald Miller turned as he heard approaching footsteps. He was surprised to see Talon following them. "Anything wrong, sir?"
Talon immediately had second thoughts about his choice to accompany them. Seeing the look on Ronald's face, he felt like he was intruding. "No. Just hoping you wouldn't mind me tagging along."
Guardsmen Miller paused and, against his better judgment, he respectfully accepted. "As you wish, sir."
Talon felt the tension. "No need for the sir. Talon will do fine. Don't even mind me, although I was hoping to go a little farther than the last patrol.”
"How far do you want to go, sir, er, I mean Talon?"
Talon thought about it. "I really want to follow the waterline until we get to the houses. I don't imagine anyone is going to be coming in from the south, but I would like to take a look in the general vicinity. I suppose we should follow the warehouse line until we get back to camp."
"Yes, Talon."
The Guardsmen turned and headed as close to the docks as they felt comfortable. Talon watched as Guardsmen Laura Good fell behind and assumed the watcher role. Her only job was to make sure there weren't any Northern archers readying a volley to go across the river. Talon left her to her work and followed the patrol as they continued by the docks.
The team paused at the last dock when they heard a noise towards the end of the dock. Talon crouched low and fell in behind the rest. Guardsmen Preston Spell took lead and ran down the pier with his sword drawn. Moments later he returned with a smile on his face.
"False alarm. One of the rafts from earlier is lodged under the pier. That's our mysterious noise."
"Understood."
That was all Guardsmen Miller said as he continued moving forward. The team arrived at the guard tower or what was left of it. Guardsmen Miller turned and addressed Talon.
"You wanted us to continue on through the houses?
"Yes. I just, well, I don't know, call it a hunch."
Guardsmen Miller didn't respond. He motioned with his hand and the rest of the Guardsmen started towards the first house.
Talon walked around the burned remains of the tower. He started to sift through the outer edges, but he didn't get far before he was interrupted.
"Talon, sir. Did you just see that?"
Talon finished sifting through the debris from the tower. "No. I wasn't paying attention." Talon started walking closer to the Guardsmen, when suddenly the group crouched down. Talon didn't need to ask questions. He followed their lead.
The Guardsmen started moving closer to the house by the waterfront. Talon followed along trying to close the distance he was from the other four. Two of the Guardsmen broke off and planted themselves against the house. The other two started to head for the waterfront. Talon, who was closer to the first two Guardsmen, chose to continue going towards the house.
Something didn't feel right. Talon stopped in his tracks. The other Guardsmen halted. Talon quietly drew his javelin from his back. The quiet grew until it was almost unbearable, then a figure burst out of the forest and ran down the waterfront. Talon was almost so surprised that he didn't react, but he fell in behind the rest of the Guardsmen, who were chasing down the lone figure.
Keeping as silent as possible, they followed quickly in the path being left by the figure. They kept up a decent pace and could hear the figure as he was making no efforts to mask the noises he was making. Talon grew uneasy.
As the chase continued, the figure turned off of the waterfront and headed into the underbrush. No one was happy with that change. Guardsmen Miller spoke up.
"Wait."
The Guardsmen stopped.
"Let's keep our distance. I fear he is leading us into an ambush." Talon looked around at the Guardsmen.
"As you wish, sir."
Talon nodded and they continued moving forward at a much slower, but more aware pace. The sounds of the figure grew quiet, until no one could hear him. The only sound left was the water lapping against the shoreline.
The lead Guardsmen, Ronald Miller, fell back to a position beside Talon. "I would like to send two Guardsmen about ten yards out and have them circle in from the waterfront. They can make better time and I think we can surround the figure."
Talon looked at the Guardsmen and could tell he was beyond irritated having to ask for permission. Had Talon let this man do his job, he would have already issued that command. Talon berated himself for a moment, thinking back to the days when he used to grow tired of asking permission to wipe his nose. "Guardsmen Ronald Miller, I am giving you permission this one time, but from this moment on, you remember you are in charge here, I answer to you."
The Guardsmen nodded respectfully. "I understand sir, uh Talon. I want you to fall in behind me and Guardsmen Preston Spell. We move."
Talon was surprised at how quickly the Guardsmen responded to his command, but nonetheless he followed it to the letter and fell in behind the two Guardsmen. They moved forward through the underbrush and Talon watched as the other Guardsmen disappeared in a different direction.
Talon grew uncomfortably hot as they traveled deeper into the underbrush. Standing by the waterfront moments ago with the cool breeze coming off the river masked the heat of the night. Talon wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued to unsnag his javelin sling from the underbrush as they moved further into the forest. The moon had provided enough light during the beginning of the hunt, back at the waterfront, but it was all but blocked out now. Talon could barely make out Guardsmen Miller, who was only a foot or so in front of him.
There wasn't any sound coming from the figure they began chasing and there was a good chance they walked right by him once they entered the brush. Talon wiped his brow again and with it he hoped to wipe away the negative thoughts. He knew it was the lack of sleep that was causing his pessimism. He took a moment to berate himself again for not listening to Trall's advice. By all rights, he should be laying next to that tree waiting for the next attack from the Northerns. Talon continued his train of thought, until he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost collided with Guardsmen Miller. Talon stopped and, for a moment, was relieved he didn't walk into the man. Embarrassed already with his conduct, he knew that not paying attention wasn't going to help his growing negative disposition or Guardsmen Miller's opinion of him.
Quelling an urge to ask what was going on, Talon waited. In the gloom, Talon almost missed the hand signal from Guardsmen Miller. They moved forward and Talon was relieved as they broke through the brush.
Crouched low, they emerged into a long field of tall grass. Talon could see from the riverbank to
the path they had come in on a few days ago. The grass provided limited coverage and the bright moon threatened to give away their position with every step. Following behind the Guardsmen, they moved closer to the waterfront. The group stopped once again. This time Talon could see why. Further up the riverbank and under the cover of the forest was a small raft full of Northerns. Talon watched as they beached themselves and was disheartened to see two more rafts off to the side. Those were empty and Talon strained his eyes to see if he could make out where the occupants were. He didn't have any luck and assumed that they had already started to head towards the docks. The group of Northerns in Talon's eyesight started to form up on the riverbank. One was left behind on the raft and he headed back across the river.
Talon, moving with deathly silence, stopped once he was next to Guardsmen Miller. Before Guardsmen Miller could say anything, Talon spoke in a forced whisper.
"I want Guardsmen Spell to go back to the camp. He needs to beat the Northerns. That leaves me and you until the other two Guardsmen appear from the path they followed, though I fear they have already met with some Northerns." Without offering a response, Guardsmen Miller, motioned to Guardsmen Spell, who quietly started back through the underbrush.
Talon focused his attention on the group at the water's edge. By Talon's quick count, he figured there must have been close to fifteen men. Talon, hoping to hear what they were saying started moving closer. Guardsmen Miller followed in his path. When they were within a few yards, Talon halted. The conversations stopped and a large number broke off and headed down the waterfront. Four Northerns were left by the landing. Talon assumed they were handlers for the next raft. Talon could still hear the pounding of the other Northerns who were heading to the docks of Markham. Talon silently prayed that their messenger would arrive in time. Talon wasn't sure how long they had been sending men over, but he had to assume they already had to have close to thirty men heading for the docks.
Talon moved backwards until he was next to Guardsmen Miller. Knowing how close he was to the Northerns, he lowered his voice to below a whisper. "I want to get closer. Try to follow behind me." Talon watched as Miller acknowledged what he said with a nod. Talon, satisfied with the current plan, moved forward through the tall grass. Each step Talon took seemed as loud as thunder. Talon was getting close enough to hear some of the conversation. The men were laughing and not paying any attention to the field. Even Talon, if he were in their place, would have found it a ridiculous notion that there would be someone hiding in the grass.
The hiding place ended abruptly. Talon tried to move just a little bit closer, but stepped on the sling from his javelin. He tried to step backwards, but only succeeded in stepping on his own foot. Talon balanced on one foot for what seemed like an eternity, until he lost the little bit of balance he had left and crashed to the ground.
All four heads turned at the noise. Two of them started to move forward, slashing at the grass with their swords. Talon looked back at Miller, who was shaking his head. Talon decided to buy Miller some time. He motioned to Miller to stay down and then he stood up. By the looks he received he knew he had surprised the Northerns.
Talon brought up his javelin, knowing he was in deep trouble. The first footmen ran at him and swung his sword with an overhand blow. Talon caught it in the middle of his javelin and extended his left arm. The move sent the left side of the javelin into the footmen's cranium. The footmen stumbled backwards; fell over an unseen log, which caused him to send his sword tumbling out of his hand to disappear in the thick grass. Talon followed him only to be flanked by the second footmen. This footmen sent his sword to Talon's side. Talon cut downward with his javelin knocking the footmen's sword to the side. Talon watched as the third and fourth footmen raced off down the river’s edge, no doubt to recruit some help.
Guardsmen Miller, watching the whole scene, jumped up and took off after the other two footmen.
The move surprised Talon, but Talon focused on the footmen in front of him and kicked towards the man's shin. The footmen, anticipating the move, side stepped and Talon missed. He was carried forward by his momentum and slipped on the wet grass. Catching himself, he remained vertical, though only on one knee. The footmen, seeing his opportunity, advanced with his sword with a two handed grip extended over his head. Talon placed his hands in the javelin's grips and awaited the blow. The footmen followed through and connected with the javelin. Talon felt the blow in his elbows and was shocked as the javelin split down the middle. Talon cursed to himself remembering he never fixed the javelin. The Northern pushed the advantage and left Talon blocking the next blow. Talon finished what the Northern started and split the javelin into two pieces. He now had one piece in each hand. Talon, still sliding on the grass, swung both pieces at the footmen. The footmen blocked one of the pieces and Talon sent the other into the man's side. The footmen cringed as the javelin penetrated his leather armor. Talon cracked the footmen on his arm, sending his sword into the grass and then stuck the other piece through the man's thigh. The footmen fell to one knee, Talon's level, and Talon, taking the piece out of the footmen's side, sent a blow to the man's head. The footmen fell to the ground unconscious. Talon recovered from his fall and took a moment to recover from the battle. Trying to stand up, he braced himself with a piece of the javelin. Talon laughed to himself, as he thought of what Trall would say now that his javelin was reduced to a walking stick and a small one at that.
Talon's breather quickly ended as the other footmen tackled him. Talon's leg seared with pain as he fell onto one of the pieces of his javelin. As Talon rolled with the man, he manipulated his good leg into the man's stomach. Once he rolled onto his back Talon pushed with that leg and flung the man off him. Talon took the moment he bought himself to pull the piece of javelin out of his leg. He forced the piece out of his leg and stifled a scream. As he tossed the blooded piece to the side, he was tackled again by the footmen. Talon felt his breath leave his body as he was slammed forward. The footmen didn't realize how much momentum he had until he flipped himself over Talon. Talon fell backwards and tried to regain his breath. He reached up and felt the blood running from his upper lip. He pushed on his teeth with his tongue, but his lip was the only casualty from slamming his face into his own knee. Talon got himself to one knee, before he felt the pain from his thigh. He braced himself as he stood up. Balancing on one leg, he drew his sword and waited for the footmen. Upon seeing that Talon was armed, the footmen took off in a blind run. Talon hopped along with no chance of catching up.
The footmen headed towards the waterfront and stopped at the water's edge. Talon continued in his pursuit, albeit slower. The footmen hesitated at the water's edge and then turned north, heading towards the Markham docks. Talon turned himself and headed on an angle to intercept the footmen. The footmen jumped up the ridge and was almost behind the cover of the forest when Talon fell over the inert body of the unconscious footmen, who earlier, had broken his javelin. Talon, already ungraceful, tried stand up and put his body's weight on the injured thigh. With accompanied pain, he toppled to the ground. While he was laying face down he could hear, though far away, "He's over here. [Mumble] one of them [mumble.] Come on."
Talon tried again to stand. This time he was successful. He could hear the pounding of footsteps and he took the option of surveying his surroundings. He couldn't run back towards Markham, without running into the wrong people, so he turned and started across the grass field. His thigh made him give up on the idea of running, so he hobbled for the cover the dense forest was promising him. Talon disappeared into the forest and was somewhat relieved it had less growth than the one they started in, but that also meant he needed to get in further to mask his presence. As if he needed a reminder, an arrow struck the tree next to him.
"Oh, boy." Talon pushed himself further into the woods. The ground quickly started to elevate, making his travel even mo
re difficult. Without the moon to guide him Talon immediately lost his way. Shortly after losing his bearings, he could hear the sounds of multiple people crashing through the underbrush. Talon bit down the pain and moved a little quicker.
The sounds were growing closer as Talon broke through the underbrush and fell head first down the side of a small cliff. He rolled down, smashing to a stop with his side against a small tree, bruising a few ribs. Then the tree, cracking under his weight, sent him bouncing further down the drop off. Talon felt a large rock smash his back and then he bounced further down the cliff. Just as Talon wondered if the cliff ended, he crashed to the ground with a jolt that almost knocked him unconscious. Talon, without any breath, rolled himself as close to the side as he could. He silently prayed no one would notice him. He lay there, hoping he couldn't be seen. A few feet away, the Teal River rushed by.
Talon listened and still heard the sounds of men crashing through the underbrush. When Talon was sure they sounded like they were moving away, he sat up. That small physical action sent pain throughout his body. The jolt threatened to knock him out. Braving the pain, Talon tore some of his shirt and crudely fixed up the hole in his leg. His lip had stopped bleeding, but a quick check with his hand revealed a large knot on his forehead. A little more thorough check revealed two more on the back of his head. Touching them sent his body screaming for relief. As far as he could tell none of the knots were bleeding and he assumed that was a good sign, although he really didn't know if that was true.
Forgetting about his bruised ribs for a moment, Talon tried to pull himself up and almost screamed out in pain. Suppressing the pain, Talon stood up. He looked up and was surprised to see he fell a good twenty feet. Giving up on the idea that he could climb right back up the cliff, he started to walk north along the cliff face. He could barely hear the footmen as he walked further along the water bank. The cliff slowly shrank until he was back at the grassy field. Talon hid in the forest as he watched another raft trying to be pulled ashore. Moments later, a small canoe pulled up onto the river bank. Two men jumped out leaving the canoe by itself. The two men were thrown some rope from the small crew on the raft. Talon realized the current was slowly picking up and the crudely made rafts weren't able to fight the current. The two men tied the rope off to the closest trees and then helped the men ashore. There was a rushed feeling to their movements and, as soon as they touched the riverbank, they ran off towards Markham. Talon knew that meant the next attack had begun. Moments later, the riverbank was empty save the rafts and canoe. Talon started across the field. In his plan, born of desperation, he decided to cut the rafts loose and slow down anymore plans of crossing the river. Talon went from the speeded pace of his earlier hobble to a slower paced limp. There were four rafts on the riverbank. Most were tied to one tree. Talon stepped up to them and reached for his sword, only to find it gone.
"Dammit!" Talon started to untie the first rafts knots. Once untied, he threw the rope back onto the raft and gave it a little push to help it down the river. Talon repeated the same action for the next two. Moving to the next tree, he started to untie the fourth and last raft. The knot he encountered wasn't about to give. Perturb, he spoke out loud, "Can anything go right today?" Since no one answered him, he continued to work on the knot. Finally working it through, he threw the ropes onto the raft and gave it a little kick. He smiled to himself as he watched the four rafts slowly drifting down the river. Talon limped over to the canoe. As he was about to push it into the river an arrow struck him in his shin. The pain in his only good leg left and caused him to fall face first into the canoe. The force of his fall sent the canoe adrift.
Talon, on the verge of blacking out, felt the movement of the river and realized he was floating in the canoe. Talon reached up and tried to right himself in the canoe. His hand slipped and fell outside the canoe. Moments later, and before Talon could bring his arm back into the canoe, an arrow slammed through his arm fastening it against the canoe. This time Talon didn't suppress anything. Talon cried out in pain. He briefly wondered if Trall had heard that. Fearing another shot in the arm Talon jerked his arm back into the canoe and felt the arrow break in his arm. Ignoring the pain Talon pushed himself as close to the side of the canoe as possible. Fighting blackness, he watched arrows fly over the canoe. Wishing himself lucky, Talon felt the canoe get caught in the current. Thinking he was free Talon relaxed. After visibly relaxing, one more arrow came to haunt him. It slammed right next to his head, just to the side of his ear. Talon's ear was so close and the impact was so loud that he wasn't sure he could hear anything. Talon tried to shift his position, but he banged the arrow in his shin against the side of the canoe. The pain sent his body into another convulsion. As he was trembling, he bent his leg and reached for the arrow. He pulled and strained until the arrow tore out of his muscle. The pain was so intense Talon's head fell back and bounced against the canoe. His head bounced against the arrow, and before his head even finished landing back on the canoe, he was out of it.
A Day Later; Halfway to Heartfelt
Talon felt the sun beating on him as he came around. He felt throbbing all over his body and knew better than to move. Talon opened his eyes and then shut them, blocking the bright sun. He briefly wondered how long he had been out cold. Having nothing else to do, his mind wandered to Markham. Fearing the worst, he started to imagine the ambush worked. The Northerns had stormed the camp.
Deep in thought, he was brought back to reality from a muscle cramp in his leg. Talon, fearing more pain, tried to avoid extending his leg. Moments later the cramp got the best of him and he was forced to extend his leg. Pain seared through his body. He felt himself blacking out and he wasn't sure if he minded. Before he gave in, a melodious whistle broke the concentration he had on his pain. Talon opened his eyes and found a small bird resting on the edge of the canoe. The sun was still beating down, so he was forced to squint. He smiled to himself as he recognized the bird. It was a rare sight this far north. It was a Redderin red bird. It's patch of red on each wing shone bright in the sun.
"You look a lot happier than I feel little friend."
Biting down the pain Talon raised his hand in an effort to block the sun, but halfway there the bird perched on his hand. Talon paused, watching, mesmerized by the small bird.
"You have brightened the day, my little friend." Talon held his arm for few more seconds, but his bruised ribs caused his arm to falter. The bird, feeling the drop, took flight.
Talon watched the bird until it disappeared from his sight. Once the bird disappeared his distraction also went away and the pain returned. Talon, who could no longer hold his arm up, dropped it to his side causing more trembling throughout his body. He didn't fight the blackness this time. He readily gave up; silently praying he would wake up again.
Two Days Later; Just Outside of Heartfelt
For the two days the canoe and its occupant drifted further and further down the Teal River. Following the current, it would arrive in the vicinity of the Hearttowne docks in another day or so. Things didn't allow that to happen. Sometime after midday the wind shifted. The canoe followed the wind and landed on the west bank of the Teal. It became lodged in a fallen tree hanging over the river. The canoe and its occupant's trip ended.
Talon woke from a dream about water. Opening his eyes, he tried to ask for water. Nothing left his lips. Talon's thirst almost made him laugh as he realized no one was going to answer his request. The throbbing had all but disappeared and now he felt numbness. He had enough strength of mind to wonder if that was necessarily an improvement. Talon, thirst controlling his mind, realized he wasn't moving. He looked around and saw the canoe was lodged under a fallen tree.
"Dammit. Just my luck. Wonder how far I got before we got stuck. I don't imagine anyone is around."
Talon lifted his head to see if he could figure out where he had landed. T
ry as he might, he couldn't see above the lip of the canoe unless he sat up. Talon didn't even entertain that thought.
As if someone was listening to what he just said, he could hear footsteps. Someone was walking in his direction and it was growing closer. Talon strained his ears, but found it wasn't necessary as the person came crashing through the underbrush. Talon not just heard, but felt the feminine scream and sympathized with the women as he heard her sliding down the cliff. Moments later the women splashed into the water. She sent a wave of water over the canoe.
Talon felt the water as it splashed off his face and arms. He didn't know something so simple could feel so good. Talon chuckled to himself as the water ran from his forehead. He did get what he asked for.
Talon could hear frantic movement in the water next to the canoe and felt the women's urgency. Forgetting his own predicament Talon rose to the occasion. He moved every part of his body in an effort to sit up only to be rewarded with the feeling of all those injuries reopening. Talon fell back against the canoe and felt the blackness coming back. Silently, he told himself, this was getting old. He lay back down, trying to regain his composure. He could hear the women crawling along the log. He waited patiently for her to arrive, but he fell into unconsciousness about the same time she screamed.
The Heartfelt Saga Page 19
