A Kingdom Under Siege

by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  “Be well, Hinn. Today, we are off to save lives. Perhaps thousands.” She wrapped her arms about Brandt. “Perhaps that knowledge will offer this horse’s owner a bit of solace. Then again, I am sure he will be quite upset. Horses like this are expensive.”

  With a kick, Brandt urged the horse into motion. The rising sun was pushing the darkness aside, the sky above turning pale blue. At an easy trot, Brandt guided the horse down the streets of Yarth, toward the north gate. Here and there, shopkeepers appeared, opening doors, lifting blinds, and sweeping front steps.

  When the riders emerged into the square near the gate, the bell tolled, marking the start of a new day. Brandt pulled the horse to a stop, and Quinn gazed up at the tower they had climbed weeks earlier. Typical of most moments Quinn had spent with Brandt, she recalled the event fondly. Even the memory of their muddy escape the night prior offered a shade of sentimentality Quinn’s life had lacked before meeting Brandt – especially their evening alone in their room at the inn. The memory made Quinn blush and brought a smile to her face.

  She squeezed him and whispered in his ear. “The gate is open. Let’s be off, my Prince.”

  “As you wish, Milady.” Although she couldn’t see his smile, she heard it in his tone.

  The horse resumed at a trot, and they rode past guards who were busy watching the farmers and travelers entering the city.

  Quinn climbed off the horse and stretched. It had been a long but uneventful day. The miles had passed far more quickly than walking, but not as fast as she wished. Brandt handed her the reins and crept forward.

  Again, Quinn thought about the friends she had made in the Harriers. She had grown fond of many of the girls. They might be in the Imperial Army, but they hardly seemed enemies. In fact, most didn’t even know why they were fighting.

  She waited while Brandt squatted near the edge of the wood and stared through a gap in the trees. A full minute passed before he turned and rejoined her.

  “I don’t see any activity.”

  “What do you think it is?”

  “It appears to be some sort of barrier, but it now looks abandoned.”

  “Why would they do such a thing?”

  His brow furrowed in thought as he examined the distant barrier. “This was the edge of Empire lands before they captured Hipoint. Perhaps the barricade no longer has a use since they have established a new front further west.”

  “That makes sense to me.”

  “Still, I think it best for us to proceed with caution. With the bluff on the inland side and a distant drop to the sea on the other, the location acts as a chokepoint – a narrow piece of land we must cross if we wish to continue west. If we roll through and hit an ambush, it will be difficult to escape.”

  “I am with you so far. What do you suggest?”

  “We leave the horse here and sneak in on foot. If there are guards inside the building, we take them out and then advance.”

  She considered the idea and had nothing better to offer. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  He tied their mount to a tree, leaving the tether loose so the horse could continue to nibble on the long grass that covered much of the forest floor. They then scurried out of the woods and crossed the open ground between the trees and the cliff wall.

  Once the cliff and rocks were between them and the barrier, they crept around the bend. The barrier reappeared but much closer – no more than three hundred feet away. The wall was easily twice the height of a man with a scaffold along the visible side. A small building stood to the north side of the road. The area seemed abandoned.

  Brandt signaled for her to follow and the two of them hurried toward the building, crouching the entire time. They crept along it, and he peeked around the corner.

  “Draw your sword,” he whispered. “Quietly.”

  With a nod, she did as he requested, pulling the short sword from the scabbard ever so slowly.

  He then extended his open hand and whispered, “Give it to me.”

  “What? Why?”

  With an eye roll, “Why are you always so difficult? I need it to knock out whoever answers the door.”

  “Why can’t I knock them out?”

  “Because. You are the pretty one. You knock, the guard will open the door, and I’ll whack him.”

  “What if the guard is a girl?”

  His lips drew a thin line as he glared at her and grabbed the sword from her hand. “Then, I’ll kiss her to distract her, and you can hit her over the head.”

  She smiled, in spite of the situation. “Oh, now I really hope it is a girl.”

  With an eye roll, he slipped around the corner and hid behind the door. As she drew close, he knocked.

  Silence.

  Impatient, Quinn knocked, louder. After a moment, a rustling came from inside.

  The door opened. “Why can’t I just get a moment of peace?” The man in the doorway had long, dark hair that was a complete mess. Standing a head taller than Quinn, he was in his late twenties and was overweight. He stared at Quinn with his lids at half-mast. “What? Who are you?”

  Quinn imagined Jeshica when she was first pulled from the Sol Polis dungeon. With that image in her mind, she did her best to appear a whimpering, pleading, wretch. “I’m alone and am traveling from Sol Polis to visit my uncle in Hipoint. My horse lost a shoe and came up lame. He’s tied up just over there,” She held one hand to her chest, the other pointed toward the woods, “I don’t know what to do. I would be most thankful if you could help me.”

  The man smoothed his hair and puffed out his chest as his eyes traveled the length of Quinn’s body. She knew how tight her breeches and jerkin fit and suspected he had not seen a woman in some time. While he gathered his thoughts, she peered past him into a small unoccupied room.

  The guard smiled, “Well, just how appreciative might you be if I were to help you?”

  She pressed her hand against his chest and ran it down his torso. “Very, very appreciative.”

  His grin widened and he stepped out, closing the door behind him. Brandt lunged, the hilt of Quinn’s sword striking the man in the back of the head. Hard. Like a felled tree, he tipped to land face first in the gravel and did not move.

  Quinn shook her head. “You knocking people out has become a disturbing habit of late.”

  He glared down at the man with a frown. “I didn’t care for the way he spoke to you.”

  She smiled. “Are you jealous?”

  “No. Not jealous…maybe protective is a better word.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  He snorted. “Nobody knows that better than me. Now, did you see anyone else inside?”

  She shook her head. “No. It appeared empty.”

  “Good.” He opened the door and stepped in with the sword ready.

  As Quinn had seen, nobody else was inside. She counted eight bunks, one missing a pillow, which was on the floor beside it. A round table sat in the middle of the room and a closed wardrobe was at one end of the building while a wooden chest waited beside the door.

  Brandt crossed the room, his eyes searching. He opened the wardrobe and poked through the contents.

  “What are you doing?” Quinn asked.

  “I’m checking to see if there is anything we can use.”

  Deciding it was a good idea, she bent and opened the chest. She gasped and stepped back.

  “What is it?” He asked.

  “Flashbombs.”

  “Wow,” he said as he stopped beside her. “That would make a very big explosion.”

  Scenes of Castile Corvichi blowing up in a ball of flame flashed before Quinn’s eyes. She hated to admit it, but flashbombs scared her – made her feel powerless. How can I fight something like that? How can anyone?

  Brandt turned and pulled a sheet from one of the bunks.

  “What are you doing now?”

  “I am going to tie the guard up before he wakes.” He walked out before she could respond.

  Quinn’s consider
ed the flashbombs as she thought of her friends in the Harriers. Flashbombs would kill anyone nearby, leaving the Harriers as much at risk as Kingdom soldiers.

  The thought made her want to destroy the bombs, but doing so here might cause more damage than intended. She gasped as an idea came into her head. When combined with magic, the idea had the potential to do something awestriking, but very, very dangerous.

  The barricade was located where the tall bluff to the north and the cliff edge to the sea were no more than two hundred feet apart. The road split that gap while the barricade ran from bluff wall to cliff edge.

  Brandt, Quinn, and their horse had moved beyond the barricade to a location five hundred feet to the west. She stood in the road and stared at the chest of bombs sitting beside the barricade, imagining what might happen. She began reconsidering her plan.

  “Wait,” She put her hand on Brandt’s wrist. “Perhaps this isn’t a good idea. Perhaps we are too close.”

  He looked back at the barricade while lifting the flashbomb resting in his palm. “I can only throw so far, Quinn. Even from here, I will need to get much closer before I throw the bomb and run for my life.”

  “That’s what I mean,” she said. He turned toward her and she stared into his eyes. “I…don’t want to lose you.”

  He smiled. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”

  “How long until your magic recharges?”

  He shrugged. “Soon, I think. Regardless, I must try before the other augmentation expires.”

  “What about the weakness that follows? Remember what happened last time?”

  He put his free hand on her upper arm, his tone shifting toward compassion. “I know what happened. Yes, it’s a risk. However, I have you to watch out for me. As long as we can get someplace safe while I recover, all will be fine.”

  She glanced westward. “Are you sure there’s a safe place between here and Hipoint?”

  “I am sure we will figure it out. Besides, you said it yourself. The risk is worth the reward.”

  “You could try using the horse,” she suggested. “That’s what any sane person would do.”

  Brandt shook his head. “Horses are fast, but not fast enough to clear the area in time. That’s why you will ride from here, and I will catch up.” He stared into her eyes. “Why all the concern now? This was your idea, remember?”

  “True, but I was allowing my feelings for my friends in the Imperial Army to cloud my judgement.”

  “I have friends in that army as well. This is for all of them – your friends, my friends, and anyone else who became caught up in the Empire’s plans.” His jaw set firmly as he turned east and stared at the barricade. “We have to do this, Quinn. Besides, imagine if this plan is successful. It will outdo any mission ICON might have assigned to us.”

  She reached out, taking his hand while staring at the rune drawn on it – a rune he had used only once before. When her gaze lifted, he was staring at her, waiting for a response.

  “You are right,” Quinn said. “We must do this.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze before letting it drop.

  “Hey!” A shout came from behind them. “What are you two doing?”

  Quinn spun about to find seven Imperial soldiers rounding the bend to the west, all dressed in mail and white tabards. Anxiety twisted her innards and sent her pulse racing. She looked at Brandt, unsure of what to do.

  “Oh, no,” he said under his breath before speaking louder. “Never mind us,” he yelled loud enough to be heard over the distance. “We are just two lovers out for a ride.” He turned toward Quinn, hugged her, and whispered in her ear. “When I release you, run. Don’t stop until you are well clear of the barricade.”

  “What about the horse?” Her eyes flicked from the horse to the approaching men. Two had a bows ready, arrows nocked and in range.

  “We have no choice but to leave the horse behind. If we try to mount it, we’ll be easy targets.” He squeezed her tightly, a squeeze she returned. When he let go, she turned and ran.

  The barricade somehow seemed farther away, the distance closing agonizingly slow. In the periphery, she saw Brandt running a step behind and two strides to her side. Shouts came from behind her, but she did not turn around. An arrow struck the ground between them, but neither slowed. Eventually, the wall drew closer, as did the chest of bombs beside it. Quinn glanced down at the rune drawn in the road beside the chest and wondered just how effective it might be. Should we run more softly? How far does it extend? Questions ran through her mind as she passed through the barricade, crossed another hundred feet, and turned to look backward.

  Brandt stood in the road, steps away from the chest. His eyes were closed with one hand held before him, a bomb gripped in the other. Beyond him, the attacking soldiers were approaching in a rush. Quinn froze, fearful for Brandt. The men drew closer and closer while she prayed to Issal that Brandt would succeed.

  As Quinn ran through the open barricade gate, Brandt slowed to a stop and looked back toward his pursuers. Of course, the soldiers were chasing them. He knew they would. It didn’t matter. One way or another, he would succeed. The only question was if he would live or die. With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and sought Chaos.

  It was there, surrounding him as it always had. He reached for it, but the energy slipped away. When he tried to draw it in, he found resistance, as if he were attempting to roll a boulder uphill. Still, he tried, but it continued to pull away from him. It’s too soon, he thought. Only twenty minutes have passed since I applied the Brittle augmentation to the road.

  He opened his eyes and found the soldiers only a couple hundred feet away. With urgency, he squeezed them shut and –using every bit of will he could muster – grappled with Chaos. The magic fought against him as he tried to draw it in until, all at once, the resistance fell away.

  A storm of energy filled him. Brandt’s eyes flashed open and he pushed the Chaos into the Speed rune on his hand, knowing he had little time. The rune glowed red and began to pulse. He turned to find the lead soldier with his sword drawn, mere strides away.

  From somewhere behind, Brandt heard Quinn scream his name. The man wound back and swung, the blade coming around, certain to cleave Brandt in two.

  It struck.

  Not the blade, but the augmentation.

  Brandt lurched, his body convulsing, his muscles twitching as the magic took over. All sound ceased: Quinn’s scream, the charging soldier’s roar, the rush of waves far below – everything fell quiet as if he had gone deaf.

  Opening his eyes, Brandt discovered the attacking soldier’s blade no more than a foot away, seemingly frozen as it moved toward him at an unperceivable pace. Stepping to the side, beyond the arc of the blade, Brandt held the bomb out over the chest.

  “Farewell, good soldier,” he said to his attacker, the man’s face locked in a nasty snarl, his eyes thirsting for blood. “Sorry about this, but you are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  He released his grip and the bomb held in the air. Gravity would take hold of the canister and draw it toward the bombs below. By that time, Brandt would be far away. With the thought in mind, he turned and ran.

  Quinn stood a hundred feet beyond the barricade, a distance he covered as quick as thought. He stopped beside her and turned toward the barricade, beyond which the Imperial soldiers remained locked mid-step in their mad rush, the man in front still frozen in mid-swing. He noticed Quinn staring toward the barricade – her eyes wide, her mouth gaping as she screamed in horror.

  “I knew you cared for me,” he said, knowing she couldn’t hear him. After all, the words came out in the fraction of a second. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. However, I told you to continue running. This is far too close for what’s about to happen.”

  Gently, he scooped her over his shoulder, and darted away. A breath later and he had covered the quarter mile to the forest edge. Another breath and he was a half mile from the barricade – far enough to be safe, r
egardless of what happened.

  He set Quinn down, turned around, and prepared himself for the exhaustion he knew would come. Time passed, slowly for him, racing for everyone else. Green light flashed behind the barricade as the world lurched.

  Noise rushed in, and a bloom of green flame erupted from the barricade, joined by the rapid thump of numerous explosions.

  Another lurch and silence filled Brandt’s ears. In the distance, the blast was frozen in time with parts of the barricade floating in the air amid flames hundreds of feet high.

  The world lurched again, all sound returning as the destruction morphed into something beyond imagining.

  An enormous crack shook the ground, carrying a shockwave that passed beneath Brandt’s feet. The road, from the towering bluff to the cliff edge, crumbled and began pouring into the sea. Rocks, both massive and small, fell hundreds of feet to splash into the rough waters. The landslide brought the burning remains of the barricade and guardhouse down with it. Dust and smoke billowed into the air, the fires snuffed out by rock and water.

  When things finally settled, a massive gap remained – a quarter mile across, steep, and impassible.

  As expected, Brandt felt exhausted, as if he had run many miles and had not slept for days. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees, partly to remain standing, partly to catch his breath. An arm wrapped about him.

  “Are you all right?”

  He nodded. “I’ll be fine.” He wavered and fell to his knees, his head slumping. “I just need rest. Lots of it.”

  A sound emerged as things quieted – a rumbling from behind him. He frowned and realized it was drawing closer. With an immense effort, he turned toward riders approaching at a gallop.

  “Oh, no,” Quinn said, bending and tugging on his arm. “We must leave.”

  Something part laugh, part sigh, and part guffaw came from Brandt’s lips. “They are too close, Quinn. I can barely stand, and they are on horseback.”