Stiger’s Tigers (Chronicles of An Imperial Legionary Officer Book 1)
Page 21
“Around forty of them support the commander,” the sergeant answered after a moment’s consideration. “You will find most of ‘em bastards in the castle.”
Stiger turned, sharing another glance with Eli. They knew each other well enough that Eli suspected what his friend was contemplating. He offered Stiger a slight nod of encouragement. Stiger rubbed his stubbly jaw as he considered his options, then turned back to the sergeant.
“Do you know where Captain Aveeno will be?” Stiger asked.
“What are you thinking of doing?” the sergeant asked, glancing between Stiger and the others. “After what I just told you, surely you are not crazy enough to go in there!”
“He is,” Blake answered with a proud smile, then hesitated, turning toward his captain, embarrassed. “Sorry sir … I did not mean to call you crazy.”
“I have been called worse,” Stiger said. “Well, Sergeant? Do you know where Aveeno will be?”
“With these men?” Sergeant Boral asked incredulously, looking at the captain’s men lazing about. They looked terrible, covered in dirt, filth and mud, like they had not seen a bath in weeks and worse, did not care to see one. “They are rabble.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Stiger replied gravely.
Sergeant Boral looked shrewdly at the captain and then at Sergeant Blake, who nodded in agreement. After a moment, he shrugged. “Seven levels … I can’t believe I am going to do this. I can lead you to the commandant,” Boral stated, resolved. “They will not be expecting trouble. If you give Captain Aveeno long enough to rally them, the garrison will fight you out of fear alone.”
“How many men are in the castle?” Stiger asked.
“Around three hundred,” Sergeant Boral answered immediately. “The commandant does not trust much of the garrison, and as I said, he has the rest deployed around the valley. There is no other way out of the valley, which means they are effectively at his mercy.”
“What of Lieutenant Peal?” Stiger asked.
“A frightened man,” Sergeant Boral said. “He is lucky to have survived the purge of officers. He’s so young and green, I don’t think they consider him a threat. All in all, though, he is not a bad sort.”
“Where will Captain Aveeno be once we get inside the castle?” Eli asked, getting back to the point.
“At this time of day, he will be holding court in the great hall,” Boral answered with a snort. “Hearing grievances from the villagers in the valley. Thinks he’s important now.”
“Can you lead us to him?” Stiger asked.
“Yes sir, I can and will,” Boral said. “The tunnel leads to the main courtyard. Once in the main courtyard, we will have to get into the keep and climb three floors to get there. It is on the backside of the castle and overlooks the valley side of the pass. Perhaps a five-minute walk. There are several sturdy doors that could be barred. We may need to batter our way through.”
“Is there any way to escape the castle?” Eli asked.
“There are two entrances to the castle, one gate to the valley side and this one here,” Boral jerked a thumb toward the gate behind him. “The main courtyard is the center of the castle. It leads to the stables, barracks, walls and the keep. If you secure both entrances, no one will get out, other than to throw themselves from the walls, which would prove a tad bit unhealthy.”
“Once inside, is there anyone we can immediately trust?” Stiger asked with a glance up at the walls. Several legionaries were leaning over the battlements, looking down upon them. They were probably wondering why Stiger’s men were taking so long to get moving.
“No,” Sergeant Boral answered. “Anyone you come across could be a collaborator, and I won’t be able to point them all out to you in the heat of the moment. I would not trust anyone, at least until the commandant is dead. Whatever you do, sir, please do not take him alive.”
“Why not?” Stiger asked, shocked that a sergeant was asking him to make sure he killed a fellow officer and nobleman. First Boral had questioned Lieutenant Peal, and now he was advocating killing the commandant. “Should he not stand trial for what he has done?”
“He has magic, sir,” the sergeant answered matter-of-factly. “I swear it. Some of the officers tried to arrest him for acting kinglike and he killed them with a simple touch. Some say he took their very souls.”
Stiger shot a glance over at Father Thomas, who said nothing, but looked deadly serious, a change from his normal jovial demeanor. Eli looked grim as well. To an elf, one’s soul was especially precious, and the mere mention of stealing one was unsettling.
“Sergeant Boral will lead us and first three files into the keep in search of Captain Aveeno,” Stiger ordered, feeling the tightness in his stomach that always presaged a fight. “Father Thomas, I think you had better come with us.”
“I fear that might not be such a bad idea,” the paladin responded grimly.
“Lieutenant Eli’Far will also accompany us,” Stiger continued. He had left several men with the eagle and mules back in the forest. “Sergeant Blake, you are with us as well. Lieutenant Ikely, you will secure the main courtyard and both entrances to the castle with the rest of the men. Do not venture beyond the courtyard unless you need to do so. Try to keep your men together. If anyone resists, use force, otherwise allow them to surrender. Once we have dealt with Captain Aveeno, we will worry about securing the rest of the castle. Any questions?”
There were none.
“This is likely to get ugly,” Stiger continued after a moment. “We have to be fast and utterly ruthless. Make sure the men understand. Now let’s get moving. We have a castle to storm.”
They broke up, with the sergeants and corporals shouting orders mixed with curses for the benefit of those watching above. The men sullenly and slowly fell in, as if they resented the interruption of their rest. Above, on the walls, Stiger could see several sentries watching closely.
Stiger handed Nomad’s reins off to a legionary and moved toward the head of the column, with Sergeant Boral in tow. Word had spread quickly, and the men eyed their captain grimly as he joined them. Bennet was one of the first men in the column, which was a spot of honor for his file. Stiger noted it and nodded to the man who had once tried to assassinate him.
“I have your back, sir,” Bennet said quietly, eyeing Sergeant Boral with menace.
“I am a friend,” the sergeant said, holding up his hands to show that he held no ill will for the captain.
“When we come up to them, I would like you and the others to quietly subdue those two men who are standing by the portcullis,” Stiger said to Bennet, making sure not to look in the direction of the two sentries. The two had opened the outer gates behind the portcullis and were presumably remaining to close it after the company passed through.
“Consider it done, sir,” Bennet said, with a grin that sent shivers down Sergeant Boral’s spine. The others, just as dirty and unkempt as Legionary Bennet, nodded with enthusiasm. Boral noted these men moved very differently than their looks belied. He had his doubts about the entire affair, but perhaps this might work after all, he thought. Despite their slovenly appearance, Captain Stiger’s men looked mean and dangerous.
Within minutes, the column began moving toward the castle. Stiger made sure that he walked slightly to the side, four men back, to give the men up front room to act. Eli was at his shoulder. Not unsurprisingly, Father Thomas was just behind Eli, looking like a peaceful friar and far from the holy warrior that he was. His robes did an excellent job of concealing the armor he wore underneath.
The two garrison legionaries manning the inner gate behind the portcullis looked bored as the column approached. They also looked thin and underfed, Stiger noted, wondering if the entire garrison was suffering so.
The column marched into the dark, torch-lit tunnel. The tunnel was chilly and damp, and the tromping of many feet on stone was near deafening. Stiger looked up at the massive portcullis and dark murder holes above and to the sides. Many of his men would
not be out of the tunnel before the action began. He hoped that the murder holes were not manned.
Bennet and several others neatly stepped out of the column and back to the two sentries. Stiger hardly heard the muffled thumps as his men violently but efficiently silenced the first two sentries. Boral looked shocked at how quickly the two had been taken down.
Forty seconds later, Stiger and the front of the column emerged into the bright sunlight of the castle courtyard. To say the courtyard was large would have been an understatement. An entire legionary regiment of 1,500 men could have easily assembled here without feeling the least bit crowded. The men’s metal-studded sandals, magnified by the interior walls of the castle, sounded loud on the granite paving stones.
The castle itself rose to grand heights around them, with stone staircases leading directly up to battlements. On both sides, heavy wooden doors led inward to the bowels of keep and what appeared to be barracks, stables and general living quarters. Some of the doors were open and some were closed. The ones to the keep appeared to be open.
Directly ahead, the entrance tunnel to the valley was sealed; the portcullis was down. That simplified things, the captain thought, relieved. No one would be escaping in that direction.
Two garrison legionaries were leisurely moving toward the valley gate, talking as they strolled forward. Stiger supposed that once the entrance to the pass was closed, the valley gate would be opened so that his company could pass right through. That would not be happening. He and his men were here to stay.
Stiger studied the area critically. Several men, all garrison legionaries, milled about, waiting for all of Stiger’s men to emerge from the tunnel. A few were sergeants and corporals, who, in contrast to their men, looked very well fed. Lieutenant Peal was not in sight. Stiger also noted a line of ten archers had been posted on a large second-story staircase, apparently ready, if needed, to be called into action. They looked bored and unimpressed by the newly-arrived company.
“Where do you think you are going?” A garrison sergeant, who had been waiting, arrogantly demanded of Blake and a handful of others who broke ranks. Blake walked right up to sergeant, a disarming smile of greeting on his face, and without hesitation or any hint of a warning slammed his fist right into the sergeant’s nose. Blood sprayed as the man’s nose broke. Grabbing the man’s shoulders before he could fall backward, Blake pulled him forward and followed up with a knee to the chest and then a kick for good measure, as the sergeant went down. With that, Stiger’s men surged forward. The archers hesitated, shocked at the sudden explosion of violence below them in the courtyard and were unsure of what to do. These were legionaries attacking legionaries. Several, tired of the hell captain Aveeno and his cronies had put them through these past few weeks, quickly threw down their bows, as Stiger’s men drew swords and advanced on them, climbing the stairs. The archers fled higher up the staircases, toward the battlements above, Stiger’s men after them.
In a matter of seconds the courtyard itself was secure, with several of the garrison bleeding and unconscious on the ground. The rest were being rapidly herded together, prodded by swords and shoves. They were quickly and efficiently stripped of their weapons.
A corporal who had surrendered threw a punch at one of Stiger’s legionaries. Without hesitation, another of his legionaries rammed a sword into the man’s back. The corporal screamed, falling off the sword, blood spraying as he collapsed to the ground. That was enough for the rest, who complied without hesitation with these slovenly yet dangerous-looking men.
Up along the battlements, there were several shouts. A steel-tipped arrow fired from above snapped into a paving stone with an audible crack. The missile had landed just feet from the captain. Lieutenant Ikely shouted orders and several additional files went charging up the steps to secure the battlements.
“This way!” Sergeant Boral shouted, pointing toward a large, open door. “Hurry!”
Stiger ordered his men forward. They charged the door, swords drawn, with the captain following closely. Another arrow landed nearby, this time with a meaty thwack, striking one of Stiger’s men in the neck as he was charging up the steps to the battlements. Out of the corner of his eye, Stiger saw the legionary fall to the courtyard, landing in a heap. The man never even screamed as he fell.
Rage bubbled up inside the captain. He wanted to stop and direct the action for the battlements, but knew he could not. He would have to trust Ikely to handle it. There were more pressing matters to attend to. Captain Aveeno, the man responsible, was his objective. One way or another, Stiger vowed, the garrison commandant would pay for what he had done.
One of Aveeno’s men appeared suddenly, attempting to swing the door to the keep shut. Stiger’s men slammed into it, forcing the door and the man back. He was quickly cut down and lay bleeding in an expanding pool of blood.
Stepping over the body, Stiger and his men were in the keep. Oil lanterns and lamps lit the interior, with an eerie, soft, flickering yellow glow. A hallway stretched out before them, along with two staircases leading upward in opposite directions. A shout rang out down the hallway as someone turned and ran in fright.
“Hurry!” Boral called, starting up a staircase. The men followed the sergeant. They charged up the stairs and through the keep, with Boral leading the way. At several points they encountered a number of the garrison. Any who resisted were rapidly cut down. If not, they were thrown down the stairs or simply disarmed and roughly pushed aside, to be collected later.
Moving rapidly, they passed through several doors which, had they been shut, would have proved a significant obstacle. The doors were made of a stout, heavy oak, framed and reinforced with metal supports. Castle servants fled screaming before them as they advanced through the keep. A few cowered in corners as Stiger and his men stormed by.
The group burst out onto a landing, with Boral pointing the way forward through a large doorway. Stiger’s men exploded through it, with the captain only a few feet behind. They found themselves in the keep’s great hall, which was filled with people. Most appeared to be not of the garrison, but civilians from the valley. They looked in shock at Stiger and his men. Several of the women screamed, with most everyone backing away.
Stiger and his men found themselves confronted by their first real, organized resistance. Seven of Captain Aveeno’s legionaries rushed forward, swords swinging, as they pushed their way through the civilians. None were wearing armor or carrying shields. They wore only their service tunics. Stiger’s men met the charge, shields forward, and swords jabbing and slashing efficiently. Stiger stepped forward and caught a sword thrust that had been aimed at one of his legionaries. He deftly turned the stroke aside before jabbing it into the man’s belly. The man screamed and fell backward. Eli’s sword flashed out, lightning fast, catching a stroke meant for the captain. Stiger ducked back and to the side, striking at another sword. Sergeant Blake and several other legionaries appeared, having been delayed by disarming a man they had encountered on the landing. They pushed the captain back and stepped forward, hacking at the enemy.
It was all over in seconds, with all seven of Aveeno’s men dead or dying at their feet. Weapons were kicked away from the wounded. Blake finished one of the wounded off with a quick stab to the throat. The man had had a vicious belly wound and Blake had meant it to be a mercy killing, but the act had the effect of badly frightening the civilians even further.
Stiger took a good look around the room. Perhaps thirty or forty civilians and servants were cowering along the sides of the great hall, which was nearly empty of furniture. A fire burned in a large central fire pit in the middle of the room. Smoke curled lazily upward toward a chimney set in the ceiling above. Along the back wall, a row of windows looked out over the valley. Near these windows sat a great big throne, with a tiger’s pelt draped over the back. A man in a captain’s coat sat upon the throne. In front of him stood two legionary lieutenants, both with their swords drawn. Pure malice was written across their faces.
“Captain Aveeno, I presume?” Stiger pushed himself through his line of legionaries. Rage burned in his heart. There were several things that Stiger wanted to personally do to this man. At the very least, Aveeno would pay for the deaths of Eli’s scouts, not to mention the betrayal of his oath. Eli and Father Thomas moved with him as he advanced across the room and past the fire pit. Oddly, Stiger’s men seemed frozen in place. Stiger did not notice.
“Finally. I thought you would never come!” Captain Aveeno issued a wicked laugh, to show he was unafraid.
“I am Captain Stiger,” Stiger growled. “You will answer for the murder of my people.”
“You care about your revolting men?” Aveeno laughed, spittle flying. “An officer who cares about those beneath his feet … how touching and enlightening!”
Stiger said nothing, but continued forward with Eli and Father Thomas flanking him.
“Since you care, you should know your scouts died screaming, and that I did the deed myself,” Captain Aveeno snarled, standing up from his throne. He pulled forth a wicked-looking sword that had been resting against the throne. It had been hidden from view. The sword was black as night, and seemed to absorb light as Aveeno waved it before their eyes. Hate and malice radiated forth, almost wavelike.
“They sold you out,” Aveeno laughed. “You and your pet elf. A Stiger! Ha! I could not believe my luck! A spoiled, noble brat living off the legend of your dying family name.”
“They told you nothing,” Stiger snarled.
“They told me everything!” Aveeno laughed cruelly, “Your blood will honor my master, but first you will die begging for mercy at my feet as your scouts did!”
Father Thomas, who had been moving with Stiger, took one look at the commandant’s sword and pulled Stiger up short. Stiger shot the paladin a look of pure rage, furious at having been interrupted from unloading his anger on Aveeno. The paladin sensed the rage surging through the captain. Stiger jerked his shoulder in an attempt to pull away, but Father Thomas’ grasp was ironclad. The captain’s rage turned from Aveeno to the paladin. Stiger raised his sword to strike.