by Kris A Hiatt
Three men had quickly fallen from Treace’s attacks before anyone mounted a proper defense against him. To do so, they had to back up closer to the ranks of the men that were fighting Liernin’s guards at the opening to the palace.
Two men moved a half step closer to Treace then, obviously trying to set themselves to face him. They tried to circle to his left, but they were blocked by both their own men and their enemies.
Treace chanced a look over his shoulder to ensure his men were behind him to protect his back. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that three of his men had followed him through the hole. One moved to his left, another right, and the remaining stood behind him.
He looked back to his two newest adversaries, knowing that he’d need to get them down in a hurry if he wanted to get to Disdane. The large man had his back to Treace and was barely twenty feet from him, but numerous enemies stood between them. It didn’t appear to Treace that Disdane was even aware of his presence. The man was too focused on the fight in front of him.
Disdane’s large sword swung up briefly, then down, cutting into the shoulder of the man that was caught by it. Treace realized the man was limited with his fighting. He couldn’t swing it normally in the tight spaces unless he wanted to cut down several of his men in the process. That would work to Treace’s advantage if he could close the gap between them.
Arrows flew out over the front lines and into Disdane’s men, felling more than one. Treace looked for their origination point and was happy to see a line of archers on Liernin’s balcony that overlooked the courtyard. He was impressed by the skill of the archers. The distance wasn’t short and to be able to place shots over the heads of their own men and into the ranks of Disdane’s forces was something Treace knew that he couldn’t accomplish.
Movement in front of him caught Treace’s attention and he instinctively slapped away the sword that had rushed in to greet him. He pushed it upward, driving it harmlessly over his head.
With his enemy’s sword high and out of position, Treace squatted low and drove forward, sword leading, and stabbed upward, driving that sword into the stomach of his enemy. Blood poured over his hand and wrist when he yanked the sword free and come to his full height again, turning to face the other man who had stepped forward.
He didn’t advance on the man, however, because Kiril had already done so. Her fists pumped furiously, striking sword and flesh alike. The weight of her blows pushed the man back toward his own ranks.
A man stepped out then, mostly behind Kiril, his eyes, and sword, trained on her flank.
Treace dashed forward, or started to, but Kiril swung to her right violently, backhanding the sword of the man that approached her. Treace had to skitter to the right to avoid being hit by the sword she’d pushed wide. Kiril followed that up with a left to the man’s face, which laid him low with bone crunching authority.
Treace put his sword into the downed man’s chest, finishing him off.
“You’re not facing him alone,” Kiril assured him.
An arrow flew by him then, missing his shoulder by mere inches. It may have missed Treace’s shoulder high, but it found purchase in the chest of one of his men. He shook off the sickening sight of the arrow protruding from the man’s abdomen, one put there by an archer who was on the same side.
Treace waved his hand, trying to get the archer’s attention in hopes that they’d see that they were also firing into their own men. He caught a glimpse of Captain Snell then. The weathered old man appeared to catch his wave but then faded out of sight. Treace thought maybe he’d bent low to gather more arrows, but then the line of archers began to jumble. It looked like one of them began to attack the others. He recognized the person that was doing the attacking. Jass.
She was irrefutable proof that the boy that had talked to Jak hadn’t made up the story. Treace would have preferred that he did. But, Treace couldn’t change the fact that the psychotic woman was part of the problem, so all he could do was fix it. He gripped his swords a little tighter and had a good idea of how he wanted to resolve the issue.
Treace watched in horror as Jass took down that line of archers one by one. He wasn’t aware that she had such skill with that dagger of hers. Even under the horrible circumstances, he couldn’t help but to be impressed with her prowess. As much as he was impressed, though, he was also horrified. If she was up there, who else was? Was Liernin actually safe? He hoped so. He reminded himself that Liernin had Kint and Tabor with him. He tore his eyes from the fight on the balcony, just barely catching a falling man before he set his sights on Disdane.
Treace darted forward, stabbing the nearest foe in the neck, not bothering to watch the man fall, he moved on to the next, trying to make his way toward their leader.
He fell another two, accepting a slight wound to his left arm in the exchange. It bled freely but looked worse than what it actually was and it wasn’t enough to prevent him from fighting normally.
Arrows began to streak in again, this time they didn’t make it over the heads of Liernin’s men. They were striking them in the backs.
Treace risked another look to the balcony and saw Jass firing arrow after arrow into the backs of the remaining men that were preventing Disdane from making it through the opening. At that rate it wouldn’t be long before Disdane could punch through. He cursed Jass for her involvement and cursed her more when he realized that she was smiling as she killed.
He ignored her and pressed on, getting nearer and nearer to Disdane. After striking down three more men in quick succession, he was only a few more paces from the large man.
Treace hissed in pain as a sword slipped past his defenses and cut into his upper thigh, just below where his leather armor stopped.
“Duck!” a female voice yelled from behind him.
A whooshing sound came from the same vicinity of the speaker and Treace ducked, just as he was instructed. The whooshing sound stopped abruptly, followed by a wooden thud.
Treace looked up to find Griffeth standing over him, swinging her staff up over her head, ready to strike again.
“Sorry I’m late,” Griffeth told him.
Treace didn’t bother to reply. He didn’t have time. Instead, he pivoted away from her and stabbed out, taking down another of Disdane’s men. He reminded himself to thank her later. If they survived.
On his other side, several paces away, Kiril and five of their men were having a good amount of success driving Disdane’s force toward the eastern wall.
Several others rushed up to join Griffeth in an attempt to drive the other half of Disdane’s men toward the western wall.
The ranks of opposition in front of Disdane had thinned dramatically by then. Jass had been very effective with her arrows while the men had their backs turned. The few of Liernin’s men that did remain focused as much on her as they did Disdane.
The large man took advantage of that then and bowled ahead, sword and shoulder leading. The few men in his way got trampled as he pushed his way through the opening.
Once there, the large man’s sword was free to wreak havoc. And that it did. In a matter of seconds Disdane had brought down a handful of men, leaving body parts in his wake. The large man’s men began to pour through the opening behind him and took defensive positions.
To make matters worse, Disdane, and a handful of others, broke away from the main group and appeared to head for the stairs that would lead them to Liernin. Treace couldn’t do anything about it from here. If he only had a bow.
He looked around for Raythien or Moff, hoping one of them could take Disdane down with an arrow before he made it to the stairs, but neither one of them could be found within the throng of combatants. He had to think of something else.
Even though Disdane’s remaining force had been greatly diminished, it was still larger than that of the one that Treace commanded and they would probably never break through. Even if they miraculously did somehow manage to stay alive long enough to do so, it wouldn’t be in time to help Lie
rnin. He needed to find another way in.
Disdane had made his push through the front. Treace suspected the man didn’t post men at the other entrances. It would take Treace time to get to one of the other ways in, but it would be faster than the alternative. He couldn’t think of any other solution. Disdane would get to Liernin long before Treace would arrive. He just hoped that Kint and Tabor were up to the task. It was with that hope that he turned and sprinted back around the building, headed for the training yard. “Griffeth!” he called out. “You’re in charge now. Keep them busy!”
Griffeth had just beaten another adversary over the head and offered a disconcerted look as he went by. Treace ignored her. He didn’t have time to explain.
Kiril faced him then, most likely hearing his commands to Griffeth. He nodded his head toward the east, hoping she’d take the hint and would follow him.
A quick look over his shoulder confirmed that she had understood him. She always could read him easily.
He pushed that thought aside and sprinted on, choosing the quickest course to take him to the training yard.
It wasn’t long before the Iron Anvil came into view. He had many fond memories of the place and realized that even if they did manage to save Liernin and drive Shamir away, the celebrations within the Anvil’s walls would never match those that occurred before the war.
“What do you see?” Kiril asked, breathing heavily.
Treace realized that he had slowed his pace considerably. “Nothing,” he replied. He cursed himself for not concentrating on his task and picked up his pace.
He kept behind buildings for as long as he could, but then when they would offer no further benefit of concealing their approach, he knew he had to make a run directly at the gate. Treace gripped his swords tighter and brought the gate into view. He was relieved to see that no one was standing guard. He assumed that any of his men that had heard the commotion on the other side of the compound would have joined the fray.
“I hope we make it in time,” Kiril said as they paused to survey the gate.
“If anyone can hold off Disdane, it’s your father. He did it once, he can do it again,” he said to reassure her. It had to be difficult for her. Many had already died, many more will soon enough, yet Kint was supposed to be safely tucked away with Liernin. She thought she had lost her father once. The realization that she may do so again must be very hard to come to terms with.
She offered a wan smile and nodded.
He wished he could offer more, but he couldn’t. So instead, he rushed out toward the gate and she followed right behind him.
He moved quickly, yet cautiously, and encountered no one during the short run past the barracks and to the edge of the courtyard. He peeked around the corner, half expecting his remaining force at the opening to be slaughtered by now. He was quite happy to find that wasn’t the case. In fact, Primain had joined the fight and brought numerous men along with him.
Treace looked to the stairs and found them empty. A quick glance at the balcony indicated that it, too, was empty. “We’re clear,” he told Kiril, who nodded.
He pushed off of the wall and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He didn’t slow until he came to the landing short of the top floor.
“I’m glad you know where you’re going,” Kiril remarked in a whisper.
He hadn’t thought about it until then. Kiril had never been to Liernin’s private quarters. He thought it best to describe what to expect when they reached the top of the stairs. “To the left is where the balcony is. To the right is Liernin’s room. It’s about fifty feet down the hall. If anyone is guarding the door, they’ll see us well before we make it there.” He thought about adding that they wouldn’t know if the door was locked until they got there, but realized that if Disdane was there, the door was most likely already battered open.
“Then run fast,” Kiril replied, determination clear in her voice.
He nodded and steeled himself with two deep breaths. The next five minutes could very well shape the future of all of Onneron.
If they weren’t already too late.
Treace rounded the corner and was immediately spotted by the three men that stood guard at Liernin’s door. However, those men weren’t friendly and they got themselves ready for a fight. Of the three, Treace set his sights on the man on the right.
The three began to move toward them slowly. Treace wasn’t going with the slow and methodical approach this time. He closed the gap in a hurry, sprinting right up to the men. He didn’t bother to slow as he neared. Instead, he knelt down at the last moment, sliding across the marble floor between the man furthest on the right and the one in the middle.
Treace slashed out with his right sword and caught his man directly under the knee. To his credit, though, the man reacted quickly and brought his sword down and around, catching Treace on the shoulder at the same time as Treace’s own sword connected. Luckily, Treace’s wonderfully crafted armor absorbed the blow.
The man fell to the floor under the weight of Treace’s powerful strike, fueled further by his added momentum while sliding.
Treace sprang to his feet quickly and turned to face any retaliatory strikes. Before he could fully turn around, though, a body went flying to the floor next to him.
Kiril hadn’t slowed her approach either. While Treace slid down to strike, Kiril bowled straight ahead, driving her shoulder into the left most adversary.
No sooner than the man hit the ground was Kiril raining heavy blows into the lone enemy standing.
Treace seized the opportunity to finish off his enemy who was crying out in pain, clutching at his mangled leg. The bone was clearly broken and pushed hard against the man’s breeches. A quick stab to the throat silenced him.
He spun to meet the foe that Kiril had sent flying. The man was just getting to his feet. Treace kicked out, catching him on the shoulder and sending him flying backward. The man crashed hard into the wall and Treace immediately thrust his sword into his chest.
By the time Treace turned back around to offer support to Kiril, she already had her enemy down and had just finished him off with a punch to the face. Considering that his head was already against the marble floor, her heavy fist weapon had caved in the man’s skull.
Kiril made a disgusted look for a moment before getting to her feet.
They both looked to the doorway at the same time. Not surprisingly, it was open.
Treace heard whimpering from inside Liernin’s quarters, but little else. It sounded like Liern to him, but he couldn’t be certain.
“Is that you, handsome?” Jass asked from inside the room.
Treace and Kiril exchanged glances. Jass being in there and talking freely was not a good sign.
“I appreciate that you think I’m handsome,” Kiril said loudly.
“No need to be jealous, Kiril,” Jass replied. “We both know I meant him. Though I do admit the three of us would have a great time together.”
“Come out in the hall and we can talk about it,” Kiril told her.
“Under different circumstances and if I thought you were serious, I might,” Jass replied in a bored tone. “But you’re just trying to get me out there to face the both of you at once. How’s that fair?”
“You’ll only face me,” Kiril replied. “I promise.”
“That’s the problem, my dear. Why would I want to face the beta of the pack when I can take on the alpha?”
Apparently Jass hadn’t abandoned her idea of wanting to be the one to beat The Wolf. Not that it surprised Treace too much. Jass may be crazy, but everything he knew about her also showed that she was determined. He was about to agree to fight her but Kiril spoke up first.
“Spoiled bitch, you don’t always get what you want,” Kiril said venomously and strode into the doorway.
Treace tried to grab her arm, but just missed it.
As soon as Kiril was through the opening, a flash of steel came in from the left. Luckily, Kiril had her hands high and a
t the ready.
Treace heard two pieces of metal scraping against each other and knew that Kiril had deflected Jass’s blade.
“I didn’t want to kill you, but you’re forcing me to,” Jass said to Kiril.
Kiril’s fists pumped out, driving Jass back out of the doorway, giving Treace room to go through.
Once in, he was both relieved and dismayed by what he saw. Liernin was alive, for that he was happy. But, Tabor was dead, body cut nearly in two. What remained of the man lay in the middle of the large room that served as the primary entertaining area for Liernin and his family. The ceiling in the room was twice the normal height, giving Disdane’s sword the space it needed to do its deadly work. There was no doubt whose weapon made the mortal strike against Treace’s former commander. As horrifying as that was to see, it wasn’t what dismayed him.
In the far corner, Disdane knelt atop Liernin, who was on his stomach. Liernin had no chance of dislodging the much larger and stronger man.
The tip of Disdane’s sword was pressed against Liernin’s back and the large man was pulling down on the sword handle, using his considerable weight to help drive the sword down.
Liernin was alive, thanks to Kint’s barrier, but he was not in a good position to stay that way when the barrier faded. Liern lay on floor with blood gushing from his nose and mouth, and his mother, Amana, lay next to him, unmoving. Through the shimmering magical barrier, Treace could see blood pouring from a wound over Kint’s left eye. A broken chair lay in pieces around him and Treace could picture what had happened. Kint tried to find The Calm and had a chair thrown at him to prevent him from focusing. At some point later, he obviously did, but Kint could have burned Disdane alive had he been given the chance. Something happened to prevent it.
“His barrier won’t last much longer,” Disdane assured him from his position atop Liernin. “I should know. I’ve been in it before, remember?”
Treace did remember. He wished Disdane was in one now. Treace would have his sword at Disdane’s throat, just waiting for the barrier to fall. But it wasn’t. Instead, it was Liernin who was at Disdane’s mercy once Kint’s magic faded. Treace knew how that would end and it wasn’t good.
