“For what?”
“For not trying to be heroic and for listening to everyone’s advice and for not making me so angry at you I couldn’t sleep.”
“I haven’t noticed you not sleeping,” he replied.
“Well of course not,” she said, “men go to sleep and women think and worry.”
“That seems like a bad way to do things, if you ask me. And how do you know all men fall asleep?”
“Women talk,” she said simply with a smile in her voice.
“Man’s greatest fear,” he said.
“That women talk?”
“Oh, no, we know that can’t be stopped,” which earned him a finger in his ribs, “it is what they talk about that frightens us.”
Lissette rolled over on top of him and kissed him long and deeply. Then with her voice filled with mischief she said, “You, my love, have nothing to fear. In fact, there are some things you do that seem to be new here and you are gaining quite the reputation.”
“What! What things? What have you told them?” He was completely exasperated and wondered how he was ever going out in public again.
Lissette giggled and moved her body around on top of his as if he wasn’t aware of it enough already. She kissed him again and said, “Why don’t I point them out as they come up.” Any response he might have had was quickly forgotten.
THIRTY-FOUR
The army began to move after an early breakfast. There was no attempt at stealth and the fast pace of before was slowed so the humans could keep up. The Mountain Elves and some from the enclave did go on a head to scout and establish positions. The trip was uneventful though it took most of the day. The elven scouts met them about a mile in from the clearing and began directing traffic. Fires were prepared all around the edge of the clearing. It spread the army thin but they had little fear of attack and from the castle walls it would make them seem ten times bigger than they were. They also made sure there was movement near all the fires so watchers from the castle could fuel their imaginations.
The mood in the camp was almost merry. They were expecting a quick and easy victory. Most wanted to believe the Baron would give up. Older, wiser heads knew better, but there was no audience for their cautions.
Shortly after dawn, Basil rode into camp. He was escorted to an area where a table had been set up and the advisors and leaders of Daniel’s army greeted him.
“Quite the show, I must say,” Basil opened in an obviously cheery mood. His smile went all the way to eyes. “The fires were brilliant and word in the castle is that you can cut the fear with a knife. We hear some tried to bribe their way out during the night and are now tied to stakes in the courtyard.”
“One day,” Daniel said, “you need to tell me how you get information in and out of there.”
“No, I don’t,” the Baron Below replied with a big smile. “That is a secret I intend to keep. Much like the one you kept from me.”
“I don’t have any secrets to keep,” Daniel replied.
“Please,” Basil laughed, “had I known you were the chosen one I might have wanted you to stay as my guest a bit longer.”
Now it was Barton’s turn to laugh. “Basil, after you saw the rolling hill and the moat explosion, I feel sure you were relieved that we left when we did.”
“Yes, fair enough. I have been considering having a mural done to commemorate the event.”
“Enough is enough,” Daniel said, “I am glad everyone enjoyed the show but we need to know how many you have and when your people will be ready. The plan is to have the whole army step into sight at once.”
“My people are ready now,” Basil replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand, “and are prepared for whatever the Baron might try to pull.”
A chair was brought to the table for Basil and the layout of soldiers and signals was explained until well understood.
-------------------------------
The Baron had seen the fires’ light starting in front of the portcullis. They spread both directions all around the edge of his defensive clearing as if they were connected. His guards had seen it, too. He knew they were afraid, and as he was strolling the ramparts with Captain Tayler, his intent was to inspire confidence. Some of the guards tried to put a brave face on it, but he knew he was losing control and it was their Captain they took their cues from.
“Captain, when the rebel leader and I face off, it will be up to you to keep the guards steadfast. When I kill him, some of his army may attack anyway. I believe if their first assault fails they will lose heart and fade back into the trees. We have to hold them out.”
“Baron, this is a dangerous gamble. We only have eighty guardsmen who can fight on their feet and some of them are walking wounded. We could press another twenty or thirty into service but they have no training or fighting skills so they won’t last long filling in gaps. Baron, as your guard captain, I have to ask, what happens if you fall?”
The Baron thought for a moment. The Captain wasn’t being impertinent, it was a possibility, however slight, the Baron thought, and without orders the Captain would act on his own. God only knew what an underling might do without direction. ”I take no offense to your question. The possibility of a nobody standing before nobility and succeeding is slight, but as my father used to say, the greatest knight can be laid low by a farmer with a pitch fork and surprise. So to answer your question, if I am dead, I won’t care, but when the King comes to sort this out, if you are the man who held the castle, he might not take off your head.
I will leave letters on my desk for the King, explaining what has happened and who he can trust. If I live it doesn’t matter, if I die and you live, you are to get those to the King.”
The Captain nodded his acknowledgement and continued the walk with the Baron in silence. While no one spoke, the Baron’s mind was racing. If he died he would be erased from history as the end of a failed line. Even if he won there was no stopping the angry mob from killing him. He had a card to play but it opened doors to other problems.
He left the Captain on the wall and walked to his chambers deep in thought. To make this work he needed someone either completely loyal or absolutely terrified of him. He didn’t trust anyone to stand on their own without him looking over their shoulder so it had to be terror. Who did he intimidate so completely? This would require some thought.
In his chambers, he kept going over options and was down to one, he would have hell to pay with the king but losing the Barony to rabble wasn’t any better. Rabble blades or the headsman’s blade made no real difference, he was dead either way unless he won it all. Waiting until everyone was asleep, he made his way to the dungeon to have a little chat.
It was mid-morning when the signal went out and the army of now eight hundred, bolstered by Basil’s men, moved out of the woods and town into the clearing. They moved far enough that the back rows were on the edge of the trees so a frightened wall guard might assume there were even more of them farther back where he couldn’t see.
They stood for about twenty minutes before the portcullis opened and Jason rode out alone. He rode all the way to the line of soldiers and dismounted before the wall of men and women. An elf strode forward, and the wall parted letting him through. “You look well, Durbin,” Jason offered.
“Better than you, I think. What is wrong?” Durbin asked, not liking the look on Jason’s face.
“Best I tell all at the same time, the news is not good.” Jason’s tone matched his face which did not help reduce Durbin’s concern.
Durbin led him to the command table and they waited till all the circle had gathered. The last to arrive was Draskin, as he had been farthest away, moving toward the backside of the castle.
The demand took less than a minute to relay.
“The Baron believes that if he wins, despite any assurances Daniel might give, the castle will be stormed and he will die.” Several of the heads nodded as if they agreed with the obvious.
“We intend to let him surrender,” Daniel replied.
“He is past that. His thinking is not far wrong, even if he lives, the King is likely to strip him of his lands and title and maybe even have him executed. So he has new demands.” Jason paused not wanting to even speak the words. “He says Daniel must give his word that he will use no magic in the duel. All must agree and swear that this army will disband if Daniel is felled.”
“He would trust our word?” Calden asked incredulously.
“No, he trusts no one. He told me that he had a hostage and that the hostage’s life was contingent on the bargains being kept.”
“Who would he use as a hostage? One of his castle dwellers, some town’s folk? Ridiculous,” Barton almost spat.
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me anything other than to deliver the message and then we should walk to the clearing and wait.”
“Wait for what?” Alan asked.
“I don’t know,” Jason replied. “He was almost giddy with his secret but I fear what he may be up to. He said to say his hostage could be verified in the gate.”
“Then let us see his trick,” Draskin said, rising. They all followed him to the front of the standing army and looked toward the castle.
While they waited, Aldon asked, “Is he good enough with the rifle to hit Daniel from the wall?”
The question caused a stir among them but Daniel shook his head. “With that rifle and that ammo no one could hit us.”
Feeling better, they stood and waited. It took only a few minutes for them to notice a stir at the gate. The portcullis was still open and now two men supporting a third person walked to the center of the gateway.
The first gasp came from Draskin. The second sound was Lissette launching herself and screaming one word. “Mother!”
Despite her head start Daniel caught her quickly and had to pick her up off the ground and hold her in his arms to keep her from trying to run. The men standing by were watching the struggle and talking animatedly. Daniel was doing his best to block her attempts to break loose and, at the same time, calm her enough for reason. She kept screaming ‘let me go’ and ‘I have to get to her’ as she struggled to break free.
“Lissette! Lissette, listen to me! Lissette, do you want her to die?” Daniel repeated this twice before it seemed to break through and her struggling slowed.
“Lissette, if you go to her, you will give him two hostages and that will only make things worse. Think! Is that the best thing to do?”
She looked into his eyes, finally, and held them for a second before she began to sob almost violently. He carried her back to the line and then on toward the command table and the others followed silently.
By the time he got to the table she was calming and insisting she be put down. As her tone gained more iron he complied. He kept his arm around her as they sat in the chairs and the others joined them. Looking at the others, he saw a variety of emotions displayed. Elf or not, all were showing their feelings, save one. Draskin’s face was a rigor of stone. His face was frozen, as if moving a muscle would let out things no one should ever see. The lack of expression, and the tension to keep the emotions in him, made his reaction the strongest of all.
Several seconds passed before anyone dared to speak, and it was Daniel. “The path is clear. I have no choice but to give him what he wants. Make sure that no one stands in the line of fire by a good space, Aldon, I don’t want anyone hurt accidently by a missed shot.”
“But we all agreed,” Calden interrupted, but he never finished the sentence. It was clear to all that the Baron had changed the rules.
“Alan, I have a favor to ask you,” Daniel said, his tone cold and level.
“Anything, Daniel, what can I do?”
“Jason, you have this message to carry to the Baron. Tell him that Alan will stand at a point halfway between us, but out of the line of fire. We will keep our rifles at our sides and the bolts open so it is clear they cannot be easily fired. Alan, you will take a piece of white cloth and drop it. When the cloth hits the ground we pick up our rifles and fire. We continue to fire until one of us is down.”
No one spoke. There was nothing they could say. “Tell the Baron that we will move to fifty paces either side of Alan,” Daniel continued.
They digested the rules, and Jason nodded his understanding.
“You seem to know how to do this. Is dueling common in your world?” It was Draskin who asked. His tone had no color but he was looking at Daniel intently.
“No,” Daniel replied, “this will be my first time, but I have watched a lot of old westerns.”
They had no idea what he was referring to, and this time no one asked.
“Jason, tell the Baron we will begin walking in a quarter hour. If he is late, we take the castle anyway. Tell him we don’t trust his word and he has no honor to rely on. Tell him everyone watching knows he has to hide behind a woman to try and prove he is a man. Tell him I said Lissette is much happier with a real man than a eunuch. Tell him just like that - every word, and tell him just before he begins to walk.”
Jason blanched at the message he had to carry. Others shifted uneasily at the laden insults. “Daniel, he will be furious - in a killing rage.” Jason said barely above a whisper.
“That is the point; I want him to be angry. Angry fools make mistakes. Anger might work in a sword fight but it does not keep a rifle steady. Remember, one quarter hour or we storm the castle. Tell him if we have to storm the castle, it would be best for him to take the coward’s way out and kill himself. If he is alive, I will deliver the death of a thousand cuts.”
“Daniel, I don’t know what that is.” Jason said.
“Don’t worry, Jason, I do.”
Jason rose slowly then nodded to the group and began walking to where he left his horse. Draskin caught up with him before he reached the army and spoke to him as they walked. When they reached the horse, Jason turned to Draskin and shook his hand then mounted and rode away.
Durbin and Aldon spoke in quiet tones, then took their rifles and moved to the south at a run. Others saw this and fanned out to the north for a clear line of fire. There had been no discussion amongst any of Daniel’s closest allies, only a few glances to assure everyone was of like mind.
Daniel rose and walked to where he kept his rifle and ammunition. He grabbed a handful of rounds and put them in a pouch that would open easily. He pulled back the bolt and put one cartridge in the chamber leaving the bolt open as required. He was so focused, he had not noticed that he was followed.
She stood silently watching him. His concentration on what he was doing was complete and seeing that made her feel calmer. When he turned and saw her, she came to him and put her arms around his neck. ”I am terrified of losing you,” she whispered, “but the elves are right, some humans are still animals and that rabid bastard needs to be put down. He kept me there until I gave up hope that mother could be alive. Now I know I abandoned her and it has all come to this.” She was fighting back tears and began to sob with those slight catches in her breath.
“You couldn’t have done anything to help her, even if you knew she was alive. That man bears sole responsibility for his cruelties and all his actions.” Then with a slight smile he leaned down and gave her a kiss. When their lips parted he whispered, “If I lose, you have my permission to kill his sorry ass.”
Despite or perhaps because of her trauma and fears she laughed and sounded a bit more like her normal self. “I do not need your permission to kill him, but I am glad to have your blessing. You come back to me and I will make it worth your while,” she said softly. “And I can introduce you to your mother-in-law.”
Daniel coughed and laughed, “I look forward to it,” he said, “but you really know how to kill a moment.” At that they both laughed and she hugged him one more time before letting go. He secured the pouch, gathered the rifle into his right hand and started walking toward the clearing.
The warriors parted without a word and let Daniel and Lissette walk through. As the couple passed, the gap closed behind them.
As Daniel and Lissette started to walk toward the castle, Draskin was running for all he was worth. His plan required him to be on the opposite side of the castle when the shooting started and he needed to be there in no more than five minutes, and it was two miles away since he needed to take a wide arch through the tree.
THIRTY-FIVE
When Captain Tayler saw Arolwyn, he was struck dumb. How had she been kept in the castle without him knowing? She had been a beautiful woman with a glow about her when he had seen her last, and now she was a thin dirty shadow of herself. His shock turned to anger at the situation, at the madness, and finally at the Baron. If the Baron won on the field, he had to be stopped one way or another.
Elves- the Book of Daniel Page 31
