‘And? Why did he tell them his real name, after we’ve spent thirds trying to hide it from everyone?’
Killop shrugged.
‘He’s lucky he wasn’t arrested.’
‘Let’s watch the battle,’ Killop said.
Celine frowned, and gave him a narrow-eyed stare. ‘What are you not telling me?’
‘Just stay ready, that’s all.’
‘Ready for what?’
‘Ready to get the fuck out of here, if what Kylon says turns out to be true.’
Her expression changed, and she nodded.
There was a great blast of horns, and the imperial army began advancing, their great shield wall rumbling towards the lines of Holdings.
Killop gazed over the field below them. The Holdings infantry remained where it was, their shields to the front, waiting for the Rahain to get closer, while the heavy cavalry was beginning to pull away to the right, the huge formations of horse-flesh and steel thundering across the plain, as if they were departing the battlefield.
When the Rahain army had closed to a hundred yards, the Holdings artillery opened up, sending a shower of boulders raining down on the imperial lines, each one ploughing into the Rahain ranks.
There was a series of horn-blasts, and the Rahain lines picked up speed. They ran forward ten yards, stopped and, as one, aimed their crossbows through the slits in their shields and loosed. A hailstorm of bolts flew towards the Holdings infantry, peppering their shields and felling several soldiers. The Rahain sprinted forward another ten yards, grounded their shields and shot again. Each time, more Holdings fell. Their soldiers began to shoot their own crossbows into the Rahain lines, but the door-sized shields absorbed the bolts with ease. The outer wings of the Rahain army began to swing round to envelop the flanks of the smaller Holdings force. Killop saw the light cavalry appear from the far left, charging at the right wing of the imperial army from the side and rear, darting back and forth with their lances. They were unopposed, and ripped through the rear of the Rahain units, but there were so many imperial soldiers that overall they were having little impact.
There were a few concerned mutterings from the officers on the platform.
‘This is all part of the plan,’ said Faden, holding a glass. ‘A little patience, everyone.’
They tensed as the front ranks of Rahain reached the Holdings infantry. Both sides were relying on their shield walls, and along the entire front the lines met in a crash of wood and steel. Killop tried to locate the position of the Emperor among the masses of soldiers, but the dust and dirt hung too thick in the air to be sure.
The ground rumbled, and all eyes darted to their right, where the Holdings heavy cavalry appeared, split into its four divisions, each charging a separate area of the Rahain back lines. They had formed into thick wedges of lances and armour, and the leading edges pierced through the imperial ranks like an oar through water.
There was a great cheer on the platform, and several glasses were raised.
There were now two battles going on, and Killop’s eyes darted between them. Near the base of the hill, the struggle between the two sets of infantry was continuing, with the Rahain gaining ground step by step, while a hundred yards behind them, the heavy cavalry were ripping great holes through the enemy ranks, getting closer and closer to the centre of the imperial army.
‘Too noisy,’ said Karalyn, holding her ears.
Killop leaned in close to her. ‘Is the bad man there?’
‘Aye, daddy.’ She pointed to the midst of the battle, where two of the heavy cavalry divisions were nearing.
The nervous chatter among the officers on the platform grew.
‘Come on,’ cried a voice.
‘They’re going to do it!’ said Faden.
At that moment there was a deafening cry, a sickening sound as thousands of horses reared up in agony, throwing their riders, or collapsing and crushing them. All over the battlefield the cavalry stumbled and crashed to a halt. Horses cried out as they fell, creating heaps of armoured flesh. In the midst of the carnage, a lone figure stood, clad in plates of black steel, with his arms raised.
The voices on the platform fell silent. Someone sobbed.
Killop passed Karalyn to Celine. ‘Now,’ he said. ‘Go.’
Celine took the child, her eyes wide and staring, and ran down the path towards the tents. Killop turned. Faden was walking towards the edge of the platform, his mouth open, tears rolling down his cheeks. He stared at the devastation. The officers around him said nothing, weeping at the sight of thousands of slain horses clustered on the battlefield. Around them, Holdings troopers were staggering to their feet. Many had been killed or injured when their mounts had fallen, and Rahain infantry were moving in to surround the survivors.
At the base of the hill, the Holdings infantry remained shield to shield with the Rahain, unaware of the disaster that had overtaken the cavalry. The two wings of the imperial army had now closed in on the flanks of the Holdings, and were beginning to push them back.
‘It’s over,’ cried someone. ‘We must order the retreat.’
Faden said nothing. Mirren took his hand.
Killop slipped off the platform, and ran straight down the side of the hill. He glanced over at the tents, but couldn’t see Celine or Karalyn. He hoped Kylon was getting them far away. He reached the foot of the hill and kept running, veering to the right to avoid the Holdings catapults and artillery, now lying abandoned, their crews gone. Ahead of him were the rear ranks of the Holdings infantry, pushing and shoving the backs of their comrades ahead of them as the Rahain forced them back. Killop ran past them, swooping to pick up a shield that had been cast to the ground. A small paddock was laid out to the side of the catapults, where the heavy cavalry had been based that morning, and Killop vaulted the fence.
‘Stop!’ cried a Holdings soldier. ‘You can’t come in here.’
Killop pushed him aside, sending him flying to the ground. He picked up a saddle from a fence post, and prepared the largest horse in the paddock. He leapt up into the saddle. The beast reared, and stamped its hooves.
‘Come on, you stupid bastard,’ Killop muttered, kicking his heels and pulling on the reins. The horse took off, galloping across the paddock, and jumping over the fence. Killop pulled hard, and they skidded to the right, the horse kicking up great sods of earth as he clung on. He raced the horse across the length of the rear ranks of Holdings, and broke out past the advancing left wing of the Rahain, who dove out of the way of the charging beast.
He burst through the remaining lines of infantry and wheeled to the left. Rahain soldiers turned to stare as he sped past, and a few bolts were aimed in his direction. Killop pointed the nose of the horse at where he had seen the figure in black, and urged it on. They approached the area where the heavy cavalry had attacked, and the ground became littered with dead horses, Rahain infantry, and Holdings troopers. A multitude of small confrontations were taking place, with pockets of troopers holding off attacks from larger Rahain units.
Killop saw the Emperor. He was striding across the battlefield, surrounded by a tight bodyguard of Rahain soldiers, pointing his arm at any group of Holdings he approached. Killop dismounted by a piled mound of horse flesh, and drew his sword, crouching. The Emperor reached a group of Holdings, who were fighting back-to-back against a circle of advancing Rahain. He flicked his wrist, and the troopers fell to the ground, their eyes bursting from their heads.
Killop crouched lower amid the carpet of dead, and took a breath.
Where was she?
The battlefield covered a hundred acres; he was an idiot for thinking he would be able to find Daphne among such slaughter.
‘Killop!’
He turned, and Daphne crashed into him from the other direction. She was shaking, blood coming from a wound to her left temple. Her sword was drawn, and was bloody and notched. She kissed him, and he tasted the blood on her lips.
He stared at her.
‘Karalyn told
me you were out here,’ she yelled, as they crouched with their backs to the mound of dead horses. ‘She wasn’t pleased you ran off like that.’
‘I’ll make it up to her,’ he grunted, ‘as soon as I get you the fuck out of here.’
Daphne peered over the mound in the direction of the Emperor. ‘If only I could get close enough to him,’ she said, ‘then we could salvage something from today.’
Killop leaned up next to her. The black-clad figure of the Emperor was now a hundred yards away. He was standing as a pile of wood was being built, made from discarded shields and broken-up wagons. Daphne withdrew a whistle from her belt, and let out a long, low blast. Within a minute, several other troopers had crawled out of their hiding places, and were assembling behind where Daphne and Killop sheltered. Groups of Rahain forces still scoured the area, but the great majority of the enemy was continuing to engage the Holdings infantry over to their left.
‘We’re going to give it one last try,’ Daphne said to the troopers, ‘while he’s distracted getting that fire ready. Split up into pairs, and make your way over there. Attack if you get close enough. Come on.’
Daphne ran off, keeping her head low, and sprinted to another heap of corpses. Killop frowned, but followed, and the other troopers began to set off on their own routes towards the Emperor. Daphne and Killop dodged from cover to cover, running and crouching, until they reached a deep ditch. They clambered down to its bottom and looked over the edge. The Emperor had his back to them, a mere twenty yards away.
‘You should stay here,’ Daphne said to Killop, ‘in case this goes wrong.’
‘Not a fucking chance.’
She nodded. ‘Cover me, then.’
As she was about to launch herself up over the side of the ditch, a pair of Holdings troopers rushed out from the left, straight at the Emperor. From ten yards away they knelt, and each loosed a crossbow bolt, striking the Emperor in his side and chest, and knocking him off his feet.
‘Yes!’ Daphne cried, scrambling up the bank.
Killop leapt up after her, as the Rahain in charge of building the fire turned to face the attacking troopers. Killop and Daphne slammed into the group of Rahain side by side, cutting them down. The other troopers joined them, and they began to push the Rahain back.
The Emperor staggered to his feet, and ripped the bolts from his body. He glared at the Holdings troopers, his teeth bared, and raised his hand. He moved his fingers from right to left, and the heads of the troopers exploded. Daphne dived to the ground, Killop next to her. He reached an arm over her as the Emperor turned to face them. Killop stared back in silence, ready to die.
The Emperor’s gaze passed over them. He spat on the ground, then turned and ordered the Rahain to continue building up the fire. Killop stayed frozen. Every Holdings trooper lay dead, only he and Daphne were unharmed. In silence, they crawled back to the ditch, and fell in.
‘How?’ Daphne whispered. ‘How are we still alive?’
Killop lay back, panting, his hands shaking.
A hand touched his arm.
‘Daddy!’
He jumped back in shock as he saw Kylon next to him in the ditch, Karalyn strapped to his back.
‘What the fuck?’ he cried.
Daphne sprang over him, her right fist connecting with Kylon’s nose.
‘You bring my daughter to a battle?’ she yelled. ‘I’ll kill you.’
Kylon struggled, but Daphne clung on, punching him again.
‘I saved you,’ Kylon gasped.
Killop pulled Daphne off Kylon. ‘Not now,’ he whispered. ‘We get Karalyn to safety first, then you can kick his arse.’
Daphne had murder in her eyes, but backed off.
‘Mummy angry,’ said Karalyn.
‘Come on,’ Killop said, ‘let’s move.’
‘Wait,’ said Daphne. ‘Kara-bear, is Aunty Chane still alive? Can you see her?’
Killop peered over the lip of the ditch as Karalyn gazed around. The Emperor was urging the Rahain on, driving them to make the pile of fuel larger. Killop slid back down the ditch as Karalyn nodded.
The girl pointed back towards where the initial cavalry charge had floundered, out among the sea of horse-flesh.
They set off, running at a crouch along the bottom of the ditch until they came to a mound of corpses, with both horses and Holdings mingled in a heap.
‘Chane there,’ Karalyn said.
‘Good girl,’ Daphne muttered, and started to pull the bodies from the pile. Killop and Kylon helped, dragging the corpses from the heap, until their hands and arms were thick with blood and gore. At the bottom of the heap they found her. Chane was unconscious, and had multiple wounds.
‘Her armour saved her from getting crushed,’ Kylon said. ‘We’ll carry her back.’
‘Getting through the Rahain lines might be tricky,’ said Daphne.
‘Ye still don’t get it, do you?’ Kylon said. ‘It’s not just the Emperor who’s blind to her. When she hides, no one can see her, or us, if we stick close to her. All we have to do is walk back through their lines. Celine is waiting with horses for us on the other side of the ridge.’
‘Celine agreed to this?’
‘I might have lied to her about what I was going to do.’
The sound of an explosion reached them, and the ground trembled. Killop looked up at the hillside. The command platform, where he had been standing with Faden and Mirren, was bathed in flames. Figures on fire ran from the terrace screaming, or toppled off the edge and fell down the slope. At the bottom of the hill, the Holdings infantry were in full retreat, streaming back over the hills, throwing their shields and weapons behind them as they ran.
‘Shit,’ said Killop. ‘This battle’s over.’
‘We’ll fight on,’ said Kylon. ‘We must.’
Daphne stared at him. She unstrapped Karalyn from his back, and held her close. Killop and Kylon picked up the body of Chane, and they began the long walk back across the battlefield.
Rahain soldiers marched or ran past without noticing them, and they were ignored all the way to the ridge. Kylon led them on for another mile to the left, down into a thick dell, where Celine was standing. Next to her four horses were saddled and ready to go.
Daphne fell to her knees, exhausted. Killop took Karalyn, and helped Daphne onto a horse.
Celine gazed at them. ‘How the fuck did you get away?’
Killop frowned as he leapt up into the saddle of his horse, Karalyn in one arm. He settled her down in front of him, and took the reins.
Celine also mounted. ‘Killop?’
He glared at Kylon, who was getting into his own saddle.
‘Ask me later.’
Celine gazed from Killop to Kylon, then to Daphne, frowning.
‘What did you do?’ she said to the Kell man in black.
Kylon shrugged. ‘What I had to.’
Celine leaned over in her saddle and slapped him across the face.
‘You endanger that child again, and I’ll kill you myself.’
Daphne looked up, her eyes half closed. ‘Not if I get to him first.’
Killop turned, and gazed up at the great peaks of the Shield Mountains, which ran across the northern edge of the Holdings, continuing on into the far west. They kicked their heels and their horses took off at a trot along the path at the base of the dell, growing further from the noise on the battlefield with every stride, until there was nothing but the still silence of the plains.
Chapter 19
Cry for Help
North of Akhanawarah City, Imperial Rahain – 10th Day, Last Third Autumn 507
Bridget sat alone, her cloak wrapped round her to keep out the chill breeze. She stared out at the hills and valleys of Northern Rahain, the wild lands above the Tahrana Valley, where no one dwelt. Laodoc watched her from where he sat with the others round a warm camp fire. Dyam and Dean were preparing a meal from two large birds that Lola had shot earlier that morning. It would be their first warm food in several
days, and Laodoc’s stomach was grumbling.
Agang sat to his left, deep in thought, while Lola and Tara, the young Rakanese woman, were on his right.
‘Thank you for catching our breakfast,’ said Laodoc amid the silence.
Lola grunted.
Tara rattled off a string of angry-sounding words in her own language, staring at Laodoc as she said them. He smiled at her, but she seemed to become annoyed, and looked away, shaking her head.
‘She’s probably just hungry,’ Agang muttered.
Laodoc sighed. ‘No, she’s angry with me, and she has a right to be, I suppose. She would have been home days ago if it weren’t for me slowing you all down.’
‘It’s not your fault.’
‘It is. I’m a foolish old man who should have realised that a journey such as this would be too much for me. You’re all young and fit, my friend. The reason we’re only managing a few miles each day is entirely down to my old bones.’
‘You should have built some roads up here when you were chancellor,’ Dyam said, winking at him. ‘Then we could have taken the wagons with us, and we could all be relaxing, instead of lugging our gear over these hills.’
She finished skewering the two plucked birds, and placed them over the fire.
‘Turn them every minute or so,’ she said to Dean, who nodded, his eyes staring at the ground. She opened her pack and pulled out a waterskin. ‘At least there are plenty of streams,’ she said. ‘Could be a lot worse.’
‘It’s just a few more miles to Silverstream,’ said Agang, ‘if we understand Tara correctly.’ He turned to Laodoc. ‘You’ve done fine,’ he smiled, ‘for an old man.’
Laodoc nodded, but felt shame creep through him. He was slowing everything down, his weak and stupid limbs growing tired after only a mile or two into each march. Agang and Dyam had tried to make light of it, but he could sense the frustration from the others, and had earned many a dirty look from Tara whenever they had stopped for another break to accommodate him.
At least she was looking healthier, he reflected. The rashes and bruises on her skin had faded since they had left the poisoned city of Akhanawarah. While the rest of them had lost weight, she had put on a little, as even their meagre rations were better that what she had survived on in captivity. Despite her impatience with him, Laodoc had spent many hours trying to communicate with Tara. They had established that she had been on a scouting expedition from Silverstream, when she and a number of companions had been captured by the Rahain looters. She had signalled her ignorance of the name of Shella, but Laodoc wasn’t convinced, believing that she might be lying to protect her.
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