Katla nodded. “Thank you. Would you rather I finish you or leave you here for Lambert to find?”
Hussain shook his head. “My wounds are severe. Even if Lambert got here in time to save me he wouldn’t waste time or men to care for me. Finish me now and let the gods decide where my soul belongs.”
Katla leaned in and placed a kiss on Hussain’s forehead. “May your soul go to a place where warriors roam, you fought and died with honor.” She then slipped a knife between his ribs and into his heart. She then stood. “We need to get going. If we get to Blackpool before Symons, we should be safe. I doubt he’d follow us further east than that.” She wiped her blade clean and recoiled the whip.
“That was awfully kind of you to give him those parting words, especially after threatening to send his soul to the depths of hell,” Nathan said as he gathered his gear.
“He was a warrior. He deserved a warrior’s death. I would never send a man’s soul to hell that didn’t deserve it. I only needed him to fear the possibility. We should take the horses, by morning they will be fresh, and we can all switch mounts.”
Nathan followed as Katla started gathering up the enemies’ horses. The encounter had been brief and savage. Ten men dead in only a short time. Katla’s ability to fight four men at once had been the deciding factor in the battle. He’d been able to focus on the men on the flanks, knocking them off one at a time without distraction. It had totally destroyed the blackguard warriors attack plan. And in her hands the hellfire whip had caused havoc. Nathan couldn’t help but wonder what had inspired him to make a weapon that would be so deadly in her hands. Was it random or his destiny? Was there a great plan at play he simply couldn’t see or understand or was luck and fate to blame. It was a question he couldn’t answer yet and perhaps never would have one for. All Nathan knew was Katla had proven herself to be a deadly warrior and if it weren’t for her and the whip he’d likely be dead. If he’d come back by himself to deal with the scouts he’d have had to face ten well trained warriors by himself. The outcome of such a fight would’ve been decidedly different than what had just transpired.
30
From his horse Lambert Symons looked down on the carnage.
“They fought two warriors,” said one of the platoon scouts. “Hussain and three others came straight at the two while the rest came wide to flank them. The smaller one, a woman from the size of her footprints, fought off the frontal attack while the second took out the flanks with his bow. The woman killed all four men and then a fifth after the archer knocked him down.”
A woman killed five men? Lambert couldn’t believe it. Thankfully it was Hussain that fell to a woman and not him. “How long ago?”
“Judging by the bodies, half a day,” said the scout.
Lambert swore. They were still half a day behind the group and closing fast on Blackpool and enemy territory. They also now had the horses of Hussain and his men. The plan to send Hussain ahead had totally backfired. “Let’s get moving. With any luck they will be spotted before the pass and our troops block them from getting to Blackpool.”
Lambert and his men arrived at the pass only to find that Stoneblood and his companions had slipped through during the night. Not one of the king’s men had seen them, the only sign was the trail their horses left. Lambert sent his scouts to follow the trail as close to Blackpool as they could. Perhaps if the rest of the king’s troops attacked Blackpool he would have a chance to complete his mission.
“I’d really like someone to explain to me how eight riders with another ten horses slipped by an entire army during the night,” Lambert yelled at General Gregson.
General Gregson put down his parchment and looked up at Lambert Symons. “My task is to stop an uprising in the east, not look out for riders heading east. And in case you haven’t noticed this part of the pass is almost three miles wide. My scouts are positioned to protect our camps, not stop people from heading east. Stoneblood is your problem not mine. I have enough of my own to deal with. All our troops in the east have been attacked. Those that are still alive have been forced to retreat, the rest are dead or scattered about and in hiding. And every time we enter the pass, Lord Kimberley and his troops send us back. They are heavily fortified and have archers and trebuchets that are ranged for the narrowest part of the pass. To attack in numbers would be suicide. We must wait until our own heavy artillery arrives before any attempts to move east are made.”
“King Parth considers killing the Stoneblood Prince to be of paramount importance,” Lambert said.
“And yet he only sent you and fifty men.” General Gregson ran his hand through his short grey hair. “I tell you what. If by some chance your scouts find that Stoneblood didn’t go directly into Blackpool, I’ll give you another platoon of riders and create a diversion attack, so you can get your men past the enemy lines. You’ll have to do it at night. That is the only chance you have to get so many riders through. But if he is in Blackpool you’ll just have to wait until the heavy artillery arrives. There is no way we are getting into Blackpool without it.”
Lambert stared at the general. He wanted to slap the bastard, but he was at his mercy. The failure of Hussain meant that Lambert needed the general. “Thank you,” Lambert said curtly.
“There is another platoon of blackguards here. You can take them. I’m sure they’d relish the opportunity to avenge Hussain. The men actually liked him.”
Lambert nodded stiffly before storming out of the general’s tent. At least the general wasn’t saddling him with green recruits. Now he needed good news from the scouts. He had no idea why Prince Stoneblood was traveling east but it didn’t matter. The king had been very clear, someone was losing his head and Lambert had no intentions of being the one.
It took a couple of hours for the first scout to return from the pass, which really wasn’t a pass but a narrow valley between the two mountain ranges that came together where the landmass that encompassed the four eastern cities jettisoned out from the rest of the southern landscape. The scout wasted little time filing his report.
“They didn’t head towards Blackpool, they’re headed north.”
Lambert nodded. “How hard will it be to slip by the blockade?”
The scout scratched his head as he pondered the situation. “Well, most of the Blackpool men and their artillery are in the valley which runs south towards Blackpool. If we stuck to the trees on the northern side, we could slip through with minimal damage if we weren’t seen. But if we are seen we’d be pinned behind enemy lines.”
“That is a risk we’ll have to take. General Gregson has promised a diversion. Prepare the men, we leave at midnight.” Lambert didn’t care if he lost every single man, as long as Nathan Stoneblood died. Surely the nearly one hundred men he would be taking with him was more than enough to destroy the party of riders and the prince.
…
After slipping through the pass, Nathan had been sure that they were free from pursuit, but when an explosion rocked the valley that night, Katla had simply looked up into the night sky and the glow of fire in the west and said “Diversion.” If she was right that put them a day ahead of Lambert Symons. They’d gained ground during the day, but some of that would be lost if Lambert and his men traveled during the night. It was a race to the coast that they couldn’t afford to lose. He and Katla had been lucky due to the troops underestimating them, he doubted that would happen twice.
Shayla slipped up to Nathan as he stood watch. “You think they are out there?” It was too dark to see her face, but her voice was easy enough to recognize. She wasn’t due to replace him on watch for another couple hours.
“Yes. I think Katla was probably correct about that explosion. She hasn’t been wrong yet about the pursuit, no point doubting her now. Why are you awake? Can’t sleep, or something on your mind?"
“A little of both. I was asleep until I felt Caritha.”
“You can sense your dragon again. That is good,” Nathan said.
“Yes.
It is very relieving, and I can feel my powers regaining as she comes closer. Soon she will be here.”
Nathan frowned. He could hear the worry in her voice. “So, what is the problem?”
“These troops they aren’t following me. They’re after you. Raven and I can’t leave you to fend for yourselves, not after you have helped us escape the Sacred Blood. Even if we make it too Crasmere before the troops do there is no guarantee that you’ll be safe. I don’t see a scenario where we don’t end up fighting.”
“Neither do I,” admitted Nathan. “But that can’t be helped. It seems the king is determined to make an enemy of me.”
“Yes, I agree. And I will help you fight them. Now that my powers are returning I will no longer be a burden for you and your friends. But I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“That we fight before Caritha arrives. Solotine has not dealt with many dragons before. It would be a tragedy if the first encounter was in battle. Apophis, the alpha dragon, is trying very hard to create peace between man and dragon. The less human blood shed from dragons the better.”
“I guess that settles it.”
“What do you mean?” Shayla asked.
“Your concerns are the same concerns I have, only I wasn’t worried about Caritha, I was worried about the people of Crasmere. I can’t lead an army of the king’s soldiers into their town. If anyone from Crasmere died it would be blood on my hands. King Parth may want a war with me but the people of Crasmere don’t. It is time we stopped running.”
“I’m just sorry for putting you in this position. Maybe it would’ve been better for Raven and I to try to make our way east through Northern Solotine.”
“My problems with the king started long before your arrival in Solotine. Besides, the actions of the Sacred Blood affect all of Solotine. Dragons have only just returned and yet they wish to resume the old fights. They would drag all of Solotine into a war if they could, and we already have enough problems of our own. Between King Parth and Lord Zellox, Solotine has enough problems without the Sacred Blood trying to drag us into a dragon war. Helping you was the right thing to do and no matter what happens we will hold our heads high knowing that.”
“Thank you,” Shayla said. “Why don’t you get some sleep. I’m too wired to sleep.”
Nathan agreed and headed to bed. He felt better after talking to Shayla. The dragonblood woman’s concerns had helped him make the decision that had been troubling him ever since he and Katla fought with the king’s men. Was running all the way to the coast or stopping and fighting the right decision. Now at least he could go to sleep knowing Shayla and Raven would support the decision and not see it as a betrayal. Now knowing Shayla wanted to fight before they reached the help of her dragon made his decision much easier. Come morning he would speak to the rest of the group and see where they stood.
Nathan woke to the sound of a crackling fire. Stretching out and wiping the night dust from his eyes, he noticed Katla putting a green branch onto the fire. The wood instantly started creating smoke as the wood hit the hot flames.
Katla noticed his look and smiled. “My feet were cold. And after we killed the last two scouts I wanted to make sure our trail easy to find.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow.
“Sound carries at night. I heard you and Shayla talking last night. I agree with both of you. It’s time to stop running.”
Nathan looked over to Hanna who was also awake and drinking a mug of what smelled like hot cocoa. She simply nodded and took another sip of her drink. “We’ll be outnumbered. There is no telling how many men have joined the group chasing us.”
“The number doesn’t matter,” Hanna said. “We are only a day’s ride from Crasmere now. Soon we’ll be running in to villages and farms. Who knows what the king’s men will do when that happens.”
“To the north of here is a small mountain range that follows the coastline. If we head there now, we’ll force them to ditch their horses.”
Before Nathan could question the need to get the king’s warriors off their horses Hanna explained. “The mountains give us the advantage. It limits the number of ways they can attack us, and I’d rather not kill hundreds of horses if we don’t have to.”
Katla handed Nathan a mug. He took a sip. It was indeed hot cocoa. The mountains meant ditching their own horses as well and would limit their escape options. However, it offered some advantages and would keep the fight away from innocent bystanders. “OK. We’ll make our stand in the mountains.
After a quick breakfast, the group started north. Nathan studied the mountains as they rode. There was a section of mountain to their left that looked promising. The bottom of the mountain was steep for several hundred feet before leveling out onto a plateau then a moderate slope that rose for a mile or so towards the peak. They could fight at the plateau and retreat higher if necessary. Nathan pointed to the section of mountain.
“Yes,” Katla said.
Hanna nodded in agreement.
With Katla’s approval Nathan felt more comfortable. It was an interesting dynamic for him. Hanna was the leader of her group of warriors, and technically he was in charge of the entire group, but both he and Hanna deferred to Katla’s judgement when it came to matters of strategy. Her training as a Mykoznian King’s Guard gave her the most knowledge in the ways of battle. It was good to know that what he thought was the right place to stop and fight was one she would also pick. Considering the odds were likely to be stacked against them, every little advantage they could find would be necessary.
…
“They’re heading for the mountains,” the scout said.
“Are they going over the mountain?” Lambert asked. If they were going to Glenmore and knew a way through the mountains it would make catching them much harder.
“Actually, I think they are intending on making a stand. They broke camp late this morning and have been moving slowly towards a section of mountain with a plateau.” The scout pointed out the mountain in the distance. “Perhaps they can get over the mountain, but I don’t see how they can get their horses up to the plateau.”
Lambert smiled. Finally, some good news. A late start and the trip towards the mountains meant they were gaining ground on them fast. Sure, mountains would mean they too would need to dismount and follow on foot, but his soldiers preferred to fight on the ground. The sheer numbers advantage more than made up for the disadvantage of the enemy having high ground. “Take a fresh horse. Ride ahead and find out what you can.” Lambert was sure when the fight came, Prince Stoneblood would have some tricks up his sleeve, but the blackguard were experienced soldiers and would respond to any situation thrown at them. They all knew what happened to Hussain and his men and no one would underestimate Prince Stoneblood or any other of his travel companions. “Let’s go finish him off.”
31
When they arrived at the mountain, Nathan sent Kiana with the horses. The animals would be tethered several miles further east. Kiana was the best of the group when it came to hiding tracks and would make finding the animals difficult. Nathan expected Lambert and his army would ignore the horses and head straight for the mountain but sent Kiana just to be sure. There was enough time for her to hide the horses and return before any of the riders reached the base of the mountain, but to be safe Kiana had taken the wide way around to the plateau.
When the soldiers arrived, Nathan was standing on the edge of the mountain plateau looking down. Almost a hundred riders were making their way towards them.
“Two platoons, they sure want you dead,” Rayan said as he came up beside Nathan.
Nathan glanced over at his friend. Rayan had been very quiet most of the journey, only voicing his opinion when asked, and keeping to himself most of the journey. “Are you regretting coming? I wouldn’t blame you.”
Rayan shook his head. “I’m honored you chose me. Besides, this is hardly a fair fight. The king should’ve sent more men.”
Nathan chuckled. “A hundr
ed isn’t enough for you?”
Rayan smiled. “I think all those riders are regular soldiers, perhaps they are elite among the king’s men, but they are still infantry soldiers. How many bows do you see? How many long spears? Almost every rider has a sword and a shield.”
Nathan looked at the riders again. Rayan was correct. Only a handful of men had bows, and maybe double that had spears. The majority were carrying shields on their backs.
“They fear your bow. That is why so many shields,” Katla said as she joined them. When they reach the plateau, they will to try box us in.”
“They will never reach the plateau,” Rayan said.
“What are you thinking?” Nathan asked.
“I’m remembering all those hours we spent cutting rocks out of the mountain to build walls and castles and magic schools.” Rayan then looked over at Shayla who was helping Raven cook lunch. They probably wouldn’t eat much now, but once the soldiers arrived the chance to cook would be gone. “I’m also thinking about dragon magic. I can sense her power. Ever since we got close to the coast it has been growing.”
Nathan nodded. “Yes, her dragon is growing nearer.”
“A pity the beast isn’t already here. With this group of warriors and a dragon we could fight off an entire army not just a couple platoons,” Katla said.
“It would only cause more problems than it would solve. We are on our own,” Nathan said. But Katla wasn’t wrong, from Shayla’s stories of the fights in the eastern countries, a dragonblood and dragon could single-handedly defeat an army given the right circumstances. “So, I know you have a plan rattling around in that brain of yours, Rayan. You plan on sharing it?”
“Maybe, if Katla agrees to dinner with me.”
Katla looked over at Rayan. “If you kill more warriors than I do during the battle I will consider it.”
“Good enough for me,” Rayan said with a grin. “When they come up the mountain they will spread out, but there really is only two hundred feet of easy climbing, right below us. Go too far east and you hit all that shale, too far west and it is almost entirely vertical for another three hundred feet. The only way to come up is right below us or go another mile up the valley and then up the mountain. Since they are almost here and none of their riders have veered off I suspect they all plan on coming right up the mountain relying on their shields to protect them.”
Treachery in Tarnstead (Stoneblood Saga Book 5) Page 28
