The man nodded, and the Commander turned back to us. “So you are from this Sparo then?”
Celeste plowed on ahead, impatient with the man. “Commander, we have come to discuss surrender.”
He cocked an eyebrow and smiled smugly as he said, “Good, you've come to your senses then. Of course, we will need to make an example of you for the other sheep here in this hellish furnace of a land.”
The knights behind us all chuckled, causing me to smile too as I traded a look with my red-headed Knight, then I offered, “You misunderstand, sir. Celeste is bidding your surrender. We are here to discuss your people ending this siege, pulling out of New Home, and your expeditious departure from the lands of the Cristea.”
He started to chuckle, but we just stared blankly at him until his eyes widened as he blurted, “You're serious?”
Celeste nodded and said, “All of your men are free to go back to Avalon to tell them what has transpired here, and that the Westlands are free and protected. Sparo will defend them if necessary. But you will need to return to Sparo with us to answer for your war crimes.”
Before anyone could say anymore, Elaine stepped forward her hand on the hilt of her blade, she stabbed a finger at the man's second and said, “And that one. He will answer to the Cristea.”
The other man chuckled at her and prompted, “You weren't very good in the sack yourself, girl.”
Before any of us knew what was going on, the Commander lashed out one of his huge fists and landed a blow that had the other man stumbling back then falling onto his back. There was fire in his eyes as he took a menacing stance above the man who was now rubbing his jaw, looking stunned. “Martin! What did I say to you and all the men about forcing girls to your beds? WE are not the savages here!” He kicked at Martin's foot, the man barely able to pull back in time.
I found a burning and seething rage inside of me that surprised and scared me as I memorized Martin's face, searing it into my memory for later.
Stein's demeanor changed as he turned back to us, his combative stance changing as he addressed Elaine. “I'm sorry young lady, the men of Avalon are more civilized than this. Your treatment was not authorized, and I find it personally deplorable.”
He paused and said in a lower tone which was filled with regret and apology, “I've a daughter your age.”
He glanced back at Martin who was getting to his feet, still rubbing his jaw, a little blood on his lip. It was a genuine look of disdain on his face as he looked at his second. “I've half a mind to let them have you, Sergeant. Expect to be written up for conduct unbecoming, and I'll expect a list of any other men who took Cristea girls.”
Though this was about unspeakable transgressions against young women, a part of me was a bit relieved to see that not all Avalonian men were animals like the Marauders of Sparo.
Martin wouldn't look at his commander as he said in a growling tone, “Yes sir.”
Corrine finally spoke, a tone of incredulity in her voice as she wrapped an arm around her seething daughter's shoulders, “Written up? The man raped countless women here at New Home, and he will be written up? We have but one punishment for the evil deed he has perpetrated.”
The Commander sized her up, and his eyes flicked between the two women, adding two and two and realizing she was the daughter of the Cristea leader. There was a shadow of shame in his eyes as he explained, “We have our own laws, and he will be dealt with accordingly as well as any other man who has ignored the edict.”
He straightened and looked at Celeste and me, his eyes hesitating at the sight of me again, then said, “It seems we are at an impasse here. It is a shame really. In another time, I think I would have liked meeting you on the field of battle. We'll honor the truce for one hour. Your people can withdraw or surrender now to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.”
Celeste shook her head sadly, we knew it unlikely they would see reason. She tried to plead with the man, “Commander. Look around you, you are clearly outmatched...” She let her hand wave airily toward the airships. “And even if Sparo does not take the field, compliments of Knights will be sent to avenge us, and Avalon will find itself in a war it cannot win.”
His confidence wavered if but a moment, but his steely gaze sharpened as he asked, “How many of these – Knights – does Sparo have?” Again he was fishing to gain insight into our force size.
Celeste slowly drew her blade. When his men raised their guns again toward her, I batted the air and stepped to the side as the weapons were torn from their hands to orbit around me, as well as various other untethered metal items around us. The tank pivoted its metal tube toward us, but they would not attack as their commander was with us. He put a calming hand out behind him as he looked at Celeste and me as she seemed bored while she examined the point of her blade.
I looked around, and the Cristea women's eyes looked about to pop out of their heads as their eyes were glued upon the tempest of metal swirling around me. I was using a lot of my power for this demonstration, but the Avalonians didn't need to know that I couldn't do this more than three or four times before I was exhausted.
I was a little amused that some of the Knights who didn't know me looked just as frightened and amazed as the Avalon men.
Emerald sparks started drizzling from Celeste's eyes, and rivulets of emerald magic poured down her arm to power her blade. The men and woman of Avalon and the other mundanes around wouldn't be able to see it, though some might feel the prickling of the hairs on their arms and neck.
Then my wife, acting every bit the showman like George or Great Mother Ranelle, placed the tip of her sword on a large cobblestone in front of her. She crossed her arms over the hilt of her sword to look aloof as we heard the cracking and splitting of stone – the blade sunk in, sparking and smoking, as steel cut through rock. She whispered loudly to the man, “Numbers are not relevant. Suffice it to say, Commander, that we are of sufficient numbers to stain the barren stone of the Uninhabitable Lands in a sea of blood from Avalon.”
The man stared at her blade in the cracked and pierced stone, smoke drifting up from the still white-hot cobble. This was our only play, to intimidate with magic, armored knights, and airships, as most of her power had just been expended to give that show. We wanted to project not simply parity but overwhelming force. We knew that it would be a much closer matchup when it came to crossing blades and bloodier than we would like to think.
My impression of this man was that he was intelligent and capable, and may surprise us with his competence. There was a reason he was leading the Avalon detachment here.
She stood and pulled her blade out of the road, then turned his words back on him. “Your men have one hour to retire from here until the banner of truce expires.”
I could hear the sorrow in her tone as she whirled a hand in the air and the knights started turning back to ride up the ramp into the waiting Condor. “I fear the next time we meet will be in battle, Commander.” She saluted with her blade and sheathed it smoothly in its scabbard. “Go, prepare your men, but know this, the Westlands will be free.”
She gave the proper respect, “Avalon,” then she bowed slightly and turned, putting a hand out. I let all the guns and metal objects just clatter to my feet as I took her hand, and we walked away. I may or may not have been polite and made thoughtful modifications to their guns to make them better suited as clubs before they dropped.
We brought the rest of our group with us, showing our backs to them. I had to loop an arm in Elaine's to pull her with us, she was still glaring at Martin, her teeth bared like fangs.
Celeste was whispering to the Cristea women, “Just keep walking, don't look back, this was a show of strength.”
We walked slowly, expecting to hear the boom of the tank at any moment. Celeste rested her free hand on the radio on her hip and clicked the button three times. Two crackles of static came in response.
It was the signal of our failure to reach an accord here to the Falcon.
Whil
e the Commander and his men traveled back to their base camp, the Falcon would be swooping over the crater rim at treetop level and liberating the people at the mines and tar pit. They would drop Charlie Squad in Lupei to liberate and protect them as the Falcon bugged out back over the rim before the Commander got back to base.
Just as we were loading onto the Outrider, Stein called out, “I look forward to meeting you on the field of battle, Celeste.”
She inclined her head without looking back as we stepped inside and Alexandru sealed the doors as Bex retracted the anchors. We all held our breath, and a minute later, after the last of our knights were loaded into the Condor, we took to the air, skirting over Domed Mountain to get out of tank range quickly.
Then we all seemed to decompress and slump at the same time, I exchanged a weak smile with my girl and Verna chuckled. “Damn Celeste, you were badass. And that bluff is why we don't allow you play poker with us in the barracks.”
We laughed because the alternative was letting the specter of the upcoming battle to crush us under its weight.
I moved to the window as Bex turned us toward Aratreya and Journey's End. My vision still playing over in my mind.
Chapter 18 – Evacuation
As we flew, the next part of Celeste's plan started to play out. From time to time, a “squad” would check in quickly on the radio with just their designation. Squad Charlie on the Falcon passed around the radio, so it was a different voice each time. Just a quickly rushed “Delta,” or “Echo or “Foxtrot.” Giving the impression that we had more Knights than we did.
This was the most dangerous part of the plan, as the people in the Lupei village were exposed. We had to project more strength than we had. We were counting on the fact that the Avalonians viewed us as nothing more than primitives. Hoping they'd view us checking in on their radios as us thinking we were being sneaky and hoping they didn't hear.
Even if they didn't believe we had so many squads in play, it would still hopefully prevent Stein from just charging into Lupei and laying waste to everything. He didn't strike us as reckless, and he'd want to scout the village before committing troops in the slim chance we actually had the numbers we were projecting.
Our Knights would hopefully be done liberating the mines and tar pits by the time we touched down, then they would move on to the west village to take down the sentries there. They would present the Cristea there with the letter from Mother Corrine, instructing them to evacuate the young and elderly to the caves at the Ringed Range while all able-bodied women and men prepared to defend.
We hoped our ruse would delay any assault by Avalon until daybreak, but Celeste would be calling Stein out before then. The man's ego and honor would hopefully draw him out to battle instead of razing Lupei.
Bex asked to see the radio as he piloted the dirigible. He played with the knobs on it, carefully marking their position with nicks from his dagger before adjusting them. He discovered one made the radio louder or quieter and if turned to the extreme, it turned the device off. The other dial as he turned it, returned static and whining until we heard voices. They were garbled, and there was a lot of voice traffic going on.
He muttered, “They are obscuring the voices in some way. Likely planning attacks or coordinating troops.” He kept turning then a frantic man's voice was blurting out, “... are under attack! Repeat, mining operations are under attack!”
We could hear guns going off in rapid succession and men screaming. Then the panicked man said, “We don't know where they came from, they're everywhere! Oh God, they killed Meyers! They're attacking with swords! They're...” Then there was just silence but for the hissing of static.
We could hear Stein growling out, “Simmons! Simmons report! Report mining base, God damn it!” Then he called out, worry in his probing tone, “Crude extraction base, this is Stein. Come in.” Silence. “God damn it.” Silence. Then he was gone from that position of the knob.
With a wicked grin shared by the rest of us in the cabin, our Lord Bexington turned the knob back to the original position and handed the radio back to Celeste. She ruffled his short blonde hair and then smirked at the rest of us. “It seems our plan is going well thus far. May the rest go as well.”
Then she caught me looking at her forlornly, and her brow furrowed. I schooled my face and gave her a smile. She moved beside me as Aratreya grew in the window. She placed her hands on my hips from behind, and I twisted my head back to give her a peck on the lips, my heart heavy.
She whispered, “What are you not telling me?”
I shrugged and snuggled back against her. “Nothing, love. Just worried about the Cristea. Everything hinges on playing off the hubris of one man.”
She eyed me from above, and I gave her another reassuring smile and watched as we moved to a grazing pasture near the South end of town. I smiled at the herds of Pronghorn and oxen that moved in groups to get away from our incoming airships. Then we dropped anchor.
We hadn't taken two steps off the airship when we heard happy squeeing. I turned to see Misty and Ingr running at us, Jace loping along at a more sedate pace behind them as some of the Cristea came out to meet us while the propellers slowly whupped down to a stop.
I opened my arms wide and caught Misty when she dove on me. I spun her around as she giggled. I had to swallow my fear for her being in this crater when a war was about to begin. Another fear gripped my heart, knowing this would be my last night with the people I loved. I would miss my baby so very much. I just hugged her desperately.
I smiled at the sight of Sylvia spinning her daughter around as well. Then Ingr joined in the hug I was reluctant to end with my daughter. I let go of Misty with one arm and pulled Ingr tight to us.
I finally found the strength to release them when Jace arrived, and they glommed onto Celeste. My brother calling out, “Alright stinkers. Vamoose back to the Village and help the other children get ready to travel.”
They nodded with far too much determination for ones so young and released my blushing wife, then the girls started running back the way they came from, hand in hand. They paused, and Misty looked over her shoulder. “Love you, moms.”
Ok, my heart melted as I called out, “Love you too.”
The girls were in charge of making sure the children of the village were prepped to head to the north caves of the Ringed Range once we returned if peace talks didn't go well. The other children held them in awe as they were of the touched, and they were all enamored by the antics of the overly cute Bitsy. I have to admit it was adorable once you got past the whole rodent thing.
Celeste wound up a hand, and the knights in the clearing nodded once and faded back into the ring of woods around the village. It was time to prep for the exodus.
Sylvia moved beside us and gave me a questioning look. Was I sending out some sort of signal? I just gave her a tight-lipped smile and gave her a side hug as we started following the others while Bex secured the craft. He'd be ushering loads of children, elderly, and foodstuffs to the mountain caves on this side of the crater soon. The able-bodied will be setting off on the trek at first light.
It was like a second exodus for the Cristea, as they left their home once again. But if all went well, they would be returning soon. If not... if not, we were condemning them to life on the run from slavers and oppressors.
Corrine did not make the decision to follow our plan lightly, and I could see even now as she walked beside us, that it weighed heavily upon her. Even then, I could see the fierce determination to free her people of this siege so they might live in peace yet again. But no matter the outcome, the lives of the Cristea family of the Mountain Gypsies of Sparo would be forever changed. For we have found them again, and they were the lost band no more.
I just wished I could be around to see it.
And if things didn't go well, then the airships would be stripped of all nonessential equipment and loaded to capacity with the most vulnerable of the Cristea and spirited off to the safety of Sparo to r
eport to the Prince and Great Mother Ranelle.
Verna muttered as we walked, “So much for our 'scout and report' mission.”
Ok... that was funny. We all chuckled dryly, and the Cristea women looked to us in question. I just grinned and shook my head at them, indicating it was an inside joke, as this had never truly been a scout and report mission from the start.
We would end this siege, but there was always a cost... I would have to pay that cost, which I freely did if it meant freeing an entire people of this new and wonderful land from fear and oppression the likes of which I have never witnessed. I just hoped that whatever good I have done in this world outweighed the bad – but my chain of sin was so very heavy.
The village was in chaos, and as our knights unloaded and rode their chargers into the town square, Corrine and Celeste started snapping out orders, and the evacuation of the most vulnerable of Aratreya began. People started hauling supplies to the Condor and Outrider as the children were prepared for travel.
I smiled widely. The two hundred children were lined up in columns like knight regiments. Misty was walking their ranks, telling them how important it was for all of them, being of the Cristea Junior Regiment, to ensure the evacuation went well, and that it was their responsibility to protect and care for the elderly on this evacuation mission. Ingr paced behind her, hands clasped behind her back just like Sylvia did on so many occasions, a far too serious look on her face for someone so young.
Every day I am amazed by those girls, and I could feel pride swelling inside for both of them. I had to look away. I glanced around for Jace, then found him offering an arm to an old Gypsy woman and started walking her to the seats to await her turn as well.
I stepped over to an area where the knights who had begrudgingly stayed behind while we attempted our peace talks were working with the women and men of the village, gathering weapons in case they were needed.
I glanced up at the man from Hell's Gate who had been appointed armory steward, and he gave me a tight smile and shook his head once. The obsidian skin of his brow was creased in worry. I laid a hand on his arm and gave a reassuring squeeze, knowing that most of what was brought to him wouldn't be nearly as effective as the huge double-handed curved scimitar strapped to his back.
Techromancy Scrolls_Westlands Page 21
