"I shouldn't leave my post," he said. "General Selas -"
"Maybe you could send up someone to take your place for a moment?"
"Yes, my Lady, I can do that!" he said with relief, and ran to obey.
My green tunic ruined, I was now down to just one tunic suitable for wearing under my armor. My blue leggings I had walked from Berowalt in could be cleaned, but would always bear the stains of my blood. One of Fiona's women helped me dress and put on my armor, leaving the helmet off. She put my right arm in a sling when we were finished and hung my mace in its place at my hip for me, though I would not be able to use it for days at least. The arrow wound was healing quickly, not nearly instantly as it would if a True Healer had helped but still much faster than normal.
I met Selas on the village green. The green extended from the courtyard directly behind the front gates all the way back to what was apparently a lord's or judge's manor. It was encircled by a paved cobblestone road, all the buildings and houses surrounded the green on three sides, with the courtyard side open. The inn Fiona had taken as a hospital was the third building to the left as one came in through the gates. The buildings were mostly half-timbered, though the manor and blacksmithy, as well as a few other buildings, were made of the same light grey, rough stone the outer walls of the village were formed from. The village itself was tucked into a curve of the fast river below it, up on a bluff, thus protected on two sides by the river. Selas told me the village was called Oerlock, he'd visited it briefly decades ago.
In the new morning light, Selas looked as though he had yet to sleep and was quite unbothered by the lack. He shoved a mug of tea into my left hand and gestured at a table behind him where I could find food for breakfast.
"It's quieter today," I said after I'd gulped down the tea, hot and unsweetened and handed the mug back to him. From the table of breakfast food I chose a small loaf of bannock bread, something I could easily eat one handed. One of the young soldiers acting as cooks eagerly offered to spread it with preserves he had gleaned from one of the houses. "Thank you, no," I told him with a warm smile. He blushed, stammered.
"You'll have all the men and half the women following you all bothered," Selas complained as we walked away. "Stop flirting."
"I am not!" I glared at him. "It's not me, I'm not doing anything differently. It's the touch of the Goddess they see that causes people to act so oddly around me now."
He guffawed rudely. "In Berowalt you were very withdrawn and shy. You never met anyone's eyes if you could help it, except the children. You've changed. I do see the touch of the Goddess, but you have changed."
I gaped at him. "If you think it's a problem, I'll watch it."
"You're enjoying the new attention," the old man said tersely. "There will be a time for that, not now."
I ate without speaking. "It's quieter today," I repeated when I'd finished.
"They're resting for tonight," Selas said. "They aren't doing anything today but token attacks, so we don't relax while at the same time sparing their own troops. Nothing you need to give attention to at this point. Let me do what needs to be done, that's my job, you named me General, after all. Fiona could use you, it would be seemly for you to visit the wounded. Wyntan's in there getting his head stitched."
"What happened?" I asked, jolted.
"Tried to stop an arrow with his head."
I shook my head, rubbing my temple. "All right, I can visit the wounded. I'll be glad to. If you need me for something else, though -"
Selas waved his hand impatiently at me. "Move it."
Wyntan sat up in a chair in the far corner of the inn's main room, being stitched by Ceilan, who was in charge as Fiona had gone to bed. The warrior was stoic, wincing a little but not raising the slightest fuss. The wound was long and hung open but, I was happy to see, only a flesh wound. It gave me a shock to see how close it was to his left eye, how close he had come to being half-blinded.
"Look at you," I said with concern. Wyntan managed a half-grin.
"Just sitting for a moment. Not slacking in my duties."
I laughed. Pulling a chair up beside him, I reached out and held his hand, hoping to bring him some comfort. He squeezed my hand. Wyntan looked bone tired and haggard.
"What happened?"
"I took off my helmet to wipe my eyes," he said, embarrassed. "An arrow ricocheted off the merlon and gave me a slice. Looks worse than it feels." I watched Ceilan work quietly. The shy priest had a deft hand. My heart hurt as I watched. Wyntan was perhaps my closest friend next to Selas, and here he was injured. Yet his blood wouldn't stop my shadowed yearning for the most basic cause of Wyntan's pain, the Iceblade who had wrought all this. Perhaps tears would have been a release of some of the guilt I bore, but I felt dry to the bone.
"Forgive me," I whispered past the cold lump in my throat.
He looked at me quizzically, out of the side of his eyes so he wouldn't move and make Ceilan's job harder. His expression held hidden within it the pain of his injury, and openly worry over me. He squeezed my hand again.
"This was not your doing," he said gently. "I know you well enough to know you'd have placed yourself in front of the arrow had you been there, thankfully you were not."
I gave a grim, wry smile. "Just do me a favor and heal well."
"I would not disobey Galiena's Chosen," he replied, humor in his voice. "I've seen what you do to those who oppose you." A bark of laughter escaped me. Leaning over I gave him a one armed hug.
"You are impertinent," I said. "And I am ordered by Selas to visit all of the injured. But I'll be back to visit with you. Are you hungry? I'll have someone fetch you something to eat. After that I order you to rest."
"I'll see he does, Lady," Ceilan spoke, his concentration remaining on his stitching. "I'm nearly done here, then I'll get him some food myself." I stood to inspect Ceilan's handiwork.
"Nicely done, Ceilan," I told him. To Wyntan I said, "It's ghastly but well stitched, you won't be half as ugly as I expected." The warrior chuckled. The cut marked a line almost straight down the left side of his face, from forehead to jaw. Ceilan had closed it tightly with small, even stitches. Barring infection, it wouldn't look that bad when it healed, I thought, wincing with sympathetic pain.
We had thirty-two wounded, two badly enough that they would have to stay behind when we left for Lalinth. The two badly injured were kept in the main room where Ceilan or Fiona could keep an eye on them, the rest were scattered in the five private rooms besides mine and the two large dormitory-style rooms in the inn and in other rooms in the buildings nearby. I sat with each one for a few moments, talking to them, finding out if there was anything they needed to be more comfortable. It was a meager offering, but sincere, and all I had. It took me all morning and half into the afternoon to do it. Afterward, tired out, I went out to the green to find something to eat.
Wyntan and Selas were sitting in chairs near the food tables. I took some more bannock bread and sat near them. Samar's company was on the walls and Declan's had taken the river entrance, Daltorn and Nefen and their companies were sleeping. The archers traded places between themselves as needed, and of Wyclif's group, about half were resting while the other half kept the archers in arrows and brought food and drink to everyone. My honor guard were mostly sleeping, having spent the night on the supportive duties Wyclif's group were seeing to now.
Wyntan looked ready to drop, but had his armor on and his sword at his side. He couldn't wear his helmet with his injury. I leveled a glare at him.
"You're supposed to be resting," I said sharply.
"I will as soon as I'm done eating," he said, grinning at me. "Just had a couple things to see to. You look like you're nearly dead on your feet too."
"You both go to bed when you're done eating," Selas grumbled. "Rest will keep you sharp for tonight. The beast's people will make another attack tonight, I know it."
"Yes, sir," Wyntan and I chorused. Ethan brought me some hot tea, mostly, I believed, because it
gave him the opportunity to stand near Wyntan and look indispensable. Wyntan spared the boy a manly nod.
When I'd finished bread and tea, I reached out and took Selas' hand, not allowing him to jerk away. I closed my eyes and felt for the energy around us, and there was plenty, though I only needed a little. Finding a good source in the river itself, I channeled the energy to Selas, refreshing him, knowing he would refuse to rest yet.
"There," I said, opening my eyes. "Something to help sustain you." Channeling the energy had made me more tired myself, but I didn't call up any for me because I could restore myself through rest and none of the energy was free, for every bit I took, something was left without it, even to the point of death. Even the river would suffer if I used too much of its energy. I also wanted to save most of the available energy for coming battles, as there was no good way to know how long we'd be besieged and I couldn't See anything about it.
"Now go lay down before you fall down, walking around wounded," Selas said. "And you too, boy, see that she finds a bed before you leave her," he added, giving Wyntan a pointed stare. He turned to Ethan. "And you, sit outside her room in case she needs you or has a message for me." We all rose and went to do his bidding.
Wyntan brought me back to the inn where the helpers could check my bandage before I lay down, and he left to find the room his brother was sleeping in, above the blacksmithy. Ethan took up his post outside my room. As soon as the two helpers had finished pulling off my armor and checking my wound, I lay down and did as Selas had ordered. I napped.
I only slept a short time, but felt refreshed when I woke. My cuirass was resting on my legs again, I carried it with me when I went to the bedroom door. At my request, Ethan ran off to fetch one or two of Fiona's helpers to assist me back into my armor.
Fiona herself came in to check my shoulder. "I was happy we didn't have to cauterize," she said, inspecting her handiwork. "I don't think it's a good idea to cauterize wounds as deep as yours, so I only do it if I can't stop the bleeding any other way. If a deep wound becomes infected, and is stitched, I can just pull the stitches and release the infection, otherwise I might have to cut my patient open. You were a very obedient bleeder."
"I suppose that's something," I said. "I'll tell the General I have obedient blood."
She giggled. "I'm putting a new bandage on to act as a pad for your armor. Your armor is so light I can't imagine it's too much trouble, but even as healed as you are, too much rubbing or pressure could tear open the stitches. I'm guessing I can pull out these stitches the day after tomorrow. Keep it in a sling for today and tomorrow, and I'll be happy." Fiona helped me pin my braid up around my head so it was out of the way.
Her young helper – no more than fifteen – helped me back into my armor, hanging my mace in its customary spot. I would come back for my helmet and shield after supper. Neither of those pieces of armor was needed for the moment, at least not yet.
Chapter 13
The River Entrance
Selas was up on the walls, taking a turn with Samar's company. His own company waited, ready, on the village green to replace any of Samar's company who fell. When he noticed me standing on the green looking up at him, he came down from the walls to talk to me.
"I don't see the beast anywhere," he said. "Find it." I nodded and went to work.
I sat on the ground and closed my eyes, concentrating, pulling myself away from the physical world, looking for that jarring missing note that was Cur. Sensing the unmistakable and hair raising feeling of being watched from the northwest, I realized we were being scried. It made no practical difference to anything as long as I did not let it throw me, so I determinedly shrugged it off.
I found Cur to the northeast, on the river banks. "He's planning to attack the river entrance!" I told Selas, opening my eyes and trying to stand up. It was rather clumsy and ungraceful to do with only one good arm, and the wrong arm at that. Selas grabbed my left arm and hauled me upright. He signaled to one of his men, who came running over. Skidding to a halt, the soldier bowed at me quickly.
Selas interrupted his bow in a short tone. "Get Daltorn and company down on the river entrance and do it now. Declan's people are tired. Tell them to get food, then get to quarters and rest. Move!" His soldier ran off pell-mell to do as he was ordered.
I ate quickly, more bannock, this time stuffed with boiled dried meat by one of the soldiers on cooking duty. Running back to the inn, I grabbed my helmet and shield. Ethan helped me get them on, then we both headed down to find the river entrance with the others.
Selas positioned me at the back of the group waiting at the river entrance. The river entrance was located in the bottom of the manor, in a huge warehouse-like room that was the full width and length of the manor itself, with wide stone stairs leading down into a tunnel lit by torches. The tunnel slanted down into the river, the last fifteen feet of the tunnel were partially underwater. Spaced evenly throughout the tunnel were three iron portcullises, quite heavy, and held in place by great oaken beams through a loop on the top of the portcullis and iron loops on either side of it, bolted onto the floor above. It would be very difficult for anyone attempting to breach the walls to lift the portcullises from below. In between the portcullises were murder holes in the ceiling of the tunnel, people on the floor above were even now heating sand in great cauldrons to pour into the holes. Something as simple as sand sounded next to harmless to me, but Selas explained that it would cause hideous and painful burns, and it would sift into the armor of anyone beneath the murder holes when it was released.
I heard the General order a change for the walls around the village, Samar's people to come in and Nefen's company to take their place. He called for eight archers to take up position along the half walls at the sides of the stairs going down into the tunnel. Shoving an armful of torches at one of Daltorn's soldiers, he ordered the soldier to go down and replace the torches along the stairs so we wouldn't run out of light. I shook my head at him and grabbed the torches from the soldier. Ethan lit them and I used my power to float the torches down the tunnel and into the holders all along there, even beyond the portcullises without needing them raised. I also drew on the energy of the river and its roiling waters to make the torches burn as brightly as daylight. Using too much of the river's energy would slow the river and steal the life force of the fish and other living things within, but the energy for the torches would barely be felt. The gain in visibility was worth the small sapping of the river's power.
Selas consulted with Wind and Gronwon, but was told they couldn't raise a wall beyond the portcullises without going out there, an idea immediately vetoed by Selas. Gronwon offered instead to call up a wall on our side of the portcullis nearest us, and Selas assented. The two priests pulled their rowan wands out of their sleeves and headed down the stairs.
With a whoosh of black energy that knocked me off my feet, all the torches went out and darkness filled the tunnel and the room we waited in. Struggling against the force of the dark energy, I pulled myself up to my feet. My armor dimly lit the room in a circle around me about fifteen feet wide. It wasn't nearly enough to illuminate the entire room, so I concentrated and cast the light farther.
On the stairs below us, the two priests lay unconscious or dead. Daltorn and three of his soldiers leapt over the half wall and dragged the priests up to safety. They were still breathing, though shallowly in fits and starts. Daltorn nodded at two of the soldiers and they hoisted the priests over their shoulders for a trip to Fiona's hospital.
Selas looked around the room at all of us, smiled, and went upstairs into the rooms above the portcullises. The sight of that smile raised the hair on the back of my neck. It was chilling and superior, menacing in a way Selas had never before been. I looked at Daltorn, and Daltorn looked back at me with apprehension on his face. At a nod from me, he and several of his company went after Selas.
"Ethan," I said urgently. "Bring Wyntan and his company. Rouse Samar and Declan and have them ready outside the
manor. Run!" The boy took to his heels. The rest of us heard the sounds of fighting coming from upstairs, then a door being barred. One of the portcullises gave a grinding metal shriek and began to raise, the one in the middle, then the one on the river front. "Hold this room," I shouted at the soldiers staring back at me in shock. "Hold this room in Galiena's name!" I ran after Daltorn.
Selas had barred the door to the room over the second murder hole. I raised my hand and blasted it down. Daltorn's soldiers ran in and I followed. Selas had his axe in hand, he was just finishing off the last of our people tending the hot sand. He turned to us with a malevolent grin, swinging his axe almost casually. Daltorn and company raised their weapons. I lifted my hand again and blasted Selas back against the wall, knocking him out.
"Bind him," I said dispassionately. If I didn't bury all my emotions right there, my heart would have shattered. "Tightly. Daltorn, you are needed downstairs."
We ran back downstairs, leaving some of Daltorn's company to bind Selas and guard him. Wyntan and his group came running in just as we reached the top of the stairs leading into the tunnel. The portcullis nearest us was still locked down, but the other two had been opened and the tunnel was filled with crow soldiers, leering and silent. Cur shoved its way to the front.
"Galiena's Puppet," it greeted, baring its wicked fangs. "You will wish you had surrendered yesterday, when I am finished with you."
"Make your move, Dagar's creature. I am ready," I answered, impassive, my voice cold and dismissing. "Selas is stopped and the last portcullis holds."
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