Maligon barked a short laugh. “I am not concerned with the games played by mere children. We’ll swat their armies away like flies. We have the numbers.” He tapped at a point on the map. “We’ll make our stand tomorrow, at dawn.”
Maligon continued to smile as he studied his charts. He had donned his old uniform and felt invigorated by the worn feel of his fighting leathers against his skin. The simple clothes made him forget he was old and maimed. His good hand dropped down to stroke the hilt of his sword laid out on the table. It wasn’t an elaborate sword. It had a leather-wrapped hilt, the colors faded from years of sweat from his grip. The smooth metal of the blade sent a chill of power through him. This sword, a gift delivered by his followers once he’d established his habitation in the desert, had remained sharp and lethal after all these years. He had spent hours polishing and sharpening it while in exile, aware someday he would wield it again.
“Lord?” A soldier stood within the tent’s entryway. “A scout returns.”
A rough-looking soldier entered and bowed from the waist. “My Lord, an army approaches from the east. It must be Adana.”
“How far and how many?”
“They’ll be here by midday. A mix of Watchers, Elwarian military, and First Soldiers. But mostly, a lot of farmers. Maybe five hundred soldiers and Watchers, but close to six thousand in troops. ”
Maligon moved a pin on the map. “See, Kalara? She brings five hundred to fight my twenty thousand.” He turned toward the scout. “Send the east flank to deal with them. Make sure they bring me Adana and that giraffe alive.”
The man nodded and backed out of the tent.
“Father, do you think that’s wise? Sending troops away from here?” Kalara’s voice betrayed her surprise.
“Kalara. They are not a threat. We have the upper hand.” He sat down and poured himself some wine.
“What about them?” She nodded toward the four bodyguards who stood awaiting his command. “Why not send them?”
“I have other plans for them.” Maligon stared into his goblet, a smile of triumph on his mouth. “Relax, my child, and see how this is done.”
Within a short time, they could hear horses galloping away to the east. Chatter among the men in the camp stopped as the troops departed, but it rose to an excited level once the sounds faded away.
Maligon and Kalara opened the flap of the tent and watched the men mill about, a renewed energy in their actions. “Ah, this is what we needed.” Maligon smiled. “The promise of battle always invigorates an army.”
He frowned as another scout approached and bowed before him. “My Lord, troops approach from the west.”
“Numbers?”
“Close to seven thousand. Half a day’s journey.”
“What sort of soldiers?”
The scout squinted in the sun. “As best as we can tell, they are mainly Watchers and First Soldiers with a few Elwarian soldiers.”
Maligon clapped his hands together and smiled. “A perfect recipe for a feast. Send my west flank to stop them.”
“Father.” Kalara’s outburst caused the scout and every soldier in the vicinity to freeze.
Maligon turned a cold stare on his daughter and jerked his head toward the tent. He followed her into the dark interior, slapping the flap closed behind him. “Never question me in front of my men.”
Kalara stood her ground. “Father, you would not appreciate my skills if I did not share my opinions and thoughts with you.”
Maligon caressed her cheek, ending the stroke with a firm grip on her jaw. “Not in front of my men. Never in front of my men.”
Kalara nodded, and he released her, noting with satisfaction that she rubbed her chin where the red mark of his thumbprint remained. His strength had never forsaken him, even though Micah had stolen his body’s ability to engage in close battle.
“Now that we are in agreement, call my commanders. We must prepare for battle.”
* * *
Linus ran up the steps to the main gate tower. Samantha followed close on his heels. Messenger birds carried little information regarding Queen Adana’s and Kiffen’s plans. Then, the information had stopped, and no more birds arrived over the last few days. Her arrival two days ago had given him hope.
From the top of the tower, he looked over the flat plains that stretched to the horizon. For three days, Maligon’s troops had covered the valley below. Now, he could see gaps near the back of the encampment. Nearly half of the rear troops were gone. Dust to the west and east indicated they had been deployed in both directions.
Linus stroked his beard and turned a ferocious smile on Samantha. “Send the First Soldiers out.” He turned back to the landscape and rested his arms on the wall. “Let’s see if we can draw Maligon’s men into bow range.”
* * *
“Lord, First Soldiers. The fortress attacks.” The messenger rushed into Maligon’s tent without announcement.
Maligon jumped up from his seat. “Excellent. Gather the foot soldiers.” Struggling to strap on his sword, he smiled down on Kalara when she pushed his hands away and did it for him.
“It begins.” He rushed out of the tent, calling for his horse.
The camp bustled with excitement as men grabbed their swords and saddled horses. Maligon leapt onto his horse and rode through the melee, shouting encouragement to the men. Kalara rode close behind him.
Near the front of the lines, Maligon cantered his horse back and forth. “Today is the day our victory begins.”
His men cheered.
“Before the sun sets, we will invade these walls and reclaim the kingdom Micah stole from us over twenty years ago. Our triumph awaits. We have the numbers. We have right on our side. Queen Chiora will look down from heaven, and she and the Creator will grant us this victory!”
The men roared in approval. Kalara and the Watchers inside the camp sang an ululating battle cry.
Maligon raised his hand in the air and dropped it. “Advance.”
Swords ready, the men ran toward the line of First Soldiers who marched through Moniah’s gates.
The First Soldiers stopped and formed a solid line. Maligon’s men, overrun with pent-up anticipation, charged the slope.
Kalara frowned. “They are drawing into range. Pull them back.”
Maligon shook his head. “We have to sacrifice some men to draw Linus into battle.”
A volley of arrows flew from the walls of the estate, downing Maligon’s foot soldiers. The Monian soldiers stood their ranks while the second line of Maligon’s men surged forward under a wall of shields.
From the fortress walls, Watchers found the gaps in the shields. Hundreds of arrows soared through the sky, seeking their marks. Men plowed forward, tripping uphill as they tried to avoid fallen comrades. Many fell without the aid of arrows, stumbling over those who fell before them.
The front line of Moniah’s soldiers knelt and Watchers, armed with bows, rose behind them, firing into the advancing men.
Maligon laughed in amusement at the chaos they created on the hill, his own men falling over each other. He glanced at Kalara’s stricken face and shouted to her, “Never mind them, my child. They are performing their duty. See, they are pulling back. The ones who survive are the true soldiers.”
With over half of the first line injured or dead, the Lord’s soldiers retreated.
“Watch. We loaded the trap.” Maligon nodded toward Kalara, his eyes on the walls. “Let’s see if Linus will spring it.”
* * * * *
Chapter 36
Bai’dish sent the image of dust rising to the southwest, soldiers marching quickstep toward them.
“Halt!” Kiffen raised his hand at the same moment Kassa galloped her horse up to him.
The woman pointed toward a faint discoloration in the distant sky. “The horizon.”
Kiffen glanced back at Bai’dish. “The two of you have keen eyes.”
The ground they stood on was flat. There were few trees, none of them large.
The barren landscape provided no help, but the advance of Maligon’s men left him little choice but to fight where they stood. “We muster here until they draw closer. Kassa, gather your archers in the center. Halar, take the left flank. Simeon, take the right.”
As the soldiers and Watchers rushed to their positions, Kiffen rode his horse back toward Glume and Bai’dish. He sought sight from Bai’dish’s eyes, a much clearer view than his own. Maligon had sent only a few thousand men. Hope surged in his chest. Maybe they could claim victory over the small force.
Assured by the numbers, he followed the link to Adana. She now rode at the front of her army with Elayne and her honor guard flanking her. Pultarch had escaped as planned, but without his intended prisoner. The bond resonated with disappointment. He paused a moment and tried to ease her worry. From memory, he dredged up the image of the Seat of Authority and envisioned her there in royal glory. A lightness came back to him through the bond as if she smiled.
The connection between them grew stronger and vibrated with energy. Kiffen fought the urge to race across the landscape to join her. Glume told him this would happen when they closed the distance between them. Instead, he thought of victory and gave her the vision of Maligon’s approaching troops.
Adana’s response was quick. The horizon remained clear for her.
Smiling at that news, he turned to Glume. “I need you to monitor both Am’brosia and Bai’dish. I’m still unable to maintain my connection and stand alert in battle. Send a Watcher to me immediately if Bai’dish senses anything I need to know.”
He turned his horse away but looked back over his shoulder. “Stay well behind the lines of fighting. I’ll send Watchers back to guard you once their bows are no longer of use.”
Kiffen galloped to the front of his troops. The advancing army lined the horizon. His heart pounded with excitement. After weeks of waiting, the time to act was upon him. He turned and looked at the array of Watchers, First Soldiers, and Elwarian military. They stood alert, awaiting his command. He felt a surge of indebtedness to their allegiance.
“Fellow soldiers, we stand united today against evil. The approaching army believes they will vanquish us. In his arrogance, Maligon has sent a small force. We will conquer them and join forces with Queen Adana to regain her lands. Together, we will show our kingdoms a united Moniah and Elwar, not only through marriage, but through our belief in a safe and secure land!”
The troops’ roar of approval rolled over Kiffen, and the adrenaline of their combined strength flowed into him. He raised a hand in the air and drove it forward. “Advance.”
* * *
Adana drew her horse to a stop and stared into the distance, watching through Am’brosia. as Kiffen rode his horse back and forth before his soldiers. She could tell he was shouting encouragement and wished she could hear him. Excitement shot through the link, so she knew his words were powerful.
Turning her attention away from Kiffen, she searched the surroundings. The last small rise blocking the view to her fortress was not far away. She had planned to observe the battle from that vantage point.
She summoned Veana. “Take five Watchers to the rise. Watch for Maligon’s men. Even now, they engage King Kiffen’s forces.”
As she said it, she felt the surge of the distant battle. She could see her Watchers loosing a volley of arrows toward the opposing force. Their aim was true, and many of Maligon’s men fell.
“Your Majesty?” Shana guided her horse closer to Adana’s and Montee’s.
Adana turned to look at the woman, unsure how she felt about Shana’s continued presence. Brother Honest swore she would serve her until death, if necessary, but Adana felt betrayed by the woman’s failure to be taken. “Yes, Shana?”
The woman flinched. Adana made a point of stressing her true name every time she addressed Shana to remind the woman of her precarious position.
“I hear the rumble of approaching men.” She pointed toward the southeast. “From there. I don’t believe they are far from us.”
Adana twisted to look in the direction the woman indicated. She squinted into the sun, trying to see rising dust on the air or any other clues of the army’s approach. “Do you see anything, Montee?”
Montee studied the horizon. “Not yet. If King Kiffen is under attack, we must assume we will be soon.”
“Agreed,” Adana said. “Shana, how much time do you think we have?”
The woman shook her head. “I do not know.”
Adana fought the urge to lash out at Shana for not knowing the limits of her skills. Her troops were close to the rise, a position she needed to gain before the attack. “Montee, we must make the hill.”
As the First Vision gave the command, Adana sent an image to Kiffen of their position. She signaled for her Watchers to follow. Spurring her horse forward, she kept a close watch on the five Watchers she had sent ahead with Veana. Am’brosia’s keen vision gave her a more distinct view, revealing the five Watchers reaching the rise and beginning to fire arrows down the hill.
“We’re under attack,” Adana shouted to Montee and kicked her horse into a gallop.
Watchers streamed up the rise around her, readying their bows. Veana stood at the summit, arm raised. She dropped it in command to loose the arrows. Battle cries roared from the other side of the hill.
Adana gasped at the sight as she crested the top and reined in. Maligon’s men rushed toward them with determined purpose.
She drew her bow and fired into the soldiers with no hesitation between shots.
Her troops, many of them farmers equipped with the tools of war, streamed past her and down the slope toward Maligon’s men. Adana stayed her bow as they ran into her shot range. Frustration roared in her head. Unskilled, the troops should have waited for the command to attack. She’d hoped the training her soldiers had given them was enough. She signaled to Montee and kicked her horse forward.
“Yahhhh,” she shouted as her horse thundered toward the mass of fighting men.
As if it possessed its own will, Adana’s sword arm slashed at her attackers. Muddy ground churned under her horse’s hooves. The animal lost traction. She yanked on the reins, trying to pull back. The horse lost its battle with the mud and slid down the hill, taking Adana with him. Men shouted in alarm as her bulky mount plowed them down. Mud and blood splattered over her as the horse dug in to stop the slide. Adana clung to the reins, horrified as her own men fell under her wild advance.
The horse gained footing deep within Maligon’s men. They surged around her.
Adana swung at the soldiers. Her arm reverberated from the solid contact of sword with shield and sword. Hands grasped for her. She kicked and shoved. Determined, she rode sideways up the slope, one agonizing step at a time. She swung her sword left and right. It sliced into men and glanced off blades.
An ululating war cry rang in her ears. Montee, Joannu, and Veana converged on her position. Fire raged in Montee’s eyes. Her sword knocked down any man who blocked their path.
They formed a tight circle around Adana and fought the grasping foot soldiers. Moniah’s army swarmed around them, joining the fray. Adana’s sword drove into a man’s shoulder, and his eyes registered shocked pain. She stared into his face, her sword embedded in his armor. His gaze focused on her sword. He grimaced and grabbed it with his other hand. Their eyes met, again. He yanked her from the horse.
Veana flung herself at the man and grappled him to the ground, pushing Adana from his grasp. Montee grabbed the reins of Adana’s horse. Adana scrambled back into the saddle.
“To the hill. You must. As planned.” Montee dragged Adana’s horse up the hill, her soldiers parting around them and swarming into the battle below.
Once they gained the top, Adana turned and stared over the battlefield. Shock numbed her heart. Maligon’s warriors swarmed over several small pockets of her soldiers. There were too many. She shivered as farmers fell before the onslaught. Bile rose in her throat. She fought it down.
H
elpless, she sent the view to Bai’dish.
* * *
“They’ve fallen back!” Linus shouted from the walls of Moniah’s estate. “Attack!” He turned toward Samantha, a smile on his face. “We’ve got them n—”
Samantha drove her sword into his belly, taking him from Montee, forever.
Blood spilling from his mouth, Linus stared at her in astonishment. “Why?” His voice gurgled, and he slumped over the sword, grasping at her arm.
“You serve the wrong army.” She clenched her teeth and twisted the blade. He fell to his knees before her. She set her foot against his chest and shoved him backward. Her weapon swung wide as it broke free from his body.
“It’s the Creator’s will,” she said. She stared into Linus’ eyes as they glazed over.
Samantha wiped her blade on his tunic, feeling the thrill from the act of killing. All her Watchers, the ones loyal to Maligon, stood along the parapet, disloyal Watchers dead at their feet. Samantha studied each woman, gauging the level of shock in the eyes of the younger ones and the excitement in the ones accustomed to the sweat and blood reek of battle. “Open the gates!”
The gates swung inward, and Maligon’s men surged toward the fortress.
* * *
The Watcher, Nuala, stared in shock at the walls above Moniah’s main gate. Commander Linus stumbled as Samantha’s sword thrust into his belly. A cold chill ran down her back in spite of the unrelenting heat of the day. She studied the ramparts. Many of her sister Watchers lay dead at the feet of other Watchers. Traitors within the Watchers? Inside the walls of Adana’s View?
From her vantage point in the southern tower, she crouched low, gesturing for the Watchers assigned to help her protect Father Tonch to back down the stairs in stealth. A loud roar echoed through the fortress as the gates opened, and Maligon’s army poured into the courtyard like beetles overrunning a dung heap.
The Watchers in Exile Page 25
