“Ambush!” Banji yelled as he came over the top of the hill. Several arrows flew over his head, barely missing him.
“Back the way we came,” Michael yelled.
Lucas and Dimitri re-mounted their horses, and the whole group galloped away from the pursuit. As they raced uphill, Mat looked over his shoulder to see a score of men on horseback cresting the hill on the opposite side of the clearing. The enemy soldiers were all armed with crossbows and skidded to a stop to take aim. Just as they reached the top of the hill, a volley of crossbow bolts sailed past the group. One of the bolts deflected off of Mat’s helmet, and he heard someone in the group cry out in pain.
Once they were over the top of the hill and out of sight, Mat quickly sought out Persephonie. “Persephonie, grab your bow,” he yelled as he turned his horse around and headed back towards the hilltop. “They will have to reload, and we should have time for a few shots before they do.”
As he reached the top of the hill, Mat smoothly drew an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, and took aim. As he let the first arrow fly, Persephonie joined him and did the same. They quickly fired three times each, taking down an enemy soldier with each arrow.
“Let’s go,” Mat yelled to Persephonie as he drew one more arrow and took aim. He knew he was cutting it close, because they were quickly reloading their crossbows.
As Mat shot his fourth arrow, the enemy soldiers returned fire with their crossbows. They were firing uphill so most of the crossbow bolts were off target, but one of them grazed Mat’s left shoulder leaving a gash that quickly started bleeding. By that point, both Mat and Persephonie were riding over the hill away from the enemy towards the rest of their friends.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Michael yelled at them as they caught up with the group.
“I knew we had a minute while they reloaded,” Mat yelled back as they rode away from the ambush site. “We took down six or seven of them so there are only a dozen left.”
“Let’s get further ahead and regroup,” Michael yelled then kicked his horse into a run.
After riding hard for mile, they came to a stop at the top of a distant ridge where they could look back the way they came. As they came to a stop, Dimitri fell forward off his horse and landed with a thud, not moving. Lucas jumped off his horse and was at his side almost immediately.
“How bad is it?” Michael asked as he came up beside Lucas and put a hand on his shoulder.
Lucas signed something to him, but Michael couldn’t understand sign language. He could see that there was a crossbow bolt buried in Dimitri’s back, though, and his shirt was soaked with blood.
“He said Dimitri’s still alive, but the wound needs to be treated soon,” Arajin translated.
“Ok, strap him to his horse as gently as possible and try to stop the bleeding,” Michael said. “We need to take care of the rest of those soldiers before we can try to take care of him.”
“Let’s get off the road so we are out of sight,” Michael said. “They‘ll assume we’re in full retreat and may keep riding after us recklessly. We can ambush them as they come up the hill. We’ll have to be careful because they have crossbows, but Mat and Persephonie should be able to take out several more before they can fire back.”
“After they fire their crossbows, we can attack,” Arajin added. “We’ll still be outnumbered, but we’ve faced worse odds before.”
“We have to do something fast,” Mat said, “or Dimitri won’t make it. I think this is our best bet.”
Within a few minutes, the pursuing soldiers could be seen in the distance coming around a corner. There were a dozen men riding fast, but not at a full run. They were intent on pursuit and not paying a lot of attention to their surroundings. As they made it to the bottom of the hill, they learned the error of their inattentiveness.
Once they came into range, Mat and Persephonie stepped into the open and each fired two arrows in rapid succession, stepping back into the trees as crossbow bolts zipped past them. After the volley of crossbow fire, Mat and Persephonie fired more arrows while the rest of the group charged in to finish the fight; by the time they crashed into the remaining enemy soldiers, there were only four still on horseback.
Arajin was the first to get there, and his war hammer smashed into the lead rider’s chest. The man went flying and crashed into the rider behind him. As that man tried to get control of his horse and keep his balance, Lucas rode in, stabbed him in the chest, and pulled him backwards off his horse.
Michael veered around the initial battle and was attacked by both remaining men. He wasn’t expecting the coordinated attack and was quickly put on the defensive. Fortunately, Banji was riding right behind him and slashed the bicep on the sword arm of one of the men, rendering his arm useless. Once he was engaged in one-on-one combat, Michael quickly finished off the last man.
With all his comrades defeated, the man Banji had wounded dropped his sword and tried to escape. Arajin’s horse slammed into his and almost knocked him off. A punch to the face sent him to the ground. Before the man could stand up, Banji leapt from his horse and kept him on the ground with a knee on his chest and a dagger at his throat.
“Well, that went about as well as we could have hoped,” Mat said as he and Persephonie rejoined the group. “We even have a prisoner.”
“We need to figure out what to do next,” Michael said. “Banji, keep an eye on the road, and make sure they don’t have more men coming after us. Lucas, head back up the hill, and get Dimitri. Persephonie, take care of Mat’s wound. I can see blood dripping down his left arm. Arajin, secure the area, and see if we can get any information from our hostage.”
By the time Lucas returned with Dimitri, Mat was bandaged up, and the prisoner had been secured and interrogated. The man was now unconscious, and Persephonie was attending his wounds.
“According to our hostage, we were expected,” Michael told the group. “He didn’t know where the information came from, but they were looking for us.”
“Did he say anything else?” Mat asked.
“No, that was it,” Michael answered. “He passed out shortly after I started interrogating him. We may be able to get more information out of him later. For now, we need to take care of ourselves. How’s Dimitri doing?”
“He didn’t make it,” Arajin said softly. “He was already dead when Lucas went back up to get him.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Dimitri’s body. It didn’t seem real to Mat. “He can’t be dead,” Mat protested. “He was alive just a few minutes ago. Sure he was shot, but we bandaged it up and stopped the bleeding.”
“Mat’s right,” Persephonie said. “He shouldn’t be dead. His wound was bad, but not immediately fatal.”
“It’s hard to tell how bad the wound was,” Arajin replied. “If the crossbow bolt pierced his lung, it could have filled with blood and suffocated him. I have seen wounds that look less severe be deadly. You just never know.”
“I should have tried healing him right away,” Persephonie said quietly. She still felt guilty for shooting him months ago when she mistook his protective actions during an assassination attempt as an attack on Mat.
“There’s nothing you could have done,” Michael told Persephonie. “If the wound was that bad, he was close to death when he fell off his horse. Your Druid powers may be able to heal most wounds, but you couldn’t be expected to save a man from a mortal wound.”
“So what do we do now?” Mat asked. He was struggling with the death of a man who, just minutes before, was fighting with him against the enemy soldiers. He wasn’t naive enough to think no one would die during this war, but this was the first time one of his companions died and he felt partly responsible.
“We have to leave him,” Arajin answered. “We have to get to Westport and can’t be slowed down. He was my friend too, but there is nothing we can do for him now.”
“He’s dead,” Banji added. “He won’t care if we leave him in the woods.”
“I won’t leave without burying him,” Mat said defiantly. No one said anything, but it was obvious they were ready to move on.
Persephonie put her hand on Mat’s shoulder and looked at him with sympathy. She still felt guilty about not healing Dimitri right away and knew the guilt Mat was feeling. “I’ll help you bury him,” she said.
“We can build a cairn for him off to the side of the road.” Michael said. “After this is all over, we can come back and give him a proper burial.”
With everyone working together, they quickly gathered enough rocks to cover Dimitri’s body. After Michael said a quick prayer, everyone prepared to leave.
As they mounted, Arajin rode over to Michael to talk in private. “I think I know how the Northern Kingdom army knew we were here,” Arajin whispered, handing Michael a small object. “Lucas found this in Dimitri’s stuff. It’s a signet ring with Anton’s personal crest on it.”
“If he was a spy, why did he save Mat during the attack by those two back in the Gitano camp?” Michael asked. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe his orders were to gather information back then,” Arajin offered. “Now, we may be considered a threat. There’s really no way to know now.”
“For now, nothing has changed,” Michael said. “We still need to get to Westport as quickly as possible. We can tell Mat and the others about this when we get there. That’s something they don’t need to worry about right now.”
“Agreed,” Arajin replied.
“Tie the prisoner to his horse. We’ll bring him with us,” Michael announced to everyone. “As long as he’s on a horse, he won’t slow us down. If he’s going to slow us down, we’ll have get rid of him. We can’t afford to be slowed down.”
“All right,” Mat said. “Let’s get out of here then.”
Chapter 5
After burying Dimitri, they left the road and traveled primarily through the forest. It slowed them down but helped them avoid the enemy soldiers out searching the mountain roads. At one point, they sent the prisoner and his horse racing away to create a diversion so they could continue on undetected.
By the time they arrived at the outer gate of Westport two days later, the group was tired, hungry, and dirty. The enemy army hadn’t arrived yet, but there were hundreds of soldiers on the wall, ready to defend against the inevitable assault. After a brief conversation, the gates were opened, and they were allowed to enter the outer city.
Westport was the largest city in Solandeus and its capital. It was located on a bay that was surrounded by cliffs, and it could be completely closed off by raising a massive chain net. The original city was built right on the water, and the castle was on a hill overlooking it. A large, easily defensible wall stretched from the cliffs on one side of the bay to the other. The only way into the city was over the wall or through the bay.
As the population of Westport increased, a second wall was built, and the outer city was created. Most of the city’s population lived in this area. There were many inns, shops, temples, and most of the businesses that didn’t need to be close to the docks. Even with the impending invasion, the outer city was still bustling, and people were going about their business as if nothing was amiss.
It was too late to seek an audience with the King, so they checked into one of the outer city’s many inns. While the rest of the group settled in and enjoyed their first hot meal in a week, Michael set out to gather information. He visited the local Basilican temple to connect with his primary agent in Westport. The rest of the group was resting in the common room when he returned.
Michael looked weary, but determined, as he pulled up a chair and joined the group by the fireplace. “According to my sources, everyone in the city is aware of the invasion,” Michael told them. “As you can probably tell, people don’t feel particularly threatened. The general consensus is that the invaders will be repelled at the first wall. There hasn’t been war in Solandeus in 300 years so nobody knows what to expect.”
“Were you able to get any information on what is happening with the Northern army?” Mat asked.
“There are roughly 300,000 fighting men who have breached the Wall of Salvation,” Michael answered. “They left a small camp at the wall to maintain their supply lines from the north, but the rest have marched on Westport and Port Ludenberg.”
“That makes sense,” Arajin said. “If they can capture those two ports, they’ll be able to move supplies and troops by sea.”
“Have they sent any troops towards Rolling Rock?” Mat asked.
“I didn’t hear of any troop movement into the center of Solandeus,” Michael answered. “Your family should be safe for now.”
“How many men are heading this way?” Persephonie asked. “The outer walls of the city may fall, but the inner wall will be very difficult to breach.”
“The inner wall will be tough to breach,” Michael agreed, “but there are 200,000 men heading this way, and we have probably less than 30,000 defending soldiers here. Food and water shouldn’t be a problem, but Westport will eventually fall. From there, the Northern army will sweep across the entire Kingdom.”
“How can you say that?” Mat demanded. “We can’t just give up.”
“We’re not giving up,” Michael said calmly, “but we can’t win a war when we are outnumbered so severely. We have to find an advantage that we can use to fight back. That’s the Armor of God.”
“I’m not going to abandon my family,” Mat yelled ignoring the looks from the other patrons.
Persephonie put a sympathetic hand on Mat’s leg. “No one is asking you to abandon them. You’re going to save them, but you can’t do that until we finish the quest for the armor.”
“The armor has to wait until after we defend the city,” Mat said. He was intent on protecting his homeland and clearly not interested in doing anything else.
“Mat, there is a lot more that I need to tell you,” Michael said. “Why don’t you head up to your room. I will be up in a few minutes, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
Mat stood up and glared at Michael for minute. It appeared he was going to argue more, but after a minute he turned and walked away. When Mat was gone, Michael told the rest of the group everything he had learned and his plans for continuing the quest. He was going to tell Mat all of that plus other information that was important for him to know as they proceeded on the quest. He knew that Mat would have a hard time with some of it, and he needed everyone’s help to keep Mat moving forward on his quest for the Armor of God.
He didn’t like manipulating Mat, but Michael thoroughly believed in the quest and Mat’s destiny to save Solandeus. He knew he would question his motives and actions in the quiet of night, but now was not the time for doubts. Now was the time for action. Determined on the course that needed to be taken, Michael left the rest of the group in the common room and headed upstairs to talk to Mat.
By the time Michael got to Mat’s room, Mat was ready to argue. When Michael entered after quietly knocking, he found Mat pacing around the room, fists clenched, looking like he was ready to punch something, or someone. Michael knew this was going to be a difficult conversation.
In order to diffuse the situation, Michael sat in a padded chair next to the unlit fireplace. He motioned to the other chair, inviting Mat to sit with him, but Mat continued to pace. He occasionally glared at Michael, but mostly stared at the floor as he walked around.
Michael put his hands on the arms of the chair and did his best to act non-confrontational as he began to tell Mat what he needed to know. “I know this quest hasn’t been easy for you. I never had a brother, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose one. I know it isn’t fair that so much responsibility has been thrust on you at such a young age. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything I can do to change that. All I can do is try to help you succeed on this quest.”
Mat stopped pacing and looked up at Michael. His eyes were red, but Michael wasn’t sure if it was from rag
e or sorrow. “What if I don’t continue the quest?” Mat asked. “What if I just quit right now? I’m probably going to fail anyway, so why should I even try? You said yourself that the Northern army was going to conquer the entire kingdom. They will kill everyone I know and love. They will kill me too.”
Mat’s emotions were teetering back and forth between anger and despair. Michael needed to keep him from falling into depression before he could work on the anger. Unfortunately, what he was going to tell Mat to give him hope would probably also make him angry. “Mat, a lot of people will die during this war, but not everyone you love. I told you before that the Basilican Knights have been preparing for this invasion for centuries. Based on the prophecies, we knew there was a very good chance that we would not be able to defeat the invading army when it happened. The prophecies say you will save your people, but they do not say you will defeat the invading army. As I told you downstairs, the Northern army is too big to beat in a heads-on battle.”
“If we can’t beat them, how can I save my people?” Mat asked. “And what people will there be to save?”
Michael was happy that Mat had calmed down and was asking important questions. The next part was going to be tricky. He needed to give Mat hope without him feeling like he had been deceived. “The Basilican Order has spent the last three centuries preparing for this possibility. We have secret fortresses deep in the mountains. They are virtually impossible to find and easy to defend with a small number of people. We are a much larger order than we appear to be. Right now, we have 10,000 knights hidden away in these fortresses.”
“What?” Mat screamed. The red in his eyes was definitely anger now. “You have 10,000 highly trained knights hidden away while the rest of the kingdom is slaughtered. They should be defending the Kingdom from invasion. How can you do nothing?”
Michael expected this kind of reaction but was still afraid Mat might take a swing at him. He knew he couldn’t give into the temptation to stand and defend himself from a potential attack. “They aren’t doing nothing,” Michael calmly replied. “They are ensuring Solandeus survives this invasion. As soon as we got word that the enemy crossed the Wall of Salvation, we put a plan into action to ensure future generations survive to reclaim Solandeus. By tomorrow morning, the queen and princess will be on their way to these hidden fortresses. So will other key nobles, craftsmen, and others that will be critical to rebuilding the kingdom. Most of them are women, children, and elderly, but there are some men who possess skills and knowledge that are too important to lose in battle. It will be a long, difficult journey through the mountains, but we hope that we can get a lot of people to safety.”
Armor of God (Salvation of Solandeus Book 2) Page 3
