After about an hour, Sir Gwillym saw a light moving down the tunnel toward them. He stopped with the others halting behind him. The knight took a fighting stance. “Who goes there?” he asked the light once it got closer.
“It is I, Robert,” the scout answered back. Gwillym smiled in the darkness.
“Approach, Robert.” The guard made his way to Sir Gwillym. The knight turned to Erec and the Princesses. “Rest for a moment,” he told them. Terrwyn and Taite sat on the cold dirt floor. Erec stood beside Gwillym to hear what the scout had to report.
Robert stepped up close to Gwillym and Erec. “We found an exit to the tunnel about a mile away,” he told them. We have seen the stables, just as the King said, about fifty yards from the tunnel.”
“Any sign of drakmere?” Erec asked.
“Brice scouted the stables and there is no sign of drakmere,” replied the scout. “Only a stable boy and horses.”
“Good,” replied Gwillym. “Where is Brice now?” he asked.
“He is waiting hidden at the exit of the tunnel, watching the stable to ensure that no hostiles approach,” Robert answered.
“Well done,” said Gwillym. “Go on ahead and meet up with Brice and wait for us there. We will not be too far behind you.”
The scout nodded. “As you command, Sir Gwillym,” he said. He bowed his head to Erec, in reverence to his position. “Your, Highness,” he said and turned and trotted off down the tunnel the way he had come.
Sir Gwillym then turned to Erec. “We should move soon, Your Highness,” he said as he glanced down at the Princesses. “We do not know how long we have before the Wizard’s forces discover that stable,” he said and then after a slight pause, “or this tunnel.”
Erec nodded in agreement and then turned and knelt down beside his sisters. “How are you two holding up?” he asked Terrwyn and Taite.
Terrwyn looked down at Taite and gave her a little hug. “I am fine,” she said. Then to Taite, “Are you alright?” she asked. Taite nodded without speaking. The younger girl reached out and petted Valko who sat beside her. The wolf let out a low soft noise that sounded almost like a purr.
“Valko is alright too,” Taite said. Terrwyn smiled and kissed her little sister on top of the head.
“We only have a mile or so more,” Erec told them. “Are you two ready to start moving?” he asked.
Terrwyn nodded to him. Valko made a soft sound again and Taite looked at him. “Me too,” she said to the wolf. She then turned her head and looked at her brother. “Valko thinks we should hurry,” she said. Erec smiled at her. Ever since she was very young, Taite had pretended she could talk to animals. Now she was clearly using the wolf to say what she was thinking. He leaned over and patted Valko on the head.
“Well, we should certainly listen to Valko, the wisest of us all,” he said with a smile. Erec straightened and stepped over to Sir Gwillym as the princesses stood and adjusted their dresses. “We are ready, Sir Gwillym,” Erec informed the knight.
“Very good, Your Highness,” Sir Gwillym responded. He then looked past the royal siblings at the eight lancers standing at the ready behind them. “We are moving,” he said. They each nodded to their commander. They were his most formidable guardsman, hand selected by Sir Gwillym to protect the royal family. Hopefully they would avoid trouble on their long journey to Dracengard, but if they did have to fight their way through drakmere, there were no others he would rather have at his back.
The group began to walk down the tunnel once again with Sir Gwillym in the lead, lighting the way with his torch. It took about half an hour before they saw light at the end of the tunnel. “Stay here,” Sir Gwillym said to the others and jogged away from them toward the light. He came up behind Brice and Robert who crouched at the mouth of the tunnel peering off into the distance watching for any signs of drakmere. The two scouts greeted him as he approached. He looked out of the tunnel to see light as the sun was beginning to rise behind them. It was just after dawn and the sky was orange.
“Is all still as it was?” he asked Robert and Brice looking down at the stables which stood alone at the edge of some trees.
“We have seen nothing and no one has approached the stables,” Brice said confidently. “All is clear.”
“Very well,” said Sir Gwillym. “The two of you go ahead to the stables and I will get the others,” he said. “Scout the area to ensure we are still clear. We will wait here until you signal us to come.” The two guardsmen nodded and then carefully moved out of the mouth of the tunnel and into the morning light with their lances at the ready. Sir Gwillym turned and ran back down the tunnel to where the others waited for him.
He arrived to find Erec crouching, sword drawn. The Prince stood when Sir Gwillym approached. “All is well?” he asked the knight.
Sir Gwillym smiled at him and nodded. “Yes, Your Highness,” he said. Then to everyone, “Let’s go.” Once again the group began to move through the tunnel with Sir Gwillym in the lead. A few minutes later they reached the mouth of the tunnel and Sir Gwillym peered down at the stable. He placed his torch on the ground and smothered it out. A few more minutes passed and he saw Robert emerge from the stable and wave for them to come. Sir Gwillym turned to the other guardsmen. “Joss and Leon will bring up the rear. The rest of you go two by two before us,” he commanded. The guardsmen moved past the Prince and Princesses to stand beside Sir Gwillym in pairs. Two by two they jogged across the open area to the stables below.
Sir Gwillym then turned to Erec. “Take Princess Terrwyn,” he said. “I will escort Princess Taite.” Erec nodded and then took his twin sister’s hand. They ran down the slope to the stables and once they disappeared inside, Sir Gwillym turned to Taite. “Are you ready to go Little Highness?” he asked her.
She looked down at Valko and then looked back at Sir Gwillym. “We are ready, Sir Gwillym,” Taite said standing tall and summoning all of her courage. Sir Gwillym smiled at Taite, then took her hand and emerged from the tunnel, his sword at the ready in his other hand. He led the girl down the little hill to the stable below at a run. Valko trotted just in front of them. They quickly ran inside, the door to the stable already open and guarded by Robert.
Inside the stable they found the others waiting for them. Erec and Terrwyn were already talking to the stable boy who was clearly nervous and unsure, now that he was speaking to the Prince and Princess. The guardsmen had spread throughout the stable peering through doors and cracks and watching for any signs of trouble. Still holding Taite’s hand, Sir Gwillym approached Erec, who turned to face him. “It seems Father has everything arranged. The horses are fed, watered, and saddled. Just as Father said, there is a carriage ready to go, to take Terrwyn and Taite,” he explained to Sir Gwillym.
“What is your name lad,” Sir Gwillym asked the stable boy.
“Topher, the miller’s son,” the stable boy answered nervously.
“How long have you been tending these stables?” Sir Gwillym asked.
“For two years, sir” the boy responded. “Sir Cav, the King’s stableman woke me last night and had me prepare the horses. He said you might be coming.”
“Sir Cav?” Gwillym asked. “And how did you get such an important job?” asked Sir Gwillym.
“My father served in the lancers under Sir Cav before I was born. He asked Sir Cav if I could apprentice with him. Sir Cav said that my father had saved his life and that is why he agreed.”
Sir Gwillym nodded. “The city has been overrun by drakmere,” he said. “You should come with us.”
Topher looked at the ground and considered that for a moment. “I thank you for your offer, sir, but I cannot leave my family. If the drakmere have done as you say, my mother will need me.”
“Very well,” the knight said. “Then you should get going home to your mother.” Sir Gwillym wanted to hurry the boy out so that he would not see which direction they were going. “We have a long journey to the White Fortress,” he lied. If this boy was captured by dr
akmere, Sir Gwillym did not want him to be able to tell the monsters where they had gone. The White Fortress was in Caerwynspire—a kingdom far to the north. They would actually be heading south along the Ehren River to the port at Lattingham.
Topher motioned to the saddle bags. “There is food and casks of water in the saddlebags and some in the carriage as well,” he said. Sir Gwillym thanked him. Topher collected his belongings consisting of a sack with a half eaten loaf of bread and an apple. He bowed to the Prince and Princesses and then quickly ran out of the stables. Sir Gwillym turned to his men. Joss and Leon had arrived while the knight was speaking to Topher. Sir Gwillym motioned to them. “You two will drive the carriage carrying the Prince and Princesses,” he said.
Erec shook his head. “I will ride with you,” he said.
The knight nodded. “As you wish, Your Highness,” Gwillym said. “The rest of you men, find a charger. We’ll eat on the road”
Joss climbed into the driver’s seat as Leon assisted Terrwyn and Taite into the carriage. The Princesses settled in as Leon closed the door and then climbed up to sit beside Joss. The rest of the men quickly mounted. Sir Gwillym instructed Robert and Brice to ride ahead, south along River Road to scout the area. River Road followed the Ehren River to Lattingham where the King had a royal ship waiting at port to take them all to Dracengard. Robert and Brice quickly galloped away southbound as Sir Gwillym and Erec mounted their horses.
The party moved forward with Sir Gwillym and Erec riding side-by-side in the lead, the carriage behind them, and six guardsmen following on horseback behind the carriage in two columns, lances ready. Valko ran along beside the carriage.
“We probably will not make it to Lattingham before tomorrow morning,” Sir Gwillym told Erec. The Prince nodded. “We have a long journey ahead of us and we need to keep moving to get there as quickly as possible.”
Chapter 6
King Alexandeon stood in the strongroom and watched the back wall of the fireplace slide shut behind the last of the royal guardsmen. He inhaled deeply as mixed emotions welled up inside of him. He felt relief as his children escaped down the tunnel with Sir Gwillym and the other guards, but he also felt very sad knowing he would never see them again. He allowed himself to think of them, to remember their happy faces, as they had been before this night. His thoughts then turned to his lovely wife, his queen who had died a few years before. He closed his eyes briefly and held the image of his family for one more moment before opening them again. No more thoughts of family. He had a battle to fight. He turned and left the strongroom, closing the heavy oak door behind him. He knew that the longer he could hold out in the castle, the longer it would be before the Wizard realized that the children were gone and along with them, his family’s Dracenstone. That might be long enough for his children to be safely away.
Alexandeon’s family, as every other royal family in the Middle Realm, had possessed their Dracenstone for over a thousand years. It was said that the stones were given to them by the seraph, angelic beings from the Realm of Light. The eight royal families of the Middle Realm were, legend claimed, descended from the seraph. Each family was charged with protecting its stone, to the death if necessary.
Over the years, the stones became forgotten by most people other than the families charged to protect them. No one really knew exactly what they were other than ancient relics that legend claimed contained power great enough to destroy entire armies. The stones could be used for good or evil—to preserve the light or to bring eternal darkness. Many now believed that to be nothing more than myth, just as few now believed Dracengard to be anymore than ancient lore.
Admittedly, Alexandeon’s faith in the mythical power of the Dracenstone and in Dracengard had waned over the years. As a child, he strongly believed in things like magic, in the battle of good and evil and in angels, dragons, and demons. As he grew older, his belief in the fantastic legends of old began to diminish. But now he had to believe. Not only was Dracengard and the Dracenstone all that could save his people, but belief allowed him hope that his children would survive and defeat this evil which cast such a terrible shadow over the land. That they might grow up and have families of their own and their children would live in a time of peace. Yes, he believed in magic again, because it was all that gave him hope.
When the King stepped into the courtyard, he found chaos. Bodies were strewn everywhere as Drakmere poured over the walls. Archers and lancers formed a group standing in the middle of the courtyard. The King saw Sir Cav giving the commands. If the royal stableman was the highest ranking officer still fighting, then they were truly in dire straits. Several of his lords had been too far to have mobilized their men in time to defend Avonvale, but some had come. Sir Cav was not a Lord at all, nor was he a particularly high ranking knight. He was competent enough, but he was now an old man who ran the King’s stables, a position he had requested due to his love of horses.
Still, Sir Cav understood tactics well enough to have formed the men up in alternates of archers and lancers. The archers formed rows and the lancers filled in between them. The archers would shoot their arrows at the walls, but as some of the drakmere made it over and assaulted the men’s position the lancers would attack and drive them back. Their numbers were dwindling and the King felt certain that they could not last much longer. He ran over to Sir Cav.
“Sir, Cav!” he shouted as he grabbed the old man by the shoulder. “Fall back to the throne room.”
“Yes, Sire,” said the knight, thankful to see the King alive. He shouted orders to fall back inside as the drakmere pushed forward. The men began falling back inside the castle. The King stood beside the door as his men filed in past him while he waved them in. Soon all of the men were inside, except for Sir Cav.
“Come on, Sir Cav,” the King shouted as he stepped inside. The knight turned and faced the King, stepped over to the doorway, but instead of stepping inside, slammed the door shut and turned to face the onslaught of drakmere descending upon him.
King Alexandeon silently thanked him for his bravery and slid the bolts on the door closed. Outside Sir Cav swung his sword at the nearest drakmere slicing it across the stomach. The others backed up as the old knight stood his ground.
“Come on you monsters!” he screamed a challenge at them. “Come and see what a knight of Avonvale will do to you!” They attacked in a horde, swinging axes and maces. Sir Cav deflected one blow, but the next blow from a large battle axe penetrated his armor at the shoulder and cut him down to the center of his chest. The old knight’s eyes went blank as his sword dropped to the stone pavement and he fell to his knees with a gurgling sound. Sir Cav fell forward, dead, as drakmere stepped on his body, moving to the door and crushing him underfoot.
As the King and his surviving soldiers rushed to the throne room for a final stand, he heard a loud pounding on the door as a battle axe began chopping the heavy oak to splinters. A group of about twenty lancers acted as rearguard waiting just inside the door to slow the drakmere’s progress. As the drakmere began forcing their way through the splintered oak door, the lancers impaled them with their long lances. More and more drakmere pushed through, shoving their own dead and wounded out of the way and creating even larger piles of dead and wounded. But they kept coming and coming and eventually were able to force enough of their number through the opening to gain a foothold. As the drakmere pushed into the castle, the rearguard, now numbering only a dozen or so, fell back slowly, keeping the monsters at bay with their lances. The drakmere were able to keep pushing the lancers back as their numbers inside the castle grew, but were not able to get around them or overtake them. The draks’ normal tactic of leaping over the battle lines of the enemy, or prey as it could often be more accurately described, was not possible now that they were inside the castle and constrained by the ceiling. This slowed the monsters’ progress considerably.
The drakmere moved forward slowly, hissing and biting at the lancers before them as the men slowly moved backward. This c
reated a bottleneck and as more of the monsters moved in from behind, the draks at the front were pushed forward and often into the outstretched lances. Suddenly, and completely by accident, the slow witted drakmere finally discovered a way to defeat the lancers’ strategy. A drak was pushed from behind toward the lancers and he fell forward, but was not impaled by the lance. Instead the lance became entangled with the leather sling of the drakmere’s battle axe. The drak regained its feet, once again standing on its hind legs. It pulled at its battle axe and, realizing that the sling was tangled up with the lance, jerked with all of its might. The axe came and with it came not only the lance, but the lancer. With their superior strength, the drakmere could simply yank the lancers out of the battle line or rip the lances from their arms. The drakmere realized this at once and all of those on the front line began to grab lances and pull as hard as they could, jerking lancers forward into the drakmere where they were quickly cut down. The remaining lancers, now less than ten, panicked, dropped their lances, and fled. Turning their backs on the drakmere was the worst thing they could have done. The draks leapt on them from behind and slaughtered the remaining lancers in a matter seconds.
The King and his remaining soldiers reached the throne room safely, due to the brave sacrifice of the rear guard. The soldiers, who now numbered less than fifty, closed the large oak double doors that led into the throne room and quickly barricaded those doors with anything they could find—a table, chairs, a large iron chest were all pressed against the doors. Then there was nothing to do but wait. They heard the screams of the lancers in the rearguard coming down the hall as the drakmere slaughtered them. The men nervously glanced at one another knowing that their fate would be the same.
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