by Philip Blood
Gustin threw the two useless crossbows at the other four men to help give him time to draw his sword and ax.
The four remaining attackers dodged the bows and jumped over their two dying companions. They were met by the charging Gustin who roared his challenge like a primordial beast. The big man leaped into the midst of the four men and he sunk his ax into the head of one and parried a blow by another with his sword.
Drake and Bante were still fighting, each trying to get the upper hand. Drake managed to come in on a low line when he noticed the Tchulian’s blade move too high and out of position as his horse pranced. Drake’s sword sliced through the material of Bante’s trousers and into his thigh. The wound was deep, but would not be incapacitating while he was mounted on his horse.
Screaming his fury Bante attacked Drake with powerful overhand blows as he tried to beat the knight’s sword out of position. Drake would have been all right if he had not decided to attempt a complex fencing attack he had recently been practicing. The intricate compound attack was lost in the swirling shuffle of the spinning mounts, and one of Bante’s brute force swings beat his young opponent’s sword out of line to the right. Bante’s sword came in through the opening as swiftly as a serpent's strike and pierced Drake in the upper left shoulder. Drake managed to lessen the severity of the wound by leaning back from the lunge, which was hampered by the clashing mounts. Bante’s sword only managed to pierce him shallowly, but that was bad enough.
Now it was Drake’s turn to curse his stupidity, as their horses danced apart he saluted his opponent with his sword, then urged his horse back into the battle.
Bante decided that he’d had enough of this fight; he hated an opponent who didn’t have the decency to be afraid of him and die. He began to concentrate on gathering his abilities in aura power to blast this cocky young knight out of his saddle.
Drake had no idea that he was in any danger other than the sword and continued to fight.
Gustin was in trouble, he interposed an enemy between himself and another then beat that man’s sword aside and ran him through before the man behind could get around, but the third man was free and stabbed at the unprotected side of the huge knight. Gustin did the only thing he could, he grabbed the incoming blade with his empty left hand, cutting himself badly in the process, but managed to turn the blade and keep from getting skewered.
The man he had just killed dropped to the ground and the one behind him came in for the kill.
Then, seeming out of nowhere, Hetark was there with a yell and the man who had been about to attack Gustin had to turn to protect himself from a new adversary.
“It’s about time!” exclaimed Gustin as he turned with a grin to fight the one remaining opponent on his left. He lifted his bloody hand to his mouth and tasted the blood with his tongue, his opponent paled at the sight.
“We heard there were two knights trying to take all the glory, so we decided to see what the fools looked like,” Hetark called to Gustin as he fought with his opponent.
“Hah!” Gustin exclaimed simply and attacked his man with a backhand slash toward the eyes.
Down on the path, Drake and Bante were still battling. Bante gathered his aura power and raised his hand to unleash it at the unsuspecting Drake, but a voice from the side rang out high and clear in a mocking tone. “Wouldn’t you prefer to try that on a full sorceress, you misshapen toad,” Lady Elizabeth Ember Ardellen said as she slowed her horse to a stop. Her eyes shined with intensity as she watched the Tchulian officer’s aura build for an attack, she calmly raised her shields.
A sudden look of fear came over Bante’s face, he immediately changed the direction his hand was pointed and unleashed the bolt of aura power at the sorceress. The red lance of his angry aura power streaked across the ten feet, splashed away from Elizabeth and rapidly expanded into a thinning ring of light. The sorceress sat untouched on her horse and then she laughed at him as she said, “Is that really the best you can do, little magician?” The term was derogatory and Elizabeth nonchalantly raised her right hand.
The blood drained from Bante’s face as if a faucet had been opened in the bottom of his feet. His total amazement at his thwarted attack quickly turned to full panic, and the corporal wheeled his mount to gallop away like the Desecrator himself was after his soul.
Drake started to chase him, but Elizabeth called to him, “Hold Drake, let him go. We don’t have the time right now; we need to see if the others need our help.”
Hetark fought his opponent carefully and efficiently with the patience of experience, eventually, his man made an error and Hetark’s blade came through the opening with the inevitability of the sun rising. He ran his man through the upper chest, which was a fatal blow.
Gustin traded two or three attacks and parries, then he just beat his man’s blade on its side so strongly that it went a foot and a half out of line, the Tchulian soldier was wide open for the thrust that skewered him to the cross piece of Gustin’s blade.
Gustin spoke in a conversational tone as the man’s dying face came close, “It’s not nice to stab at a man who’s busy fighting someone else, wait... your... turn, remember that next time.” Then he pulled his blade out and let the man sink to the ground, dead.
Hetark had seen Gustin’s last blow and heard his remark.
“Remind me to be polite to you in the future, you give hard lessons.”
Drake and Elizabeth cantered up and Elizabeth said, “Is everyone all right?”
“I’m fine,” Hetark answered.
“I’ll survive,” Gustin responded cheerfully.
“Let me see to that hand Gustin,” demanded Elizabeth, her brow wrinkling in concern.
“Don’t waste your powers on such a small scratch,” he answered, making light of his injury, “How did you know it was injured, by the way?”
“When I choose I can see a wound by the difference in the color of the aura, but this time, I just saw the blood,” Elizabeth replied.
Gustin looked down at the blood dripping from his hand and said, “Oh, it’s no worry… don’t waste your power on this little nick.”
Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and glowered at the knight. “I don’t want any arguments, bring that hand here at once; you can’t protect Michael very well if your hand is incapacitated. You too Drake, down off that horse, I need to see to that shoulder wound.”
Looking a little sheepish, Gustin and Drake came over to let Elizabeth heal their wounds.
While she performed her healing arts Elizabeth scolded the two wounded knights. “Now what possessed you two numskulls to take on the Tchulian soldiers alone? I thought we agreed to ambush them as a group?”
“We didn’t want to waste our carefully prepared ambush, it was such a perfect spot for it,” replied the embarrassed Gustin.
“If either one of you had been killed I would never have forgiven you,” Elizabeth stated.
“We had them taken care of, no problem, milady,” Drake assured her bravely.
“Sure, other than a couple of wounds and a much-needed rescue, you had them right where you wanted them, at your throats,” Hetark chimed in sarcastically.
“We’ll try and be more careful, milady,” said Gustin and Drake nodded.
“Thank you, and now that I’ve scolded you I will say that I think you were incredibly brave, stupid, but brave and I love you both for it,” and Elizabeth awarded them with a nod of thanks. “But please, be more careful, I want to keep you around for quite a long time. I foresee a time when Michael will need all of his Knight Protectors. We are heading into the maelstrom now, and the world will be hunting for Jatar’s heir. It will be a long and bloody battle before he regains his rightful throne, and he will need your strength, wisdom, protection, and instruction if he is to come through this alive.”
Touched by Elizabeth’s open feelings of growing affection during such a rough time for her, the eyes of the two tough knights misted up. In embarrassment, both men turned their faces away and tried t
o look casual.
Drake took out a cloth and wiped both his eyes while saying, “Excuse me for a moment; I must have a gnat in my eye.”
Gustin nodded, “Yes, I think there’s a cloud of them around.” Then he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
Hetark looked around carefully and spoke in mock bewilderment, “I don’t see any gnats.”
Drake and Gustin ignored his comment.
“Milady, I think it’s time we got on our way. Let’s try and collect the soldier’s horses to use as extra mounts,” Hetark said to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth looked down to the scene of the battle on the road where the wounded or dead Tchulians lay about like fallen leaves from a tree. “Fine, while you do that I’m going to talk to that soldier with the leg wound, perhaps I can get something out of him about his leader,” Elizabeth decided, gesturing toward the path where a Tchulian lay holding his leg.
“I’d better go with you; Hetark and Gustin can track down the extra mounts,” suggested Drake.
“If it will make you feel better, but I’m sure I can handle one wounded soldier.”
“You never know, he might have a concealed dagger to throw or something else. I will keep an eye on him while you question him,” Drake advised.
“Have it your way, come on,” she said and picked up Michael from where he sat playing with leaves in the cradling roots of a large tree.
The wounded soldier lay in the dirt of the road surrounded by two dead men on either side. He was curled up into a fetal position holding his leg, which was obviously causing him dreadful pain. He didn’t look altogether happy with the world.
Elizabeth stopped three paces in front of him and crouched down where he could see her without lifting his head. “I am not here to torture you for information, I am simply here for a trade; I’ll heal that leg and you will be out of pain in exchange for three questions answered truthfully. Otherwise, you can just lie there until your friends arrive and hope that they have a healer with them; but you do look like you’re in an extreme amount of pain.”
The man didn’t reply to Elizabeth, but his dark eyes shifted to her and then to the watchful Drake.
“Still not convinced? Well maybe this will help; here are the questions I would ask you to answer: Is your commander named Harland Von Dracek? Were you instructed to kill us or capture us? And were you part of the plot to kill my husband?”
The man winced from a sharp pain in his wound, but then hissed, “You can kiss my…”
But at that Drake kicked him in the wounded leg and said, “Be civil or I’ll add another wound, this one around your throat.”
The soldier sucked in a breath in pain and glowered at Drake, but held his tongue.
Elizabeth stood up and started back toward the horses.
Drake took hold of her arm to stop her as he said, “Milady, if we worked on him a little more I’m sure he will answer your questions.”
“He already did: Von Dracek is his commander, Michael is to be captured, the rest of us killed and he was not part of the plot to kill Jatar, which is the ONLY reason he still lives.”
“But how...?” Drake exclaimed, rubbing his head with his hand in puzzlement.
“The answers were in his mind, by asking the questions I made him think about the answers. Although he had no intention of helping us the answers still passed through his surface thoughts. I doubt he would answer us voluntarily anyway, he has a much greater fear of his commander than of me.”
Gustin and Hetark had gathered the extra mounts, so now they had two spare mounts for each rider.
Hetark spoke to Elizabeth and Drake as they mounted, “We need to be on our way, it’s not an opportune time to run into the other half of these soldiers.”
“We confirmed that it is Von Dracek commanding them and you are correct, it’s time we started getting as far ahead of that evil man as possible,” suiting action to words Elizabeth guided her horse into a canter down the forest path and the three knights quickly followed.
They rode along the forest path passing in and out of the occasional slanted beam from the afternoon’s golden sunlight. To either side of them, the quiet forest of tall majestic trees passed by like the world’s largest cathedral. Elizabeth’s mind wandered as she rode, pictures of the happy times she had spent with her husband roamed through her consciousness. She recalled a picnic along the fringe of this very forest, three summers ago, where Jatar had skimmed stones down the creek while she watched. She remembered watching the rings as they expanded to the creek’s shore, and thought of Lucent, one of her Kirnath instructors, using expanding water ripples as an example of expanding your aura perceptions in ever widening circles.
She also thought about the night when Jatar had so proudly introduced her to his foster brothers: Pellev, Verdew and Berelle. He had been like a schoolboy after his first kiss, she remembered looking at his aura and how it shone with bright highlights mirroring his excitement and love.
I wonder what his brothers are doing now, she thought, I hope they’re safe; they probably don’t even know Jatar is gone.
In some ways she wished she shared their ignorance. She contemplated her husband’s personality, he had been such a good man and ruler, his foresight in choosing six Knight Protectors was already bearing fruit as they bravely protected his son and heir.
Jatar now lives on through you, Michael, the young mother thought as she looked down to where the infant slept fitfully in her jouncing sling. You are my last connection with Jatar... wait! That’s what I forgot, where has my brain been? Jatar’s spirit is gone, but I can still speak with his personality through his imprint in the Ardellen family ring. Jatar sent the signet ring with G’Taklar on that embassy to Zinterdalin. I’ve got to recover that ring before it falls into the hands of our enemies!
As she thought about Jatar’s cathexis ring Elizabeth fingered the most precious of her family heirlooms, a small round earring she wore pierced through her soft earlobe.
The pine needle road curved up a gentle rise in the forest entering some low hills.
Elizabeth’s mind returned from her wanderings; Michael’s weight was causing her an ache where his sling hung around her neck. She decided that they could all use a short break as long as Von Dracek was far enough behind.
Her thoughts went to Von Dracek and his men. She now knew that they planned to take Michael from her for some evil purpose and they threatened her life and the lives of these brave men.
A seething anger burned in her mind as this normally gentle young woman considered her pursuer’s plan. Elizabeth forced her mind to calm and her pulse slowed to match the rhythmic motions of her mount. When her mind was clear she slowly extended her aura in a widening circle, like a ripple in a still pond, as she quested outwards for traces of Von Dracek’s men on their back trail.
Due to the nature of her aura expanding in a circle Elizabeth’s perception extended out in all directions. To her shock, she located the burning glow of ten human auras arranged in an ambush that they had just entered. Holding onto her visible emotions like the reins of a wild horse, Elizabeth looked carefully at the layout of the enemy soldiers. She and her knights wouldn’t be completely into the kill zone for another fifty feet or so, but it was already too late to turn back.
She spoke in a low voice to her knights, “Don’t look anywhere or react, but we’re surrounded by the Tchulians, get ready to follow me on my signal.”
Again she quickly checked the placement of their enemies with her powers; she looked for a seam in the net of death in which they had unknowingly been entangled and found it. There was a slight ravine between two of the hidden soldiers that could provide her party some protection. Most of the soldiers wouldn’t be able to see them to fire a bow and only the two closest were in an optimum position to shoot at them if they broke through at that point.
“Now!” she yelled, and without further warning, Elizabeth kicked her horse into a gallop and made a sudden left turn off the road into the trees.
Her horse leaped as if stung and lunged off the path and up the short bank into the forest. Elizabeth charged forward and the three Knight Protectors raced to keep up. The sorceress raised her aura shields, she didn’t have nearly enough power to protect the knights from the crossbow bolts, but she could stop them from striking her or Michael.
The enemy soldiers were not long in reacting to their move since they had been prepared for action as their quarry neared the center of their trap. So although they were momentarily surprised by the sudden departure of their prey, they were still quick enough to shoot their bows.
Three crossbow bolts zinged across the forest. One ‘thunked’ into Gustin’s leg with a dull wet sound and the other went low into the chest of Hetark’s horse, causing it to stumble momentarily. The third hit the neck of the empty horse he was pulling by the reins. The extra horse went down which yanked the reins loose from Hetark with a jerk, and caused his second spare mount to fall as well. Hetark was delayed slightly and fell behind the others by four lengths.
Hetark cursed his luck, but he didn’t want to put Elizabeth in danger by slowing them down, so he decided to get a new mount and stop the enemy from pursuing. He yelled to the others, “Go on without me, protect Michael and Elizabeth; I’m going after their horses.”
Before anyone could argue with him he turned his wounded horse and galloped off toward the likeliest area for their enemies to have placed their horse picket.
Hetark slipped over the side of his horse to use the body of his animal to protect himself from half the area that an arrow or bolt might fly, unfortunately that still left him exposed on the other side. The swish sound of flying death whispered its call as crossbow bolts passed close by, then one struck his saddle and another hammered into his left shoulder, which nearly causing him to fall from his horse. He angled his horse through a thick group of trees to give him further protection from the enemy’s shots. Hetark made it through their gauntlet wounded, but alive. His horse was not so lucky and her breath became labored while her eyes rolled wildly and blood foamed from her mouth.
