by Steven Cook
There was no such luck. The guards stopped ten feet away from Dingo.
âHey you there!â one called out.
Dingo was about to lever himself from the ground to attack them when he was stopped by a voice came from above.
âWhat is it?â Dingo had momentarily forgotten the archers post on top of the wall.
âGet the wine ready, we are off duty when we get back round.â The second guard laughed.
âHurry up or there will be none left.â The call came down from the wall.
The two guards started laughing and walking again. Dingo breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly lifted his head enough to watch the guards turn the corner and disappear from his sight.
Silently he got to his feet. Opening his small pack he began the real task he had set out on. After five minutes he was done and headed slowly back to the ditch.
Once safely back in the ditch he took one last look through the binoculars at the wall before gathering his equipment and moving away from the ditch towards the river.
*
The Fort 22nd May
Coranâs heartbeat raced as he jogged to the entrance to the fort. The two heavily armed guards had retreated inside and closed the solid gate as night had fallen.
Coran thumped on the gate with the butt of his javelin. A narrow slot slid open and a voice issued out.
âStand back in the light.â Coran did as instructed, stepping back into the light thrown by a pair of torches above the archway.
âIdentify yourself.â The voice sounded irritated at being disturbed.
âIâm Coran, Trooper of the Sixth Border Phalanx and reporting to Hildar, First Captain of the Sixth Border Phalanx.â
There was a grating noise as the heavy bolts were drawn back. One of the gates was opened wide enough to let Coran through before it was pushed back and secured again.
âHave the Fifth been put in the usual place?â Coran asked the guard.
âYes, the East Dormitory. There is a squad keeping an eye on them.â
âGood, I had better report in then.â Coran walked past the guard and across the courtyard.
The fort was laid out in a square, with rooms surrounding a central courtyard, most turned over to storage and dormitories for the garrison. The courtyard had a gallery of more rooms hanging over it, which provided apartments for the officers and guests. Regularly placed turrets and battlements completed the three-storey structure.
Coran made directly for a stairway leading to the upper level and took a few steps up until he was out of sight of the guard. He paused, and then silently slipped back down. He checked that the guard had returned to the guardhouse then slipped out and moved into the shadows under the gallery.
He moved silently through the darkness until he reached a doorway. He slowly lifted the latch and slipped through, carefully closing the door behind him.
He breathed easier and started down the passageway. He soon came to another, heavier door. He lifted the latch and stepped inside boldly. Two guards started to rise from their seats. As soon as they saw him they sat back down.
Coran stepped into the cellblock smiling. Four heavy barred doors were set off the main chamber. Each secured a bare chamber. The two Americans occupied one of the rooms. They were sitting hunched on the floor and barely looked up as Coran entered.
âHo Coran.â One of the guards greeted him.
âDanya,â replied Coran, nodding a greeting.
âWhat brings you down here?â
âHildar wants the outsiders moving.â
âFair enough. Gnoslaus will give you a hand.â Danyaâs assistant stood up and went to unlock the cell.
âThere is no hurry,â said Coran. He sat down at the table and took the cup of wine offered by Danya.
Coran leisurely consumed the wine, engaging the two guards in meaningless conversation whilst silently measuring time.
âWell this has been nice. I had better get moving before Hildar sends somebody to find me.â He stood and moved to the cell.
Gnoslaus unlocked the cell and opened the door.
âGet up,â he instructed Fisher and Warnett.
They reluctantly got to their feet. Fisher poised himself, thinking of launching himself at the guard. Coran drew his sword as he saw the Rangerâs muscles tense.
âSteady there,â he warned.
Gnoslaus ordered the men out one at a time and lashed their wrists together. He left a long leash on each, and once they were both bound he gathered the ends in his fist.
âLet us move.â Coran opened the door to the passageway and led the way.
He turned left and strode towards the Eastern Dormitory. Coran realised that if he were discovered moving the American Officers he would be lucky to survive. However, he took an easy pace, as if he was in no hurry.
The door to the Eastern Dormitory appeared out of the gloom of the passageway, and without pausing he lifted the latch and entered the main dormitory.
The room was wide, with beds arranged along one wall. A spiral stairway ascended through the ceiling to the turret above. A pair of doors led to separate rooms.
Lounged around were close to twenty warriors. Coran noticed that they all had weapons close to hand. Their leader stood and moved towards Coran.
âWhat are they doing here?â he asked.
âHildar ordered me to bring them here and put them with the others.â Coran indicated that Gnoslaus should take the men to the room set aside for the Fifth Phalanx.
âHe said he wanted them apart.â The leader stated.
âHe has changed his mind.â Coran looked directly at the man, challenging him to not believe him.
The leader held Coranâs gaze for a moment.
âAlright,â he relented, retaking his seat.
Coran walked to the door and opened it. He stood aside and let Gnoslaus lead the two captives inside. Finally he walked inside and closed the door.
Saraph and the others rose quickly to their feet as the Americans entered the room.
âGnoslaus?â the warder turned to look at Coran.
âSorry.â Coran apologised as he slammed his fist into the side of the manâs head, knocking him out. He grabbed his body and lowered it gently to the floor.
He quickly stood and started to untie Warnett.
Saraph walked towards him.
âHello brother. I thought that was you on the beach.â
Coran finished untying the Americans, then embraced his brother, grinning broadly.
âI think we should get out of here. Hildar is bound to be upset if he knows you are all together and will react badly as usual. There is also an army of Minoans heading this way.â
âSo we have to fight our way past the garrison and an army of Minotaurs?â said Carl.
Coran took a small metal box from his belt pouch and offered it to Fisher.
âHopefully we will not have to fight. Dingo said you would know what to do with this.â
âDingoâs alive?â
Fisher took the box and looked at it. He smiled.
âThis could be interesting.â
*
Chapter Seven â Flight and Fight
The Fort 22nd & 23rd May
Hildar burst into the cellblock, slamming the door back against the wall. The metal latch struck sparks from the dry stone wall. Two of his men followed straight behind him with their weapons drawn. Danya leapt to his feet, surprised by the sudden arrival.
âCaptain.â he stammered.
Hildar ignored him and strode to the cell that had contained the two seamen. Pulling the unlocked door open he looked inside.
âWhere are they?â Hildar demanded, looked wildly around at the other cells.
âThey have been moved at your request.â Danya replied.
<
br /> âI never ordered that.â Hildar moved menacingly towards Danya, who took a step back.
âWho moved them? Where to?â he spat.
âIt was Coran. He took them to the Eastern Dormitory to put them with the others.â stammered the jailor, confused by the vehemence in the Hildarâs voice.
âCurse him to Poseidonâs belly,â swore the captain. He pushed Danya in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards to land on his rump.
âAlert the garrison.â He pointed at one of his warriors.
He looked at the other.
âYou come with me.â They ran from the room.
Danya slowly picked himself up. From the open door he heard the sound of an alarm bar being struck repeatedly.
The guards in the dormitory had barely jumped to their feet in response to the alarm and were gathering their weapons when Hildar crashed into the dormitory.
âWhere is Coran?â he shouted.
He noticed one of the doors swing open to reveal the face of one of the Fifth Phalanx warriors. With a snarl Hildar snatched the javelin from the hands of the guard who had run in with him and threw it across the room.
The throw was quicker than the warrior could react to, and the javelin struck him in the throat, hurling him backwards. The door started to swing open.
âGet them.â roared Hildar.
The guardsmen charged towards the small room, drawing swords and hefting spears as they hurdled the furniture between them and the door.
Danny looked in horror as the warrior was struck down in front of his eyes. He was closest to the door and stood stunned for a moment before he moved to shut it. As he started to push it closed a hefty blow shoved it open, throwing him off balance. He fell back onto the floor.
A snarling warrior burst into the room, saw Danny prone on the floor and swept his sword at him in a vicious overhand blow. Craig watched helpless from across the room as his friend threw up his arm in a vain attempt to protect himself.
The sword struck Danny on the wrist, catching him on the bracelet of his new watch. Instead of severing his hand, there was a flash of energy and a loud crack as the Orichalcum blade shattered, throwing shards of the iridescent material into the air.
It was hard to tell who was more shocked, Danny or the Warrior. Saraph reached over the stunned sailor and thrust his sword between the strips of armour into the warriorâs chest. Instead of recovering his sword he continued to push and drove him back into the main room. With a savage twist, he disengaged his sword. The warrior collapsed in front of his colleagues.
With the warriors momentarily obstructed Saraph leapt back and with Erazâ aid shoved the door shut. Fitz and Craig were ready to shove a bed across the door to provide a better barrier.
Saraph looked over at Fisher.
âWhatever you are supposed to know what to do, I suggest you do it. That door will not hold long.â
His last words were drowned out by the sound of heavy blows descending on the door. The leg of the bed had lodged against the edges of the flagstones and was preventing the door from being opened. However, the heavy blades of the warriors easily cut into the wood, piercing it to show flashes of the orange coloured metal.
Fisher looked at the device sitting in his hand and smiled.
âWhereâs it targeted?â he asked Coran.
Coran stood with his sword drawn, shield up, watching the door slowly splinter in front of him. He quickly glanced around.
âDingo said the wall in the main room.â
âOK. Cover your ears.â
Fisher pulled out a short aerial from the radio control unit. He watched as the sailors covered their ears. The warriors looked at them, shrugged and copied the move.
âFire in the hole.â He depressed the trigger three times in rapid succession.
The trigger sent an electrical signal through the intervening walls to the detonators plugged into the long sausage shaped block of C4 that Dingo had moulded to the outside of the wall. At exactly the same instant each of the eight detonators received the message.
The detonators fired instantly, turning the C4 into a one time unstoppable chemical reaction. Three quarters of a mile away Dingo paused and looked back over his shoulder. A big grin spread across his face.
In the main dormitory there was a roar as the external wall of the fort was obliterated. The flying debris blasted the warriors hacking through the door away in a bloody spray.
Hildar, standing near the door to the passageway was thrown backwards through the open portal. He was knocked unconscious momentarily until he slammed into the wall and slid into a heap at its base.
Slowly his senses came back to him. All he could hear was a soft roaring and his sight kept fading. His body was throbbing with the massive concussion he had received.
As he lay he looked numbly through the door. He saw the bloodied forms of the guards scattered across the room. Saraph came into his field of vision. He pushed his way in to the wreck of the room accompanied by Coran, a couple of warriors and the outsiders. They clambered through the hole in the outer wall, carrying Carrick on the stretcher and disappeared into the night.
Fisher came last. He looked at the devastation caused in the room before tossing the now useless trigger aside and clambering over the rubble to join the others outside.
âBloody Australian, always uses too much!â
He scrambled over the rubble that had been the wall and jogged to catch up with the others. A huge crashing came from behind him and he span around. The upper level and the turret had now collapsed down to group level, blocking the hole in the wall and raising a cloud of dust and shards of stone.
He jogged backwards for a few yards, checking to make sure nobody was following. As he turned he noticed a line of flames leading up to the front of the Fort. He paused to take a better look then ran to catch the others.
âMove it,â he hissed to Coran, âtheir allies have arrived.â
Coran turned his head to look back at the fort. He was shocked to see the large number of torches. He tried to estimate a number, but the distance and the dust in the air confused things.
âIf they are all Minoans then we are in serious trouble.â
He let Fisher pass him and checked the ground. He was pleased to note that they werenât leaving any footprints. Satisfied he made his way to the front of the small column.
Coran led them quickly across the field and soon arrived at the first of the irrigation ditches. They carefully descended into the irrigation channel, passing Carrick down on his stretcher. Once again they set off, using the cover of the lower ground to avoid detection.
*
The Fort 23rd May
The guard Captain gulped nervously as he slowly opened the gate to the Fort. Holding onto the gate to support himself he stepped outside.
The flickering light from the torches above the portal was blotted out by the massive bulk of Minotaur. He was now wearing heavy black lacquered leather armour across his chest. A thick leather kilt hung down his thighs and heavy boots were strapped to his bulging calves. The creature lowered its head, allowing light to fall on its features.
The slash across his face had been badly cauterised. His right eye socket was ruined and empty. The sword wound was weeping foul smelling pus. The ear was in two halves, the upper still being held upright by the muscles, the lower flapping lifelessly. His nostril was split in two and was intermittently dripping a mixture of blood and drool.
âWhere is Hildar?â Minotaur tilted his head to favour his good eye.
âHe is within.â
âStand aside.â The Minoan impatiently brushed the guard aside and strode into the Fort. His chosen warriors started to file past; each armoured as he and armed with a variety of axes and heavy bladed swords.
At that point the explosives were triggered. All heads turned in the direction of the no
ise to see a brief stab of flames rise into the sky, visible above the courtyard walls.
âOutsiders,â roared Minotaur, remembering the explosion of the grenade.
The gathered Minoans grunted and roared in annoyance at the destruction. Many looked around, expecting the outsiders to appear. They turned as a door clattered open.
A cloud of dust issued from the door as the turret collapsed. Slowly and unsteadily a figure staggered drunkenly out of the door. Hildar was covered in stone chips and dust. He saw Minotaur and swayed towards him, his balance thrown out by the damage to his ears.
âItâs the outsiders,â he shouted, âthey destroyed the wall. Send your men outside towards the river to get them. Do not capture them, just destroy them.â
Hildar studied Hildar for a moment; snorting in disgust he turned to one of his subordinates, a slightly smaller Minoan barely seven feet in height.
âMâVarak, take a Fist out and find the outsiders. Kill any Arcanadians and any of the outsiders who are badly injured. I want live outsider prisoners.â Minotaur quietly instructed the creature.
Hildar looked on, swaying slightly and not hearing a single word. All he could hear was the muted roar.
MâVarak nodded to Minotaur in acceptance of the order, and then turned away. He pointed at a group of Minoans, who quickly gathered their equipment. He started jogging towards the exit closely followed by those he had chosen.
The guards at the gate prudently stood aside as the Minoans trooped past, unconsciously holding their breath and attempting to shrink out of sight. They watched the creatures jog away, forming up on their leader as they moved around the wall of the fort.
Turning back to look at the front of the Fort the guard was awestruck by the increasing numbers of Minoans who were still arriving. He had never realised that there were so many of the creatures.
MâVarak raised a closed fist as they came upon the destruction at the wall. He sheathed his broadsword in the scabbard across his back and dropped to all fours. He started sniffing the ground and air around the rubble.
Raising his head he moved a few paces away from the rubble then sniffed again. Looking up he peered into the distance. Standing up he used the extra height to scan the distance.
