There was little discussion at the front of the line and Jonah Ducalin seemed to be getting more anxious as they drew closer to the swamps, but nothing of concern to a Sergeant. Roder dropped back toward the rear of the left column.
“It’s been a quite ride,” Squinty-eyed Lu Zannis observed to Chuc Carlin riding in the column to his right.
“There’s suppose to be sasquatches in the swamps, so stay alert, some of them might have wandered out this far,” Carlin replied, and spit a wad of chewing tobacco to his left, between the two horses. His low brow caused many a man to believe him dim witted, when in fact the guardsman was sensible, and possessed razor sharp instincts.
“Good advice, stay sharp, there’s more than those big smelly beasts awaiting us,” Roder spoke up, loud enough for most everyone to hear.
The pines and oaks gave way to black cypress, tupelos, and willows. The area to the left and right was saturated. Sunlight reflected off the water on both sides of the road, which was no longer hard packed, it was muddy. Mosquitoes pestered everyone except Sir Daniel, who rode on as if the little blood suckers did not exist. Roder wished he could do the same.
“We are in the swamp now,” Jonah declared.
“So lead the way,” Sir Daniel replied and then dropped back behind the Duke’s son and Sergeant Zaccum. Lieutenant Tomei and the pair of Teki followed his example.
Roder had been just a little concerned about what would happen if the Knight had chosen not to allow the Ducalin to lead. Fortunately, the situation did not occur. As they journeyed farther, the young lord demonstrated that he did in deed know his duty. He led them through some smelly areas with thick mud, and some places where the horses were in water more than hoof deep, which was the situation now, but he did not lead them into a bog they could not retreat from. Roder was uncomfortable not knowing what was in the water, moccasins, pythons, gators, any or all of which could be right near their feet. Sir Daniel seemed to be taking advantage of the chance to follow rather then guide. His eyes were closed, yet he never wavered in the saddle, nor did his head suddenly bob as if he had fallen asleep. His head turned slightly to the left as if he was hearing something no one else heard. “Carper, gator to your right flank,” the Knight suddenly called out.
A gator, perhaps fifteen paces long, lunged up out of the water and stopped just short of grabbing Loner’s leg. The horse reared up, sending Carper splashing down into the water right near the huge reptile. Roder jumped from his horse while pulling his broadsword, and landed right beside the fallen guardsman. The gator rumbled in a deep base, causing the water to ripple away from it, and then turned and swam away.
“There are more critters in this water,” Sir Daniel called out. “You both might want to consider remounting your horses.”
Roder helped Carper to his feet and over to Loner. The guardsman climbed up in the saddle and then Roder mounted Dancer. To say everyone at that point was jittery would be an understatement. Thirty paces to the left a python swam, approaching the column, and then turned away as if it no longer had any interest in them. Jonah led them through thick grass high enough to reach the stirrups and then into water that reached just as high. A water moccasin swam right between Dancer’s legs and went on its way without striking or showing any particular interest, as if the horse’s legs were just something to be avoided like tupelos. They passed an area infested with gators of all sizes and most of the reptiles ignored them, for which Roder was grateful, and those that did not swam towards them, and would suddenly turn away before reaching the horses.
They entered a flooded area lined with thick foliage; anything could be hiding among the branches. There was a brown flash of fur and Sir Daniel was tumbling off his horse and a shaggy beast stood over him. Horses were rearing up in a panic. The female Teki’s feet came out the stirrups and on the saddle in a blur, she sprang into the air, flipping over and around, drawing her crossbow, and loosing a bolt as she twisted in mid-air. The bolt flew into the sasquatch’s left temple, followed by a blade in the jugular thrown by the male Teki, and the horrid creature fell. All this before a single guardsman had been able to draw his sword. Some of the men were still trying to get their steeds under control. Roder’s broadsword was in his hands, him having drawn it reflexively. He did not put it away. There could be more of the beasts ready to pounce on them. He was beginning to understand why the Teki were official escorts.
“Daniel, are you alright?” Silvia shouted. She had landed on the ground and was running over to the fallen Knight.
Sir Daniel stood up while attempting to wipe the mud from his uniform, but the effort was futile. He was covered in it. “Perfectly fine,” he replied and frowned. “I didn’t see that one coming,” he stated and seemed truly disappointed. Nobody had seen the beast before it struck. But that did not stop the young Knight from blaming himself. Then he chuckled. “It was a good lesson. Let’s see if I can keep from making this mistake again,” he added and then reached down and touched the dead sasquatch.
Roder watched as the Knight examined the beast, which stank like a pack of skunks. Sir Daniel drew his hunting knife, sliced opened the belly of the beast, reached inside, and pulled out a baby sasquatch. He cut the cord and placed his hand on the little creature’s forehead, and it took a breath and began to cry. The Knight stared into its eyes and after a few moments it stopped crying. “Sheila, be calm, you are going to be a good little sasquatch, aren’t you,” he spoke in soft tones.
The little beast grabbed hold of his finger and smiled. The things were born with teeth, must be rough on the mother. Roder looked around at the men. Most of them were doing has he, watching the Knight deliver the baby, but Corporal Duwin was eyeing the foliage along with Chuc Carlin, Samson Kaypen, Manny Kenton, Trevor Hannon, and Adam Avery. The Knight no longer allowed anyone to leave the main body, so the scouts stayed close. Chuc was not a scout, just always alert.
“You should have let it rot in its mother,” Jonah Ducalin said while riding over on his horse.
Sir Daniel’s eyebrows arched up, a flicker of anger, but it was gone in an instant. “Let a baby die, I don’t think so,” he replied and then went to Sprinter, who had remained perfectly calm during the attack as if having shaggy brutes jump out of hiding was not out of the ordinary.
The Knight removed what looked to be an expensive cloth, wrapped the baby in it, and held it toward Silvia.
The Teki woman was hesitant at first, and who could blame her, but after Sir Daniel nodded encouragingly, she took the baby, which promptly fell asleep.
“You are not bringing a sasquatch to my home,” Jonah declared.
“At the moment you do not seem to be bringing any of us to your home,” Sir Daniel replied. “We can remain here discussing the matter or we can ride, you choose.”
Jonah was right, the baby should be left to die or be killed humanely, but Roder rather enjoyed seeing the two nobles match will to will, and had a fairly good idea which one would prevail.
“For now we ride, but we will discuss this later,” the Duke’s son decided.
The path did not get any better. Swamp gas bubbled up from the water, which in many areas was stagnant. The mosquitoes were bad but Roder came to dislike the swarms of gnats even more, and then there were what he called the no-see-ums, tiny bugs you could not see and did not even know were there until they bit you. Tomei complained, of course, the men complained, yet Sir Daniel and the pair of Teki seemed to ignore the pests, although even the Knight could not ignore the gnats. He had to wave them away just as much as anyone else while still covered with mud. Roder was dirty from jumping in the water to assist Carper, who was also dirty.
Lord Ducalin’s hand came up, signaling a halt. “Can you see who it is?” he asked his Sergeant-of-the-guard.
Zaccum dismounted and walked toward what appeared to be human remains. “I’m sorry Jonah. It’s Kryten, but between the sasquatches and the various creatures of the swamp there is not much left of him.”
Lord Duc
alin was off his horse in a flash. He dropped to his knees and stared at the head, neck, and half a shoulder, the only pieces that remained, and then wiped away a tear. “What about his escorts, do you see any sign of them?”
Zaccum eyed their surroundings. “No sign here. Nothing that dies in the swamp remains for very long.”
“I know, I know, I was just hoping, well never mind,” Jonah replied and then stood up. ”Sergeant Keenan, bring me one of the sealed sacks the hams are stored in.”
“It will be as you say, Lord Ducalin,” Roder replied, and then rode to the rear of the column.
Russ was near the pack horses. “What’s the problem? Why have we stopped?” he asked as Roder approached.
“We have come across the remains of Kryten Ducalin. What is left of him can fit in one of your ham sacks. Get me one. I don’t care if you have to throw out a ham, but get one,” Roder told him.
Russ dismounted, went to the third horse on the left, and removed a large waxed sack from the pack, opened it and dumped a ham onto the ground. Flies went after the offering immediately.
Roder took the sack, rode to the head of the column, and dismounted near the young man mourning the loss of his brother. The remains were placed in the sack, which was then tied and sealed with wax. Half a mark went by and they were still at a standstill.
“Jonah, we need to reach the estate before nightfall,” Sergeant Zaccum reminded him.
The young lord took a deep breath, swung up into his saddle, and the journey resumed. They rode on through the swamp. Gators, pythons, and other top predators of the wetlands continued to swim at them and then suddenly turn another direction. A breeze came in from the west and caused the gnats and other swarming insects to blow elsewhere, bringing a much appreciated relief. The Ducalin estate came into sight on the fifteenth mark of the day, it took longer to reach than Zaccum had estimated, but they did arrive well before dark and so no one complained.
Approaching from the north Roder could see a wall twenty cubits high and five cubits thick encircling the property. The north side was scorched and battered while sections of the east side were not only burnt; stone had been reduced to rubble. Inside the perimeter was a ten-storied manor house with a barracks and stables on one side and a large storage barn on the other, all were blackened by fire but appeared to have sustained little structural damage. Beyond the wall, all the way around, was sedge grass that stretched over hundreds of strides right up to the tree line, unbroken except where the river cut through the western side of the estate. Fires smoldered in the grass and the smell of cooked-rotted meat was wafting in the air. Royal Guardsmen still manned the walls. The battle was clearly over and it appeared the enemy had not prevailed, but appearances can be deceiving, so caution was definitely called for.
As they progressed through the grass, men on the walls signaled the approach and by the time they reached the gate, Duke Cantor was there to greet them along with his daughter. Angelina Ducalin had dark wavy hair and was about a pretty a woman as Roder had ever laid eyes on. She wore a blue dress and a necklace of sapphires, the center piece of which was a sapphire with a diamond set in it. Her skin was fair and nothing about her appearance suggested she had been born in a swamp.
Jonah dismounted and walked up to his father, who seemed pleased to see his son, but also eyed the tiny band of reinforcements sent by his sister. “Are you leading the vanguard my son?” the Duke inquired.
“No, father, this is the entire company. The muddy one is Sir Daniel Benhannon the twenty-first Royal Knight of the Realm,” Jonah replied.
Sir Daniel dismounted. “Duke Cantor, I’m pleased to meet you,” he said and extended his hand, which the Duke then shook.
Angelina pointed to Lieutenant Tomei. “I see my aunt has called out the cavalry,” she stated in a mocking tone.
Duke Cantor seemed to ignore the remark. “I have heard a great deal about you, Sir Daniel. Your experience with yetis might come in useful if they are anything like sasquatches. We seem to have quite a few still wandering around.”
Sir Daniel smiled ruefully. “I’ve met one,” he replied while gesturing at his appearance. “My Teki escorts killed her so fast I didn’t get the chance to fight.”
Duke Cantor eyed the pair of Teki. “I’m a bit surprised my sister sent them, but if they can kill the beasts so swiftly, they are welcome to my estate.”
“Father, has Jebben returned?” Jonah interrupted the niceties.
“Neither of your brothers has returned,” the Duke replied.
Jonah snapped his fingers and Zaccum stepped forward carrying the sack. “Kryten did not make it out of the swamp. What we found of him is here,” Jonah said and he could not hold back the tears.
“No!” Angelina cried. She dropped to the stone floor and sobbed.
Duke Cantor took a deep breath, water filled his eyes, but he did not allow any further public show of grief. “We will see that he has a proper burial,” he stated and then ran his fingers through his silver hair. He was quite a bit older than his sister, who was thus far childless.
Angelina stood up. Her eyes were red but she was no longer weeping. Her brows were drawn down and a new emotion seemed to fill her. “His life is wasted, maybe Jebben’s as well. Jonah risked his life to bring us help and all we have is an impotent knight, fifty guardsmen, one cavalry officer, and a pair of Teki!”
“Duke Cantor is there a place you and I can speak in private?” Sir Daniel requested.
The Duke had not called down his daughter for her outburst, perhaps he shared her opinion. He frowned and then nodded his head affirmatively. “Come with me Sir Daniel,” he replied and then led the Knight into the manor house.
Roder had been troubled by the Queen’s seemingly miniscule response from the beginning. Did the Queen know the battle had already been fought before she made the decision? His ruminations were interrupted at the approach of Jason Remmick, the Captain-of-the-guard. “Sergeant, I can see you and your men have had a difficult journey, leave the horses to our grooms and get yourself and your men cleaned up and rested. The aggressors have gone, but the Duke is upset about whatever they made off with that was in the treasure room. Honestly, while I am pleased to have any number of men to relieve and replace those who have been killed and wounded, fifty does not begin to cover our losses. I commanded six hundred men, two hundred twenty-three of which are dead and one hundred seventy-six are severely wounded. I have just over two hundred men to work with, one third of which are wounded but fit for duty. I see one among your company is a Master-of-the-blade, there is that. You have had time to observe Sir Daniel in the field, how much can we depend on his skills?”
“As a commander, he is decisive, if unconventional and inexperienced. He started off by giving the impression that he and his three chosen escorts were the primaries while we Royal Guardsmen were just along for the ride, but as time went on he earned the confidence of each and every man. His skills as a backwoodsman came in handy along the way and his studies of geography in Aakadon allowed him to shave days off our journey. Lieutenant Tomei is his sword instructor and the young Knight is a fast learner and now highly skilled with the blade,” Roder reported.
“He has no lightning bolt,” Remmick observed.
“Given enough time and practice, I believe he will earn the honor, but he is not there yet. He did manage to win one out of twelve bouts with Lieutenant Tomei, mostly because I believe the cavalryman momentarily underestimated his student. One more thing, Sir Daniel has stamina. His drive forward keeps him moving, once a goal is set, he is near unstoppable, and not even the son of a duke intimidates him.”
“I trust your assessment, not that it matters. The young man out ranks me. The likes of you and I have no choice but to obey,” Remmick replied.
Roder nodded his head but chose not to comment on the remark. “With your permission, I will go see to my men.”
“Granted,” the Captain replied.
Roder noticed Tomei speaking with Angelina.
No one spoke to the Teki, so they conversed with each other. He briefly wondered what would happen when people here learned that the sleeping bundle in Silvia’s arms was not a human baby. Whatever else transpired was not his business, all he was interested in was bathing, putting on a clean uniform, and eating. He motioned to Duwin and they led the men into the barracks.
By the time everyone cleaned up and ate their fill, Sir Daniel emerged from his meeting with Cantor, Roder observed from the barracks door. The Knight had cleaned up and his uniform was spotless. The Duke, despite his grief at the loss of his son, seemed pleased by whatever the two men had been discussing. He was holding an unusual gemstone. It must have been a gift from the Knight because it was a topaz set in gold and within the gem was a falcon carrying a lightning bolt in its talons, the emblem of house Benhannon. The Duke slipped the gift into his pocket and invited Sir Daniel to sup with him.
A trumpet blew and everyone’s attention was drawn to the courtyard. Roder walked out with Duwin at his side and several others of the company who were curious enough to see what was happening.
“The cavalry has come,” shouted one of the guardsmen atop the south wall.
Gongs sounded and Duke Cantor along with Duchess Jocelyn, Angelina, and Jonah, came out into the courtyard. The plump duchess, red-eyed, no doubt from mourning the loss of her son, walked regally, head held high.
“I count one thousand men with Lord Jebben at the head,” the guardsman reported.
Sir Daniel came and stood beside Roder while the procession of cavalrymen passed through the gate into the courtyard. “That would be General Conner. The duke was wise to send one of his sons west. A legion commander and a thousand men should be enough to secure the estate while we pursue the Aakacarns who caused all of this trouble,” the Knight mentioned in a casual tone of voice.
“I thought our mission was to fight through and reinforce this estate, meager lot that we are,” Roder tried to keep his voice low.
To Be Chosen (The Maestro Chronicles) Page 26
