by Sharon Gibbs
Chapter Twenty-seven
The bell rang to call the people to the market square. The weather had settled and the wind no longer buffeted the town, but the skies remained overcast and dark.
Elle stopped work when the bell rang. She gathered her cloak and made her way to watch the parade, as was the law.
Atlas waited until the people of the town had left the streets and gathered in the market square. Then he led his horse out of town and took care as he crossed the rickety bridge. He headed towards the spot where the wagon had been hidden last night. The other horses were tethered nearby in the thicket and Atlas hitched his mare to the wagon and moved her forward into the small clearing.
Elle stood in her usual place and waited for Clarence to pass by. The townspeople were sombre as they always were. It wasn’t a day they enjoyed, but had to endure. Elle looked up to the sky, where the clouds were dark and promised heavy rain. She felt the chill in the air and she pulled her cloak tighter around her body. The temperature dropped as the clouds thickened. The day was dim and the people waited.
Christopher and James took their places within the crowd. They stood to the side of the large tiered platform that had been assembled under the bell tower for the officers. Upon the platform the three officers would gather to impart the wisdom and enforce the supremacy of their Lord and ruler.
Peter and Jack waited, hidden, upon the roof of the butcher’s shop. Their cloaks were pulled over their heads as they waited for the signal to come. Peter looked up towards the darkened sky. A snowflake touched his face and he wiped the cold patch away. Good, he thought. Hopefully it would snow when they needed it most.
Henry had positioned himself away from Christopher but still had him in his sights, as the crowd waited in the silence for the parade to reach the square.
Clarence was taken from his cell and the leash was placed around his neck. Four guards escorted him to the front of the manor, to wait for the officers. It was pomp and ceremony but Silas wanted to put on a good show for the two visitors.
Clarence was grateful as he stood outside in the cold. The sky was overcast and his eyes had less trouble than usual as they adjusted in the dim light of the day. He waited in silence, as was his way, before the walk began.
Silas Remon, Kovak Turr and Royston Hark had dressed in their armour and they walked down the stairs that led from the manor to the gardens below. They took their positions at the front of the procession, and surrounded by guards, they began the walk through the town to the market.
As the procession moved along the street, Kovak noticed Elle on the side of the road. He assumed she’d come to see him and he gave her a warm smile. Yes, he was a lucky man for she’d soon be his bride. Kovak couldn’t wait for the parade to finish and then he and Elle would be on their way home to The Dale.
Elle ignored Kovak as he walked by, but when Clarence came into view she gave him a tentative smile. She noticed he’d taken her advice and worn extra layers of clothes, which he’d need to keep warm.
This is it, Elle thought to herself as he passed by. Clarence and I will never walk back through the gates again. No matter what comes to pass this day, we’ll never return to the manor.
The procession moved on as it weaved its way through the town. Elle turned to make her way into the market square and as she moved from her place in the crowd the soldier behind stopped her.
‘No one leaves today, Miss. All persons are required to stay for the duration.’
He knew who Elle was. He’d seen her many times before, and she always left after Clarence passed by.
Elle stretched up to her full height. ‘Do you know who I am? I’m to be Kovak’s wife. Do you think he’ll be pleased if I don’t show up in the market square to watch and support him? Would you like me to tell him that you’re the one who stopped me?’
The soldier shuffled his feet at her reprimand. He knew she was to be Kovak’s wife, and now he felt a little foolish to have questioned her.
‘Sorry, Miss, of course he’d expect you to head into the square. My apologies.’ He stepped out of Elle’s way and let her pass.
Elle was supposed to head towards the butcher’s shop and meet up with her brother and Peter, but instead she manoeuvred herself towards the front of the crowd and stood near the platform.
The procession made its way into the square, where Clarence was made to stand on the bottom tier of the platform with a soldier on each side. The soldier on his left still held the leash, and Clarence moved to pull his threadbare cloak tighter around himself. The soldier yanked on the leash and warned him to keep still. Clarence was jerked off balance and nearly fell. He managed to recover and stood still as Silas began to speak to the people of the town.
Christopher’s cloak was pulled forward to conceal his face. He clenched his teeth as he watched this old man humiliated. Christopher calmed himself when his anger rose and took in all that unfolded before him. He heard others mutter their disgust in whispers and felt their helplessness. His anger rose again as Silas spouted about how good it was to have Kovak Turr and Royston Hark here to witness this day.
In the darkness of the cellar the heat ball glowed fiery red. Earlier that morning, while Elle placed the tray of food upon the sacks, she’d slipped the heat ball in between them. The heat ball neared its completion and had become so hot that the grain held within the sacks smouldered. It wouldn’t be long before the ball completed its transition and became fully charged.
Upon the platform in front of his audience, Silas asked Royston Hark to step forward and speak the words of their leader. Royston took to the stage, but just as he began to speak all in the square could hear a loud rumble. As they looked around no one could detect where the sound came from, and within a split second they heard it. It was as if the clouds had released an almighty clap of thunder and then came a roar as the heat ball exploded and desecrated the manor house. The mighty force spewed forth fire and the blast shot debris from the manor out over the estate walls into the houses and roads of the town.
All in the square panicked and began to move. Whether it was towards the estate or away from the square, there was movement all around as people scattered and rushed away. Silas, Royston and Kovak left the platform and headed towards the site of the explosion. The soldiers ran as plumes of smoke and fire billowed from the manor.
Kovak made his way towards the edge of the market and shoved past those who stood in his way. The guards who held onto Clarence stood upon the platform unsure of where to go. Clarence knew their time for escape would be brief and the need to act fast was vital. He dropped to the ground so the guards couldn’t drag him away and he waited for whatever would happen next.
The guard felt the leash tighten as Clarence’s movement strained it to its full length. ‘Get up, old man! Get up now!’ the guard yelled and yanked upon the leash. His effort to pull the old man to his feet achieved nothing, as Clarence wasn’t going to get up.
The guard on Clarence’s right kicked him. ‘Move now, you old fuck,’ he said as he readied himself to kick him again.
James and Christopher stepped forward. James walked up to the guard on Clarence’s right and just as the guard kicked the old man again, he jumped up on the platform and grabbed the guard by his helmet. James sank his dagger into the soldier’s neck and blood pulsed forth from the wound as he withdrew his blade. The soldier, unsure of what had happened, looked at James briefly and then slumped to the ground.
Christopher pulled Jack’s sword from beneath his cloak, as he stepped up on the platform. The guard now held the leash with both hands as he tried to drag Clarence to his feet. Christopher swung the sword and the razor sharp edge sailed through the air to sever both the guard’s hands and separated him from the leash. Blood spurted from the stumps of the man’s forearms and sprayed forth to cover Clarence in a sheet of red. The soldier’s hands lay upon the platform as he stumbled backwards and shrieked at the gruesome sight of blood as it gushed from the stumps where his hands had been
mere moments ago. As he staggered back he fell off the edge of the platform and on to the cobblestones below.
Henry and Elle had been caught up in the movement of the crowd, but Henry had managed to make his way behind the bell tower and emerged around the far side of the platform to join Christopher and James. Elle was bustled along in the crowd. She had managed to see Christopher as he severed the guard’s hands and watched as the soldier stumbled backwards and fell off the platform. Elle used all her strength to push free from the throng of people around her and headed towards the vacant platform.
Kovak heard the guard’s shrieks and looked around to see two men help Clarence to his feet.
‘Stop them! They’re taking the Wizard! Guards, stop them!’ Kovak tore his way back through the crowd. Many of the guards had already exited the market, but those left turned and drew their swords.
Christopher, James and Clarence made their way towards the opposite side of the square. Henry joined them and helped his old friend hobble towards their escape route. But Clarence’s progress was slow and they heard Kovak’s shout as he and his soldiers made their way towards them. The town’s people had cleared the square and only Kovak, the soldiers of Canameer and Elle remained in the market.
‘Elle, get out of here! Go back to the manor grounds!’ Kovak yelled when he saw her.
Elle neared the platform where she stopped to look at Kovak for a moment before dashing the rest of the way towards her goal. She grabbed the guard’s severed hands and shoved them under her cloak, into the waistband of her skirt and then ran from the square. Kovak surged forward with his men. He was determined to grab Elle and have her sent back to wait for him. Jack and Peter let loose a cascade of arrows which clattered upon the cobblestones but it was enough of a distraction to make Kovak and the soldiers stop in their tracks and look to where the attack had come from. Peter and Jack slid down the roof of the butcher’s shop and hurried to join the others.
They needed to be across the bridge before Kovak and his soldiers caught up with them.
Jack and Peter caught up with Elle as she raced through the streets. Jack grabbed hold of her arm and encouraged her to run faster as they dashed out of the town and the bridge came into view. Christopher, James, Henry and Clarence had already crossed over, and when Peter had made it to the other side of the bridge, James threw him an axe and they both cut into the wooden posts that secured the bridge to the side of the bank.
Elle panted, her energy was spent and she began to slow her pace.
‘Run, Elle, it’s not far now!’ Jack said as he hauled her along.
Kovak and the soldiers also tired, and as they neared the bridge Kovak ordered the archers to set a line. Jack and Elle reached the bridge. Peter and James had already cut through one post and now they worked on the second. Jack and Elle made their way across on the left hand side. The previous night Jack and Christopher had cut into the wooden structure to make it unstable. They had left two posts intact and the brothers had already cut through one of them.
Elle and Jack made their way to the other side of the bridge and Christopher moved forward to help them. Kovak stopped his pursuit as he saw the man help Elle. He looked familiar and then he recognised him. He was the one he liked to taunt, the same one who’d made a fool of him that first day they’d met in the village square. It was Christopher. The soldiers had set up a line of fire. As they raced with Elle up to the edge of the trees, Atlas came down to collect his daughter. Kovak saw his chance. He had to act now, and he gave the command. Shoot to kill.
The arrows flew and Henry, near the edge of the riverbank, stood and defended them with powerful blasts of magic. The lightning green arcs shot from his hand to kill, maim and scatter the soldiers before they could draw their bows again. But it was already too late. The first line of arrows rained down upon them, and Henry did his best to deflect as many as he could.
At the same time a group of soldiers had charged across the wooden bridge.
With a final strike of Peter’s axe, the bridge gave way. It swayed and twisted as the water rushed beneath the fragile structure. Its movement caused the soldiers to stagger and they grabbed onto the sides as it collapsed and was dragged into the current. The soldiers had worn their heavy armour that day and they held on to the wooden railings as the bridge sank beneath the water. The current was strong and it ripped the soldiers from the bridge and sucked them beneath its surface. The current was swift and it tossed and tumbled them through the rapid flow to be lost forever.
Kovak yelled at Elle. She stopped when she heard his voice and saw an arrow as it flew through the air towards them. It twisted and turned, guided by the heavy metal tip until it found its target and embedded itself into the soft flesh it found.
Christopher looked down at the white shirt and saw the blood as it spread through the material. Its ruby redness shocked Elle, and she felt sick as she looked at the shaft embedded in her skin. Blood oozed from the wound and because the arrow was lodged in the shoulder it weakened the flow. Elle felt faint, her face drained of colour and her knees buckled at the sight of the blood.
Christopher caught Elle as she slipped towards the ground and he carried her the rest of the way to the wagon.
Elle had gone into shock and fainted at the sight of the arrow that protruded from her shirt. Down into the depths of darkness she slipped and drifted into another world.
Kovak watched as the stray arrow pierced her shoulder, and his anger grew.
As Christopher carried Elle away into the trees Kovak could contain himself no longer.
‘I’ll find you, Christopher! I’ll hunt you down for the traitor you are and your head will rest upon a pike. The girl belongs to me!’ With that Kovak turned and walked back to the town. He wasn’t finished, and he hoped those in pursuit would be able to track and follow them. They couldn’t run forever.
Atlas and Jack ran to Elle’s side. ‘We must leave now!’ Henry said as he rushed to the wagon. ‘The soldiers have crossed the stone bridge and are headed this way.’
Henry pushed Atlas towards the driver’s seat. ‘I’ll ride in the back with Clarence and we’ll tend to your daughter Atlas, but you must drive us out of here now!’
Henry grabbed his small bag from his horse and climbed into the back of the wagon, where he and Clarence tended to Elle’s wound. Atlas slapped the reins on the horse’s rump and the wagon lurched forward. Christopher had been reluctant to leave Elle’s side, but they needed to be on their way. He ran over to the horses and Peter handed him his reins. He leapt upon his mare and they sped off after the wagon. The horse’s hooves churned up the dirt and left a clear trail for the soldiers to follow.
Peter looked up to the sky again. Now was the time they needed it to snow. The clouds had darkened the sky, but the snow was still sporadic. What they needed was a heavy downfall to cover their tracks.
The group raced north with the soldiers in pursuit. Henry and Clarence tended the wound in Elle’s shoulder the best they could, as the wagon bounced around.
‘Mix the Yarrow root,’ Henry said to Clarence as he put pressure around the shaft. Clarence found the Yarrow root in Henry’s bag.
‘It’ll be better if you do it. I’ve no magic while I remain enslaved within this chain.’
‘Here, let me see if I can help you with that.’ Henry flicked his fingers to emit a trickle of magic and unlock the snake’s head, but nothing happened.
‘It’s no good, Henry. The chain is fuelled by the Sorceress’ magic and the head can only be released by the hand which fastened it.’
‘That might be a problem then,’ Henry said as he spat into his palm and mixed the Yarrow root into a paste.
As they fled, the snow fell and the soldiers closed the gap between themselves and the wagon ahead. The driver of the wagon had no idea where he was headed. Jack had taken the lead and he chose the path the wagon would follow. He’d knowledge of the land and the follies of the trails they fled along. The snow continued to fall but it was n
ot enough to help them.
The Yarrow root had stemmed the tide of blood at the site of Elle’s wound, but there wasn’t much else they could do until they removed the arrow from her shoulder. Elle lay cushioned in the back of the wagon. Henry and Clarence supported her body so, as the wagon bounced around, it wouldn’t disturb the arrow and cause the wound to bleed.
James reined his horse over to the wagon. ‘We haven’t shaken them,’ he said, as he referred to the soldiers who gained upon them. ‘They’ll be upon us soon. Atlas can’t run the horse any faster for fear she’ll go down. Have you anything up your sleeve, Wizard?’
Henry had been too busy with Elle to take notice of the army who followed. As he looked up they were a lot closer than he would’ve thought.
‘We’ll lose them in a minute, don’t worry, James.’ And with that he cast a spell to bring the winds.
The wind turned from a slight breeze into a gale. It swirled the snow around to block the vision of the army and cover their tracks as they fled and as luck might have it, the clouds opened up and a heavy blanket of snow dropped from the heavens.
Clarence and Henry covered Elle. The snow would help to lower her metabolism, but it could also kill her. They kept her as warm as they could while they raced on. The snow fell thick and fast. It blocked their view of the army and there was no way for those ahead to tell if they were still followed.
As they raced on, the way was barely visible and their pace slowed as the wheels on the wagon began to sink into the snow.
The path Jack chose would take them through the hills of Cherish, to a small village where he had friends. He knew they’d be able to stop and tend to Elle’s wound there and he hoped they’d eluded the soldiers. Jack left the group and rode on ahead to the top of a small rise. The winds Henry had encouraged to blow had died down of their own accord and the snow had ceased to fall.
