by A. C. Cobble
“Saala!” cried Ben.
In the midst of the swirling death, Ben’s gaze darted between Saala, Lord Jason, and Lloyd. He waited for inspiration, for the path to become clear, but it didn’t.
“This is bad,” muttered Ben under his breath.
Saala, seeing him, casually decapitated a man then started toward Ben. His face held a look of resigned determination. He followed Ben’s eyes, and Saala stopped, staring at Lord Jason with as close to shock as Ben had ever seen on the blademaster’s face.
Over the roar of combat, there was no time for discussion, no way to gather the three sides and talk things over. There was no time for anything as suddenly Lord Jason twisted, and a streak of wood and steel flashed by him.
It impacted the cobblestones and exploded with a violent crack, shattering stone and sending shrapnel raining on the nearby men like hail. A flash of bright fire from the impact backlit Lord Jason, and Ben saw him roll across the stones before smoothly rising to his feet, eyes darting around wildly, trying to figure out where the attack had come from. Coalition men scrambled away from the impact, terrified at the massive weapon that had come crashing down into their midst.
Saala took the opportunity and jumped at Ben, swinging a wild slash at his head. Ben ducked, letting the blade fly over him, and he swept a counterstrike at his old mentor’s legs. Saala wheeled back out of reach then pivoted, his offhand swinging down like an axe, chopping into Ben’s wrists.
Ben cried out in pain and felt his sword slip out of numb hands.
A look of regret on his face, Saala cocked his sword back, prepared to make a killing blow.
Ben pitched into a desperate roll, his hand grasping for his hunting knife, but fingers still clumsy from Saala’s blow couldn’t wrap around the hilt. He rolled again, trying to find his longsword and stay out of Saala’s reach. Unhurried, the blademaster stalked after him.
Suddenly, an Alliance soldier stormed into the space between them. Not seeing his king, the man raised his weapon, prepared to bring it down and cleave Ben in two. Scrambling back on his heels and elbows, Ben knew he couldn’t get out of range before the man struck. He looked up at the swordsman, his body tensing in preparation for the coming blow.
The man squawked, and Ben’s mouth fell open as the soldier was torn literally in two by one of Earnest John’s huge crossbow quarrels. The bolt exploded the man into a grisly shower of gore before smashing into the stones, shattering and crushing them with the heavy, steel head of the missile.
Saala took a stunned step back and stared in surprise at the ruined remains of his soldier. The momentary pause was what Ben needed. He finally saw his longsword and crawled quickly across the stones to get to it.
“Was this some sort of trap, brother?” yelled Lord Jason.
He was shoving men out of his way, stalking closer to Lloyd. Lloyd set his feet and raised his sword. Jason cursed and dropped to a knee as a third bolt flashed by him, less than a hand’s width away from his head.
Like the others, it blasted stone with a thunderous impact. Several men screamed as shards of the quarrel splintered into deadly pieces. Soldiers pushed and shoved away, clearing space around Lord Jason and Lloyd. Even in the chaos of battle, the ear-piercing crack of Earnest John’s crossbow bolts impacting the ground was obvious. Everyone close by could see the devastation the giant missiles left behind.
Hatred in his eyes, Lord Jason dashed back amongst his men, and Ben rushed to grab Lloyd’s shoulder. Saala had already vanished, and they were alone facing both the Alliance and Coalition soldiers. The men were hesitant to move forward after their kings retreated.
Ben wasn’t willing to wait for them to make up their minds about whether to attack or to flee. His troops were already running down the street. If he and Lloyd didn’t follow quickly, they’d be alone in between the Alliance and the Coalition. The path was obvious, and not just to Ben. They turned and sprinted for safety.
At the mouth of the street, Adrick and Rhys were standing guard.
“Are you injured?” shouted the rogue.
“No!” responded Ben. “We have to go!”
“I’ll hold them back. Keep running,” instructed Adrick Morgan.
Ben didn’t argue. The former guardian’s blade flared brilliant blue, illuminating the entire square. Ben could hear men cursing and shrieking, the first wave of them blinded by Adrick’s lightblade.
Ahead of Ben, a stream of soldiers ran toward the castle, many of them limping or clutching bloody wounds. He slung one man’s arm over his shoulder and half-carried the injured warrior. He felt hot blood dripping down his side from a cut on the man’s ribs.
Ben kept expecting to hear the stomp of booted feet coming after them, or to feel a crossbow bolt in his back, but his men retreated unmolested. In front of them, the gates of Issen’s castle were open a crack. Stumbling through, Ben nearly lost his grip on the man beside him. He saw a triage area had already been set up, and he steered the man to it.
Elle was there, along with a dozen mundane physics and a score of others who’d been pressed into service. Butchers, seamstresses, anyone who might have some skill patching up a body would be used.
“Is that yours?” asked Elle when she saw the bloody stain on Ben’s side.
Ben shook his head.
“Amelie and Earnest John are waiting for you on the wall.”
Grunting, Ben turned and found Lloyd, Rhys, and Adrick. He saw several cuts and scrapes amongst them, but no one had injuries that required immediate attention. After glancing at the top of the wall, he led them up, his boots falling heavily on the stone steps. His arms and legs felt like they were made of lead. He could barely put one foot in front of the other as they climbed higher. It occurred to him that he’d been on the move since dawn the day before.
Atop the wall, he found the pace of activity was slower than when they had left. There were no more arrows whistling through the night, and it appeared all of the injured or dead had already been carted down. He glanced over the wall and saw pink was kissing the tops of the structures below. It was daybreak.
Above the city, a cloud of black smoke hung, and fires still raged through some quarters. Ben shook his head, thinking about how many people were still trapped in those buildings. The market square was clearing of combatants, but countless dead carpeted the site of the battle.
Amelie was leaning between a crenellation in the battlement. She jumped up and wrapped Ben in a tight embrace as soon as she saw him. Then, she pushed him back and held him at arm’s length, scanning his body for serious injury.
“It’s not my blood,” assured Ben. “We’re all okay. Just tired.”
“Earnest John,” asked Adrick, “did you get him?”
The big mage shook his head. “I missed Lord Jason. Several times, actually. The man has a preternatural sense for danger. It’s like he felt my quarrels coming his way and was able to dodge them. I’ve never seen anything like it. It scared him, though, and he fled.”
“You almost hit Saala, too,” said Ben.
“Saala!” exclaimed Amelie.
“Is that who that was?” asked John. “I saw him knock your sword away, and I figured you’d appreciate if I stopped the man from killing you. Another soldier stepped in between. At least that shot was a good one.”
“You have my thanks,” assured Ben. “If it wasn’t for you…”
“I thought I was going to hit you the moment after I fired,” admitted Earnest John.
Ben blinked at the big mage, unsure of how to respond to that.
“So, our mission was a failure,” said Lloyd dejectedly.
“We showed both Saala and Jason that we are a serious threat to them,” said Ben. “John missed, but not by much. I saw it in their eyes. They both know how close we came.”
“But at what cost?” asked the blademaster.
Ben grimaced and looked down to the courtyard behind the gate. Hundreds of men were being tended by Elle and the physics. Hundreds more were dead
in the market square.
“I don’t think it was a total loss,” said Amelie. “The lives were not spent completely in vain. We proved to the highborn and the soldiers of Issen that we are capable of leading this fight, that we are the last bulwark against terror and death. Up until tonight, I suspect there were some in Issen’s army who thought we should join with the Alliance or with the Coalition. Now, they know.” She gestured at the burning city below them. “Look at that. Anyone who sees this cannot believe we are better off under either of those rulers. It’s clear that either way we went, Issen would be engulfed in a war that it would not survive. We have loyalty now, loyalty that was out of reach just days before.”
“But what can we do with it?” asked Ben. “We’re still hideously outnumbered, and while we have the advantage of the castle walls, the people in the city are still at risk. We have to do something to help them, to get the Alliance and Coalition to back down.”
“What do the Alliance and the Coalition want?” asked Amelie.
“To rule the world,” said Ben with a snort.
“No,” responded Amelie, “I’m not so sure. Let me ask it this way. What do Saala and Jason want?”
“Jason told us he wanted peace, but look at what he’s done,” said Ben, nodding to the city.
“You think he was telling the truth?” asked Rhys. “The man’s an assassin. A cold-blooded killer. Why would he want peace?”
“He was a cold-blooded killer,” argued Amelie. “That was before he gained power. That was how he gained power, a means to an end.”
“I don’t know…” muttered Rhys, running a hand through his tangled hair. “Do you think Saala wants peace, too? Both of them marched here, didn’t they?”
“Why don’t we ask them what they want?” suggested Ben.
Amelie blinked at him.
“You mean like a negotiation?” asked Lloyd. “The only thing we have to offer them is Issen, and giving either side this city isn’t likely to help us, or the people of Issen.”
“There, in the square, we saw each other,” said Ben, “but we couldn’t speak. We didn’t have time, and the fighting was too loud.”
His friends frowned at him, waiting for him to explain his thoughts.
“What if we offered them a chance to speak, to tell us what they want?”
“I just tried to kill them both,” reminded Earnest John. “I’m not sure they will want to talk to you.”
Ben was shaking his head slowly.
“Ben, John is right,” insisted Rhys. “We just drew them into an ambush. Saala and Jason are intelligent men. They’ll have eyes wide open for another attempt. It’s not going to work.”
“What if it wasn’t an ambush?” asked Ben.
Rhys blinked at him. “Wait, you really want to talk to them?”
“If they ever would have listened to us,” argued Amelie, “we lost the chance. If they come to meet you, Ben, it will be to kill you.”
Ben nodded.
“I don’t get it,” admitted Amelie, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Jason and Saala are better swordsmen than me,” said Ben, “and they know it.”
“I get it even less now,” mentioned Rhys.
“Seeing the two of them in front of me, the three armies in the same square, battling each other… It made me realize anything could happen in that situation. It’s chaos, and the superior force isn’t always going to win.”
“You’re planning to get both of them to meet you at the same time?” questioned Adrick.
“And then get them to face each other,” finished Lloyd. “You hang back and exploit the opportunity?”
Ben nodded grimly.
“Even if they kill each other,” said Prem, “where does that leave us?”
“Lord Jason was declared king in Irrefort,” replied Ben. “What would happen if he were to die?”
“Lady Selene would inherit,” said Rhys, glancing at Amelie.
“Saala has no heir in Whitehall,” stated Lloyd.
Ben nodded. “Last time the king died in Whitehall, the highest-ranking general took over.”
“Brinn!” exclaimed Rhys, punching a fist into his open palm.
“Exactly.”
“Selene and Brinn,” mumbled Rhys under his breath. He turned to Amelie, “Do you think you could convince her to leave and go home?”
Amelie was frowning, staring at the stones beneath her feet. “She betrayed my father, but she said it was for Issen and for me.”
“And now you’re the Lady of Issen,” said Ben. “She’d at least be open to negotiation, wouldn’t she?”
“I don’t think she’d press the attack,” said Amelie quietly. “This is her city, after all. She grew up here and ruled here. She has friends behind these walls. I view her actions as a betrayal, but I think in her heart she thought she was doing the right thing and protecting Issen. I don’t know if she’d be willing to abdicate the power she’s gained, but I do know she’d be easier to talk to than Lord Jason. We’d have a chance.”
“And Brinn isn’t any more interested in pursuing this war than we are,” stated Ben. “There are the highborn in Whitehall he’d have to deal with, but perhaps we could help.”
“This is crazy,” said Rhys. “Ben, are you really suggesting you meet Jason and Saala alone?”
“They’ll sniff out a trap. You said it yourself,” reminded Ben.
“Ben,” said Amelie, stepping closer to him. “They’re both better swordsmen than you are. The odds of this working are… They’re not good, Ben.”
“I know, Amelie, I know. The odds aren’t good, but I think they’re better than zero. What else can we do?”
Ben made a sweeping gesture at the scene below them. Fires flickered across the city, roving bands of soldiers marched through the streets. Two massive armies were marching closer just past the horizon, and when they arrived, the devastation to Issen would be complete.
“You could be sacrificing yourself, Ben,” said Amelie. “Maybe Adrick should go instead?”
“I’m willing,” said the former guardian, cracking his knuckles. “It’s too bad I wasn’t able to get to either one of them during the fight in the square, but I’ll take another chance.”
Ben shook his head. “They won’t meet with Adrick. What would they have to gain?”
“What do they have to gain meeting with you?” wondered Adrick.
“They know me,” responded Ben. “I’ve crossed swords with both of them before. They’ll be confident they can beat me, and I have something they want.”
“What?”
“Amelie,” said Ben. “They know I am closer to Amelie than anyone.”
The group fell silent.
“So, you offer an alliance with me against their opponent in exchange for… what?”
“In exchange for an opportunity to end the violence,” said Ben. “Until the rest of Saala’s men arrive, their armies are evenly matched. We have men, mages, and the walls of Issen. With us on their side, it’d be an insurmountable advantage. Our proposal is that we tip the advantage to one side and force the other to surrender.”
“Will they believe that?” questioned Adrick.
“They might. They’ve both met me, and I think they will believe I am trying to stop the war. It’s true, after all. It wouldn’t be the craziest idea they’ve heard from me. Besides, even if they do not believe in the plan, they might take the opportunity to cut me down. One on one, they could do it rather easily.”
“It might work,” admitted Lloyd.
“You think Jason would accept the Alliance’s surrender?” asked Amelie.
“I know he would,” agreed Lloyd. “The war itself isn’t his goal. The war is merely a means to an end. He has no qualms about ending lives, but he’s not an unnecessarily cruel man. He’s pursuing this fight because he wants to win, and like in a duel, if the other side concedes, you’ve won.”
“And he’ll believe Ben’s tale?” asked Amelie.
&nb
sp; “If the right person convinces him it is true,” claimed Lloyd.
“The right person?” said Ben. “I was thinking we could capture a Coalition soldier or two and send them with the message.”
“He’ll need someone more trustworthy than that.”
“Who?” asked Ben. “Who would he believe?”
“Me.”
Amelie gasped, and Ben shook his head.
“You said he hates you,” argued Rhys. “You’d be putting yourself right into his hands.”
Lloyd nodded grimly.
“I was there when he saw you. He looked like he wanted to kill you,” said Ben. “Lloyd, you cannot do this.”
“He’s not a cruel man, and I earned the hate he has for me.”
Ben frowned at the blademaster, waiting for him to explain.
“Years ago, before I fled Irrefort…” Lloyd trailed off. “The past is the past. These days, I am more of an inconvenient thorn in my brother’s side. I am certain he does not want me running around joining armies that oppose him, but he knew I was in Venmoor. It wasn’t worth the journey to confront me there. I’ve no doubt he would kill me, given the opportunity, but not in a blind rage. He might kill me if I go to him, but he will want to hear what I have to say first. Believe me, I’m not eager to do this, but I think it’s the only thing that will convince him we are earnest.”
Ben frowned, his mind racing, trying to come up with another way to convince Jason.
“Ben,” said Lloyd firmly, “I’ve known him longer than anyone. If we proceed with your plan, this is the best way to get Jason there. Maybe the only way.”
“How do we convince Saala, then?” worried Adrick.
Ben opened his mouth, but Rhys interrupted him.
“Me,” stated the rogue.
“Rhys!” exclaimed Ben.
“Just like with Lord Jason, we have to show the man we’re serious. We have to send someone he knows. It can’t be you, and it can’t be Amelie. That leaves me.”
“Rhys,” said Amelie. “The risk—”
“Saala has no personal animosity toward me,” reminded the rogue. “We traveled together for months and got on well. We’re opposed now, but he’ll receive me as a messenger. Probably after stripping me naked and searching me, but he has no reason to harm me before listening to what I have to say. Now, if you fail…”
