~~~^~~~
Percival realized the explosions had been a distraction for the real fight. He sent a servant to find Stephan and get help to them, then broke out the armory and armed his men. If he was going to die that night, he'd do it fighting.
And, if possible, he'd take one of the bastards down with him. Hopefully more than one he thought grimly.
~~~^~~~
Stephan followed the point as they jogged through the city streets. When they got to the wall and climbed it, he wondered what was going on.
He looked out the battlements to see the scorched earth and dying fires. “This? What is this?” he demanded.
Fresh sounds made him turn on his heel, looking until he saw flashes of light and the distant sound of gunfire. He cursed himself. “We've been tricked!” he drew his sidearm and pointed it to the castle as the men and women with him turned. “To the castle!”
Chapter 49
The Imperium cohort used the night-fighting tactics, snipers, flashbangs, and breaching charges to get into the keep. They were fortunate. Surprise was on their side, and with so many people up and about looking at the distant fires, doors were left open or unlocked.
They used flash bangs and shock and awe to throw the enemy off. The steady sound of weapons fire and explosions were enough to run off the servants and many of the wavering conspirators.
They fled into the courtyard, intent of getting out, but they were trapped. Some hid; others ran into the arms of the black apparitions to either try to fight or surrender. A majority of the surviving rifles and muskets were in the armory. Those that had them only had a brief time to put them to use before they were targeted and cut down.
~~~^~~~
The runner managed to get clear of the castle through the back gate without getting shot by a sniper. He got to the militia barracks to find only a skeleton watch left. The militia was out of position; they'd marched to the sounds of the explosions.
Freya was there, however. She heard the report that the castle was under attack and turned to listen. She could hear the staccato of weapons fire, far more than she liked. Flares and bright lights could be seen where the castle was.
She sent half her remaining skeleton watch to find Stephan and turn him around. She had no idea if they'd get to him in time. Most likely some would desert or get “lost” along the way.
Frantically, she threw herself to packing. Whatever happened she was certain they were done for. She wanted to be away from the castle and Kattegat as quickly as possible.
~~~^~~~
Zara was too excited to sleep; she knew it was going to happen. She just knew it. She paced, holding the coin in her clenched fist, barely sparing her prisoner a look. The girl was down to forlorn looks and the occasional whimper. She'd get no sympathy from the princess.
When they heard the fighting, Zara grew excited. “I told you she knew,” she said, brandishing the coin for the woman to see and then turning to rush to the window.
She looked out and saw a body fall from the battlements below. There was a spot of weapons fire near a door. She bit her lip and ducked when she saw rounds near her tower.
She wanted to call out but she didn't want to distract the soldiers who had come to rescue her. They had to know where she was. Nor did she want to get shot at for her trouble.
She went back and searched her meager belongings. She just had the one outfit, soiled from months of constant use. She looked at the girl, tempted to try to hang the girl out the window.
Instead, she settled on putting the duvet out, draping it from the window.
~~~^~~~
Legatus Zane noted the cloth flapping like a flag from the tower window they believed the princess was in. Before he could say anything, one of the miles came over the radio to report it.
"That it! That's got to be her!"
~~~^~~~
With Augustus and the prisoners out and armed with recaptured weapons or spares from the company, the platoons reformed to assault secondary objectives.
Augustus ate another ration bar and drank his beer as a medicus in black cleaned them up and treated their open wounds. He had a small maniple with him to hold the main gate. Another maniple had been sent to hold the rear gate. A third was taking over some of the postings in the parts of the castle the Imperium held to free up more men to continue the assault.
To his knowledge only three of the company had died. Six more were wounded but alert enough to hold fixed positions with his people. They grimly hung on, determined to do their duty.
~~~^~~~
A wounded legatus reported to Olaf, clutching at his wounded side. A rag was held there, but blood was still coming out the back. “None can stand against them. They fight like demons. Won't fight fair,” he gasped out and then fell to his knees.
The drott shook his head heavily. "In their boots, I wouldn't either." He turned as the man passed out, hand falling away from the wound where it pumped freely.
Crestfallen, Olaf looked at the map of the kingdom and then swept the pieces that adorned it aside contemptuously.
“All for naught,” he muttered as he gathered up his ax. He kissed it and then nodded to the others in the room. “Let's go build our guard for Valhalla,” he growled.
They nodded back. Some were clearly terrified, but they followed anyway.
~~~^~~~
Domina Rasmussen ordered her people to the side gate, but when they got there, it was too late. They got into the gatehouse but the gate portcullis was closed.
She turned, intent on getting into the gatehouse to open the way through but the gate behind them slammed shut. After a moment, weapons pointed out some of the murder holes in the ceiling and the firing slits in the side walls. Slowly her people lowered their weapons and raised their hands.
After a moment, she shook but did so as well.
“It can't end like this; it just can't,” one of her stewards said, over and over.
“It has. Now shut up,” she growled testily.
~~~^~~~
Percival was shot in his right arm in a firefight. He tried to shift his pistol to his other hand but dropped it instead. When he tried to reach for another weapon, it was kicked out of his hand. “Tisk tisk,” a miles said as he looked up at him.
“Kill me.”
“I should be so lucky. But they want you alive,” the miles said, yanking him over onto his stomach to bind his hands.
~~~^~~~
Fenton had tried to get to the council chamber, but when the weapons fire started, he changed course. He tried to fire on one of the black apparitions, but when his pistol clicked empty, he angrily threw it and then drew a dagger.
One of the black fiends snorted and threw something at his feet. He looked down and it went off, blinding him and deafening him.
He dropped the dagger as he cried out in pain. He sobbed as hands grabbed him, threw him crushingly to the ground and then bound him.
~~~^~~~
Siegfried tried to get to the tower where the princess was being held but was caught by a squad. Bewildered, he raised his hands and insisted he was on their side. When they just stared at him, he pointed to himself. “I was trying to save the princess.”
“Sure you were,” a miles said, showing him a flip book with his image on it.
“You don't understand; I didn't have a choice. They made me …,” When Siegfried saw Tycho come out, he started to say something more but saw the man's cold look of disdain. He knew it was all over then. He hung his head and followed the orders to march to the dungeon with the others.
~~~^~~~
Olaf managed to lead a charge but was cut down by merciless weapons fire from a heavy gun. It tore him and the men behind him apart. The thunder and sheer mayhem of the weapon broke the will of anyone else in the area. When they stared at the chopped-up bodies, they threw down their weapons and knelt, weeping as they surrendered.
~~~^~~~
Tycho went to the fire team that had been sent up to free the princes
s. The guards had surrendered. They were bound, kneeling on the landing.
"They can't get in; it seems she barricaded herself within," the sergeant reported.
"Ah. Well, all else fails …," he knocked on the door.
"Yes? Who is it?"
"Legatus Tycho, Your Majesty. Princess, we've taken the castle back. Would you care to come out? I'd expect you'd like better quarters."
"Ah, yes," she said, laughing as she got to work on moving the wardrobe. "Just a moment," she said.
He turned to the others as they heard furniture and things being moved. They shrugged it off.
When the door unlocked and it creaked open, he waited for her to peak.
She looked, ready to slam the door shut, but felt her heart soar at the familiar face.
She let them in, grinning. They stared at the bound girl on the stool. "She came to finish me off," the princess replied with a shrug. "Her mistake."
"Yes, ma’am," the soldier said, ever respectful.
She smiled politely as he sidled quickly out of her way. She nodded regally, squaring her shoulders as she walked past the other soldiers. She gave a wink to Tycho, a kick to one of the bound guards, and then swept down to the inner palace once more, head held high.
~~~^~~~
Stephan got the report and rushed to get his militia to the castle. He groaned when he saw the drawbridge up. But then it lowered, making him focus on the objective and wonder how bad the damage was.
~~~^~~~
Once the castle was initially declared cleared, Licinius gathered the leadership to consult while they reorganized the platoons. Fire teams went door to door to sweep the castle.
The HAM radio was brought out, Licinius offered it to Zara but she put a hand up. He made the initial report that Phases 2 and 3 were cleared.
“And the princess?” a familiar female voice demanded. “My sister?”
“I'm here,” Zara said, calling out. She went over to the radio as the others looked to her. Her eyes pricked as she took the microphone. She cleared her throat. “I'm here, sister.”
“I'm glad. I am so terribly glad you are,” Deidra replied, voice breaking as well.
A report of movement on the city streets came through. Zane listened. “It's Stephan and the militia. They are headed here.”
“I think we need to give them a warm reception. Break their backs,” Augustus growled.
The decurion looked to him and then nodded. “Alert the snipers. Lower the draw bridge.”
“Lower it?”
“Yes. Make sure the heavy weapons team is there on the other side of the portcullis waiting with a hot reception prepped,” the decurion said grimly.
Zane nodded and began to issue orders.
~~~^~~~
The snipers lying on the battlements saw the column approaching and reported it softly. Legatus Zane gave them the authorization to kill as many of the militia as possible. The more they killed now, the less they'd have to hunt down later.
The lead sniper decided to hit the column's rearmost troops first rather than those in the front. “Who knows, we might get lucky,” he murmured as he lined up his first shot.
~~~^~~~
Stephan was near the head of the column, but not at its front in case it took fire as he tried valiantly to get to castle in time. He heard a noise to the rear and barked at the men to pay attention to the business at hand.
Most likely someone had stumbled.
There was another sound and then another. Then a guard near the rear turned to see bodies strewn behind them. As he opened his mouth to say something, he was killed, the shot making his chest explode.
But his fellows saw that shot and cried out in alarm. They turned, expecting an attack from behind or from the sides.
The snipers kept up their brutal winnowing for another five seconds, long enough to tear most of the column apart before the group broke ranks. The surviving soldiers fired wildly into the surrounding buildings while others ran in stark raving terror, throwing down their weapons and sometimes tripping over the bodies in their mad flight.
~~~^~~~
Stephan dropped to the ground, saw his people firing and realized he was now fighting for a lost cause. He rolled to one side until he found a narrow alley, crawled into it, and then crouched and crawled fast, intent on finding Freya and fleeing the capital.
~~~^~~~
Licinius walked out onto the battlements with Zara once the all-clear was sounded. She looked around at the bodies, stepped over one, and then down to the bodies in the courtyard. She nodded once and then turned to look at the bodies strewn along the street leading up to the gates.
“Your people do good work,” she murmured.
“We try, Your Majesty,” the decurion murmured back.
“Well, unfortunately there is still work to be done. Let's be about this night then,” the princess said as she turned and marched back into the keep.
Chapter 50
Castle Rasmussen
Eugene watched the aircraft land and trotted over to it as the door opened. He smiled as an improvised stair was set up and climbed up inside.
Ginger met him at the door and helped him with a hand up. She stepped aside as he climbed through the hatch. He smiled and shook her hand. “Nice to see a familiar face.”
“Another right there,” she said with a grin.
He paused though when he saw who was sitting in the front row. “Fancy meeting you here,” he said with a smile.
His wife snorted but she was still clutching at the arm rests. He went over and kissed her and then took a seat beside her. “What gives?” he asked as he settled in and they tossed his baggage in.
“I thought if you could do it I could. Just don't expect me to do anything about what Wanda teased me about.”
“And what was that?” he asked as Ginger and the crew pulled the lanyard to close the door, and then turned the lock.
“Refueling is underway so we've got a few minutes,” Ginger said. “I'd get out and stretch my legs but ddaaamn is it cold out there!”
Eugene chuckled.
Ginger went past them to visit the loo so he turned to his wife. “What thoughts has Wanda been putting in your already twisted head this time?” he asked.
She glowered at him. “She told me about what you people call the mile-high club. Don't even think about it, bub.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise and then he laughed.
She smacked him on the shoulder and then turned punched him twice before pursing her lips and kissing him thoroughly to shut him up.
Ginger interrupted the kiss as she came by. “Don't expect any cocktails or anything,” she warned. “This is mostly no frills flying.”
“Just the way you love it,” Eugene teased as he buckled his seat belt.
“Too right,” Ginger replied as she looked out the window. She turned her head to look at them. “Did I interrupt anything important?”
“Not yet. Maybe on the return flight,” Eugene teased as Deidra colored and then smacked him on the arm again.
~~~^~~~
Deidra and Eugene shocked Kattegat by landing three days after the capital fell. They shocked everyone when they came out of the aircraft. A small contingent of heavily-armed Palace Guard were with them.
Deidra was the first to her sister; she hugged her fiercely and whispered to her. Zara nodded but lost her composure for a brief moment. Eugene and the security contingent managed to block the sight of the two sisters as they had a tearful reunion.
"Don't make this a habit."
"I wasn't trying to," Zara said with a watery gurgle of a laugh.
Deidra turned and addressed the people. Someone found a box, and she daintily stepped up onto it with the help of her husband.
Once she was elevated a bit, she turned to address the people. "We can't stay overlong, but we came to help," Deidra said, addressing the courtyard assembly. There were immediate cheers. People had started to get their lives back to normal, and many w
ere looking forward to a return to what the Imperium had promised, a brighter future for them and their children.
~~~^~~~
Despite her statement that they didn't intend to stay long, Deidra remained long enough to meet with the supporters and thank them properly. She also knighted Augustus, Licinius, Zane, and Tycho.
Hostage Rescue (Princess Rescue Inc Book 2) Page 64
