“You’re up,” I said.
My friend stood steadily. “You know, I never got into any trouble before I met you,” she said as she took aim.
“You’re welcome,” I replied.
SJ fired. A red portable potion exploded against the barricade. We followed the curves of the road and turned for the final approach to the bridge. Most of the barricade had been obliterated, and the pieces that remained were easily trampled underfoot by our horses.
We crossed the bridge then darted through another tunnel on the other side, out of range of the guards who had been raining arrows on us.
Exiting the tunnel put the ground level fort and it’s massive barrier into view. SJ would need to launch more than one portable potion to take it down, but due to the sharp turn before the barricade, I didn’t see how she could do it. From that angle there wouldn’t be enough time or space for her to release even one potion.
Speeding up wouldn’t help; we’d crash into the stone fort before she could take a shot. Slowing down made us easy targets for the archers on the curtain wall of the stronghold and the guards on our tail.
Now if SJ could get a shot from overhead . . .
“Hey there!” Peter said, suddenly flying up next to us. He plopped down snugly on the driver’s perch between SJ and me.
“Arthur said I should give SJ a hand,” he said. “I still have a little fairy dust left.” He reached into his pouch. “Enough for one person for thirty minutes. You ready, princess?”
SJ’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Do it.”
Peter pulled out his remaining fairy dust. SJ closed her eyes and he tossed the fairy dust onto her. Then he gestured to the sword handle coming from the sheath on his back. “The big man lent me his sword since I lost mine in Neverland. Let’s see what kind of damage this baby can do.”
SJ floated off the seat. Her eyes burst open and she clutched her slingshot. “And let us see what kind of damage I can do.” She gave me a small, mischievous smile and flew into the air. Peter followed her, drew Excalibur, and my two friends zoomed down the mountain.
Our squad of three carriages continued its descent. At certain moments I got a clear view of lightning and fire cracking against the barricade courtesy of SJ, or Peter swooping in to expertly fight off guards. They were killin’ it. I wished I could have watched them in action for more than a second at a time.
By the time we reached the base of the mountain, our path was clear. SJ had annihilated the barrier and the archers were all taken out. My carriage exited the final turn of the mountain, sailed past the fort, and sped onto the even surface of the valley. The wheels banged against the dirt. Two loud kerclunks came straight after—Arthur and Ormé’s carriages right behind us. Their speed increased rapidly and soon their vehicles were on the left of mine. We continued in a triangle formation with Arthur’s carriage taking the lead in the middle.
SJ flew beside me and landed on the driver’s perch. “We have trouble,” she said. “A pack of guards exited a rear sector of the fort on horseback. They are chasing us. Many of them are archers. Peter and I need help. We are like ducks in the sky right now.”
I flicked my eyes at the other carriages. “I think you’re about to have the help you need.”
A pair of Gwenivere Brigade girls reverse-flipped out of their windows and landed on top of the carriages. They drew their bows and began firing at the enemy—covering us like they did when we’d escaped the citadel several days ago.
“You have some guards coming at your four o’clock too,” SJ said, leaning out to take a peek around the side of the carriage.
“How many?” I asked.
“Five.”
“Blue!” I banged a fist against the carriage. “You’re up!”
I expected my friend to take a few shots at the guards through the window, but mimicking the Gwenivere Brigade girls, she flipped onto the roof.
SJ returned to the sky while Blue counterattacked. I tried to keep my eyes on the road, but when I stole a glance back, I saw that she was a tornado of blue cape, blonde hair, and glistening knives. No one better encapsulated devastation and grace.
Chaos echoed in the wake of our carriages—the whinnies of horses, the thud of falling bodies, the whistle of arrows—it provided a glorious backbeat to it all. Explosions and lightning strikes (thanks to SJ) resonated in the mix. Together, the whole thing became a beautiful, violent soundtrack.
A guard on horseback galloped next to my carriage. He was barely three feet from me and was about to lash out with his sword when Peter flew up from behind, grabbed the guy by the back of the neck, and threw him off his steed. The unmanned horse continued to gallop beside us. Blue leapt from the roof and onto the steed, urging the creature forward and keeping pace with me as we entered the final leg of our journey.
We were nearing the citadel. The grand path that led up to the main gate of the outer wall was almost in reach. The explosions on top of the wall were like fiery beacons, beckoning us forward. I cracked the coachwhip and with each snap the horses galloped faster.
Blue and her steed were the first to reach the wide path that led to the gate. I was next, followed by the other carriages while SJ and Peter remained in the sky. Below, along the side of the rising road, wrecked and smoking vehicles were on their sides with holes blown through them, remnants of the battle that had already swept past. Among the vehicular carnage were fallen bodies in navy blue armor.
The main gate ahead was blown to bits, so our entry into the city was unimpeded. Craning my neck, at the top of the wall I could see black-armored knights engaged in battle with women in brown robes and golden headscarves (members of the Gwenivere Brigade). There were cannons up there too, but most of their operators seemed too preoccupied with the fighting to fire. All except one. In the middle of the flurry of fighting, I saw a different movement—the slow aiming of a cannon down at . . .
“SJ! Cannon!” I shouted.
It was not a second too soon. A cannon fired. I would have been blown to dust if SJ didn’t have the reflexes of a cat on a caffeine high. She released a silver portable potion that encased the cannonball in ice and knocked it out of the sky; alas, the shooter reloaded and fired a second cannonball too quickly for her to stop. I ducked. The cannonball plowed straight through the top of my carriage and blasted away the back half of the vehicle. Fragments of splintered wood sprayed all over.
SJ flew up and launched a jade portable potion right as the knight re-ignited his artillery a third time. A forceful smack of slime encased the muzzle, keeping the cannon from releasing. The resulting backfire caused an explosion that took out a huge section of the wall.
I glanced behind me. My transport was on fire now, and my horses were freaking out, but the other carriages following us remained unscathed. My flaming vehicle and I sped through the main gate and into the tunnel behind Blue. We raced toward the opening on the other side with my carriage acting as a giant torch. The sound of wheels and hooves bounced off the walls at maximum volume.
When we entered the citadel, we at last encountered the battle we’d been after. Part of me wanted to ride as far ahead as I could to get to the frontlines and find our friends, but a quick glance around confirmed we were needed here.
A handful of Gwenivere Brigade girls and navy knights were fighting against a couple dozen of the citadel’s black knights just past the tunnel exit. Most of the civilians had fled, but up the road many still ran for cover. Their yells mixed with the clang and twang of swords and the boom of explosions. The cumulative sound spread an aura of panic through the streets like an airborne biological weapon.
I yanked on the reins and careened to a stop. I drew my wandpin, transformed it into a blade, and used it to free the horses from my flaming vehicle. As they cantered off, I rushed to help the fight.
Brown robes and glistening armor whirred around me. I slid under the sword of one black knight, spun as my wand elongated to its spear form, then rose to slam it on the shoulder of another
enemy. Strike after strike came my way. I kicked a black knight, jabbed one end of my spear into an attacker behind me, reversed the staff, and whipped around to release an axe-kick with a little extra spice.
The combined force of the Gwenivere Brigade girls, navy knights, and me could’ve ended this fight in another two minutes. With Arthur joining the fray, we didn’t need another twelve seconds. Peter had returned Excalibur to him, and the king used the blade to incapacitate all our enemies so swiftly it made me revaluate everything I knew about sword fighting.
When the last body dropped, Arthur stood before the Gwenivere Brigade and navy knights. Everyone stared at the legendary hero holding the iconic sword with wonder, reverence, and shock. I watched with amazement as the blood on Excalibur evaporated by magic, restoring the blade to its glistening pale blue state.
As if we had planned the timing, the Gwenivere Brigade girls we’d been traveling with circled behind Arthur. SJ fired a silver portable portion to extinguish my flaming carriage then landed next to me at the same moment as Peter. And Blue cantered up on horseback in flawless positioning with the group. Arthur was at the center of us all in a perfect posse pose to add umph to his impressive reintroduction to the citadel.
Ormé stepped forward to stand next to Arthur. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she said proudly to the citadel forces we’d joined. “I present to you King Arthur of Camelot. He lives. And he has come home.”
The Gwenivere Brigade girls and navy knights instantly dropped to their knees and bowed their heads.
“Rise,” Arthur said.
Our allies got up, but the surprise was all over their faces. I didn’t blame them. Arthur was a lot to take in on a normal day. Excalibur was a lot to take in on a normal day. Seeing both for the first time in seven years on the night you were invading your kingdom’s citadel had to be overwhelming.
Ormé addressed her forces. “What’s the status of the attack?”
“I got a brief call a couple minutes ago,” a Gwenivere Brigade girl replied. “We’ve secured much of the city. Our comet strategy should have gotten the queen, Morgan, and our lead assault group close to the castle by now.”
“Comet strategy?” Peter repeated.
“When a comet enters the first layer of the atmosphere, it is huge,” Arthur explained. “But as it passes through different layers, it sheds chunks of itself until it is a much smaller, compact unit. And that is what plows into the earth.”
“So you guys started as one giant assault but have been shedding factions of your army throughout the citadel as you drive the core players forward.” Blue summarized, impressed.
“Exactly,” Ormé said. She saluted her troops. “Well done, all. Keep the gate secure. Our fighters on top of the wall look like they could use some help. You four,” she pointed at several Gwenivere Brigade girls, “head up there. Meanwhile, you three,” she gestured at a few others, “see if there are any injured people nearby in need of assistance. Those of us who just arrived are going to make a run at reconnecting with the queen at the castle. Let’s move out, people!”
The troops looked from Ormé to Arthur with uncertainty. Since he was their king, I think they were surprised the orders weren’t coming from him. Despite having followed Ormé’s command for years, it seemed like they wanted his permission before reacting. In response to their gazes, Arthur gestured his blade at Ormé.
“You heard your commander,” he said. “We’re taking back our kingdom and we’re doing it together, but by the design of brave people like Ormé and my wife. They are your leaders tonight, and one of your leaders said move out, so onward!”
Ormé was a proud, fierce woman and warrior. But in that moment, there was a crack in her intensity as a flattered smile crept into the corners of her mouth. She was touched by Arthur’s words. As was I. The man was as honorable as men came.
Most of the group broke apart, running in different directions to obey Ormé’s orders. Our core team prepared to press forward into the citadel. SJ and Peter rose to the sky to continue their assault from the air while the rest of us gathered horses—securing some from Arthur and Ormé’s carriages, and others that our allies already had in the area. I leapt onto a powerful brown mare and took a deep, determined breath.
With Ormé and Arthur in the lead and me, Blue, and a group of Gwenivere Brigade girls close behind, we galloped through the streets closer to this story arc’s thundering, hungering climax.
It was so close now I could taste it.
he atmosphere escalated in intensity as we delved deeper into the citadel.
Though most civilians had abandoned the streets, now and then we came across a gaggle that had not yet managed to get clear of the fighting. This slowed us down. The Gwenivere Brigade may have been committed to keeping harm from befalling civilians, but the knights working for Rampart did not share that priority. Once in a while our team needed to stop to defend those caught in the crossfire. SJ and Peter were particularly helpful with this, swooping in to save the innocent.
Arthur tipped the odds at every turn of the fight as well, taking down Rampart’s soldiers without slowing his gait. Between his natural skills and the enhanced magical power of Excalibur, he was unstoppable. The awe he inspired as he wielded the blade worked to his advantage too, distracting our enemies. I understood why Arthur had kept the sword in its sheath throughout our travels today; it seemed its blue glow was easily recognizable. Most people may never have seen Excalibur in person, but its legend was at the core of this realm. I guess it was like my mother’s glass slipper in our realm—most people hadn’t seen it in person either, but when someone saw it, they knew what it was.
As we progressed through the citadel, our team reduced in number. Every time we encountered another wave of the attack, we’d add a little extra oomph to the fight as we slashed through, but one or more of our Gwenivere Brigade girls ended up staying behind to assist her comrades while the rest of us continued. Then, when a black knight discharged a flaming cannonball at a tall apartment complex, we lost Peter too. The kid urged us to keep going while he flew up and rescued those within. Arthur seemed reluctant to leave Peter behind, but accepted the situation and we charged on.
Soon it was just Arthur, Ormé, SJ, Blue, and me. We were getting close to the castle—I couldn’t see it yet, but I recognized the road. Our team turned a corner and came upon another faction of Gwenivere Brigade and navy knights fighting Rampart’s guards.
“Jason!” Blue shouted, steering her horse toward our friend, presently surrounded by black knights. I cantered after him too, but was not as close.
Jason was well shielded behind the small magic force field his axe produced, but the black knights were closing in. Blue deftly fired throwing knives at his enemies and encircled the assailants on horseback. Jason lowered his force field and swung out his axe. Between the two of them, all five attackers went down in seconds.
“Come on,” Blue said, offering Jason her hand to help him onto her horse. “We’re going to take down Rampart at the castle!”
“You go!” Jason said. “They need me here.”
As if on cue, a black knight shot an arrow into the arm of the nearest Gwenivere Brigade girl.
Shield.
I transformed my wand and hurled it discus-style at the knight, smacking him in the head before he could fire again. SJ flew down and picked up my shield before zigzagging through the fight and pitching it back to me.
“Here,” she said. Then she abruptly flipped backward in midair as an attacker came at her from behind. Her feet slammed down on the man’s head and he fell to the ground. “I could get used to this,” she said with a grin. Then she nodded to Jason. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Good.”
“SJ!” Ormé called. We all spun to see ten men with swords charging Ormé and two Gwenivere Brigade girls.
SJ sped toward them. Meanwhile, a pair of black knights on horseback came at Blue, Jason, and me. I pivoted my steed, t
ransformed my wand, and raced to cut them off.
Sword.
The knight in the lead had his weapon drawn. I clashed my blade with his and parried his next strike. As the second knight charged in, I smashed the pommel of my sword into the first knight’s face.
Spear.
I jabbed the weapon into the first knight’s ribs then yanked it in the opposite direction and inflicted a larger, swiping strike against the second attacker’s chest as he rode by on my left.
Shield.
I blocked the sword of the knight on the right.
Knife.
I plunged the blade into his vulnerable thigh.
Shield.
I slammed my shield into the left knight’s face then swiftly leaned back to avoid the strike of the knight on the right.
Spear.
This time I bashed the right knight in the chest. His horse reared and backed him away from the conflict.
Lacrosse sword.
My spear lengthened—its blade elongated and a basket sprouted from the blunt end to form the weapon we used in our realm’s favorite sport, Twenty-Three Skidd. I’d loved using this weapon since I’d entered a tournament last fall. I’d grown even more skilled with it since joining one of Lord Channing’s teams this semester.
I jolted the lacrosse sword basket into the chin of the left knight and pushed with all my strength. I kept the motion going and swept the basket low, catching my attacker’s foot. Finally, I spun the staff and pulled the knight clean off his horse.
“Hee-yah!” I gave my horse a kick and tugged on the reins—maneuvering around the downed man to meet the remaining knight. He’d gotten control of his horse and was coming at me straight on. We charged each other like we were jousting. What my attacker didn’t realize, however, was that a lacrosse sword wasn’t like a normal lance. With the basket end pointed forward, I activated my weapon’s built-in extender grip function. The staff instantly elongated by two feet, reaching the knight faster than he’d expected. I caught his sword in my basket and flipped him off his horse too.
Crisanta Knight: The Lost King Page 10
