by Chris
~
Caroline tried to ignore the warrior-priest Tarion Hunthres, but he had a habit of prodding the same part of her shoulder when he thought she wasn't paying attention. It felt bruised already.
As her sleeves were a little short and she didn't want him to see her alimoth flowers, she kept having to pull the sleeves down. At any moment he might catch sight of the flowers, and then he'd never leave her alone. By the way he watched her she suspected he knew anyway.
Thunder rolled across the sky and she welcomed it, but he continued the moment it passed. "You see, they clear the trees all the way to the bridge and half a mile on the other side to stop outlaws and clansmen from bottling caravans there. With enough warning, travellers can take a chance at running." He almost quivered with excitement for the subject.
There wasn't nearly enough space to turn a wagon packed with goods and try running, but no one could argue with a priest. She'd discovered that over the past six months. She glanced back at Rhonda and Kirsty, but their expressions suggested they were taking delight in her predicament.
Traitors, she mouthed at them with an overly-dramatic glare. That only set their grins wider.
Heavy drops of rain began thumping down, driven hard by gusting winds. Caroline pulled her hood further forward and turned away from the priest, as much to stop the rain hitting her face as to avoid him.
Tarion's voice picked up to contend with the rain. "Ahh, the damage storms can do to civilised roads," he began, but stopped as he had to shield his face with his free hand. Ahead, Captain Bastion raised his hand to signal a halt. Caroline followed his eyes and nearly cried out in surprise. Soldiers in plain white tabards and chain shirts were charging on foot from the trees.
"What's happening?" Kirsty cried from behind, her horse skittering in reaction to her fear.
"Ambush!" Captain Bastion yelled. "Present lances and face the enemy!"
The soldiers lifted their lances from their stirrups as dozens of men with halberds ran across the clearing. "For glory!" one man yelled, and the others took up the cry.
"Captain, we need to retreat!" Tarion yelled above the storm. The priest stood up in his stirrups and looked back the way they'd come. His eyes widened.
Caroline followed his gaze. Behind them, half a dozen men in white tabards had ran from the forest to scatter caltrops, nasty four-pronged spikes with one point always facing up. The horses would be crippled if they tried to retreat.
"We're trapped!" Caroline said, trying to hide her fear. Her words were overshadowed by a peal of thunder.
Caroline let the reins slip a little through her fingers to gain enough slack to shield her eyes from the weather. Her free hand held her hood tight. Her heart raced with the need to flee.
Bastion threw his cloak off broad shoulders. "Rear ranks circle forward and protect the Princess. Front ranks with me!"
"Fandelyon!" his men cried and spurred their horses into action, forming a single line as they charged across the mud-soaked grass. Soldiers circled forward to protect Caroline.
"Bastion must have seen the men behind us. Bloody good commander, Bastion," said Tarion. He kept a hand on the hilt of his longsword, though Caroline doubted he'd used it in years. "There'll be a trap further up the road, too."
"Will our soldiers be overcome?" Rhonda asked.
"Of course not, Lady duPrey."
Caroline glanced at the priest in surprise. Tarion was clearly not above lying.
"We should risk running!" said Jonathan, one of the duPrey twins. "Before they surround us."
"No!" Tarion yelled, glaring the younger man down. "There's a bridge ahead. There'll be an ambush there."
"Into the woods?" asked Jared, the other twin.
Tarion shielded his eyes. "We may have to. Let's see if Bastion can clear the way first. The other side is too steep."
The enemy commander shouted something. The charging men stopped and formed a ragged line across the grass. With varying levels of skill they lowered the tips of their spiked halberds and braced the butts under their feet. Charging horses churned up grass and mud as the riders lowered their lances as one. The two lines closed amid yelled battle cries.
Caroline almost felt the collision as the steel-tipped lances punched through chain shirts. Lances shattered and men screamed in agony, some thrown back a dozen feet. Barely relieved at the small victory, she wiped rain from her eyes as two horses impaled themselves on the halberds, throwing their riders. Another riderless horse bolted for the trees.
Her soldiers reformed their line and reared their horses before the enemy, the trained animals lashing out with hooves while their riders drew swords. Caroline held her breath as her soldiers began fighting with swords and shields, slashing at any enemy within range.
One of her men toppled from his saddle with a cry of pain and she had to fight the urge to yell for help.
"For Fandelyon!" Bastion yelled to rally his men, the Captain's blade slashing before his mount's hooves lashed out once again. "Forward," yelled Bastion, and they began pushing double their number toward the trees.
"Captain Bastion, ware!" shouted Lieutenant Crace. The urgency in the yell was enough to catch Caroline's attention. He'd been left in charge of defending Caroline, and judging by his expression wished he hadn't been.
Bastion glanced over his shoulder and cursed so loud Caroline heard him over the battlefield. "To the Princess. Enemy at the rear!" Bastion yelled.
"Where?" cried Kirsty, looking back down the road.
"From the woods on the other side. We're trapped." Caroline said as she followed Bastion's gaze, dismayed. Too late for Bastion and his men to get back in time, about fifty men in white tabards were running to attack the rear guard from the opposite line of trees. She turned to see Bastion deflect a swing from an axe-headed halberd with his shield and thrust back. The man stumbled backward but recovered.
"What are you waiting for Lieutenant? Attack them!" Jared yelled.
Crace focused on Jared, anger and determination on his face. "This is a trap, Lord Jared. There will be more soldiers lying in wait. Even running is a risk. We need to draw them out first."
Caroline looked about. More? Their numbers were already overwhelming. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Caroline asked more for Kirsty's sake than her own, knowing the answer already. The raven-haired younger girl looked ready to panic. Caroline turned her horse back and took Kirsty's hand. "We'll be fine," she said softly, leaning close. "They want us captured, not killed."
Tarion looked around, assessing. "If we get the chance to run, you all need to be ready to take advantage of it. Understand?"
Lieutenant Crace pointed to three of his men. "Stay inside the circle. Protect the Princess and nobles with your lives."
Caroline sat straighter, trying to show confidence for Kirsty's sake, even though she felt none. It was the only gift she could offer her friends. The rain pelted harder before the rising storm winds, intensifying in proportion to the fight and forcing her to wipe her face with a wet hand.
"Lances down," the Lieutenant yelled. "Prepare to repel the enemy." Water blew from his lips.
Caroline's soldiers shifted their lances to the on-side and lowered them against the charge, giving themselves a free hand to draw swords. The enemy slowed to smash the lance tips aside, but as soon as they passed the long weapons Caroline's soldiers dropped them.
"Horse assault!" Lieutenant Crace yelled. The horses jumped forward and reared, hooves lashing at the enemy. Men fell with cries as swords and shields began striking and deflecting the halberd's axe-heads or counterbalancing spikes.
On the field Bastion's battle was precariously balanced.
Blocked by the new attack, he yelled, "We're nearly there. Form two lines. Rear line defend, front line attack and crush the enemy against our circle." Half his men turned and began pushing toward her circle again, forcing enemy soldiers to defend from both sides. Bastion's men eventually closed around
a small group of eight and slaughtered them, the last slipping in the mud to die screaming under a hoof.
The riders joined ranks and the circle quickly expanded. The united field helped Caroline's defenders hold their own even as it allowed the enemy to spread out so more could attack at once, their ranks still three deep beyond her horses.
A blunt finger jabbed Caroline's shoulder. "Make sure you stay in the centre," Tarion said, nodding to Rhonda, Kirsty, and their twin brothers as well. "The whole lot of you."
Where did he expect them to go?
Kirsty and Rhonda flinched as a man broke through only to be cut down a yard away. Even the twins paled. Soldiers were missing, Lieutenant Crace included. Caroline found his body on the ground, his neck and chest bloody. She had to turn away.
Lightning lit the storm-darkened highway and for the first time she understood how many men her soldiers faced. Too many.
Rhonda screamed as a broken halberd spike flew past her head and dropped into the mud, startling Caroline and Kirsty's horses. Caroline had to release Kirsty's hand to grip her reins tighter, settling her horse. Lightning lit the road again and she saw fresh men in white tabards running toward the fight from the direction of the bridge. Thunder smashed across the sky and the rain fell harder, but not hard enough to keep Caroline's sinking heart afloat.
"We're all going to die," Jonathan whispered.
"No. Captured and held for ransom," Caroline said. She took Kirsty's hand again and squeezed. "That's the worst that will happen. Understand? We'll be locked away until our fathers raise enough coin to free us. We'll be fine. Move your horse closer to your brothers. They'll protect you and Rhonda."
"And you," Kirsty added.
"Of course," Caroline said with a forced smile. The brothers were merely along with Tarion to ensure their sisters and Caroline were properly chaperoned, though she was sure Bastion wanted them out of any fighting. If the fight got to them they were already lost.
She looked around. The circle seemed smaller, more familiar faces missing; Greyloft, Anhers and Rhion among them.
Caroline cringed as Bastion cut down a man who broke through during a coordinated charge, his halberd useless when Bastion got inside his guard. "Don't let that happen again!" Bastion yelled. He continued to ride back and forth, shouting orders emphasised with the point of his sword. "Use the horses' hooves if they get too close. You're the King's Guard, not common soldiers!"
Bastion glanced back toward the nobles, swore and then turned away. He shielded his eyes with his hand as he scanned the battle. His expression didn't invite conversation. He bellowed three names, and the three soldiers inside the circle answered. "I have a plan."
Chapter 3
Elias and Allyn slipped to the edge of the trees, hardly wet as minor wards repelled most of the rain.
Amid battle cries and the clash of sword against halberd, the mounted soldiers held back well over double their own number. Bloody bodies sprawled across the green spring grass between the road and the trees, and just as many lay on the mud-churned road. Horses were down too, one still kicking and trying to stand. The ground appeared as red as it was muddy.
Elias grasped Allyn's arm. "Looks like we're too late to warn them."
Allyn shook water from his hair. "I still want to find the one with power. We might be able to help."
Elias winced as a rider on the near side of the battle took a cleaving blow to the chest. As he fell the horse bolted, knocking several men aside and dragging its rider by the stirrup down the road, the body leaving a trail in the mud.
The men in white tabards on the opposite side of the circle moved back to regroup and then charged in a line, the spiked tips of their halberds dangerously sharp. Two slipped and went down, but the rest met the horsemen together.
Elias nudged Allyn as a cold feeling came over him. "Ready yet? My wards are reacting. The fight's attracted the faspane." They couldn't be any more than a couple of hundred yards away.
Allyn shook his head.
Elias turned his attention to the brutal fight. It could spill into the woods at any moment and he didn't want to be caught distracted. "A few minutes more, then we have to go. Even if you pinpoint them, how could we possibly help?"
Allyn shrugged, concentration on his face. "String your bow. We might need it," he said.
"If you get us into trouble…" he said under his breath, but removed the bow's protective sleeve. He didn't need Allyn's urging to defend himself.
Allyn pushed a branch aside. "There's got to be a ward involved. Without getting closer there's no way I can study their auras with enough depth."
"A hundred auras all flaring with violent emotion isn't ideal either. Focus on the princess. It's got to be her."
"I can't get a clear view of her. We need to do something."
Elias tried to hold back his growing tension. "It's a pitched battle. There's nothing we can do without risking our lives and our mission."
Allyn grasped Elias's shoulder. "I know, but whoever it is could be important to us. You know that. If Marak du Tren wins Noramgaell our people will be destroyed."
He glanced at the battle. "Without intervention from the Higher Realm Fandelyon's soldiers will all be dead and the nobles too, most likely."
"Have you considered we may be that intervention?"
"Yes, and it should scare you as much as it scares me."
"Think of it as a game where they don't know we're involved. That gives us an advantage."
Shouting increased as the north of the circle opened and three soldiers charged the attackers. Lances smashed through chain mail before the riders' swords hissed free of scabbards. A man jabbed his halberd at a charging soldier, but the rider veered and ran him down. The three slashed at their enemies until horsemen at the open ends of the circle kicked forward to surprise them.
More halberd-wielding men circled, but another group of horsemen charged, forcing the attackers to defend. For one brief moment Elias wondered if the attackers would charge the broken circle. It was the obvious flaw in the plan. Instead, they tried to hold them back. Their plan wasn't to kill, but to subdue.
Elias watched closely as the Captain of the Princess's guard raised his sword. "Forward!" Three more men charged, opening the way for the royal party who rode immediately after.
"Stop them, stop them!" a man in gilded armour shouted as he ran from the tree on the opposite side of the road. Another man in a white tabard followed close behind, sword unsheathed as if expecting to fight. Several of the closer foot soldiers whirled and threw their halberds.
"Don't harm the Princess! We need her alive!" the man in gilded armour shouted, but chaos erupted and all further commands were lost in the noise and rain.
Lightning momentarily illuminated a field of devastation as more men swarmed forward, whirling and throwing their halberds. A soldier and several nobles fell from their saddles. Elias found himself anxious to see who was hurt as the remaining soldiers and nobles pulled up, adding to the confusion. No more halberds were thrown, but the princess and at least one other noble were down.
The confusion aided the mounted soldiers who had remained to delay their enemies. They charged now, slashing at unarmed foot soldiers and killing a dozen in the chaos. They formed another protective circle around the nobles, but in moments were surrounded again.
"Nice try, but too late," Elias said. "There's still too many foot soldiers. They'd need to kill another ten or fifteen to make any difference." Every instinct told him to stay. Twin-souled or otherwise, he began to understand why soulmates among his people rarely left each other's company. The fear of not being there to protect each other must be overwhelming if this is what he felt for a girl he'd never met. A human girl, at that.
"Let's get further up," Allyn said. "They've moved too far for me to work properly." Without waiting, he hefted his ghostwood staff and ran into the trees. Elias followed, wishing he didn't feel just as keen. When they emerged near
the road again it was too close.
The white-tabarded men had regrouped in several clusters around the soldiers. On command they charged on all sides. The horsemen closed ranks to form a tighter circle and keep as many of their enemies out of the attack as possible.
Blood stained the surcoat of one of the noble-born young men, but he remounted and sat straight without assistance. One of the maids was dead. A fallen soldier remounted, but had a cut to his forehead and looked ready to fall again. Blood marked the shoulder and face of one of the ladies who had to be helped to mount before a soldier, the man supporting her as she slumped against him. Only the red-headed princess seemed unhurt, much to Elias's unexpected relief. Her horse was dead though.
Another soldier helped her onto a riderless horse with a shove to get her into the saddle, the strain clear on his face. She was considerably bigger than him. Her pale legs stuck out from her soaked skirts as she sat astride rather than side-saddle.
Allyn touched Elias's arm, startling him. "You were right. It's the Princess. She used her power without knowing to protect herself. Otherwise she'd be dead from the halberd that hit her horse. If they try to get through again, assist them." Allyn indicated Elias's longbow.
"Are you sure it's her?"
"Not entirely, but she has a strange aura. It can't be anyone else."
Elias focused on the girl, and for a long moment he saw nothing unusual. Abruptly her spirit flared like a sun among the stars, radiating emotion and latent power far greater than any other person on the field. Allyn must be blind. But then he looked away and she disappeared from his mind's sight. "I've never seen a ward do that before. You can penetrate it, but only if you know to look."
"Look beneath her emotions. Everything else is masked. She couldn't have done it on her own, not untrained. There's got to be a ward hiding her from casual sight. We have to get her away."
Elias felt caught between fear and curiosity. "If we do, it's going to cause trouble. We can't kidnap a princess and expect no repercussions. "