The Keeper of the Stones

by M J Webb

  “Let him go! He is right, Sawdon. Mistakes have been made that have cost us dear. You have to prove yourself all over again to this army. You have failed them today. And they will not easily forget it.” the King shouted.

  Sawdon clenched his teeth and his fists. He’d never been so angry, every fibre of his body was seething with rage. He was humiliated and it was almost more than he could bear. But he knew that the reason he was so upset was because they were right. This had been one of the worst days of his life. He wasn’t used to failure, or defeat, in any way, shape or form. All he could think about now was getting even, redeeming himself in the eyes of his King and his soldiers.

  ‘Someone is going to pay! Someone has to die!’ he thought, ‘I have to fulfil my promises to my King! Kraar… But where do I begin? The rebels have fled and I cannot exact my revenge! Raaarrrgh!!! This is intolerable!!!’

  Chapter 32

  Nightfall 15th August – The Mine Raids

  Lidzenstor

  It was dark now at the great mine of Lidzenstor. The soldiers of Jake’s raiding force were lying concealed from the mine guards in the long grass of the hilltop that overlooked the mine itself. Jake had used the time he had at his disposal wisely, to identify the easiest and quickest routes down the hillside. He’d positioned his soldiers strategically so that they could strike at the key areas of the mines at the same time, as soon as he gave the order to attack. The slaves and prisoners had all been returned to their pits just before dusk, as per the usual routine, herded in like cattle and chained to fixed posts before being given just enough food and water to survive. The soldiers had then retired to the guardhouse which was next to the mine entrance, leaving only two guards watching over the slaves, all of this having been closely observed and monitored by the rebel soldiers high on the hillside above. This meant that they were now able to account for the whereabouts of all the enemy warriors at the mine.

  Jake had positioned five of his most able rebels directly above the guardhouse and main entrance. They were all armed with swords and daggers, but two of them also carried Ruddite bows and arrows. The remainder of his force were spread out in small groups of twos and threes around the hilltop perimeter along with Jake, ready to descend down the hill at his command. When the time was right, he signalled his order to the groups of soldiers on either side of him. It was relayed around the hilltop by hand and they all slowly and silently began the descent. They reached the bottom and the mine itself without being detected and once there the rebels remained concealed in the long grass as ordered, waiting for another signal from Jake. The soldiers attacking the guardhouse and the mine entrance had the shortest descent, this was fundamental to Jake’s plan; they had to be in position first to neutralise the majority of the enemy soldiers, who would be at rest in the large hut.

  Jake watched from above as the five soldiers reached the ground. The archers took out their bows and took aim at the two guards who were manning the mine entrance, their bodies helpfully silhouetted by the candlelit lamps that were positioned on a shelf of the rockface behind them. The archers didn’t open fire, they were under strict orders from Jake to delay until the last possible moment, in order to allow the rest of the attackers as much time as possible to get into position for their own attacks on the mine guards manning the pits.

  Whilst the remainder of the force completed their descent, the three rebels assigned to attack the guardhouse crept silently towards their target, a fully laden, unhitched wagon that was near to the entrance, loaded for early despatch the following morning. They heaved and pushed the wagon slowly towards the guardhouse. The enemy at the entrance had their backs turned to the attackers and heard nothing but the swirling wind. The soldiers manning the pits had their view of the rebels obscured by the wagons and rockpiles that were positioned between the

  Jake and the rest of the entire force were all down now and he signalled for them all to advance towards their assigned targets. They crept silently and, for a while, they went unnoticed. But suddenly, one of the guards yelled out loudly as he spotted the movement of a rebel who was attacking the guards at the pits.

  All hell broke loose!

  The two rebel archers unleashed their arrows with deadly accuracy and the guards at the entrance both fell to the floor. The three soldiers pushing the wagon now doubled their efforts and speed until the big, lumbering bulk was blocking the door of the guardhouse, trapping the enemy soldiers inside before they had any chance to respond to the alarm, and leaving them with no point of exit. They were also now powerless to prevent Jake and the rebels from freeing the slaves.

  The remaining guards at the pits were rushed from close range by the small groups of rebels who appeared suddenly out of the long grass with astonishing speed to cut them down, their cries for help unanswered by their newly imprisoned colleagues.

  Lidzenstor mine, the jewel in King Vantrax’ commercial operations, had been taken in only a few minutes!

  Jake surveyed the scene before him with immense satisfaction. Everywhere he looked rebel soldiers were joyfully giving him victory signs, informing him that everything had gone to plan and that they were all okay. There were no casualties amongst the rebel attackers and the only problems Jake had to decide upon now, was how to release the slaves and what to do with the enemy soldiers in the guardhouse, who were making an awful row.

  The keys to unlock the slave pits and chains could not be found. Jake quickly assessed the situation. ‘They have to be with the soldiers in the guardhouse.’ he reasoned. He took the majority of his force with him as he walked purposefully over to the door and banged on it loudly with his fists. The soldiers inside eventually stopped their yelling to listen to what their captor had to say. Jake shouted as loudly as he could. Once again, he was surprised to find himself speaking in a deep, manly voice that he hardly recognised.

  “Hey! You, inside the hut! Listen to me, all of you! We are soldiers of the Ruddite Rebellion. We have taken this mine in the name of King Artrex. This mine and everything here will be destroyed. The slaves who work here will be freed.” he stated confidently.

  “Rarr! You may have taken the mine, stranger. But you do not have the keys!” came a voice from inside the hut. It was followed by a chorus of nervous laughter from the other captives.

  “True. Very true.” answered Jake. “But… I do have a lamp. Your hut is conveniently made of wood. Do the maths! It won’t take long to burn.” he shouted threateningly.

  The laughter within the hut stopped immediately and the imprisoned soldiers fell silent for a moment. But a few seconds later, the same annoying voice from within spoke once more, only this time it was far less abrasive.

  “What… What do you want?”

  Jake smiled to himself as he barked out his instructions. “First, I want the keys to the pits thrown out right now. Second, I want all your weapons thrown out. Then and only then, you will be allowed to exit the hut, one by one, until you are all out!”

  “But… You will kill us all if we surren our arms.” cried the voice nervously.

  “I give you my word,” shouted Jake in reply, “and I give you the word of King Artrex. You will not be harmed. You will spend one night in the pits, before your co-workers release you when they arrive for work tomorrow morning. Do we have a deal?”

  The hut fell silent again for a brief moment. Then, a hand from inside pushed the doors open a little until they hit the wagon and would open no further. It was just enough space for an arm to be squeezed through the gap and the keys were thrown out. They fell on the floor in front of Jake. He picked them up and handed them to one of the rebels, who took them gleefully and raced over to free all of the slaves.

  Jake wasted no more time than he had to at the mine. He knew that the majority of his group would be on foot and that they had a long journey ahead of them, possibly being pursued by enemy soldiers. He spoke to all of the slaves as soon as he’d gathered them all around him, just as he had done to the prisoners at Heron Getracht, laying e
verything out for them, and giving them all the option of joining the Rebellion.

  There were thousands of slaves and prisoners at the mine. A handful of them chose to return home, but most wanted only one thing – revenge! They were eager to fight and they all wanted the chance to repay Vantrax for the years of hurt they had endured at his hands.

  The enemy soldiers were chained in the pits, ironically taking the places of the slaves who had been freed. The weakest of the slaves were placed onto the soldier’s horses and within minutes, the whole party was moving off in the direction of Soreen village, carrying as much liberated food and water with them as they could manage. It was the dead of night, the moon was shining brightly and the only noise to be heard in Lidzenstor mine now, were the cries of the guards who raged from behind the bars of their new prison at the sight of the slaves escaping.

  Berok

  Onall and his party had left Lidzenstor along with Verastus, destined to attack the mines at Berok and Dingarth, and travelling together in order to maintain strength in numbers for as long as possible. Onall arrived in plenty of time to survey his target. Berok mine was roughly half the size of Lidzenstor, it lay in a natural depression on the plains just north of the Jh’Terin hills. Like all of the targets, Berok was designed along similar lines to the great mine, with an almost identical layout. The outlying living quarters were arranged in a giant horseshoe shape, which meant that there was only one point of entry and exit to the mine itself. It was a design widely used in Rhuaddan as it provided security from both attack and escape. The living quarters for the slaves who worked at Berok were a network of strong pens constructed of hard wood, lashed together with unbreakable vines. They surrounded the underground mine itself which had only two shafts, one used for entry and one for exit. The shafts were guarded day and night by two guards who rotated every couple of hours.

  Once again, the wooden hut that housed the off-duty guards was positioned next to the main entrance to the mine. But Onall had noticed that there were two large drums of animal fat situated next to the guards’ hut, there for the guards to dip their torches into before lighting the flammable liquid to illuminate the underground works. He had watched with interest Onaeveral guards lit their torches, and an idea formed in his mind.

  Onall executed Jake’s original plan with a few of his own variations, being an experienced soldier who was confident in using his own initiative. He had observed from above as one soldier locked the gates to the slave’s pens and attached the keys to his belt. The same soldier had then unbelievably taken up his post guarding the pens! He was clearly using his seniority to take the first watch, maximising his own downtime and therefore sleep.

  Onall couldn’t believe the soldier’s mistake and his own good fortune. He waited until darkness covered the mine completely before instructing his soldiers to approach their starting positions as quietly as possible. The archers took their aim on the enemy soldiers guarding the main entrance, just as their colleagues had done at Lidzenstor, whilst the three attackers assigned to attack the guardhouse collected some discarded buckets and filled them with animal fat from the barrels. They poured the fat quietly over the wooden doors of the hut and along the walls. But the noise it made alerted the soldiers inside to their presence and the guards’ instinctive reaction to their colleague’s cries effectively launched the raid proper.

  The two soldiers at the entrance were the first to die as arrows thundered into them from close range. Those inside the hut attempted to exit through the narrow doors but they were mown down in a similar fashion by the two archers, who were shooting arrows as fast as they could at the door entrance and anyone who stepped out of the darkness. Onall threw the lanterns at the hut and it exploded into flames as soon as the fire hit the accelerant. The wooden structure became a raging inferno in seconds and burnt the luckless occupants alive, their harrowing screams continuing for several minutes after the camp had been liberated.

  The rest of the attackers swarmed the guards at the pens that were holding the slaves and the defenders died violently, cut down by sword and axe. Onall collected the keys and freed the slaves. Almost all of them decided that they wanted to fight when asked as once again, years of hardship and brutality suffered at the hands of their captors, fed their appetite for revenge.

  Berok mine had been liberated. It was set ablaze and the rebels immediately headed for Soreen, and a joyful reunion with their King.

  Dingarth

  Verastus rode to Dingarth mine with mixed feelings. He’d really wanted to remain with Jake and free his friends at Lidzenstor, though he hadn’t admitted it to his new comrade and had followed his orders dutifully. As his party separated from that of Onall, he convinced himself that Jake would be successful in his task and that was all that mattered. He knew that his own personal feelings were irrelevant and he was determined to carry out his orders and repay the faith that the Keeper had shown in him.

  They reached Dingarth mine just before dusk. This gave them little time for a full reconnoitre of the mine, but Verastus did take a good look at the layout before darkness fell completely, and he was relieved to find no surprises or concerns. Once again, Dingarth mine was a smaller version of the great mine at Lidzenstor, built on the horseshoe design that was favoured by all the mine owners of Rhuaddan. This time however, the whole of the mine was invisible from sight until you were virtually on top of it. It was situated on a vast open plain in the Rhuaddan countryside, excavated in such a fashion that the ground just fell away at its origin and quickly gave way to form a great chasm which was cut out of the rock and soil. This meant that the mine could easily be approached from any direction without fear of being seen.

  Just as Onall had done, Verastus also followed closely the plan that Jake had devised. But this time he led the attack on the guardhouse himself. When surveying the mine, he’d spotted two giant wooden beams and a pile of Taran stone blocks which were being stored next to the soldier’s hut. He’d decided to use these materials once the time came to attack, to block the doorway of the guardhouse and trap the enemy soldiers inside, and he knew that in this endeavour his superior strength would prove vital, so he switched places with one of his soldiers.

  When the attack commenced, the rebels approached silently without being detected and Verastus lifted the beams and the stone blocks on his own, in a great feat of strength that amazed his soldiers. He piled them against the doorway and the enemy soldiers were trapped in the guardhouse. Dingarth mine was taken without a single rebel casualty, the remaining enemy soldiers who were guarding the slaves being taken by surprise and mercilessly killed by the remainder of the raiding force.

  Three of the four mines were now taken and they had all been set ablaze. No rebel soldiers had sustained injuries of any kind and thousands of slaves had been freed, the vast majority of them now choosing to join the Rebellion and fight for their King. The raids so far had been a spectacular success. Everything had gone exactly to plan. It was almost too good to be true!

  Periknar

  Princess Zephany’s group had the furthest to travel to their intended target. Her soldiers also had to contend with the added problem of crossing the River Ilan at its lowest point. The river was shallow but fast flowing, and several rebels were almost swept away by the current whilst trying to cross. Her horsemen had galloped as fast as they could, for as much of the way as they dared, but they still arrived at Periknar mine after nightfall. This had denied Zephany the important opportunity of assessing her target and plan before having to launch the raid. With no prior knowledge of the mine defences or layout, or the safest routes for the necessary but dangerous descent of the surrounding hillside, she had decided to launch an immediate, more conventional frontal attack, straight down the dirt road and right through the main gates of the mine.

  Two of Zephany’s archers had made their way secretly to an observation point opposite the guardhouse, with orders to set fire to the wooden guard hut with flaming arrows and then shoot every soldier at
tempting to rush out through the doors. This they had done upon hearing the first sounds of the charge of Zephany’s cavalry down the main road to the mine, though they then had to be careful not to shoot their own soldiers, as their horses thundered past their position.

  The plan was simple but effective, it relied heavily on achieving the element of surprise, and initially all went well. The archers were able to kill the guards manning the main entrance quickly and set the guardhouse alight. But this alerted the mine defenders who were inside the hut, they heard the arrows strike the door and walls and were then even further alarmed to hear the unmistakeable sound of charging horses. The enemyderrds made ready with their swords and spears, some of them rushed out of the burning hut in desperation, managing to exit whilst the rebel archers could not shoot at them for fear of hitting their own warriors.

  A great fight developed in the mine grounds, several of Zephany’s horsesoldiers were unhorsed by spear and killed by the enemy soldiers as they fell. The hut doorway eventually became blocked with enemy dead and wounded, trapping the rest of the soldiers inside, but not before Zephany’s force had suffered numerous casualties. The enemy guarding the slave pits were killed by charges from Zephany and two of her soldiers, another of her men being killed by a spear in this part of the action. The remaining soldiers in the burning guardhouse quickly surrendered once it was clear that their comrades were dead, terrified of being burnt alive in the wooden hut. They were locked in the slave pits and chained.