“Yes Sir!” Lewis shouted, snapping to attention, a wave of relief surging over him with the knowledge that his friend and leader was back to his old self.
“See to it,” Hothgaard said and then turned back to study the breastwork protecting Manse and wondered just what Prince Gwaynn and his commanders were up to at this very moment.
ǂ
At that moment Gwaynn was walking into the hospital tent, hoping that Samantha was awake. She was sitting up in her cot talking to Emm who was perched on the edge of her bed. Emm was not crying but from the looks of her she’d stopped only a short time prior. Cobb, ever present, stood over them both, fidgeting uncomfortably in the sea of emotions permeating the tent.
Samantha looked up as Gwaynn entered and actually gave him a soft smile. It was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in a very long time.
“Emm,” he said softly and touched the girl on the shoulder. She looked up and gave him one of her own sad smiles in contrast.
Emm turned back to Samantha. “I’ll…I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and shakily stood up. “Come Cobb…you can keep me company,” she ordered and the large man lumbered to her side.
“You needn’t leave,” Gwaynn said, feeling very bad for the girl.
Emm was silent for a moment and then leaned into Gwaynn, who put his arm around her sympathetically. “Thank you…but I’m finally getting hungry…and I’m tired. I’m really tired,” she added and with Cobb in tow they slowly wandered away and out of the tent.
“Will she be alright?” Gwaynn asked taking her place on the side of the cot.
Samantha sighed. “Maybe…but not for a very long time. Krys meant the world to her…she loved him very much.”
“He…” Gwaynn began but had to stop for a moment to control his emotions. “He loved her too…I never understood why when he was alive, but I’m beginning to see the attraction.”
“She’s soft and good despite what was done to her. I think the goodness of her was what attracted Krys,” Samantha tried to explain, but then feel silent.
“How do you feel?” Gwaynn asked looking down at her half arm.
Samantha shrugged. “It throbs, but Linkler gives me willow bark to ease the pain. It helps a bit.”
“Does it hurt terribly?”
“Only when I forget and bang it against something,” she answered and then once again they fell silent, somehow uncomfortable, as if they truly didn’t know each other.
Finally Samantha looked up and stared directly into Gwaynn’s eyes. He held her gaze and wondered at it briefly.
“Gwaynn,” she said softly. “Would you take me to our room?”
Gwaynn sighed with relief. “Of course,” he answered and wondered at the question.
“No,” Samantha said as he stood. “I mean will you take me to our room and love me…will you love me like before.” She knew he loved her, but was anxious, afraid that her deformity might repulse him.
Now Gwaynn understood and with a genuine smile he reached down and threw off her covers and reached to pick her up.
“I can walk,” Samantha said and pushed him gently away, then without much effort she got to her feet and stood. She remained still for a moment and was somewhat surprised that she was not dizzy in the least. Gwaynn moved to her right side, reached out and took her hand. She did not look at him but instead led him from the tent and out into the open. On the way across the bridge and up to the Plateau they passed several groups of people, civilians and troops alike, and Samantha found that with them she was not in the least self conscious about her injury…she thought it would bother her…she thought people would stare, but now she realized she didn’t care what they thought…only Gwaynn.
They reached the bailey and entered the gates. They began walking faster and faster as they drew closer to their room, so that by the time they reached the door they were near to breaking into a jog.
They threw the door open and moved inside then slammed the door closed. Instantly they were in each other’s arms. They kissed long and hard, both thankful to be alive and together, then without pause Gwaynn began to slowly, carefully undress her. Samantha scrutinized him closely as he worked, but was relieved and happy to see that Gwaynn’s face held not a hint of revulsion. And when she was completely naked she stood before Gwaynn and nearly cried with happiness at the obvious love and desire that shone from his face. But he was oblivious to her examination and stripped quickly then he moved to her, easily lifted her up and carried her to his bed.
He hurt her arm only once, but she was very careful not to cry out and when they finally lay exhausted and spent, Samantha drifted off, happy and content without a thought for her missing arm.
ǂ
Just a bit farther to the north in the newly completed Lamb’s Breath Inn, Vio lay awake in the bed she was sharing with Tam, listening to the young girl talk. She’d been yapping for the better part of an hour but Vio didn’t mind. She was not counting on getting much sleep in any case, but it wasn’t the excitement of going to war that raged in her mind, it was thoughts of Gwaynn. Her feelings were once again jumbled up inside her and try as she might to make some sense of them, they insisted on disarray.
Tam was quiet now, though Vio could not have said exactly when it was she’d stopped talking. The girl’s breathing was coming soft and even, the rhythm of sleep and Vio found she envied her, not only for the bliss of unconsciousness, but also for William. Tam had someone. Such a simple thing to say, and something of relatively little importance, that is unless you had no one. Being alone, utterly alone, eroded at one’s very being.
During the past year, Vio nearly convinced herself that she was over Gwaynn. Her heart no longer hurt and he was no longer the last thing she thought about before falling asleep, nor the first thing that came to mind in the morning. But seeing him again…Vio knew she was in trouble once more. Her heart told her so with crushing constrictions at the first sight of his face…a face that had changed, grown older, grown harder, but still it ruled her heart and ruled her mind. She wondered how such a little thing as a face could cause her so much pain; after all she went through her life seeing faces by the thousands. Why should this one be so different? She did not know. But she knew that his face was different and there was little she could do about it. Logic did not work against such power, nor did denial. It was just a fact, when she saw Gwaynn her heart hurt.
Vio tossed and turned, unaware of the time, but she had the distinct feeling that the sky in the east should begin to lighten at any minute. She was about to give up and slide out of bed, when Tam rolled over in her sleep and snuggled close, her face resting on Vio’s bare shoulder. Vio sighed, annoyed at first, but Tam was so sweet, innocent and warm that soon she welcomed the touch, even if it wasn’t the person she longed for.
Minutes past and without realizing it Vio grew groggy, though her mind was still moving from thought to thought, completely out of control. Jealousy and sadness tinged her psyche as she considered Samantha…Gwaynn’s supposed bride. She thought of the girl’s injury and wondered how she, herself would handle a missing hand. It could happen. She had no illusions that she was invulnerable, but she did not think it likely. She was too skilled, too aware, and too experienced to let anything so catastrophic happen to her. But then, just as sleep was about to take her, the thought of the Captain…Huntley entered her mind.
‘I know her,’ Vio thought dimly. ‘Her walk…there was something about her walk.’
But Vio did not place her before sleep finally came, and she rolled over, her face mere inches from Tam’s, the two girls finally sleeping in complete peace.
ǂ
Very early the following morning, Gwaynn left Samantha’s side and climbed from the bed. She came awake almost instantly, happy at first but then fearful when the realization hit her that Gwaynn was leaving to face more danger. Krys was killed so quickly, with no warning, no chance. The same could happen to Gwaynn. Her heart jumped in her throat but she said nothing…he was Ki
ng…he had to fight, she knew that and accepted it, but somehow it was so much easier when she’d been able to fight at his side. Now she must wait and wonder. She didn’t know how most women could do it…it was agonizing and Gwaynn was still in the room quietly dressing!
He glanced up at her, then down at her bare breasts.
“They’re getting bigger,” he commented and at first she didn’t understand, then she looked down and grinned.
“You like?”
Gwaynn nodded and moved to her and nuzzled each breast briefly. “I like,” he mumbled.
“The rest of me is getting bigger as well,” she said and rubbed her stomach with her lone hand.
“You’re so beautiful,” he answered softly then stood and finished dressing.
“Come back to me,” she whispered.
“Nothing will stop that,” he said with fierce determination. “Please believe me.”
She looked up at him…his youth, his strength and vitality were beyond question and she found that without a doubt, she believed him.
“I love you,” she said.
“And I you,” he answered and with a long kiss he stood. “You be careful…and do what Doctor Linkler orders.”
“Yes sir,” she answered and they both smiled, and then he was gone.
Samantha felt lonely for a moment, then the knowledge of Gwaynn’s love wrapped itself around her and she suddenly felt warm and drowsy. She dropped back down on the bed and before Gwaynn was out of the bailey she was sleeping once more.
Gwaynn walked from the wooden fortress and down the Scar toward the bridge that would lead him to Manse. He was met by the entire group from Noble, even Tar Grace, who would not be leaving with them.
Vio, Tam and William greeted Gwaynn warmly and he could feel their excitement. They were going to war!
“I’ve located the Massi army with the help of Zarina Monde,” N’dori said in her calm, almost bored manner. For some reason Gwaynn had come to believe all the Solitaries would behave similar to Tar Nev’s happy, laughing manner. N’dori studied Gwaynn’s reaction with interest though her expression gave away nothing. Gwaynn considered her in return. She was slightly taller than average with nondescript, very long brown hair that she kept tied up tight, but here and there a few strands worked themselves free. Her face appeared plain initially but on closer inspection Gwaynn saw that her skin was smooth and her complexion slightly creamy. It was an open face, sporting wide, high cheekbones. And though her manner was very different from Tar Nev’s, when Gwaynn looked closely he could see a familiar twinkle in her eye. He smiled at her and she nodded with understanding. “Are you ready to depart?”
Gwaynn looked to the others, who all assented and Lady Bethany even placed her right hand on the hilt of her kali, as if the Tarina were about to transport them into the middle of a battle.
Gwaynn then turned to Tarina Grace. “Contact me if our friends outside decide to visit uninvited,” he said, giving the simple order in a manner that said he was used to being obeyed.
The Tarina nodded but said nothing more.
“Very well,” N’dori said and almost instantly a bridge appeared before her. The students around her gasped though they’d witnessed such power from Tar Nev when he’d created the bridge from Noble. Gwaynn on the other hand, frowned. The bridge had opened quickly but Gwaynn had no sense that the Tarina had altered time in any way. He took a moment to mentally reach out and test her power. Instantly she was aware of his presence and turned to look at him. She smiled for the first time.
“After you Sire,” she added. Gwaynn tipped his head slightly and stepped through the bridge. The others followed and immediately found themselves in the middle of the Massi camp which was bustling with early morning activity.
Tarina Monde, Jess na Gall and Lonogan Bock all waited for them in the center of camp.
Lonogan stepped forward and grasped Gwaynn’s hand. “Welcome, welcome,” he said with a wide smile full of excitement and relief.
ǂ
Almost exactly one hour after Gwaynn and his party departed from Manse the Temple Knights moved forward to attack. The alarm rang out across the town and Tar Grace rushed to the walls of the levee to see the nature of the threat. She was soon joined on the wall by Captain Huntley, who was barking orders farther to the west, near the gates. To the Tar’s surprise Samantha, Gwaynn’s woman, also climbed the ladder to the ramparts. She negotiated the climb rather quickly despite having to use the crook of her elbow on her bad arm for support.
“You should be in the hospital tent,” Grace said blandly to Samantha as she approached.
“I’ll be all right,” Samantha answered, slightly intimidated by the elder Tar. “I can still run if the walls are breeched…my legs are fine. But I’m here to see that it doesn’t happen.”
Tarina Marissa Grace studied the girl for a brief moment then together they turned back and watched as the constructed causeways of the Temple Knights slowly rolled toward the protective ditch of the levee. At the moment, the causeways were still well out of arrow range, but at the pace they were coming they would soon be close enough.
Samantha turned. “Sergeant…prepare to fire on my order,” she yelled to the host of archers set back from the walls, most of which were hiding in their own protective shelters against the possibility of any return fire, though as far as Samantha could tell there were no mass of archers among the Knights.
Tarina Grace could feel the nervous excitement running through the men and women who manned the walls.
“Steady,” she said confidently and her demeanor, plus the fact that she was a Tarina from Noble, served to calm the nerves of those near her position. She walked slowly along the wall toward the west and the only gate that marred the strong fortifications of the levee.
“Steady,” she repeated, always keeping a very close eye on the progress of the enemy. They were coming slowly but steadily. The heavy tall causeways, though built onto a wheeled base, were ungainly and apparently hard to move. The Tarina smiled to herself. ‘The Knights are not suited for siege warfare,’ she thought with satisfaction. ‘It plays against their strengths…as does fighting on foot.’
“Have the oil ready,” she shouted to those defenders near her, vaguely aware of Samantha shouting orders to the east and Captain Huntley doing the same closer to the gates. She wondered if three women had ever led the defense of a city before…she thought not, but wouldn’t have bet against it.
Tarina Marissa Grace watched as an elderly man picked up a clay pot filled with oil. The pot was about the size of a child’s head and sealed carefully with a plug of beeswax. General Bock had the townspeople fill hundreds of such pots in anticipation of an attack. The Tarina admired such preparations. It would make her job much easier.
Grace was surprised at the relative calm of the city’s defenders, most of who looked to be civilians and many appeared far too old or young to be in the fight. But they watched the vaunted Temple Knights steady approach with surprising composure, as if they didn’t truly believe the enemy wished to breach their walls and kill everyone inside.
The Knights and their siege weapons were still over a hundred yards away when arrows began to streak by overhead. They flew over the walls in flaming waves, attempting to engulf the oncoming siege weapons or any men they hit in fire. Tarina Grace was impressed; the archers were well coordinated and accurate. Unfortunately however, the Knights were very heavily armored and all carried light weight but solid shields. The arrows had little effect, but the Tarina did see a small number of the enemy fall. But as the Knights drew closer the arrows flew at them with considerably less warning and more fell. The airborne missiles became more effective the closer the enemy moved, but still the Tarina doubted they would have a major impact on the battle.
“Prepare the oil!” Tarina Grace yelled and the order was echoed by Captain Huntley and Samantha. The causeways, over twenty of them, were very close and seemed to grow taller as they drew nearer, then suddenly and with litt
le warning they began to drop. They fell haphazardly, not all together, each plummeting to earth as they reached the edge of the protective ditch. Cheers erupted from the Knights as the makeshift bridges slammed into place. They spanned the ditch easily, though Grace noted that one was lowered too early and came up short of the far bank, its end lost in the slowly moving water of the channel. Another, farther to the east, actually banged loudly against the wall and stuck, sloping up at a relatively steep angle.
Once the causeways were in place, the tempo of the Knight’s attack increased dramatically…as did the pulse of the defenders.
When the causeways were down the Knights began to stream across, screaming in defiance. Unperturbed, the defenders on the walls began to fling their clay pots filled with oil almost immediately. The aim and courage of the townspeople surprised Tarina Grace, though their ability to throw the pots was unimpeded by any enemy archers at the moment. Only a few hundred soldiers among the Knights sported bows and their arrows did little to give the Massi defenders pause. They hurled the pots with abandon and only a few missed their targets. Most of the pots hit and shattered, drenching the thick wooden bridges and the men who were crossing them with light, but highly flammable oil, which was quickly ignited by a shower of flaming arrows. The battle field was soon covered with thick, black smoke and the sounds of screaming, burning men.
Tarina Grace’s view of the action was soon impeded by the thick smoke but it was easy enough to tell that the causeways in her vicinity were now impassable. Already in her area many of the enemy soldiers that attempted to carry ladders across the causeways during the initial moments of the attack were either dead or seriously wounded, so she moved quickly along the wall farther to the west toward the main gate. She’d not gone very far before she came upon a mass of men and women in a panic, fleeing in every direction. From what she could gather someone dropped a pot of oil at the base of the wall, and now the entire area was awash with flames. A couple of men had already attempted to quench the flames with water but to their surprise found that this only enlarged the fire.
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