Elsewhere ti-3

by Richard D. Parker

  Nadler nodded emphatically as Kostek and Endid pulled him to his feet.

  Gwaynn said nothing during the small conflict, but he did gaze out to the east, searching for any sign of the Knights, but of course he saw nothing. When he turned around he was momentarily surprised to see Samantha watching him anxiously through the bridge that Monde still held open. She waved the stump of her arm at him and smiled. Gwaynn returned the gesture and moved back through the spatial short cut to her side, the others following along behind.

  Speaker Armis Nadler spotted Zarina Monde and nodded only slightly. “Monde,” he greeted.

  “High Zarina Monde,” na Gall corrected sharply and Nadler turned to her with eyebrows raised.

  “High Zarina?” He asked then added. “Light is no more.”

  “Yes…thanks to some friends of yours,” na Gall answered.

  “Secure his hands behind his back,” Monde said softly then turned away from the man. He was a traitor to her home and her way of life and the sight of him disgusted her to a far greater degree than she thought possible.

  Gwaynn hugged Samantha briefly. “I think it’s time for you to stay behind,” he said and placed a soft hand on her abdomen.

  “I could stay back with Lonogan and help direct the reserves,” Samantha argued though she was torn between the need to be with Gwaynn and the need to protect the baby that was now so much a part of her.

  Gwaynn just stared at her for a moment, then glanced to the south as the army began to pour down from the Plateau and into the town of Manse. Thousands of men began to fill the narrow streets before slowly making their way to the northern end of town.

  “Sam, please stay in Manse…in the bailey,” he said in a low voice, barely above a whisper. He moved to her and placed his right hand on her belly. “Stay for both of us,” he added and Samantha frowned at him.

  “That’s not fair,” she said scowling. “But I’ll stay under one condition,” she added and paused.

  Gwaynn raised his eyebrows in surprise. He’d expected a much tougher fight; after all she’d been a part of nearly every battle of the war. Still, he was suspicious.

  “What condition?”

  “That Laynee stays behind with me,” Samantha answered and looked over at the young girl who was flipping her long hair, obviously mooning over Prince Phillip of the Toranado.

  “Laynee…” Gwaynn repeated, surprised that he had not thought of it.

  “Yes,” she answered, “Laynee will be my eyes.”

  Gwaynn bent and kissed Samantha deeply, uncaring who watched. A great cheer rose up from the soldiers who were within sight, but Gwaynn tightened his hold on Samantha urging her to hold the kiss. When they finally broke apart, the cheer grew to a roar, and both turned and smiled down at the soldiers. Gwaynn waved to them.

  “Agreed,” he said still looking out at his army. “Laynee stays with you.” He was standing on her left side, then reached out and took hold of her handless arm. He raised it up and the soldiers below cheered once more.

  Gwaynn embraced Samantha one last time then quickly turned to Lonogan. “It’s time to move,” he said. General Bock smiled and shouted an order and the gates of Manse slowly began to open.

  Samantha watched nervously, her good arm wrapped around Laynee’s shoulders as Gwaynn gracefully pulled up onto Eve. He gave her a quick glance and a smile before moving off and out the main gates. Once through the city walls he did not look back and it wasn’t long before the front of the army receded into the distance. It would take them four long hours to reach the open fields outside of Claymont and it took all of Samantha’s will power to keep from asking Laynee to project and scout the way ahead. Daniel stood a few feet to the left of the girls, leaning over the gate. He wished he could ride off with the others on one hand but on the other was relieved to be staying behind and out of danger.

  As if reading Samantha’s mind Laynee said. “The Knights are miles away. They’ll be fine”.

  Samantha smiled but still her stomach was churning. ‘This is worse than marching to war,’ she thought.

  “Come,” she answered pulling Laynee toward the nearest stairs. “Let’s get you two some sweets to eat…get your strength up.”

  Both Laynee and Daniel smiled. ‘There were definitely advantages to being a Traveler,’ Daniel thought and the three of them carefully made their way down the ladder and into town.

  ǂ

  When they were only ten miles northwest of the Scar River Crossing Captain Gaston asked na Gall to once again check the main position of the Temple Knights. Just to be sure; just to be safe. He and Captain Kerr waited impatiently as na Gall worked, still sitting on horseback. She closed her eyes and moved her arms rapidly about as if she were in the midst of a wild dream. Despite the Traveler’s obvious beauty, watching her made Gaston shiver slightly in disgust; she possessed what seemed to him an unnatural ability and it tempered any attraction he might have felt for her physically.

  This time na Gall moved quickly over the land, first checking on the scouts near the river, but though she spotted the thirty Massi horsemen sent to destroy the threat, she failed to locate the scouts. This did not greatly concern her however, and she continued on until she came to the dusty trail left by the army of Knights. They were now moving quickly to the east just a few miles to the southeast of Claymont. The Knights were still some twenty miles to the west of their position and perfectly situated to be circled and then trapped on the plains outside the small town. na Gall returned quickly and reported her findings just as a small group of enemy scouts presented themselves before Captain Hothgaard and reported on the presence of the Massi cavalry.

  “Perfect!” Captain Gaston and Captain Hothgaard said nearly in unison and both altered the course of their horsemen, each heading to a position about five miles northwest of Claymont, but because the Knights were much closer they would reach the vital hills overlooking the town much sooner than their Massi counterparts.

  “They plan to loop around and hit us from the north, an unexpected direction,” Hothgaard said to Tramm once they were riding toward the northeast and his Captain agreed. It’s what he would do if he were in the Massi’s predicament.

  “So we’ll be waiting for them,” Tramm replied and Hothgaard nodded.

  “Yes, we’ll be waiting for them.”

  “But what of the Travelers?” Tramm asked. “We have to assume they’ll know where we are. No one can hide from the Zars of Light.”

  Hothgaard frowned. ‘Yes it was true; the Travelers presented a formidable problem, which was why they needed their own reconnaissance…in force.”

  “Send out scouts…all of them,” Hothgaard said in answer. “We have our own eyes, and we’ll use them. Speaking of scouts…any word from Sergeant Vutek? Will the Massi fall into our trap?”

  Tramm shook his head. “No word from Speaker Nadler as yet,” he answered. The lack of any news seemed to confirm his belief that Gwaynn Massi would never be so foolish as to leave the safety of his walls at Manse.

  Hothgaard smiled guessing his friends thoughts. “Gwaynn will meet us eventually. Our presence is like a burr caught in a very sensitive place…sooner or later he will have to try to pluck us away.”

  “But if the Massi cavalry are now on the plains to the east…” Tramm countered.

  “Then we may very well find ourselves between two armies,” Hothgaard said briskly and Captain Tramm fell silent, not having considered this possibility.

  “We should send some of the scouts to the west as well,” he answered, suddenly reversing position, losing faith in his old beliefs.

  Hothgaard smiled at him. “Very well…but our real concern is the cavalry. I’d not want them at our backs.”

  ǂ

  “In the hills five miles to the northeast of Claymont,” Monde reported and Gwaynn frowned. This was not where he would expect the Knights to be if they were going to make a feint on Lynndon.

  “Northeast?” Gwaynn asked, wanting clarification. Monde no
dded.

  “What of the Massi cavalry?” Bock inquired, becoming alarmed. The Massi army was only about a mile from Claymont in the empty hills to the west of the town, not far from where Gwaynn once hid from the Deutzani as they advanced toward Manse. They were in a perfect position to lure the Knights into attacking.

  Monde shook her head. “I did not catch sight of the Massi horseman,” she answered, though in truth she did not even look for them. Projecting, though not as draining as the act of Traveling, was still very challenging especially when asked to repeat the process several times in the space of a few hours and she was growing exceedingly tired.

  “We need to know,” Bock stated with growing panic, concerned for his cavalry and Jess at the same time, but Gwaynn seeing the exhaustion in the High Zarina’s face shook his head.

  “Position the army first,” he ordered, “then send for the Speaker Nadler. We’ll try to coax the Temple Knights down from the heights. If necessary I’ll search for Gaston.”

  It took almost an hour for the army to set itself in the rolling fields west of the town and as they worked, Gwaynn stood between the Zarina Monde and Tar Kostek and watched closely as the enemy Speaker Nadler worked. There were several guards standing near the man with their kali drawn, instructed to cut the Speaker to pieces if he showed any signs of treachery.

  “Just report to them that we are marching quickly toward Claymont,” General Bock ordered. Nadler, who was sweating profusely paused momentarily, nodded once and continued. He was much too frightened to refuse, much too frightened to devise a plan, but even if he had one he was too much of a coward to ever carry it out in the face of drawn swords.

  Nadler reported the movements of the Massi army to Speaker Worlund just as he was ordered to do and afterwards he was ushered off, his hands securely tied behind his back least he gain courage and try to reestablish contact with his own side.

  “Now we just have to wait and see if they take the bait,” Gwaynn commented as Bock paced about the tent.

  “Will you check…will you check for me?” Lonogan finally pleaded and Gwaynn, understanding the torment his friend was in, agreed.

  He took longer to project than the High Zarina but not by much. Gwaynn felt a thrill of freedom as he left his body and moved up and out of the camp. He moved quickly, far quicker than anyone or anything could hope to move while trapped inside flesh and bone. He streaked toward the Knight’s position, arriving in moments. Gwaynn expected to see the Knights preparing to ride down from the forested hills and out onto the plains surrounding the town of Claymont. And they were indeed preparing to attack, but not as expected, instead the Knights, who occupied almost a half a dozen forested hills to the northwest of the town, were mostly facing away from the Claymont and the Massi army. Gwaynn rose up and searched the area. After several long moments he finally spotted the source of the Knight’s interest. A mass of cavalry were heading north, riding directly into their position and at the head rode Captain Gaston and Jess na Gall.

  Panic seized Gwaynn. Apparently, the Temple Knights completely ignored the report of the Massi infantry abandoning the safety of Manse, and instead had somehow deduced Gwaynn’s plan and now laid in wait for the Massi cavalry. Even as he watched, the Knights began to jockey for position and were moments away from swooping down on Captain Gaston and the rest.

  Without a thought Gwaynn streaked downward searching for na Gall, but on his first pass failed to find her, instead he came across the Speaker Sarbeth who was riding near the end of the column.

  “Sarbeth!” Gwaynn said but in his present form he could not make himself heard, he’d never learned to create a Speaker bubble, nor did he know that it was not possible during astral projection. Again and again he tried to make himself heard but failed. He only stopped when the Temple Knights attacked and the warning he was to give was no longer needed. He briefly considered creating a bridge and Traveling but knew he would arrive in the midst of the battle on foot and in a severely weakened state. So he stayed, watching in horror as the Knights exploded out of the hills and down amongst his unsuspecting cavalry. It was not long before holding his position became impossible to maintain. With a great deal of sadness and apprehension Gwaynn felt his projected self being yanked back toward his body as if on a spring. When his two halves joined he staggered, his face white. He glanced first at Tar Kostek, and then at Lonogan Bock. Zarina Monde handed him a large slice of dried apple but he did not take a bite.

  “They’re not coming,” he said in anguish. “They’re moving on the cavalry. Gaston is riding into a trap! We need to warn them,” he shouted turning to Monde, but it was N’dori who acted, in moments a bridge popped open and the Solitary rushed through and disappeared.

  ǂ

  “It would be a great risk M’lady,” Captain Benton advised quietly. They were in her private rooms and the captain was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. His eyes darted about nervously before landing on the large, luxurious bed that dominated the room. He coughed once and then his eyes started their restless wanderings once more. It didn’t help matters that the queen greeted him in little more than a nightshift and a shawl, her large, milk heavy breasts straining against the thin fabric.

  “Greater than leaving the decision up to Captain Hothgaard?” She asked. “He could choose either way…will probably choose Prince Nigel, after all he is a man now whatever his passions.”

  Benton glanced around nervously once more, keeping his eyes anywhere but on the breasts of his young beautiful charge. He was in fact in love with Audra, and had been for several years now despite the fact that she was ten years his junior. But he knew his place and would air none of his feelings or act in any way that was inappropriate.

  “Without your help I will lose everything,” Audra pleaded and walked over to her Captain. She placed a small hand on his arm and gazed up at him with helplessness, keeping close and accentuating her small size. She knew that men were still taken by her beauty despite her pregnancy, and were often moved to protect and guard her because of her delicate nature.

  “But to kill the Prince and his sister, M’lady,” Benton argued, not reticent about the killing, he just wanted to avoid any danger to his young Queen. Killing royalty was always a messy business.

  “I know but it can’t be helped,” Audra insisted, pouting slightly. “If we don’t act quickly, I’m sure Nigel and the Knights will move against me. If you will not help me I will have to turn to Sinis.”

  Benton’s eyes went wide and Audra knew instantly she had him. She had no intention of turning to the Executioners; they were far too dangerous and unpredictable. They were just as likely to kill her as her targets, especially once they got wind of Caiman’s death.

  “No M’lady, you need not go to Sinis,” Benton replied, resigned now to the course of action. “I will see to it.”

  Audra beamed up at the man and then stood on the very tips of her toes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Her touch burned his skin with pleasure.

  “I knew I could count on you,” Audra said happily, “but it must be quick, before word of Caiman’s death spreads.

  “Yes, M’lady,” Benton agreed and at that moment he would have done anything the young girl asked. “It will be quick.”

  And it was. That very night, Prince Nigel fell drunkenly to his death from his fifth floor balcony. Three days after his funeral a distraught Princess Anya was found drowned, floating face down in the harbor, her body partially eaten by the salt water fish she so loved.

  XVII

  Captain Gaston and Traveler na Gall pulled off the path and into the tree line so that they would be out of the way of the passing column as she worked. They were nearing the location where they would spring their ambush once the Knights engaged the Massi army on the open fields below.

  But na Gall barely entered her trance when suddenly she was out again and looking at Captain Gaston with wild eyes.

  “They’re here…now!” She screamed. “We must get out…go b
ack!”

  Gaston sat stunned for only the briefest moment. “Back!” He yelled. “Back now,” he repeated and horses and men around him stopped. Cries also came from the rear though at this distance they were unintelligible, but if there was shouting the reason could not be good. The men around him were slowly turning, but the road was narrow and lined thickly with trees making reversing direction a challenge for a large body of horses and men. They managed to get the majority of the horses in their immediate area turned about and heading south before more warning cries echoed through the trees, and then the Knights were storming down the hills toward them. Luckily, the same thick tree line that impeded their turning also obstructed the charge of the Temple Knights, slowing their attack and allowing the Massi cavalry to set themselves.

  “On the left!” Gaston yelled and the three hundred or so men around him began to line up along the road, presenting a solid front to the approaching enemy. The Captain turned to na Gall, “ride south…now. Try to get out of the woods…if you can Travel do it!” He added and then turned away and didn’t give her another thought.

  na Gall spurred her horse to a fast trot along the right side of the road but only made it a hundred yards or so before the two forces smashed into one another and all was chaos. Directly in front of her, a group of Knights crashed through the wall of Massi, their lances dripping with fresh blood and gore. She pulled to a stop as several Temple Knights turned her way, but thankfully they ignored her and charged after soldiers who were bearing weapons. As the seconds past, more and more Knights burst through the lines of the Massi and na Gall feared the worst. Even so, throughout the opening minutes of the fighting, Knights continued to pass her by, almost as if she were a projection. na Gall slowly, painfully made her way through the carnage, riding to the south, but then in a relatively quiet spot a couple of Knights turned and charged directly for her, their kali drawn. They were only twenty yards away and already moving quickly at her before she became aware of the danger. Her heart jumped in her chest, as she struggled to turn her horse off the road. Without looking back she rode out slowly into the thick woods. The hillside was steep and the trunks of the trees were so close together that she could do little more than coax her horse into a fast walk. She spurred hard and the horse bucked a little but then galloped forward a few paces just as a kali flew past. The weapon missed her head by inches and then slammed into a tree before falling to the ground.