‘Fucking bitch,’ said the Holdings officer, reloading, his right hand swathed in bandages. ‘This is your own fault, you know,’ he said, pointing the bow at her head. ‘If you’d listened to me, we would have let you live.’
‘Eat shit, ya donkey-fucking prick.’
There was a blur of movement to her right, and a staff swung out, clattering the Holdings man on the back on the head. His eyes went blank as he sank to the ground. Kallie stepped forward, Flora just behind. They gazed at the bodies lying in the alleyway.
Flora raised an eyebrow. ‘Were those really going to be your last words?’
‘Sorry I wasnae more poetic,’ Keira muttered. ‘I was a bit distracted with this fucking bolt in my side.’
Kallie leaned forward and yanked it from the wound.
‘Ah ya fucking bastard,’ Keira cried, holding her side. She ripped a length of cloth from her cloak and wrapped it round her waist, grunting in pain.
‘This guy was the only one that chased you,’ Flora said, kicking the Holdings officer. ‘The rest gave up pretty quickly.’
‘That’s cause I fucking paid the bastards,’ Keira said, straightening. ‘He was just pissed off that I burnt his hand.’ She glanced down at her dead guide. ‘And he was just unlucky.’
She took the purse from his grip and put it back in her belt, then she hoisted the sack.
‘Let’s go.’
‘Wait,’ said Flora. She knelt by the Holdings officer, and drew a knife. She slapped him. ‘Wake up.’
‘What the fuck are ye doing?’ Keira said.
‘Hold him down,’ Flora said.
Keira shrugged and bent over, gripping the officer’s arms. Kallie opened her water bottle and sprinkled some over his face. He spluttered, his eyes opening.
Flora placed the knife against his throat. He stared at them.
‘Listen,’ said Flora, ‘I’m going to ask you a few questions. Do you understand?’
The officer gave a slight nod.
‘Good,’ said Flora. ‘Now, we heard the Emperor invaded the Holdings. Is it true?’
He nodded.
‘And he’s destroying it?’
‘He’s been burning the lands of the rebel Holds,’ the officer gasped.
‘The rebels. Give me some names.’
‘Holdfast, Holdwick, Blackhold, they were the main ones,’ he said. ‘Others too. Terras, Cane, Elance…’
‘Cane?’ Flora’s hand started to shake.
‘You from Hold Cane, are you?’ the man said.
Flora said nothing, a tear rolling down her cheek.
‘We done?’ Keira said.
‘Yes.’
Keira grabbed the officer’s hair and smacked his head off the cobbles, knocking him out.
They stood, and Keira watched as Flora put her knife away.
‘Come on,’ said Kallie, and they headed off into the alleyways.
Flora was silent the whole way back to the forest covering the hills next to Rainsby. They had departed the town without trouble, even managing to buy a few bottles of whisky from a store by the gates from the money in the purse that Keira had retrieved.
When they were a mile away from where they had hidden the carriage, Flora broke down, fell to her knees and began weeping. As Keira frowned, Kallie went to the side of the Holdings woman, putting an arm over her shoulder.
‘Those fucking stupid bastards,’ Flora sobbed. ‘Idiots. Following those Holdfast fuckers like they always have. I fucking knew it.’
‘Holdfast?’ said Kallie. ‘Isn’t that…?’
‘Aye,’ said Keira. ‘That’s Daphne’s clan or Hold, or whatever.’
‘It’ll have been Daphne’s father,’ Flora said. ‘The famous Godfrey, who used to fuck the old queen.’
Kallie frowned. ‘I wonder if Killop’s up there.’
‘So you’re Hold Cane?’ said Keira.
‘Yeah.’
‘Does that mean yer nobility, like Daphne?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Flora said, wiping her eyes. ‘I’m Flora of Hold Cane, she’s Daphne Holdfast. My family are tenants on the Hold Cane estate. Workers, not lords or ladies.’
‘What do ye want to do?’ said Kallie. ‘We still planning on going up there?’
Flora stood, and hardened her features. ‘Yes. I get it if you don’t want to come, but I need to go back, to see if my family are still alive.’
Kallie smiled. ‘We’ll be with ye all the way. Keira?’
‘Aye. Sure.’
They resumed their journey through the forest.
Kallie let out a cry, and began running. Keira frowned, then saw the smoke rising through the branches of the forest. They ran, racing between the trees towards the clearing where their carriage was hidden. They burst out into the open.
‘Fuck!’ Kallie yelled, clenching her fists.
The carriage was a burnt-out wreck. Parts were still smouldering, and wafts of smoke trailed up into the darkening sky. Their clothes and possessions lay scattered on the muddy ground, along with their ransacked luggage. A lone winged gaien circled overhead.
Keira stumbled through the wreckage, picking up items of her clothing. She saw the wooden bear and tucked it into her pocket.
‘They’ve taken the food and weapons,’ said Flora. ‘Shit, looks like we’re walking.’
Kallie shook her head. ‘This is your fault, Keira. We should never have left the carriage unguarded.’
‘What?’ Keira cried. ‘Do ye think if we’d left Flora here, she’d have been able to stop a bandit attack on her own? From the tracks it looks like a whole fucking pack of them were here.’
Kallie sat on a crate, her head in her hands.
‘So,’ she said, ‘we’ve no money, no food, and no transport.’
‘Aye,’ Keira smirked, ‘but we’ve got a shitload of weed.’
Chapter 22
Shield
Shield Mountains, Imperial Holdings – 23rd Day, Last Third Autumn 507
Killop raised his hand for quiet, his eyes scanning the narrow gorge beneath them. The squad of Holdings troopers stilled, watching him for the signal. Through the tangled thorn bushes and branches of spruce trees, a group of Rahain soldiers were entering the valley from their left. They scrambled over the loose rocks, their heads down. The lead pair had their crossbows out, while the twenty or so behind them had their bows slung over their shoulders.
Killop extended a finger, and the squad took up their positions on the ridge above. Two troopers took hold of a tree trunk that had been felled and wedged under a great boulder, and the others aimed down the shafts of their crossbows.
They waited, Killop staring into the gorge. As soon as the last pair of Rahain had come into view, he drew his sword. All along the ridge, his squad loosed their bows, a dozen bolts flying down to where the Rahain clustered in the narrow ravine. At the same time the two troopers heaved on their wooden lever, and the boulder creaked and toppled over the edge, rolling down the slope and crashing to the bottom of the ravine, cutting off the enemy’s retreat.
Killop bounded down the steep side of the gorge, leaping from rock to rock as the squad continued to pepper the Rahain. He landed at the bottom, and leaned back against a giant boulder, keeping out of sight. The first Rahain came into view, as they ran from the hail of bolts. Killop stepped out in front of them, swinging his sword. His lunge caught the lead Rahain in the side, cleaving him in two. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed the throat of the second Rahain. He shook him like a rag doll, and threw him at the others sprinting towards him.
Battle frenzy gripped him, and he charged into their midst, his sword lashing out from side to side, clearing a path. The ravine was too narrow for the Rahain to get out of his way, and some tried to run back down the gorge, but were hit by the Holdings squad above, who were still shooting. Killop pressed on, slashing and lunging, until the last Rahain fell to the ground, her head split open.
He stood, panting, his right arm aching, and stared
at the corpses littering the gorge. The Holdings climbed down from their positions. They gazed from the bodies to Killop and back again, their eyes wide.
‘Check for survivors,’ he said to a pair of young troopers.
‘Are we taking prisoners, sir?’
‘No. Kill them all,’ he said. ‘The rest of you, get these bodies cleared. Throw them off the cliff, then pick up all the bolts and anything else lying about. We’ve got twenty minutes to get everything looking normal again.’
He walked down the gorge, as the squad got to work. He kept half an eye on the two troopers looking for survivors, and examined the dead Rahain, shaking his head.
‘You’ve fought the Rahain many times before, haven’t you, sir?’ asked a trooper.
‘Aye,’ he said, ‘though none as poorly equipped or trained as this lot. They’re more like peasants with crossbows, rather than real soldiers.’
He noticed the two young troopers standing over the body of a Rahain. He walked over, and looked down. One of the troopers frowned.
‘She’s still breathing, sir.’
‘I can see that. You know what to do.’
The troopers aimed their crossbows at the injured Rahain, but neither loosed.
‘Something wrong?’ Killop asked.
‘Sorry, sir,’ said one. ‘It’s just that we’ve always been taught that executing prisoners, especially wounded ones was… wrong.’
Killop swung his sword down, and drove it through the throat of the Rahain.
‘I understand,’ he said, as the two troopers stared at him, ‘but this is not a pitched battle between two sides who are playing by the rules. This is an all-out war for survival. There are no rules.’
The troopers bowed their heads.
‘Throw her off the cliff,’ he said, ‘then get back to your posts.’
One looked up at him. ‘Are we in trouble, sir?’
He shook his head. ‘Forget it.’
Killop watched as the pair picked up the body of the slain soldier, and carried her up the gorge to where a steep cliff fell down the side of the mountain. A sadness swept over him, and he felt the loss of something within his heart. If someone had to be the monster, he would rather it were him, than a pair of young troopers.
Once the ravine was clear, he assembled his squad.
‘Good job,’ he said. ‘We’re going to move the ambush a hundred yards down the gorge. Let’s go.’
The troopers secured their weapons and scrambled up the side of the slope. At the top, they followed a trail along the ridge, past where they had toppled the boulder. As they were getting settled into their new positions, Killop crouched by a rocky summit and peered down the valley. Low clouds scudded by in the breeze, and all around were the bare peaks and jagged cliffs of the Shield Mountains, threaded with deep ravines and treacherous passes. Thousands of Rahain were in the mountains, pushing up the valleys in search of the rebels, and destroying every village they came across.
Killop gestured to a pair of troopers and they approached, kneeling alongside him.
‘Get yourselves up there,’ he said, pointing to a cliff opposite their position. ‘There’s enough scree for a small rockslide, and you’ll have a better view down the gorge than us. Signal when you see them coming, and I’ll signal back when it’s time to set off the rockslide. Got it?’
They nodded.
‘Off ye go.’
They sprinted back along the ridge, and out of sight.
‘Get some rest,’ he said to the remainder of his young squad. ‘I’ll keep watch.’
He turned and leaned his back against a boulder, his eyes scanning the gorge.
‘Sir?’ said a voice.
‘Aye, trooper?’
‘Will you teach me how to kill like you do?’
‘Just follow my orders,’ he said, looking away. ‘You’ll pick up the rest on your own.’
‘I’m not sure I will, sir. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a soldier.’
‘Did you shoot your crossbow?’
‘Yes, sir,’ the trooper said, his voice low, ‘but I closed my eyes, and nearly peed myself.’
‘Then you’ve already done better than many,’ he said. ‘You’ve nothing to be ashamed of.’
The trooper gazed out at the mountains.
‘This your first fight?’ Killop said.
‘I was in the battle at Red Hills, sir,’ he said, ‘but I was stationed near the rear of the infantry, and didn’t come close to any Rahain.’
‘And did you obey orders when you were there?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘So you’ve been in two fights, and haven’t run away or disobeyed your officers?’ Killop said. ‘It’s too late, you’re a soldier whether you like it or not. Now I’m ordering you to get some rest, so you’re ready for your third fight.’
The trooper nodded and re-joined the others. Killop glanced at them. Sooner or later, some of them would die, and he needed to harden his heart, and not get attached. He turned back to face the gorge, and settled down to wait.
The signal from the cliffs came two hours later. Killop nudged the trooper next to him.
‘Everybody up. Get ready.’
The squad began to move, scratching their backs and stretching.
Killop scanned the gorge, but saw no one. He glanced back up to the cliff. The pair of troopers were crouching by a heap of loose scree, staffs in their hands.
‘Into position, crossbows checked and ready,’ Killop whispered down the line as he glimpsed the first Rahain make their way up the gorge. As before, he waited until the group of two dozen Rahain were directly beneath them, then raised his hand. There was a rumble of stone as the rockslide began to clatter down the slope, drowning out the sound of crossbows thrumming. The soldiers in the gorge began to fall. Some ran, but they were hemmed in between the rockslide and the enormous boulder they had dislodged in the first ambush.
Killop waited, his squad cutting down the trapped Rahain without any assistance from him. The survivors began to plead for mercy, throwing down their crossbows and getting to their knees, and some of the squad hesitated.
‘Stop shooting,’ Killop cried. He glanced at the squad. ‘Cover me.’
He got to his feet and jumped down the slope. The five remaining Rahain cowered on the ground before him as he approached.
‘Kellach,’ one cried.
Killop faced him.
‘Don’t kill me, I’m a friend,’ the soldier shouted in Killop’s language. The other Rahain stared at him, their eyes wide.
‘A friend?’ Killop said. ‘Somehow I doubt that.’
‘I know the fire mage, and I know Kylon, I was in their squad in Kell,’ the Rahain man said, his words coming out in a rush as he knelt, his arms raised.
Killop stared at him. ‘Or you fought against us in Kell, and learned our language.’
‘It’s true, I did,’ the man wept, ‘but I was captured, and Kylon spared me, and I worked for Keira, helping her. And then I went with Kylon to the city of the Rakanese, and after it was destroyed, we went looking for the fire mage’s brother in Rahain, to tell him his lover was dead…’
‘Stop,’ Killop cried, leaning closer. ‘Fuck, I recognise you.’
The Rahain man blinked, his tongue flickering.
Killop almost laughed. ‘I’m the fire mage’s brother. We’ve met.’
‘You’re Killop?’ the man said, squinting. ‘Sorry, all you Kellach look the same to me. I’m Baoryn.’
‘I remember,’ Killop said. ‘When you visited, did you know Daphne was alive?’
‘Yes, I did,’ Baoryn said. ‘I apologised to Daphne for it in person, after I was released from jail in Plateau City.’
‘You’ve met Daphne?’
‘I have.’
Killop frowned. The four other Rahain soldiers were staring at them.
‘These your friends now?’ Killop said.
‘No. I’ve been looking for Kylon for nearly two years. I lost him when he went i
nto Sanang, and only picked up his trail a while ago. I let myself be conscripted, hoping I would find the rebels. Do you know where Kylon is?’
‘I might do,’ Killop said.
He glanced up to the squad on the ridge, and beckoned them down.
‘This is Baoryn,’ he said. ‘Bind his hands and hood him, we’re taking him back to the camp.’
Baoryn stood, and held his arms out to the approaching troopers.
‘Thank you, Killop,’ he said. ‘As the fire mage’s brother, I want you to know that you have my trust.’
Killop said nothing as the troopers put a bag over Baoryn’s head, and bound his wrists with rope.
‘What’ll we do with the others, sir?’
Killop gazed at the four terrified Rahain kneeling before him.
‘Start making your way to the camp,’ he said. ‘Keep the prisoner guarded at all times. I’ll finish off here.’
‘Yes, sir.’
He waited until their steps had faded into the distance, and drew his sword.
It was a six-hour hike up to the camp, their third base since fleeing Royston. Keep moving, that had been Killop’s first piece of advice to Daphne. Move and strike, move and strike. Never give the enemy a moment’s peace, and put up with whatever discomforts came along without complaint. He had been taking different squads out on raids, sometimes for the day, sometimes staying out overnight for a dawn ambush. He had noted the best from each squad, and was compiling a list of names of those he thought capable of more daring and arduous raids.
The four remaining Holdings mages had been split up and sent to locations further up the chain of mountains, close to where the great ocean battered the cliffs. Daphne had positioned herself with two hundred soldiers as the force closest to the Rahain advancing through the rocky valleys.
They retreated every time they shifted base, but they were making the Rahain pay for every step they took, with hundreds of casualties inflicted by the rebel’s tactics. If only he had a squad of veteran Kellach in the mountains, he thought, as he gazed at the jagged, barren peaks, instead of inexperienced Holdings militia, some of whom were barely out of childhood.
The Magelands Box Set Page 176