by J W Murison
‘No get rid of it and burn those body’s and your man’s as well. Did he have a family Aswari?’
‘Yes Sire, he has a wife and two children. They stay in the older part of the city.’
Gareth thought it over, ‘bring them to the palace, I would offer her employ and the children an education.’
‘He would appreciate that Sire, but you can’t employ every widow or educate the child of every man that dies.’
‘Why not Aswari, why can’t I educate every child in the whole kingdom.’
‘Eh, I don’t know Sire.’
‘From the age of five to ten, every Highlander is taught to read and write even count. Why not here.’
‘Who would pay for it all Sire, and would you really educate beggar children, I mean how would you get them to attend school in the first place.’
‘Oh that's easy Aswari, bread and soup.’
‘Feed them as well!’
‘This is a discussion for another day.’
‘I'm sorry Sire, I will attend to my duties.’ He began to supervise the removal of the body’s, ‘be careful and wrap their hands. Be careful with that box, don’t move the dirk.’
He attended to the burning of it and reported back to Gareth later, ‘there was a red mist seen coming from it when it burned Sire, no one knows what it would have done.’
‘I want Eagles up, all day and tell them to keep an eye out for any funny looking colour of mist.’
The orders went out and Gareth contemplated his next move, it was obvious the man was getting desperate now. They were within twenty miles of the compound and every gold ring had been removed bar those in the twenty-mile ring round the compound. The treasury was stacked with the stuff now and Gareth was having gold and silver mined in the Highlands as well, he paid for the most of it with fertilised topsoil for the most part and fancy goods for the other. Many Highlanders were also bringing gold into the city, gold they had mined themselves. His treasury experts were worried about too much gold coming in and its value being decreased, but so far it hadn’t happened. His mind kept jumping form one thing to the other and he found he couldn’t concentrate very well. The death of his guard had shaken him badly, he had never seen a man die in so horrible a manner.
The arrival of his father-in-law proved a welcome diversion; he brought him quickly up to speed on recent events and wondered if he had any ideas.
The king shook his head, ‘I'm sorry son, what is it you are really worrying about?’
‘Would he be desperate enough to kill all his Eagles, I fear that will be his next move.’
‘He wouldn’t be that stupid.’
‘He’s dead anyway and he knows it, his only other option is escape, if I was him I would give a short dead line an impossibly short deadline, start killing the Eagles and make my getaway during the confusion.’ He found his father-in-law staring at him, ‘what!’
‘You wouldn’t really do that would you?’
‘For god’s sake I'm putting myself in his shoes; I would never do anything like that.’
‘Of course I'm sorry for even thinking it Gareth.’
‘I think it’s time to get the kids gloves off, we've been at this almost six months, it’s time to finish this.’
‘The moons will align in a week’s time will we do it then?’
Gareth shook his head at the Eagle king, ‘no that's what we always do, that's what he will expect and have his timetable set on. We go in tonight a night attack and hopefully we will reach the compound at dawn.’ He turned to Aswari, ‘call all my commanders.’
It took over an hour to assemble every one; he looked them over sparing a glance for every man. ‘Tonight as soon as it gets dark every scout we have will go forward and try and clear a path from the river to the compound. The ships will follow and arrive at the Warf at midnight; they will be full of regular troops. As soon as they have landed they will take the road to the compound. In the mean time as soon as it gets dark every available Highland man will attack forward, from this position and along this road here.’ He pointed out all the locations on the map. Then he pointed out the positions of the enemy forces between them and the camp and what he expected done.
‘Our Highlanders will smash straight through their units and absolutely will not stop for any reason until they get to the compound. I want a unit of two hundred to swing round it and meet up with our men coming from the other direction. Hopefully they will already be at the compound but I somehow doubt it. That isn’t a reflection on the men but our ability to find all the rings between there and the compound. That is the route the escaping Eagle’s will take, this is the route the Highlanders will take to leave the area. They will not be able to transform, they may not be able to fly and they will not be able to leave the compound until the gold rings in the centre of it have been cut. I did say rings, it would seem he has three of the buggers and two of those are linked to the ones outside the compound, it’s where they draw their power from.
Until we find them and cut them no Eagle will be able to leave the breeding centre they will just collapse. Once they are cut the ones they are linked to will still have power but according to my friendly wizard not enough power to render them helpless. They might make them sick and dizzy and they won’t be able to fly but they will be able to walk or hop towards the river. They all have rings on their legs and they will have to be cut. Now any questions at this point?’
One of his commanders stuck his hand up, ‘Sire, why at night?’
‘That's simple Giles; it’s the last thing they will be expecting, we have never attacked them at night before. My scouts tell me they roll into their blankets and go to sleep, with the minimum of sentries. Our adversary will be judging us on what we have done before. We have always attacked these places when the moons align; right now he thinks he has time to plan his next move. He will know by now his assassination attempt has failed. I fear he will use the Eagles themselves as his next weapon and threaten to kill them if we don’t back off. To do that he will have to pull a substantial number of troops back to the breeding centre. Ok it will leave the way clear for us however we wouldn’t be able to attack. Tonight we go in with the element of surprise, like a hammer blow. We kill everyone in that centre that isn’t an Eagle, we don’t know what this fucker looks like and we take no chances of the bastard slipping away to start again somewhere else. Make sure the men understand that, no mercy, all die.
Until those rings are cut we are going to experience severe opposition, we all know that, that is the priority, cut those rings then we turn round and begin to release the Eagles. The Highland cavalry will follow the main body and provide a blocking force once we are inside the breeding centre. Our scouts with the regular troops will kept moving forward until the retreat is called. They too will have a cavalry screen behind them. The light cavalry will stay a mile behind their front and deal with anyone who breaks through or tries to swing round their flanks.’
The meeting went on for another hour as he detailed individual commanders on their tasks. When it was done the news spread round the camp but no man was to make any move until it began to get dark.
Gareth was sure the whole idea was a bad gamble, but he saw no other option. He had tested all his men in battle and found none of them wanting. He was particularly proud of his Highland horse as they were being called and his men who had taken to the seas and proven their worth beyond a shadow of a doubt.
As soon as darkness began to fall there was a rush to prepare for battle. A light drizzle began to fall as they set off. Gareth marched in front of the main column; Graun took charge of the second and Billy the third coming up from the river. Billy had sent out every scout he had. He hadn’t gone five miles when Lena collapsed. He called a halt and it was almost thirty minutes before she came round. They set off again and managed another five miles before she collapsed again, this time they had to wait an hour for her to recover.
Billy was concerned, she was shaking badly as though she had a fe
ver, ‘are you ok Lena?’
She smiled, ‘you look very handsome without a beard.’
‘Bloody women,’ Billy growled and began the march again.
Gareth and Graun both ran into standing pickets before they had gone a few miles. They slaughtered every man they saw and moved on quickly. By now every man knew the task that lay before them. Gareth reached a small camp of about a thousand men and called the charge. His men rushed in. Gareth's sword never ceased to swing until he was out the other side of the camp. There were men before him running for their lives but they could not out run the Highlanders.
Next they hit an army of about ten thousand, with a fearsome roar the Highlanders rushed in over whelming the sentry’s and ploughing through their rudimentary defences. The going slowed down as they reached the middle of the sleeping army. Half-dressed men threw themselves at them. Gareth saw a large tent and fought his way towards it. A couple of guards rushed forward, Gareth went right and cut the first down, the second threw himself at Gareth, their swords clashed three times before brute strength smashed through the man’s defences. A glancing blow stunned him and a second chopped through his collarbone and into his chest. Gareth kicked the screaming and dying man off his sword.
A fully armoured man appeared from the tent, Gareth had never seen the likes before. He had shiny articulated armour that covered his whole body, in his left arm a long shield and in his right a wicked looking steel ball with spikes on it attached to a handle by a long chain. The man began to swing it round his head. Gareth realised if that thing hit him it would cripple or kill him. He moved in, the man spun it at a tremendous pace and Gareth dodged, as the armoured knight took another swing Gareth stepped in and caught it on the blade of his sword. It snapped round and caught Gareth's cheek, he grunted as his own blood spurted onto his claymore. With a gigantic heave he hauled the man clean off his feet. He didn't go down though he managed to land on a knee and keep upright. By the time Gareth had untangled the mace he had drawn a sword and was back on his feet.
With shield and sword they went at it. Gareth was amazed by the blows the man’s armour could withstand. They traded blows for a full minute before Gareth's strength began to wear the man down. His shield was buckled almost in two and it was a kick that finally put him on the ground. Gareth was on him in an instant. His sword cleaved into the man’s helmet and blood spurted out of the visor, but he was still alive. Gareth looked for the flattest part of the breast plate and thrust down as hard as he could. His sword punched through the armour with a sickening squeal. He put all his weight on it then had to defend himself with his dirk as men rushed in. He swatted away a man with his shield and sidestepped a sword thrust, a backhanded swing with his dirk sliced into his attacker’s throat. A couple of Highlanders swept in and took care of the rest of them and Gareth was able to retrieve his sword. He made a mental note to return here and retrieve the man’s armour and weapons.
Gareth noticed a flicker of movement in the dark tent; he picked up a burning piece of wood from a fire and boldly stepped inside. He was ready for an attack but it never came. A fancy campaign desk and chair sat to one side and Gareth admired it for a moment then lit the lamps in the tent. He opened some maps and glanced through them. There was nothing on them he didn't already know. Again he noticed movement, this time from the corner of his eye, it was a tassel on a pendant. He lunged and there was a high-pitched shriek and blood began to run down his sword. He twisted and withdrew it and a meaty smack hit the floor. He reached down and searched with his hands and pulled. Now on the floor in front of him lay a body of a middle aged man.
He rolled him over; the look of horror on the man’s face as he died said it all. The invisibility cloak was one of the few magic tricks that actually worked with the Highlanders. In the man’s hand was an ornate dagger of the type an assassin would use. Gareth wondered if the man was a mage or an assassin and if he was employed to come after him. He held the blade up to the light and saw a substance on it.
‘Poison,’ he said aloud. ‘You can come out now; please don’t make me come in for you.’
Hesitantly a gauze type partition was pulled aside and a beautiful woman stepped through. She watched Gareth with a mixture of emotions. Fear foremost, Gareth read it from her eyes even though she seemed very composed. She was maybe a few years younger than him; a mature woman, very beautiful and elegant.
‘Don’t worry; I don’t make war on women or children.’
‘You are?’
‘Gareth Ogilvie.’
She stiffened, ‘The Sea King!’
He shrugged, ‘aye I suppose I am, who are you?’
‘I am the Countess Eita Von Brun, I am from the Country of Gestalt.’
‘I have never heard of it.’
‘It lies about half way between the Clover lands and the sea on the west coast of the continent. We have never been conquered by another.’
‘Probably why I have never heard of it, were you here with your husband.’
‘No, will you rape me and kill me?’
‘Do you want me to?’
It caught her off guard, ‘no of course not.’
‘Then I won’t bother then. Is there anyone else in this tent?’
‘No, I am the only one.’
The sound of battle seemed to be passing him by and urgency tugged at him yet he was loath to leave the woman defences. I will make my mark on the outside of the tent, it should stop anyone from looting the tent and bothering you, but I can’t promise you that.’
‘I understand, but I can look after myself.’
‘So why are you here if you weren’t with your husband?’
‘I am General Vies’s courtesan.’
‘A what!’
‘He would fuck me when he required sex.’
‘You don’t sound like ah.’
‘Like a whore,’ she finished the sentence, ‘I am not a whore, not the sort you’re thinking of anyway. My father required money to keep his lands, the general requested me in return for enough money to keep them, a fair trade. He isn’t a bad man.’
‘Was he the man wearing full armour?’
‘Yes his metal armour, he is very proud of it.’
‘I think the word you’re looking for is was very proud.’
Her shoulders slumped, ‘I see then it was all for nothing.’
‘I’ll make a deal with you. He must have had a map with the location of all those gold rings on it. Find it for me and I will give you ten times your own weight in gold to take home with you and transport you there within the next few days.’
She didn't hesitate, ‘I have your word on that?’
‘You do.’
She moved to the desk and opened a drawer, her fingers slid up inside. There was a click and a long piece of panelling jumped out at him. Inside was the map he had been looking for.
He ran out and shouted, orders were relayed and soon a troop of mounted horse arrived. He handed the map up and gave orders. A group of wounded Highlanders moved towards the centre of the camp. Gareth called over the oldest and put him in charge of the woman.
‘Let nothing happen to her on your word.’
‘On my word sir,’ the man responded nursing a broken arm.
He turned to the woman, ‘they will protect you until I can return this way, but if you wish to leave then no one will stop you.’
‘I will remain and help your wounded men.’
‘Thank you, I must leave.’ He stopped only long enough to grab the cloak of invisibility. He ran to catch up with the battle but it was over already. He found his lead element and had the war horn sounded. Men ran in from all directions. As soon as they were gathered he set off again.
They smashed through a few more detachments of troops scattering them to the four winds or leaving them dead on the ground behind them. A few hours later the whole army lay outside the Eagle breeding compound. Gareth found it hard to grasp just how big it was. Despite the early hour there was still a fair bit of no
ise. Gareth thought they were awake and getting ready for battle but it was just the noise a hundred thousand sleeping Eagles made.
He still had a few hours until dawn and word hadn’t reached them the Highlanders were at their gates. Gareth had expected them to be awake and alert. He turned to one of his commanders, ‘go head off Graun’s group tell him to stop out of sight until dawn. I want the men who are to swing round the compound to make sure they do so out of sight of the compound. Watch for anyone trying to make their way to alert them, kill them, spread the men out wait for dawn, at first light everyone strikes.’
‘Yes sir, but where will you be?’
Gareth slipped on the cloak of invisibility and the man gasped, ‘I'm going to be in there trying to locate those gold rings. I have three pennants on me I will tie them to the buildings the rings are in. Look for them, make for them first and don’t dawdle.’
‘Yes sir.’
Gareth took to his heels and sprinted towards the compound. He passed through the hall of horrors and into the compound itself. He wasn’t sure if the cloak would work in here but it seemed to be. He wound his way through hundreds of cages keeping a well worn track to his right in sight. Eventually he came to a long row of buildings but it looked more like a processing centre than somewhere the main man would live.
In a large cage to his left was a single male Eagle, it was an Eagle in its prime, a stunning beast and Gareth knew instinctively he was of royal blood. He stood in the middle of the cage with his head tucked under his wing. Gareth tossed a lump of mud and the Eagle snapped awake. He kept his voice low and removed the cloak.
‘My name is Gareth Ogilvie, son in law to the great Eagle king, I am here to free all of you but I require your help, please come close so I can place my hand against your forehead so I can talk to you.’
The Eagle came across and lowered his head. The communication was instant. ‘Welcome brother, I am Bahar the eldest of his sons here, what is it you wish?’