Yeltzer smiled and disappeared into camp.
Tariq opened the food slot and pushed in another pig’s bladder full of blood. He waited for at least a half hour before opening the door for two reasons. First off, he really didn’t want to see her feed and it took him that long to pick the lock. Back in the game, as an assassin he had the skills of a typical thief but he didn’t really waste his limited skill points in pickpocketing or lockpicking. Those weren’t typically useful skills for an assassin, at least not back in the real world when he sat in front of his computer screen playing the game.
Opening the door, he got his first good look at Calli. She was pale, more so than normal, but seemed no worse for the wear. “M ‘lady, your carriage awaits.”
Calli rushed forward, surprising the assassin with a hug. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Tariq returned the hug and moved aside so she could exit the cell. “We need to get moving just in case someone swings by.” He handed her his bag. “There’s an extra robe inside with another chadris to hide you from prying eyes as we make our escape.”
Callistra simply nodded and slipped on the baggy clothes but paused when she went to put on the hood due to the horrendous smell. “Ugh…where did you get these?”
“The medical tent. Its original owner won’t have any more need of it.” He made the cutting of the throat gesture with one hand and turned back to the cell. He pulled free all four glow stones, wrapped them in a blanket before stuffing them in his bag. Tariq relocked the door and turned back to her. “These might come in handy and if someone just glances in, they won’t be able to see if you are inside or not. It might buy us a few more minutes.”
Calli just nodded and fell in behind the assassin as he moved through the camp. He walked quickly, like someone on an important errand and no one stopped to question them. He wound his way through the camp and even seemed to backtrack on himself before ducking behind a wagon that was parked near the picket lines.
Hidden in the lee of the wagon, he pulled off his Peacekeeper robe and hood. Throwing them into the back of the wagon he grinned at her. “Although they were useful, I’m happy to be rid of those garments.” Reaching into the wagon he produced two backpacks and an assortment of weapons; daggers, swords and bows. “I couldn’t find you a wand but hopefully you can use some of these.”
Calli pulled off her disguise and grinned. “I’m from the hills of Kentucky. I know my way around a bow. Personally, I prefer a compound but this recurve will do nicely.”
She tested the pull. It was stiffer than what she was used to but she felt that she could still fire it. Slinging it over her shoulder, she strapped on both quivers of arrows and four daggers. She knew that she wasn’t really familiar with a sword but she grabbed one anyway. Without her wand, her magic was severely limited so she would have to rely on weapons and her martial arts skills.
“Okay, what’s next?”
“Here’s the situation, whoever Grand Marshal Jericho answers to is sending some sort of messenger to take you back to his base of operations. It’s supposed to arrive at dawn. So we need to be as far away from here as possible. On top of that, the Peacekeepers are about to attack Crooked Creek.”
“We have to warn them.”
“That’s the plan. I wasn’t able to get my hands on a map but I did get a glimpse of one. Crooked Creek is due west of us but I’m unsure of the exact distance. Logically, Jericho would’ve tried to place this staging area close enough to get to the village with an easy ride but not too close to be stumbled on.” Tariq shrugged his shoulders. “I would guess that it’s at least ten, if not fifteen miles away but that’s only a guess.”
Callistra nodded. “That’s a lot of distance to cover on foot. So, we best get moving.”
Without another word, Tariq turned toward the west and headed off into the darkness with the vampyress right beside him.
* * * * *
It was in early morning hours by the time Gamble, Mathias and Pixi arrived back in Akrôtiri.
The wyvern riders had been forced to fly along the coast due to reports of increased Peacekeeper patrols in the Forestlands. Jerrick explained that he was under strict orders to avoid the Peacekeepers at all cost. This meant that they took frequent breaks and changed their flight path often. It was during one of these breaks when he also related to the rescued trio as much of the story that he knew. It was obvious that Jerrick was in complete awe of the crimson samurai as he talked.
Gamble just shook his head in disbelief as the raider told the tale and muttered, “Patrick always did have the gift of gab.”
“Excuse me sir, what was that?”
“Nothing…nothing.”
Jerrick didn’t push the subject as they remounted their flying serpents and resumed their journey. Landing in Akrôtiri the raider led the Outlanders to the tavern which Tao had converted to a war room. Charts, maps and books were laid all about the room, covering nearly every table.
The deadly samurai looked up when they entered the tavern. “Heya mate! About time you showed up.”
Gamble laughed. “You know, it’s so hard to get a taxi in these regions.”
Tao crossed the short distance between them and gave his oldest friend a hug, patted the half-elf on the shoulder and winked at the faerie. “Damn, it’s good to see you.”
Mathias laughed. “It’s good to be seen. It was touch and go there for a while.”
“I have so much to tell you guys.”
Gamble gestured to their surroundings. “It sounds like a hell of a story.”
Tao waved his hand in a dismal manner. “Not all this. This is nothing…Cassie is alive.”
Gamble’s jaw literally dropped. It was the furthest thing from his mind. Even though they were in a world full of magic, he would’ve never guessed that. “What? How?”
Tao launched into his tale concerning the Peacekeepers, the other Outlanders and even how he managed to become the leader of the wyvern raiders. The trio listened quietly until it was their turn to tell their story. By this time, all of the Outlanders had joined them in the war room and Tao made introductions all the way around.
After a moment, he stepped back and gestured at the map of the region that he had spread out on the table. “Now that we are all back together our next order of business is finding Cassie. The only thing we know for certain is that she has been taken hostage by the Peacekeepers. From what I can see, the order has at least four base camps spread out around this region.”
Aaliyah stood up and pointed at a dot on the map. “As of an hour ago, Callistra was just outside of Crooked Creek and heading that way.” Tao raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question and the Sha’ir explained. “One of my servants located her. She and one other are on foot running toward the hamlet.”
“Running? From what?”
“Peacekeepers,” she responded. “Evidently she escaped and is on the run.”
Tao looked at the map and tried to judge the distance between their current location and the town but couldn’t. There was no proper scale to the map nor did he know how long it would take the wyverns to traverse that distance. But he knew someone who would.
“Jerrick!” Tao’s loud voice echoed slightly in the converted tavern.
Seconds later his newly promoted sergeant-at-arms came running in and slapped a fist to his chest in an odd salute. “Captain?”
“How long would it take for our entire force to reach Crooked Creek?”
Jerrick cocked his head to the side and chewed on the inside of his cheek as he quickly did the calculations. “We could have the entire flight of wyverns ready in less than an hour and once we’re airborne, we could be onsite in another hour. Ground forces would take most of the day to reach the town.”
“How many wyverns do we have?”
“Fifty-seven. The rest are too old or too young to carry anyone.”
“Do we have enough riders?”
Jerrick nodded. “More than enough, Captain.”
&nbs
p; Tao nodded. “Alright, spread the word. We fly in one hour. Every man that wants to go, goes. If we have to fly two per serpent, we do. We are going to need all the swords we can get for this.”
Jerrick was obviously confused. “Captain? We’re raiding the village?”
Tao shook his head. “No. We are planning on rescuing them. The Peacekeepers are about to lay siege to that town and we’re going to stop them.”
Jerrick’s grin was nearly as large as his face. “Aye Captain, that’ll help morale. Many of us have been itching to strike back at the Peacekeepers.”
“Pass the word.”
Jerrick sprinted off to get the former bandits organized. He was barely out the door when the Outlanders heard him yelling orders.
Cozad stepped forward. “Do you think they’re ready for something like this?”
“No but they’ve been parasites on society for too long, preying on the weak and the unprepared. This will either galvanize them or break them. Either way, we will need them if we have any hope of fighting the Peacekeepers.” Tao pulled out a blank sheet of parchment. “Without proper intel, I really don’t have any way of planning our assault.”
Kastle cleared his throat. “I can give you a general layout of the town.”
Tao brightened at that suggestion and it wasn’t long before the Outlanders had a plan of action.
* * * * *
When dawn broke over the Peacekeeper camp, Grand Marshal Jericho was already mobilizing his troops. Only an hour earlier, he had discovered that the witch was missing and had ordered a systematic search of the camp. That is when they had discovered the bodies of several other Peacekeepers.
Yeltzer had been brought to him in chains and questioned about the location of Benedict. He hadn’t been very helpful. Not because he didn’t want to help but because he didn’t know anything. That hadn’t helped Jericho’s mood but then, Yeltzer’s beheading hadn’t either.
Jericho ordered an immediate attack on Crooked Creek. It was the closest and only location the missing initiate and the witch could reach. The Grand Marshal searched the skies for any signs of his master’s messenger. Not seeing any, he spurred his horse forward. His only chance to forestall his master’s displeasure was to recapture the witch before it arrived.
* * * * *
Callistra and Tariq stumbled into Crooked Creek just as the first rays of the first sun broke over the horizon. In their heart of hearts, they knew that the Peacekeepers weren’t far behind them. Much to their surprise, the whole town seemed to be asleep, totally unaware and completely unprepared for the coming raid.
Tariq didn’t owe this town or their leader Ragnar anything but the thought of the Peacekeepers riding in unmolested upset him. “We have to warn them, somehow.”
Calli nodded toward the stables. “The stable-boy sleeps in the loft. He would know how to rouse the town in case of a raid.”
Even as they crossed the threshold of the stable, they heard shrill cries of multiple war horns in the nearby forests. The Peacekeepers had arrived.
Lights flared on all over town as the villagers responded to the imminent danger. Some stumbled into the streets in their bed clothes, these were the shopkeepers and regular townsfolk, but the majority poured out armed and armored. These were the ex-bandits and Ragnar was among them. Spying the two fugitives, he pointed at them and shouted. “You! Where’s my son?”
Calli pointed to the distant forest. “Peacekeepers. They set a trap and your son died. Now they are coming for you.”
“You led them to us?”
“Nay…we came to warn you.”
It was obvious that Ragnar wanted to discuss the death of his son in further detail but the impending danger of the Peacekeepers overrode everything else and he began shouting orders. From the actions of the bandits, Callistra could tell they had trained for the possibility of such a raid before. Nevertheless seeing their numbers and defenses, she knew they wouldn’t survive.
“They won’t be able to stop the first wave of attackers.”
Tariq nodded. “I know. This town is in a poor location.” He pointed to the tall hills behind the stable. “Since it’s basically a cul-de-sac there is no easy way out. The Peacekeepers only need to place a small group of archers in those hills to keep anyone from fleeing that way.”
They witnessed all the non-combatants move away from the only entrance to the town and congregate in the stables. The bandits hastily constructed a barricade with wagons and barrels across the street. The sound of charging horses reached their ears and soon the twang of bows as the bandits responded. Even to the untrained eyes of Tariq and Calli, they knew it was a hopeless cause. The Peacekeepers were just too well trained and organized to be stopped by such a weak defense.
Tariq glanced at the woods behind the stable and momentarily considered fleeing into them. With his skills he knew he could avoid the scouts scouring the woods but that meant leaving behind the vampyress. One look at her face and he knew she wouldn’t leave. That’s when he took a good look at the faces of the villagers. They were scared. They knew that death was coming for them. The Peacekeepers had labeled them as undesirables and that meant their destruction was assured.
Tariq looked back at the line of defenders.
The first wave of Peacekeepers had reached them and the barricade was already about to collapse. When the second wave of more seasoned warriors reached them, it would collapse and there was nothing that the bandits could do to prevent it. A baby began to wail as one of the villagers watched her husband fall to the blades of the attackers. Tears rolled down the mother’s cheek as she turned away and moved deeper into the stables.
Even without a conversation, both Tariq and Calli knew where they would make their final stand. They followed the villagers into the stable and barred the door. Death might be coming for them but not without a fight.
Chapter 27
By the time Tao and his crew arrived at Crooked Creek the town was ablaze.
As they made their first pass, Tao changed his initial assessment. There was one building not on fire but judging from the surrounding Peacekeepers it wasn’t too far from destruction. The soldiers were being kept at bay by whoever had barricaded themselves inside the stable. Tao could see pitch forks, shovels and even sticks poke through the open places in the wooden walls to push back the attackers. However, it was only a matter of time before the Peacekeepers just set fire to the building and stepped back to watch the devastation.
Tao looked over his shoulder and yelled over the rushing wind at his passenger. “Hang on mate, we’re going in.”
Without waiting for a response, Tao nosed his wyvern down. Even without looking back he knew that the rest of the flight followed.
Gamble gazed down on the attacking army and did a quick head count. There had to be over two-hundred Peacekeepers below which meant that they would be outnumbered almost three to one. Not that the odds really mattered to Patrick. They both knew that if Cassie was still alive she would be inside the besieged stables. Woe to anyone that stood in his friend’s path.
Tao guided his winged serpent past the largest group of Peacekeepers but pointed at them for those that followed behind him. He didn’t need to look to know that Cozad and Kastle were leading the rest of the reformed bandits to a landing right in front of the soldiers. Even as the Peacekeepers tried to form up in defensive lines, the two heavily armored warriors vaulted from their steeds and attacked.
The Outlanders had to give the Peacekeepers credit, they tried to hold their formation but they had never faced a deadly duo like Cozad and Kastle. They were like two peas in a pod, yin and yang, positive and negative.
Cozad was a blend of raw power and dark magic. He would attack with a vicious slash with his huge axe, beheading two or three soldiers with one swipe, before summoning an unseen fist that would knock an entire group aside. Summoning his pet gargoyle, Cozad grinned as it clawed its way to the surface of the fiery pit and pulled any unfortunate souls to thier doom.
To top it off, behind them came the fifty-seven reformed bandits. None were as deadly as the spiritual duo but they were fighting for something they believed in for the first time in years. That gave them passion and a belief in what they were fighting for, something that had been lacking in their lives for a long time. Couple that with the deadly rain of arrows coming from Mathias and a small group of archers that remained aloft on their wyverns.
Tao had no idea where the ladies ended up but as he guided his beast toward a small opening just shy of the stables, he soon had other distractions. His new steed had been Jagoda’s prime mount. It was a dark, dusky grey and larger than any other wyvern in the herd. But beyond that, Tao discovered that it was superbly trained and took only the simplest of nudging to get it to do his bidding. He only had to guide it with his legs while he fired indiscriminately with his bow as they came in for a landing.
Touching down, Tao dropped his bow, leapt off and went on the attack. He crossed blades with two young Peacekeepers as soon as his feet touched the dirt. The first one he disemboweled with a wicked slash while the second only received a gash across the cheek. Then, Tao was past them and they were forgotten. He knew that Gamble had his back. Marvin had always had his back ever since High School. The dwarven skald might not have any runestones but that only meant that he would have to rely on his deadly daggers.
As Tao locked blades with the next group of Peacekeepers, he discovered that the dwarf wasn’t the only assistant he had in this battle. The winged serpent that he had ridden wasn’t content at being left behind and lashed out at targets of opportunity with its extremely long tail. The scorpion-like stinger blasted through armor and defenses to inflict its deadly poison on anyone that got near its new master. Then, there was the matter of its long neck and deadly jaws or its huge wings that it used to buffer nearby soldiers away, the wyvern was not going to be ignored.
Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis Page 22