Ties of Blood

by D. W. Jackson

  Eloen could tell that the prince wasn’t really scared he was feeling the rush of blood that normally happened to those getting ready for battle. Most veterans learned to control the rush of energy and restlessness that came with the battle jitters. She knew that if the prince didn’t calm himself he would tire himself out well before he even lifted his blade.

  When the message was passed to Brenda the little girl hand that sat idly on the hilt turned white as she griped it with all her might. Eloen was worried she might yell or cry but she was taking it well. She wasn’t really that surprised Brenda was taking it so well. From what she had seen of the girl she wouldn’t be surprised if Brenda wanted to join in the battle though there was no way she was going to let that happen.

  It was slow to pass along strategies since they had to whisper them in a circle and most the time when they came back to her something had been missed. After the seventh time it finally came back to her in the same manner she had sent it. It was a simple plan. The prince and Brenda would spend the rest of the time until the attack in the coach. The two soldiers would stand guard to make sure no one was able to get to them without a fight. Ballard, Darryl, and she would switch between guarding and pretending to sleep.

  The worst part of the plan was the wait. Eloen would have preferred to go and hunt down the hunters but with the prince and Brenda to protect that wasn’t a possibility. Eloen, Ballard and Darryl passed around their extra magically enchanted armor to the others. At first they were skeptical but once they were showed how they worked they were more than willing to wear them.

  Once everything was set in place all that was left was the wait for the enemy to attack. There was nothing worse than enemies who made you wait around. Couldn’t they be more considerate and attack once you were ready for them and not make you wait around all day. It was simply rude.

  To pass the time Eloen started carving on a small piece of wood she had gotten from the edge of the woods. She had never been that good at carving but she had always found that the concentration it takes always kept her mind at easy while she was waiting on a battle. She wasn’t sure what she would make but she seldom did she just cut away at the wood until an idea hit her.

  The day passed and the sun fell behind the mountain. The mood was covered so darkness soon enveloped the area. It was hard to see anything much less people moving in the darkness but she knew that could be used to her advantage.

  It took a while to locate Ballard in the darkness but when she did she was happy to find he had the same idea. Ballard was piling piles of sticks in small bundles in a circle around their camp and coating them in some of the oil they had for the lamps. It was an old trick one they mainly used in Farlan on packs of wild animals but it was one that had proven itself time and time again.

  Secure in the knowledge that her two companions had everything in order Eloen laid down in her mat and pretended to sleep. Most people had a hard no trouble staying away when a battle was looming. In fact most had a hard time sleeping even when they were offered a reprieve. Eloen was blessed with the ability to sleep no matter the circumstances though at times like these is was a disadvantage as she had to fight to stay awake.

  As the night slipped by Eloen passed the time by counting the stars in the sky. There were plenty and stars to keep her busy. They were a myriad of color and kept her thinking if there might be someone else out in the vast darkness doing the same thing.

  Everything had been happening so fast lately that the simple luxury of enjoying a starlit sky had been lost. Eloen nearly laughed that the first time in a long time she had a chance to stargaze was while she was waiting to be attacked. “Hurry up and wait.” Seemed to always be the motto of being a soldier. She had heard the saying many times but other soldiers and even hear it given as an order by some officers though at those times it was done more as a joke then a real order but that didn’t change the fact that most of the time was spent preparing then waiting afterword for it to be needed. Thankfully it didn’t take too long for the enemy to attack. Most likely they were as bored and eager to start the battle as she was.

  They came in silently creeping across the ground in hopes to catch their prey unaware. She couldn’t see them but in the quiet night their footsteps sounded like thunder strikes to her trained ears. Eloen held her bare sword close to her side in one hand and the edge of her blanket in the other waiting for the battle to commence. She hadn’t heard the sound of steel on steel yet so that meant her companions had yet to engage either. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the footsteps moved closer to her.

  Suddenly the area was bathed in light as the ring of fires was ignited. The sudden flash of light momentarily blinded her. When her eyes refocused she found that the attackers were in disarray as Ballard and Darryl wet to work on them with the merciless precision of trained warriors.

  Eloen jumped up from where she lay finding one of the men only a few steps away from her. She was able to catch him off guard and quickly run him through. Looking around she noticed a lot more enemies then she had figured on. They were easily outnumbered ten to one and no matter how surprised they were it wouldn’t be long before Eloen and the others found themselves hard pressed against such overwhelming numbers.

  Eloen was soon engaged by two of the attackers and was forced backwards toward the coach. Eloen leaned to the left to escape a blow to the head while her sword came up to block another blow that was aimed for her leg. Spinning to the side Eloen slipped her sword to the side catching one of the men in the side cutting a gash but it wasn’t deep enough to take him from the fight. Eloen was forced to go back on the defensive working hard to keep the two blades that sought her life at bay. When one of the men overstretched she took advanced and moved in close putting the palm of her hand on the hilt of the sword and forcing it though the man’s armor and into his chest.

  As soon as the man went down Eloen had to jump back leaving her sword stuck in her other opponent. Pulling one of her longer daggers out Eloen tried to circle around back to where her sword but her other aggressor wasn’t going for it. From the corner of her eye she could see others moving to where she as at. She was forced to abandon her weapon and try to make it to the coach.

  Turning toward the coach the situation didn’t look any better. One of the soldiers was already down and the other was pressed hard fighting off four attackers. The man was already bleeding badly from various cuts. Forgetting about her own attackers that were closer now Eloen broke into a dash into one of the unsuspecting men attacking the lone soldier burying her dagger into his exposed neck. As the man fell forward into his companion Eloen acted quick and plucked the sword from the man’s lifeless hand as she tucked into a roll coming up next to the soldier.

  As soon as she was on her feet Eloen stuck at the nearest enemy but he was apt enough to get his blade up in time to block her attack but he didn’t expect her to follow through with the dagger now held in her off hand that cut a deep line in his forearm forcing him to yank it back leaving her sword open to make a quick cut to his exposed skull.

  Eloen and the soldier were soon surrounded by no less than nine men. Even with her skill strikes got though her defense though luckily her magical armor was able to deflect most of the attacks though she had sustained a shallow cut on her left arm. The soldier didn’t fare as well as he now lay dead though he had been able to take two of the enemies with him.

  Eloen found herself pushed back and tiring. Most of the enemies had fallen to her one at a time but she was still outnumbered with four men still pressing the attack. Her heart nearly stopped as one of the men broke away from their encounter and made his way over to the coach door. She watched as he flung open the door but her view was obscured a second later as one of the men pressing her came in with a strong overhand attack knocking her own sword into her forehead cutting a deep gash over her eye.

  As Eloen fell back she saw William standing in the doorway of the coach sword in hand. Eloen had little time to worry about the prince as
she had her own worries as three men still pressed her hard and the blood from her cut was starting to run into her eyes. She tried to block the incoming attacks but her arms were tired and each blow that came in seamed to take longer to recover from until her sword was knocked from her hand.

  Eloen fell to her knees and looked up at the man standing in front of her. She was so tired and pain raced over her entire body. She saw as he raised his sword and refusing to give in jumped at the man grabbing him weakly around the stomach. She felt the hilt of his sword smash into her head and the blood as it began to roll down her back from the new wound. Falling back Eloen tried to keep her eyes open but they wouldn’t heed her commands anymore. She wanted to fight but all that awaited her was darkness.

  CHAPTER XXI

  As she regained consciousness her head was throbbing. She wasn’t sure what was going on. Didn’t she die? The light streaming on her face and stinging her eyes told her otherwise. Her eyes were having trouble focusing so she rubbed at the vigorously and tried to sit up. As soon as she moved her head began to spin and she felt the contents of her stomach bubbling inside her threating to make its way to the surface.

  “What happened?” Eloen asked weakly.

  “You took a nasty blow to the head. Thankfully the young dunce of prince was able to get to you in time.” Eloen hear Darryl say from beside her.

  “Is….is everyone ok?” She asked fearing the worse. She wasn’t sure if she could handle losing anyone else.

  “As you know, the two soldiers are dead. Ballard took a nasty cut to his arm I’m not a doctor and I did everything for it that I could but he needs a real doctor. I only got a few cuts nothing worth mentioning.” Darryl said slowly, letting her soak everything in.

  “Brenda….. How is Brenda?” Eloen asked her voice coming out in gasps.

  “The little spitfire is good though she is worried about you. She did great you should be proud of your little stray. She got one of your attackers in the thigh letting the prince finish him off. The two work good as a pair. William did his part as well protecting Brenda. Another came after them while they were protecting your body and the prince took a nice cut to his face. Nothing life threating but it will scar. He was fretting over it I kept telling him will just make the girls love him more but he didn’t like my answer.” Darryl said laughing slightly.

  Eloen breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t come out unscathed but they had survived for the most part. She felt bad for the two soldiers she hadn’t even taken the time to learn their names but they had fought well and died to protect them in the end. She hoped their bodies had received the proper rights in the very least.

  “Where are we at?”

  “Same place we were last night, next to the woods. Ballard is the worst off though he is claiming he is fine so the prince has him locked away in the coach. Now that you’re awake I think we can leave. I wouldn’t advise you ride your horse in your state but if we can talk the prince into riding a horse we can put you in the carriage and hopefully reach Copperstone in time to get Ballard looked at.” Darryl said his voice betraying his worry for the larger warrior.

  After a few moments Eloen tried to stand again this time she managed to get to her feet without the world revolving around her but she still felt weak and her stomach was not agreeing with the movement. Slowly with Darryl supporting her Eloen made her way to the Coach. Half way to her destination she her Brenda call out to her but Eloen dared not turn her head too look least she lose what little balance she had.

  The little girl ran past her and hurried to the door of the coach opening it for them. Her face was one of relief. Eloen tried to give her a smile but even that slight movement of her face sent shockwaves of pain through her body.

  Inside the coach she found Ballard laying propped up long ways on one of the benches. About half from his hand to his elbow was wrapped heavily in red cloth and was so saturated with blood it was literally dripping forming a small puddle on the floor of the coach. Ballard give her a weak smile that she did her best to return when she took her spot on the opposite bench.

  As soon as she was positioned Darryl darted from the coach. Her body ached and for the first time she was thankful that the prince had brought a coach with them especially one with such heavy cushions.

  It didn’t take long before Brenda made her way inside the coach carrying two large canteens of water. “I was put in charge of you until we get to town. So no moving.” She declared proudly. “Do you want anything to drink?” Brenda followed up quickly holding one of the canteens out in front of her.

  Eloen took the offered water coughing as she had to work to drink it down and try even harder to keep it down. The coach gave a small lurch sending a spike of pain through her head. As she groaned Brenda’s face looked slightly worried. Eloen gave the girl a weak smile and winked. The movement didn’t remove all the worry from the child’s face but it did seem to let her relax a little.

  Time passed extremely slowly in the carriage. She tried her best to sleep but it was impossible with the way the carriage bumped and rocked as it moved across the rocky ground. The pain was slowly fading but her head still felt like the world was moving around her. She knew that her wound could have been fatal but she believed the worst of it to be over. Ballard’s wound on the other hand was bad, far worse than Darryl had let on. She couldn’t see how deep the wound was but from the blood that had amassed it must have been deep. She was worried for her friend. William had said they were close but the prince wasn’t the most reliable when it came to information. Close could be a few hours away or a few days away.

  Anytime she let out even the slightest sound Brenda was next to her side with a rag and a smile on her face willing to help out any way she could. Eloen was surprised at how well Brenda was handling herself. At her age she still cried whenever she scraped her knee. Eloen figured it had to do with the difference in their lives they led. Eloen while she had been tomboyish as a child was still pampered and preened. Brenda on the other hand was raised by a single father in a poor country and left to fend for her own when he died. That would force anyone to grow up well before they should have to. As she lay their watching the determined little girl Eloen promised herself to do her best to make sure Brenda got at least some of her childhood back if it was possible.

  Once the bulk of her pain subsided Eloen drifted in and out of sleep. It was impossible for her to tell how long she had been asleep when she woke but since she still felt tired she doubted that she had slept very long. With little to do Eloen spent her time studying her surroundings taking care not to spend too much time staring at Ballard’s blood soaked bandages. Instead she focused on the grain of the wood trying to make out pitchers in it.

  As she stared at the ceiling letting her eyes focus in and out trying to make out animals in the woods grain it reminded her of her youth. She had spent hours sitting in her aunt’s audience chamber doing the same thing as her aunt listened to the problems of her citizens. Eloen had always hated having to sit and look down on people, making ruling on their lives. She had joined the army to escape that even if just for a time but things seemed to have come full circle. It didn’t look like she would just be sitting listening to the worries of a small duchy but those of a kingdom. The prince was right about one thing sometimes you can’t escape your fate.

  Due to her inability to stay awake for any amount of time Eloen had no clue how long they had been traveling when they finally stopped. When the door opened a host of people came in lifting both her and Ballard up and carrying them out. She didn’t know who they were but she didn’t have the strength in her body to resist. She could only hope they were friendly and that the others were ok.

  She was taken to a large room with a vaulted ceiling. The bed felt like one of the most comfortable things she had even laid down on, it was almost as if she was laying on a cloud. She was worried about Ballard. He hadn’t looked so good when they had carried him from the coach. His face had been pale and he had made only
a small groan when he was first lifted. She wanted to go check on her friend but her head still could not take her standing for long periods of time.

  When William finally appeared in her room she could have yelled for joy. He walked slowly over to her bed his face stony and unreadable. The fact he acted so sober worried her but even if it was bad news it was better than just worrying endlessly.

  “How is it?” Eloen asked slightly afraid of the answer.

  “The doctor said you will be fine. I may take a few days for you to be able to walk around without assistance but the damage is not permanent.” William replied his voice stale and monotone.

  Eloen tried to sit p and hit William but her strength failed her and she fell forward. William acted quickly and caught her before she fell off the bed. “Not what I meant.” Eloen gasped as the prince helped her settled back onto the bed.

  Looking up into Williams eyes she could tell he was worried, though she wasn’t sure if it was about her or the news he carried. “Ballard will live.” William sad hesitantly.

  “But, you actions and tone scream there is more. What aren’t you telling me?” Eloen snarled at the man, her patience at its end.

  William took a deep breath and stood from his seat and began pacing back and forth next to her bed. “The doctor had to take his arm. The blow he took damaged it too bad and we were too slow in reaching care. The meat had started to foul. I am sorry there was nothing else that could have been done.”

  Ballard had lost his left arm. That would make it impossible for him to swing that massive sword of his anymore, but he was skilled enough with a one handed sword it wouldn’t affect his ability much. The big question was how much of a blow to his mind the loss of an arm would be? She had seen some men who took it in stride and others who wallowed in self-pity for the rest of their lives. She believed Ballard was stronger than that but only time would tell for sure.