by David Hodges
Despite the cramped conditions in the wagon stuffed with carts of food and drink, it was a much more pleasant experience than the first time she had snuck through the main gate aboard a stage wagon, hidden amongst a pile of dead soldiers.
The wagon stopped. Fergus stopped chewing with his mouth full and listened carefully with the others.
“Open the gate!” Coinín shouted outside, presumably at the guards manning the gate.
One of them replied, “Hold on, pup. We’ve got to inspect the wagon.” The sound of clanking armor and mail approached.
“Spare yourself the effort, it’s just food and drink for the manor,” said Coinín.
“We’re to inspect everything, in or out, your father’s orders.”
“My father’s the one who asked for it.” Coinín reached a hand into the wagon and grabbed the bottle of whiskey in Fergus’s hand, then said smugly, “How do you think he would feel if he knew you were holding up his spirits?”
Hazel would have mistook Coinín for his older brother had she not known it was him.
The guard replied, “I see,” then shouted, “open it!” The sound of heavy metal gears followed and the wagon continued forward.
After a quarter hour on the trail, the wagon began to slow, then it came to a stop. Hazel could hear the sounds of hooves and footsteps on the dirt approaching them. The steps were loud and advancing in sync, marching. It had to be a large group of men and riders. Hazel peered through a crack between the wood panels of the wagon bed and saw a river of red. An entire company of men were stretched out in two lines on the trail. She noticed glints of light coming off of their swinging boots. The soldiers were holding their muskets upright, leaning against their shoulders. Their bayonets were fixed.
Alongside the marching soldiers, there were several men and women on horseback that were wearing brown coats rather than the traditional red of their comrades. As she looked at their faces as a few of them passed by, she recognized some of the Laochra. Marlow must have issued the uniforms as part of their assimilation with his men.
Someone rode up close beside the wagon. It was Ulric. He wore a leather coat like Coinín’s, matching the soldiers marching behind him. He was armed with an ornate saber and scabbard that resembled the ones she had seen the officers wearing in Leicester. The hilt on Ulric’s, however, had veins of Fuil running over it. “What took you so long?” he asked.
Coinín said, “Hazel and the others escaped.”
“All of them?!” shouted Ulric.
“Yes,” said Coinín.
“That bloody idiot is dafter than his dogs! Have any been found?”
Coinín replied, “No. They’re still searching, I didn’t want to keep father waiting. Is he still at the old castle?”
“He’s already left for the manor.”
Hazel could see one of Ulric’s wolves sniffing the air as it toward the wagon. Get us out of here, Coinín.
Ulric looked down at the wolf from his horse and kicked his snout as he shouted, “Oi! I’ve just fed you!” The wolf shrank backward with his tail tucked and his ears pinned back. Ulric continued speaking. “Hurry up and bring him the food. I’ve got real work to do.”
The wagon lurched forward, and Hazel felt a wave of relief.
“We’re really just going to let them march on Talamh?” whispered Bjarke.
Bjorn nodded mournfully.
The wagon stopped well after the sound of marching faded behind them.
Coinín came to the back of the wagon and said, “We’re not far from the old castle, the camp will be guarded, should we go round?”
Bjorn said, “Aye, we need to catch up to Aatu and the Spheres.”
There was a shuffling of leaves outside of the cart that caught Coinín’s attention. He turned around and scanned the forest, seeing nothing, he relaxed and said, “I’ll avoid the camp.”
“Hazel!” a girl’s voice called behind Coinín.
Hazel could not see anyone behind him, only trees and leaves. Suddenly, a face and blonde hair appeared on one of the trees. It was Alexandra. She moved toward the cart, and Hazel realized that she was wearing some sort of camouflage. The colors of the cloak shifted as she walked toward the wagon.
Hazel jumped down from the back of the wagon and went to Alexandra.
Alexandra hugged her and said in a hurry, “Cameron is with Faron and Einar. They’re about to attack the camp.”
“Cameron knows then? About Marlow... I mean your father?” asked Hazel.
Alexandra nodded. “You have to go quickly.”
“Alright,” she looked back to Bjorn. “We’ll go help them now.”
“Aye,” he nodded.
They rode toward the old castle and as they approached they could hear shouts. Then there were gun shots. The wagon stopped and Hazel got out with the others. They were outside the crumbling walls of the castle, near an open arch in the wall. It was quiet.
From inside the wagon, Fergus said, “Daniel, shouldn’t we wait in the wagon?”
“I’m going in.” He had a sword in hand.
“I’d come help, but I don’t even have a weapon,” said Fergus.
One of the Laochra removed the shorter of her two swords from her belt and tossed it into the wagon where it landed at Fergus’s feet.
“Right then,” said Fergus with a nod.
Hazel noticed several Redcoats lying still alongside the wall. One had an arrow through his leg. The other had a dart in his neck.
Suddenly, a Redcoat came running through the arch with a terrified look on his face. He noticed them and jerked his musket toward them, frantically aiming between them.
An arrow from inside the walls struck him in the shoulder. He screamed and fired off a shot, the ball whizzing by Hazel. It struck the wagon behind her, precisely where Fergus had been sitting moments before. Then a dart hit the soldier in his neck. He wobbled as he lost his balance before collapsing.
The Laochra moved alongside the walls of the castle with their weapons readied.
Hazel stepped in front of the arch, then felt herself yanked backward. An arrow flew through the door where she had just been standing.
“Hazel!” a voice shouted from the other side of the wall.
Alviva had an arrow drawn as she stepped into the arch.
Hazel followed her in and saw Cameron running toward them. “What are you doing here?” he said, breathless.
Alviva relaxed her bow.
“We came to help you.” Hazel looked around at the bodies strewn about the camp, in between tents and next to the campfires.
Faron appeared alongside a man that Hazel did not recognize. Einar.
Einar was pushing a Creach in front of him. He held one of his long darts in his hand.
Faron approached Bjorn and said, “You’re not following Aatu?”
Bjorn shook his head and said, “He threw us in the dungeons. hHe must have known we would object.” Bjorn looked at Einar and said, “Please forgive us, we should’ve known.”
Einar said, “It’s not too late.” He threw the Creach down in front of him and said, “Where have they taken the Spheres?”
The Creach said, “You think you can change any of this? There’s an army out there.” He looked to Bjorn and said, “We’ll still be Laochra. Why do you care so much if they make the Creiche do a bit of work?”
Bjorn said to Einar, “We know where they are. They’re being taken to the manor.”
Einar nodded, then looked down at the Creach. “Laochra? You’re no hero.” His barefoot changed and he wrapped the long gray appendages that had replaced his toes around the Creach’s face as he slammed him down into the dirt. He knelt down and pressed the tip of his dart into the Creach’s neck while he kept him pinned with his changed foot.
The guard struggled for a moment, then stopped moving.
Einar removed the dart and wiped it on his cloak before stowing it.
Hazel felt the road change from dirt to cobblestones as they approached the man
or.
The light dimmed inside the wagon as it stopped. She detected the scents of a stable.
“Tod, Lupa... could you help me unload?” said Coinín outside the wagon.
The flap to the wagon opened and the pair froze for a brief moment before they were pulled in and incapacitated.
Coinín went to the stable door and closed it.
Faron said, “We’ll enter through the servants’ quarters on the ground level. Alviva, Coinín keep watch for us. If we’re not back out soon, get back to the village and help the others.”
Alviva nodded.
Cameron turned Hazel toward him, “stay here with Alviva... we’ll be okay without you.”
“I’m coming in, I’m just as much help as you.”
“Then help Alviva,” he replied.
“Cam...” she began to say.
Faron interrupted her. “He’s right. It’ll be dangerous in there. We can’t afford any distractions. You and Coinín stay here and help Alviva. Cameron and Alexandra we’ll bring, they might be able to help should we encounter Marlow.”
Before Hazel could protest, Einar said, “We need to move.”
Hazel watched as the group of brave Laochra went in without her.
Daniel said, “They’ll be alright, Hazel. We’re better use out here than in there.”
Speak for yourself. What was the point of weeks of training, hours a day, a cured sword, if she was just going to sit and watch when the time had finally come to make a difference.
Alviva said, “C’mon, let’s see if we can get a better view,” as she walked toward the ladder to the hayloft.
They climbed up and waited by one of the windows. After a short while, Hazel noticed a bird diving toward the stable. Hazel was nervous until she saw Alviva concentrating with her eyes closed.
The red kite landed on the open window frame, and Alviva touched her wing for a moment before sending her back up into the sky.
34
CAMERON
Cameron followed Faron closely with an arrow in hand. He moved as the others did, in a quiet crouch, close to the walls. Alexandra stayed close behind him. When they arrived at the end of the hallway, Faron stopped and looked around the corner. He darted back behind the wall and looked at Cameron and the other Laochra, and held up two fingers.
Einar pulled out a pair of his darts and began to move toward the corner. Faron held out his hand and shook his head. He showed him a vial, it was the antidote Cameron had been given when they left the front gate. He pointed to one of the archers behind Cameron and beckoned him, then he looked to Cameron and pointed at his bow before nodding down the hall.
Cameron stared at Faron intently, making sure he was not confusing what he was asking.
Faron nodded with a stern gaze.
Cameron looked to Alexandra. She gave him a more nervous nod. He quietly drew his arrow as he stepped closer to the corner. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back, it was Einar’s. Einar pointed at Cameron’s arrow, then pointed to his own neck. Cameron understood the message. He held his arrow drawn and looked to the other archer as his heart pounded, trying his best to keep his hand from shaking. He took a deep breath and held it.
The other archer gave a quick nod, then stepped into the hall.
Cameron followed and saw the archer take a shot, dropping one of the soldiers at the bottom of a staircase. Cameron stared at his target. The man was frozen with a look of terror in his eyes.
Cameron hesitated, holding his arrow drawn.
The man opened his mouth and began to let out a shout when an arrow flew beside Cameron and into the man’s throat. His cry was cut short as he gurgled blood and collapsed.
As the others went by Cameron toward the staircase, Faron put a hand on Cameron’s shoulder and whispered, “It’s the only way,” then he continued toward the staircase.
Einar whispered as he walked by, “Us or them.”
Cameron followed them to the stairs. His hands were shaking violently. He doubted he would have made the shot if he tried.
He felt Alexandra squeeze his arm. He looked to her apologetic eyes.
The Laochra dragged the bodies away from the staircase and spread out on either side of it, hugging the walls beside it as they anxiously waited to see if anyone had heard the man’s gurgled yelp. A silent minute went by.
Faron gestured up the stairs and began ascending it.
Cameron walked up the marble stairs until he bumped into the Laochra in front of him who had suddenly stopped. Cameron looked around him to the top of the stairs. A wolf was standing there with his head held low.
One of the Laochra stepped toward the wolf with her hand out, her eyes were changed. The wolf’s hackles lowered and he approached her. She touched his snout for a moment, then he walked away calmly. She looked to Faron and held up her hand, signaling them to wait.
They waited there until the wolf returned. She touched the wolf again and read him for a short while, then released him and he lied down. She whispered, “Four more Redcoats on this level. I didn’t see anyone else.”
Faron nodded and they continued up the staircase to the second flight of stairs.
Cameron winced at the light creaks in the old wood. When they reached the top, he was relieved to see that there were no guards in sight. He recognized the wide hall of the manor. A wall of windows cast an accentuating light over the extravagant moldings and sculptures. Faron led them down it.
Cameron heard footsteps approaching around a corner. The steps suddenly stopped, the sound of a pair of swords being drawn followed. He saw a pair of Creachs staring back at him in a large mirror on the wall.
Faron changed, his tan and gray fur growing out along with his sharp claws. He broke cover and engaged the Creachs. The others followed suit, quickly overwhelming the pair, though not without a few clashes of steel that rang through the halls.
Cameron looked down at the two still men, smattered in blood.
“Be ready,” said Einar. He removed his cloak and threw it to the ground, then changed to his patchy gray form before quickly blending in with the cream colored walls. He climbed up to the high, coffered ceiling and crawled ahead.
Faron took Cameron’s shoulder. “Watch our rear,” he said.
Cameron had not seen Faron’s face changed like it was so close up. His eyes were tan, matching the fur all over him, his teeth were razor sharp. Cameron nodded and did as he was told.
The other Laochra had all changed, covered in fur or feathers in shades of brown and red and gray.
Cameron looked to Alexandra. She already knew what he was, but he hoped she really knew. He let himself change. He felt his eyes pulsate first, then the familiar goose bumps on his neck as feathers grew there.
Alexandra stared at him, but not as he had expected. She was not frightened, she was mesmerized.
He drew an arrow and aimed down the hall, then he felt the fingers on his right hand changing. Halfway down each of them, they took on a hardened black form and extended several inches to sharp points. At the same time, the rest of his hand turned yellow and scaly. Talons.
He no longer felt the string of Ionga digging into his fingers. He nearly lost hold of his arrow, but he pinched the talons tightly together and managed to keep it nocked. The weight of the draw felt lighter.
He heard footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder at the Laochra advancing down the hall. The archer fired an arrow into a soldier’s neck. Beside the fallen soldier, a changed Creach blocked a second arrow with his saber, “in here!” he yelled.
Einar dropped from the ceiling and grabbed the Creach’s sword arm before he knew what was happening, then kicked himself off the wall while holding onto the Creach. As he rolled backward onto the floor, he kicked the Creach up over him and through the window, shattering it and sending the Creach to the ground two stories below.
Cuyler and Aatu turned into the hall. Another pair of Creachs followed behind them, alongside several soldiers. Einar quickly retreat
ed, jumping back up to the ceiling just in time to avoid one of Cuyler’s arrows.
The Laochra archer began firing arrows at Cuyler, who deflected all of them, and within a few shots, Cuyler had placed a pair of arrows in his chest. The Laochra collapsed to the ground.
The brief exchange had occupied Cuyler long enough for Einar to jump behind the Creachs to the soldiers. Cuyler turned his attention to Einar, while the rest of the Creachs charged down the hall.
Cameron’s eyes darted around at the chaos unfolding in the hallway, overwhelmed by the chaos. All he could do was watch. As the Creachs and Laochra collided, and Einar bounced between the soldiers, the hall became a narrow battleground. Swords clashed, arrows flew, and muskets fired.
Faron was engaging Aatu, whose wolves were staying a safe distance from the flurry of blows that Faron and Aatu were exchanging. Einar was managing to keep Cuyler occupied as he sprang between the walls and ceiling, taking out several of the Redcoats in the process. He used one as a shield to Cuyler’s arrows, then kicked him into Cuyler, knocking him over. The other Laochra were occupied by the Creachs.
Cameron aimed between the duels, but they were all moving too quickly for him to make a safe shot.
Then there was a gunshot behind him and the Laochra who had read the wolf downstairs collapsed to the ground with a groan, a dark patch spread quickly over her vest.
Cameron turned around to see three soldiers with muskets. One was stuffing a new ball into his muzzle, the other two had theirs aimed down the hall.
Cameron loosed an arrow at one of the soldier’s legs, causing him to lower his musket. He put another arrow in the shoulder of the soldier beside him. The arrow did not penetrate far, and the soldier only glimpsed down at it before firing off a shot. There was a cry of agony behind Cameron. The soldier charged at Cameron and struck him hard in the jaw with the butt of his musket.
Cameron collapsed, dropping his bow, and his vision faded as a pair of cured boots walked over him, then retreated down the hall with the hem of Alexandra’s dress.