Josef sat, apparently staring into the darkness but actually studying the layout of the camp around them. He noted the positioning of sentries, campfires and the guards generally. He slowly scanned the perimeter to see where the forest was closest. He didn’t plan for them to escape that night but wanted to understand the patterns in the camp. Bruno sat nearby, also awake and alert, while the others slept soundly.
Josef wasn’t just studying the camp. He and Bruno were taking the first watch, ensuring the Major’s guards had no chance to bind their prisoners again. It was a strange situation — while they were clearly still prisoners they also had a degree of freedom and power. In some ways it felt more like a siege than being kept prisoner. And as with all sieges Josef and the others had to keep constantly alert to avoid being crushed by the greater force surrounding them.
It would have been comical if it wasn’t deadly serious. Eight unarmed men surrounded by hundreds of enemies, yet somehow holding them at bay. It didn’t give Josef much comfort though. The Major wanted at least some of them alive, otherwise they’d have been charged by the guards already or peppered with crossbow bolts. Josef didn’t know why the Major wanted them alive but none of the reasons he thought of were pleasant.
Sighing he returned to his study of the surrounding camp, constantly seeking any small detail that might make escape easier or more likely to succeed.
Sarah lay in bed exhausted. The long afternoon and evening training with Daniel had succeeded in distracting her. With Daniel moving as fast as a real attacker any slip in concentration was critical, and painful. During the evening he had even started talking about Mary as they sparred. Calling out her name, mentioning her hair colour. Nothing unpleasant, no comments on where Mary might be or what she was going through, but enough to be distracting.
When yet another blow from Daniel breached her defences only to stop a fraction of an inch from her body she had called a halt, tears in her eyes, and demanded to know why he was constantly bringing up Mary. Daniel asked her how distracted she would be when they reached the temple if Mary was close at hand but their path was blocked by enemies. He pointed out how important it would be for Sarah to concentrate then, to focus on reaching Mary as quickly as possible while keeping herself safe. Sarah had nodded. Once he explained she understood what he had been doing. Even the thought of seeing Mary for the first time threw her rhythm off completely. They had resumed training and Daniel had started calling out Mary’s name again. Slowly Sarah had begun to filter it out, to focus on the fight no matter what Daniel said.
Now, though, Sarah’s mind raced. Images of Mary flashed in front of her eyes, both memories and images of what Mary might be suffering at Rafael’s hands. Exhaustion soon hauled Sarah down into sleep but the images didn’t stop. Dreams of Mary, and Jon, caused her to wake frequently with her heart hammering, only to have exhaustion drag her back into sleep soon after.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Daniel studied Sarah as they ate dinner, trying not to let his concern show. With nothing else to do they had spent the entire day training. Sarah was reaching an amazing level given the short time they’d had to train, but Daniel could see the anxiety still building within her. She hadn’t spoken of it but her sleep the night before had clearly been disturbed. Another poor nights sleep followed by most of the next day with nothing to do would render her nearly useless when they reached the temple.
Clara had provided the only distraction. Arriving early afternoon she had confirmed that the plan was well underway. Some of the fiercest fighters from those opposed to Rafael and the Bronze Order were preparing for the next evening. She still refused to give any details of how they would reach the temple, simply saying that when the time was right she would reveal all.
Sarah continued to eat mechanically. Daniel’s concern for her deepened. Finally he realised he would have to do something he had hoped never to do again. Something that strayed dangerously close to stepping towards darkness. Nevertheless, it had to be done.
Daniel returned his attention to what he ate, trying hard to avoid thinking about his decision. The food was simple but filling, perfect at the end of a long day training, and Daniel took his time. He was putting off the moment he knew.
Finally both Sarah and he had finished. Daniel knew Sarah wanted to spar again, possibly for several hours. He also knew that she desperately needed a good nights sleep. Stomach churning he reached out to Sarah with his powers, pushing her towards tiredness and restful sleep just as he had the first time they met.
This was different though. Then he had no concept of how abusive such an action was, how close to darkness he stepped by doing it. Now he knew. He knew but he did it anyway. He had to take the risk. Without sleep Sarah would be worse than useless, she would be a liability.
Soon Sarah’s eyes started to droop and her head started to nod. Daniel quickly stood and moved around the small table, catching Sarah before her falling head could hit it. She was already in a deep sleep. Effortlessly Daniel lifted Sarah, carrying her to her bed. Laying her down he pulled the covers over, making no attempt to remove her clothes. Then he returned to the dining room.
He took comfort from the fact that Sarah would sleep deeply that night, and without the terrible dreams that had tormented her the night before. He envied her. After what he had just done he was sure his own sleep would not be so peaceful.
Nathan sat down beside Josef and started to eat. It had been another long day in the saddle, but his body hardly ached. Years of such travel had hardened him. The sheer pleasure of being on the horse without his legs tied to the saddle and arms tied together had helped the day pass easily.
“So do you have a foolproof plan now, Ser Josef?”
“No Nathan. I wish I did but… no. No matter what I think of we come back to the same problem. Getting away at all will be extremely difficult. Doing anything other than heading straight for the forest will ensure we won’t make it.”
“So we stick with the simplest plan. Maybe that’s for the best. If we tried something more complex and you all got caught we’d keep wondering if the simpler plan would have worked.”
“I know. I can’t help but worry though. Lost in this forest with no supplies or weapons, things are going to be difficult.”
“You’ll manage. The men are resourceful. There are plenty of stones and branches out there that can be used as weapons. Find some flint and you have knives. Tear off a bit of blanket for a slingshot — Bruno is a crack shot. You’d better like rabbit and pigeon though.”
“I hadn’t thought of any of that. Maybe you should be the one to lead them.”
“No. Definitely not. The men would have suggested those ideas themselves. They need someone who can plan though, someone who can look at the longer term — even if that is only a few hours or days ahead. They need you Josef. Don’t let them down.”
“I won’t my friend.”
Nathan felt a surge of emotion at the word friend. He still wasn’t certain how he felt about Josef, but the approval in the other man’s voice moved him.
“So… when should I start my performance?”
“I think about an hour after we appear to go to sleep. I’ll tell all the men. As soon as you start your distraction the men will pretend to wake up. We will gather our blankets ready to carry, then make our break for it.”
Nathan let out a deep breath. “All right. I’ll make sure you get as long as you need. Who knows, I might even get a chance to land one on the Major. Now that would be something.”
Josef smiled. “Thank you Nathan. We will get free and we will return to the Order to tell of your bravery.”
Nathan just nodded. He didn’t feel brave. Truth be told his stomach was in knots and it felt as if ice was running through his veins. He wouldn’t back down though. The other men did need Josef far more than they needed him. Still, the thought of being caught by the Major and his guards once the others had escaped was terrifying.
Nathan took that evenings watch. He
knew he couldn’t pretend to sleep with the knot of tension building in his stomach. It made sense too. If he suddenly stood up from being asleep and went on a rampage then the guards would be suspicious. Sitting brooding for an hour before flaring up was far more believable.
Josef had wanted to share the watch but Nathan argued against it. Having the leaders of the two groups awake at the same time might raise suspicions. Bruno was sharing the watch instead. The rest of the group were faking sleep. All except William. Josef had decided to leave him out of the plan. Bruno and Josef would grab William when the distraction started, get him moving and ensure he kept up with the others. As Nathan listened to William’s rasping snore he nearly smiled. The guards would have no doubts that at least some of the group were sleeping.
Finally the moment came. Nathan saw Josef’s eyes were open and staring at him. Josef nodded his head very slightly. Nathan returned the nod. Then he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and stood, hefting a large stone in his hand.
“Major Zentmann,” he roared. “I’m coming for you Major!”
With that he broke into a run, charging into the depths of the camp and towards the Major’s fire. He caught the few guards standing in that direction by surprise. Who would have expected one of the prisoners to run into the camp. Before they could react Nathan was past them. Shouts came from behind him as more and more of the guards saw where he was going.
As he closed the distance Nathan heard other shouts, shouts heavy with concern. A sure sign that Josef and the others had made their move. Nathan desperately wanted to look back, to see if Josef and the others were free, but he refused to give in to it. He had to stay focused and keep the distraction going as long as possible.
All around him guards were waking up, sitting up groggily. Several reached out, trying to stop Nathan, but he easily dodged around their grasping hands. For the first time he started to believe he might make it to the Major.
More guards were awake around him now, some were even standing.
“To arms! We are attacked!” Nathan yelled as he ran.
It worked. The guards started looking past Nathan to see where the danger came from. The shouts of those pursuing Nathan helped reinforce the idea that there was an attack.
Nathan broke through to the Major. Raising the stone in his hand he raced forwards, hoping to land at least one blow before he was killed. The Major stared at Nathan in surprise.
Time seemed to slow for the last few steps. All Nathan could see was the Major. All he could think of was landing a heavy blow with the stone in his hand.
It wasn’t to be. Nathan was within two or three strides when someone crashed into him from the side, dragging him to the ground. A moment later another body landed on top of him. Nathan cursed. He had been so close! Then he remembered his purpose and smiled instead. Josef and the others should have made it clear, the distraction had lasted far longer than they had dared hope.
Nathan was hauled to his feet and held there by the two who had caught him. Whoever they were, they were strong. Very strong. The Major stepped towards Nathan with an amused smile on his face.
“I’m impressed. Truly I am. Impressed that you made it so far, and impressed that you thought me worthy of the risk. Such a shame that you failed. Now, what do… Yes? What is it?”
The last was barked at a guard who had raced up. The guard visibly cowered back but still delivered his news.
“Major… the prisoners… they’ve escaped. They made it into the forest. Some of the men are trying to follow, but in the dark it’s next to impossible.”
Nathan grinned openly. It had worked! Josef and the others were free. Whatever the Major did to him, he would cling to the knowledge that had succeeded.
Nathan expected the Major to be furious, instead he was smiling coldly.
“Very, very clever,” he said to Nathan. “Create a distraction then slip away into the darkness. Didn’t you consider the dangers though? What about the Chosen, those you insist on calling night walkers? They stalk these lands.”
“Maybe they do, but these are large lands. We know you’re in league with them, so there won’t be any night walkers out there waiting for anyone who strays from the camp. Josef and the others will take their chances.”
“No, the Chosen don’t lurk outside our camp, you have that right. They come right in and sit with me, discussing orders and plans. In fact they are here right now.”
Nathan looked at those who had been sitting near the Major. He’d marked them all down as officers and had ignored them. Now he looked properly he saw the glowing red eyes of a vampire looking back from a dozen of the faces or more.
The Major turned to one night walker and bowed deeply.
“My lord, I doubt my men can recapture the prisoners in the dark. We can track them properly in the morning but it may take a day or more to catch them. Do you…”
“I heard,” interrupted the creature. “Time is critical now. We will bring the prisoners back.”
The creature exploded into action. One moment standing still, the next flying past Nathan. The other night crawlers followed suit. Nathan’s heart sank. Without weapons Josef and the others stood no chance against the night walkers, especially without warning they were coming.
Nathan struggled against his captors, hoping to break loose and get at least one swing at the Major. It was useless. The hold on his arms was as strong a steel. Nathan realised that those holding him must be night crawlers too. With no other option he stood waiting, secretly fearing the screams that would tell him Josef’s party had been found and attacked.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Everything had gone well. Josef was slightly shocked to find himself free — even if only for a short while. While simple the plan still had many weaknesses. Yet, somehow, it had worked. Josef knew much of the credit went to Nathan. The distraction had been more than enough to give everyone the chance to get past the guards and into the trees. Two guards had stood in their way, both were flattened by the fleeing men. One had started to draw a short knife. Josef had grabbed as he ran past.
Throughout the run over exposed ground he’d expected to hear yells, or feel a crossbow bolt as it struck home. No bolts flew and the shouts didn’t start until they were almost into the forest. They reached the tree line without incident.
Samuel had grabbed a lantern from the floor as they fled. Josef’s initial instinct was to order it left, or put out, but he soon realised they needed it. Without the lantern they’d be struggling blind through the forest, while those chasing would bring lanterns and be able to move far more quickly. Josef cast occasional glances over his shoulder but there were no signs of pursuit, no lantern glows behind. Either the guards were waiting for orders to follow or the trees were thick enough to be hiding their light — and so would be hiding Samuel’s light from anyone following.
“Too straight,” Josef called quietly.
Samuel heard, and understood. He started to curve their path to the left — by about twenty degrees in the end. A couple of minutes later he bent the path another ten or fifteen degrees to the left. It was a risky tactic, one that sacrificed distance for confusion, but Josef thought it worthwhile. If they simply fled in a straight line the soldiers would know where to go. Now they were moving at an angle that couldn’t be guessed based on where they’d left the camp.
Several minutes later Josef called a brief halt, letting everyone regain their breath and tie their blankets so they could be carried more easily. It also gave him a chance to listen for any sounds of pursuit. There were none. Samuel had dimmed the lantern to a faint glow. Josef strained his eyes but saw nothing but darkness in every direction.
Josef soon signalled they should be off again. Samuel took the lead once more and Josef followed last. Bruno had hold of William’s arm and kept him moving. Things were going as well as they possibly could. Josef started to wonder if they would really get far enough away to have a fighting chance to stay free. He fought hard to suppress hope, not
daring to believe they were truly clear.
Several more minutes passed. It was a strange experience. No matter how fast they moved it almost felt that they stood still. The lantern only illuminated a few of the nearest trees and rarely enough to tell them apart. Josef’s biggest fear was that they’d end up travelling in a large circle. Without sun, moon or stars under the dark trees they could easily lose their way.
Josef froze in place as the light from the lantern disappeared. One moment he was following the group, and the light Samuel carried, the next the light was gone and Samuel was shouting a warning.
“Something snatched the lantern!” he cried. “Defend yourselves!”
“Careful!” Josef ordered. “Stay still. Remember where the others are. We don’t want to hurt each other.”
The situation was doubly dangerous. Something was out there, something happy to destroy the only source of nearby light. His men would be as dangerous to each other as the unseen threat if they didn’t stay still. It would be impossible to tell friend from foe, whether you should strike hard or hold your hand if someone brushed against you.
Then he became aware of something in the darkness. Glowing red dots, pairs of them. Ten pairs at least. His stomach lurched as he realised what it was.
“Beware! Night Walkers!” he cried.
As if his shout was the signal the eyes all blinked out or rapidly grew larger. Josef heard yells from several men. Knowing he was farthest back he took another step backwards and raised the knife.
It wasn’t the glowing red eyes that warned him, there was no way he could have seen them behind him. It was his newfound sensitivity to magic. He sensed the coiled darkness of a night walker approaching from behind.
Dark Soul Silenced - Part Two Page 19