Slaves to the Sword

by Jack Cage

  Once inside, the men followed the captain, amazed by the displays of weapons, silken tapestries, and fine artwork that lined the walls of the stale-aired secret corridor.

  The men walked with purpose—which didn’t afford Amri any opportunity to appreciate the weapons and armor on display—finally arriving at the base of an upward spiraling staircase. They climbed until they came to another massive wooden door. The captain turned the handle, and yanked, but the door did not budge. Mumbling to himself, he turned the handle slightly more and yanked again. The door opened, and they exited into the dungeons. From there, they ascended out of the belly of the castle, and within moments, were discovered by a member of the king’s council. “Captain, how did you get here? Carpenter’s army is right—”

  “I know. We saw them on the way here from Hainsbridge and came to the castle from the southern entrance,” Singletary said as he walked toward the king’s throne room.

  He then looked at Amri, and said, “Make your way to your quarters, gather your brother, and meet us in the throne room. Do you understand?” Amri nodded in agreement. Singletary turned and went to the left as Amri stood in the hallway alone.

  For a brief moment, he thought he might be able to gather his brother and father and attempt to flee the castle while everyone was distracted by the sudden appearance of Carpenter’s army. Shaking his head in disapproval, Amri continued on to his quarters where Endesha was patiently waiting for his older brother to return.

  32

  E ndesha was glad to see his older brother walk back into their room. “You look like you were in a fight brother,” he said to Amri.

  “I was. We were ambushed by that Carpenter person they spoke of in the past. Get yourself together. They want us to be with the king, we are to go there now,” said Amri.

  When the Sefu brothers opened the door to leave, there were guards and maidens standing outside. The women had a large pile of bronze-colored armor with them, and rushed inside the Sefu men’s room with the guards following behind. The women worked at a desperate pace getting the armor on the massive African men. One smaller woman had to stand on a stool to assist Amri with his armor. The maidens were about to place bascinets on the Sefu men’s heads when a guard said, “The king says their faces are to be shown.”

  The Sefu men were led by the guards into the king’s throne room where the energy was at a frantic pace. The room was alive with chatter regarding the news of the Carpenter’s army just outside the castle borders.

  “Take your place beside the king, and do not allow anyone to draw close to him. Not one step,” said the palace guard. The Sefu men took their place next to the regally attired king as the room continued discussing what the Carpenter’s intentions were and strategy on how to defeat his army.

  Prince Stuart entered the room and spoke directly to his father, “Your Majesty, the Carpenter’s battalion is confirmed to be over 750 men. It includes archers, cavalry, and many infantries.”

  “I suppose he believes he can take Harkstead Castle with this new army of his,” King Phillip said with great concern in his voice.

  Suddenly, a young squire burst into the throne room. “Carpenter himself is at the castle gates!” he said. The room grew quiet and all eyes turned to the king for his response.

  “Let him in,” Phillip said with contempt in his voice.

  As Harkstead Castle’s portcullis rose, Carpenter’s confidence rose as well. Donned in a long, flowing, dark-blue cape and ornate black battle armor, Carpenter crossed the castles threshold with arrogant confidence. Flanked by two of his commanding officers, one being George Davis, the trio of men rode their horses through the village to the royal house within the castle walls. He was met by royal guards, and escorted into King Phillip Miles’ throne room for the first time. The Harkstead guards escorting the Carpenter and his men were still on high alert when the king waved to them, signaling them to gather their peace.

  Thomas Carpenter looked around the room and could not help himself when he said, “Such a fitting palace for a man of my royal stature.” Leaving his officers behind, he continued walking down the main isle of the throne room toward King Phillip and his Sefu bodyguards. “It is unfortunate that I will have to take down all of this ghastly crimson and gold.”

  “You will do no such thing,” said King Phillip angrily.

  “Ah, the king has spoken.”

  “Why are you here Carpenter, and what are your intentions with your battalion camped outside of my walls?”

  “Intention? My intention, Your Majesty, should be easy for you to deduce at this point. I am here to tell you I am willing to accept your surrender and for you to give me Harkstead Castle and the rest of the Midland Kingdom.” Thomas noticed some dirt on his armored boot and wiped it off on the ornate rug he was standing on.

  “You have the audacity to march yourself into my castle and demand my kingdom while surrounded by all of my soldiers? Are you mad?”

  “I prefer the term “ambitiously prudent,” not mad. Besides, if I do not return to my men, they have standing orders to attack in due course, so that is why you are going to let me leave this place without injury.” He paced confidently in front of the Midland King.

  Carpenter then turned his attention to the large, armored, dark-skinned men flanking the king. “What type of monsters are these men?” he asked with great curiosity. “They look quite ferocious, and I believe this one is the one you spoke of, Lord Davis?” He looked over his shoulder at Davis for confirmation while pointing at Amri. “I will spare their lives, and they can be at my side. No need to join you in the dungeons below. There are dungeons here, are there not?”

  “Enough! You know very well there are having been housed in them yourself, thief. [DS13]I’ve had enough of your madness! If you are seeking a battle with me then you shall have one, Carpenter. Be aware, my army outnumbers yours, and you will never penetrate our castle walls,” King Phillip said.

  “Ah, penetrate, yes. That is something I do enjoy,” Carpenter said as he gazed at the maidens in the room. “But I have no intention of challenging your dear castle walls. My plan is for your men to come to me.”

  “Why would I give away such a strategic advantage of fighting behind the walls of Harkstead Castle?” asked King Phillip.

  “Well, uh, Your Majesty, you will have no other choice but to come to my location because I will be cutting off all routes in and out of Harkstead Castle, thus turning this palace into your own personal coffin.” The room gasped as Carpenter chuckled to himself with prideful pleasure. “Nothing will come in or out of Harkstead Castle, and I will attack anything en route, as well. Thus, choking you from within. Isn’t it genius?” Carpenter asked with a devilish smile on his face. “Oh, and I would like to inform you that I know about your little secret.”

  “What secret?”

  Carpenter proceeded to take one step toward the king in an attempt to whisper the secret into his ear when he noticed a lock of black hair on the ground. It was his. He returned his gaze to the king to find his nose was millimeters from the two Sefu brother’s blades—still in their downward facing position—until the Carpenter took an unsettled step backward. “Indeed, Lord Davis, the king’s Moors are very skilled as you mentioned. Keep the hair. I will retrieve it from one of these maidens when I return to claim my crown.”

  “Your presence is no longer desired here. You must leave now,” King Phillip commanded.

  “I agree. It is time for me to leave you all. Besides, seeing you sit there with your face as crimson as your robe just drives me into a state of boredom. Consider this your warning. If you do not send a rider with word of your surrender, I will attack anything inbound or outbound from this castle. Good evening.” He gazed lustily at one of the nearby maidens as he began stepping backward toward the exit. Carpenter then changed his focus to the king before finally turning on his heel, his long flowing cape twirled with the same arrogant spirit and billowed behind as he stalked from the room.

  After
Carpenter’s departure, the room became alive with chatter. Many people talked about what the impact of his plan would be on the people within Harkstead Castle. There were many things for King Phillip to consider.

  Without the ability to leave the castle, Carpenter could attack the cities and villages within the Midland Kingdom without concern for a military response from the king’s armies. With a blockade, the amount of food coming into the castle walls would stop, and eventually the Harksteadian people would suffer from starvation. Feeling over whelmed, King Phillip commanded everyone but his son and his closest advisors to leave his throne room.

  “How many soldiers do we have within the castle walls right now?” asked the king.

  “We have just over 800, Your Majesty,” replied one advisor.

  “How is this possible? My army is well over 1,100 men!”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, but some of those men are out in the kingdom protecting villages and collecting taxes,” Singletary said.

  “What are our options?”

  “Father, we can try to wait Carpenter out, and see if he will become impatient with his blockade,” Stuart replied.

  “That will not happen, my son, he is committed to his plan. You can see that in his eyes.”

  “There will be much blood shed as word cannot be sent to tell the people to avoid routes to the castle,” Singletary said.

  “I will not allow him to slay the innocent, or walk into this room again and claim my kingdom,” King Phillip said defiantly. The king sat quietly as his advisors muttered to each other, discussing strategy. Finally, the king made his decision and stood to address the room. “We shall not sit still as Carpenter attempts to choke us from the outside. We shall offer no him no surrender. In fact, we will give him the fight he is looking to have.

  “We know he does not want to damage the castle, so he will remain standing his ground outside of the walls. This will be to our advantage; his army will be fully exposed to our archers from the upper battlements. Once his initial lines are reduced we will send out cavalry and infantry to defeat Carpenter or at least push him back,” said King Phillip. “Stuart!”

  “Yes, Father,” Stuart replied.

  “Assemble our forces and every able-bodied man within these walls to take arms. Activate the Red Guard, and have them take protective positions to defend the palace if our walls are breached.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Singletary and the advisors replied.

  The king sat down with great concern on his face, and as the room emptied, only he and the Sefu men remained. He had temporarily forgotten they were standing next to him when he said to himself, “I will not let you have Harkstead, Thomas Carpenter. I’d rather die than allow that to happen.”

  33

  T he Midland Kingdom Army had assembled overnight, and were standing at attention in the bitterly cold morning air as they waited to receive their weapons. Squires scrambled to arm the Harkstead fighters with steel swords so frigid the cold bit through their gloved hands.

  All of the horses had been removed from the stables, and Zuberi had spent the night preparing them and handing them off to the cavalrymen. When all of the horses had been matched to their accompanying rider, the Sefu elder slowly walked the lines of soldiers to get a closer look at their adorned armor and armaments. Although he did not understand what the men were saying, he knew a battle was upon them.

  Prince Stuart arrived wearing his highly polished battle armor with crimson adornments. Fitzgerald Singletary was close by, and as usual, donning his own slightly less ornate set of armor. Prince Stuart climbed to the top of a platform to deliver, what he believed to be, a speech of a lifetime. “Men, we gather here today with one purpose—defeat the Carpenter’s army and rid our kingdom of him for good!” Stuart paused as the men cheered. “I know his numbers make it seem like he cannot be beaten, but I am here to tell you he will be defeated on this day because we are ready to fight him to the end!

  “Remember this, his army consists of a group of thieves, mercenaries, and vagabonds purchased and dressed to make you believe they are trained fighters.”

  “The Carpenter would like for you to believe we are outnumbered and at a disadvantage, but we are not. We have the training and we have the will to defeat anyone who dares challenge us. This is our land, our castle, and for centuries we have successfully defended them. Today, we shall have the same result as the warriors who fought for this castle in the past. Victory!” Stuart yelled to his mighty group of cheering fighters.

  Inside his chambers King Phillip was pacing the floor nervously when he heard a knock at the door. Without prompting from the king, the doors swung open, and Prince Stuart made his way into the room. “Father, the men are ready and await your command to start the battle.” The king closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath. “I give the command to begin. May the Lord help our men today.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Stuart replied and turned to leave.

  “Stuart!” the king yelled hastily to his son.

  “Yes, Father?”

  “Command without emotion, and lead without fear, my son.” He kissed Stuart on his forehead softly.

  “I will, Father.” Stuart knelt before his father then rose and left the room.

  Amri and Endesha were standing in the corner as the two men were talking. Neither of the Sefu brothers had an opportunity to sleep or talk to each other since the previous night.

  “The two of you can leave me now,” the king said to them. “I will call for you if you are needed.”

  As Amri and Endesha walked out of the king’s chambers to return to their quarters, they could see the Carpenter’s army through the window in the long hallway that led to their room.

  “This is not going end well, Brother,” Endesha said to Amri in their Sefu language.

  “I don’t care. It’s not our fight,” Amri replied. “We must eat and rest. That is all I care about right now.”

  “If they start the war today, what will we do?”

  “Nothing. Our orders are to protect the king, and that is what we are going to do, at least for now.”

  “For now?” Endesha repeated, confused.

  “If something happens to our father, I cannot promise I will not turn on these men. You have to be prepared to defend yourself without me,” Amri replied. “I seek the same freedom the winds have, and I do not have it here in this place. We shall let these men kill each other, and in the end, we will walk out of this place, free to live and exist as we please.”

  “But what if they challenge us?”

  “Then we shall kill them all.”

  Back in the stables, Zuberi decided it would be best for him to return to the attic prior to the battle starting. As he started to climb the stairs he had ascended and descended several times before, his breath escaped him. Every single stair proved to be a challenge for the Sefu man. Zuberi reached for the railing as his chest began to tighten with increasing intensity. Initially, the elder Sefu man became fearful, knowing he was losing his life.

  However, as the moments went by, a calming sense of gratitude overcame the old man as he reminded himself his lost love was waiting for him in the afterlife. As his limbs became harder to move, Zuberi lay on the staircase where he took his last breath [DS14]without injury.

  The metalsmith discovered Zuberi’s body after he returned from delivering the armaments to the Harkstead fighters. He was deeply saddened by the loss of his talented old friend.

  As a last act of respect, the he carried Zuberi’s body back to the attic and laid him gently on his bed. He then draped Zuberi with a fine, white sheet. The metalsmith said a quiet prayer to himself, then voiced out loud, “I will give him what you wanted him to have.”

  *

  “Listen to them cheer inside their castle walls,” said Carpenter smugly as he carved a small arrowhead out of wood with his dagger. “They actually believe they can will this battle, Lord Davis.”

  “They may be thinking this is a mercenary ar
my like before,” said Davis.

  “But this is not a mere mercenary force. That is where they will make their second fatal mistake.”

  “What was the first, Your Majesty?”

  “They did not kill me when they had the chance.”

  *

  Stuart returned to the castle courtyard with news of the king’s decision to commence the battle. “What of the men, Captain Singletary?” Stuart asked.

  “All of the men are in their positions, and we await your orders, Your Highness,” Singletary replied.

  “Fine. Have the archers take their marks, and wait upon my orders to fire,” Stuart commanded.

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  The bitter cold made it difficult for the Red Guard archers to hold their arrows steady. As they scanned the near horizon, they could see their targets easily within range.

  “Ready!” commanded Singletary.

  With mighty precision, the arms of the Red Guard archers moved in concert with each other.

  “Aim!”

  Each archer focused on one individual target, their arrows nocked, muscles tense, and their breathing slowed—some not breathing at all to ensure a more accurate shot.

  Stuart was on top of the battlements near the archers when Singletary commanded, “Fire!” Suddenly, a flood of Harkstead arrows rained upon Carpenter’s men with deadly accuracy.

  *

  From his vantage point at the most distant portion of the large cavalry, Carpenter said, “Looks like I will become King of the Midlands today. Order the men to hold their positions and wait for them to exhaust their supply of arrows.”

  “Your Majesty, many men will perish if we do that,” said one advisor.

  “That is why we gave them shields, you fool. Ensure they are used!” Carpenter barked in reply.