Shades of the Past: The Morcyth Saga Book Six

by Brian S. Pratt

  Illan kicks his horse and they race forward across the bridge toward the palisade. The area between the bridge and the palisade is devoid of enemies. Riding hard, they close the distance quickly.

  Intent on the gate before him, Miko is suddenly struck with a feeling of unease. Exactly what the cause is he’s not sure. The closer to the gate he rides the stronger the feeling becomes. By the time their party nears the closed gate, the feeling of unease has grown to one of immediate urgency.

  “We’ve got to get to the other side!” he hollers to Illan.

  “Stephen, Ison, open the gates,” Illan hollers. As two riders dismount and rush to the gate, he glances at the empty wall above them. Where are the crossbowmen?

  One of the men behind him says, “I hope the gates aren’t locked.”

  “Could be a problem,” another replies.

  Miko sits in his saddle with growing trepidation as the two men reach the gate. Grabbing hold of the crack between them, they pull hard and to everyone’s amazement, begin to swing open.

  Before the gates swing open more than a foot, Miko kicks his horse into a gallop and races forward.

  “Miko!” cries out Illan. “Let’s go,” he tells his men and they race after him.

  When Miko reaches the gate, he almost rides over Jiron. He takes one look at the creatures battling him and he realizes this is the source of the ill feeling. A blinding white light erupts and he’s surprised to find the Star of Morcyth in his hand. He hadn’t even been aware he took it out.

  “Miko!” Jiron cries when he rides past him into the swarming mass of creatures.

  Unknown words begin issuing forth from Miko as the light from the Star burns the creatures around him and begins forcing them back.

  “James is out there somewhere,” Jiron hollers to him.

  He looks around and sees what looks like a pile of the creatures. The shimmering light from James’ shield can be seen in brief glimpses under the undulating mass of creatures covering it.

  Behind him, the unmistakable sound of swords striking flesh can be heard as Black Hawk’s Raiders wade into the creatures. Pushing his way forward through the creatures, he draws closer to James. Where the light from the Star touches the creatures, smoke begins to issue.

  The words continue to come forth, words of unknown origin and meaning. Now close enough to the pile atop James’ barrier that the light from the Star strikes them, they begin to fall away. He looks in relief as he sees James with one knee on the ground, an intense look of concentration on his face as he works to maintain the barrier.

  Around him, the battle is drawing to a close. The creatures continue the attack even though the Star burns them. They don’t come close to Miko and the Star, instead they rush toward Illan and the others where they are cut down by the cold iron blades of expert swordsmen.

  “James!” Miko hollers as he comes to a stop next to the barrier. The creatures surrounding James have been driven off by the Star.

  Opening his eyes, he looks up to see a rider on horseback, a blinding sun held aloft in his hand. At first he doesn’t realize it’s Miko, but then recognition comes. Getting to his feet, he glances around and when he finds the creatures out of the immediate vicinity, cancels his shield.

  “Thank goodness you showed up,” he says coming to stand beside his horse. “Don’t know how much longer I could have withstood them.” He staggers slightly as a momentary wave of dizziness hits him.

  Reaching down a hand to steady him, Miko says, “Come on, we need to get you back to Lythylla.”

  “Did you find Jiron?” he asks as he takes the hand and swings up behind him once his head clears.

  “Yes,” replies Miko. Indicating the fighting going on by the gate, he adds, “He’s back there with Illan and the rest.” He turns his horse and with the Star held aloft, rides back to where the battle still rages.

  The number of creatures has been significantly reduced, Illan and the rest are finishing taking care of the last few. Several of his men have fallen to the creatures, but both he and Jiron have survived with but minor injuries.

  They arrive just as the last one falls. Illan glances to James and then the sea of dead bodies. “You never do anything halfway do you?” he asks.

  “No,” he replies a touch sad. He hates the killing as much as anything, but what else can he do but allow them to kill him?

  Off in the distance the glow from where the siege equipment burns is visible. “Looks like Delia and her crew managed to take them out.”

  With no more of the creatures to worry about, the light from the Star goes out and Miko puts it back into his pouch. He glances to Illan, “Guess we won’t have to worry about an attack for awhile.”

  Just then, horns are heard and they see coming from out of the dark the rest of the Empire’s forces, at least eight thousand strong. Another blast from the horns and they begin moving toward them.

  “Back to the city!” Illan cries. One of his men has Jiron behind him on the horse and they race toward Lythylla.

  Before they move through the gate of the palisade, James glances backward and scans the battlefield for the warrior priest. All he finds is the oncoming soldiers and the dead, there’s no sign of him. Then they’re through to the other side and racing toward the gates of Lythylla.

  When those on the battlements see them ride through the palisade, a cheer erupts and the gates swing open. The pursuing Empire soldiers stop at the palisade when they realize James and the others will reach the safety of the walls before they’ll have a chance to catch them.

  Cries of ‘Madoc!’ and ‘Black Hawk!’ resound as they make their way through the gates. Lord Pytherian as well as the other leaders who were present during their initial meeting are there to greet them.

  “Unbelievable!” one of the men says. “I heard rumors of what you can do, but I had no idea.”

  Illan pulls up to a stop and asks, “Any word from Delia and Ceadric?”

  Shaking his head, Lord Pytherian replies, “Not yet. We have riders out in that area and men on the walls looking for them.”

  James swings down from behind Illan. “I hope she’s alright,” he says.

  Chapter Nine

  ______________________

  “Retreat!” Ceadric yells to his men. The press of soldiers is too great for them to break away effectively. Arrows begin flying from Hedry’s men, taking out those pressing Ceadric and giving them a chance to disengage.

  The two forces that so recently made their appearance are closing fast. Most are foot though the force to their right has a contingent of cavalry as well. Delia scrambles to get her people back to their horses quickly.

  “But there are three catapults that are still serviceable,” Orry states. The rest of the siege equipment is burning out of control despite the efforts of the soldiers that have made it to them.

  “Leave them!” she hollers. When they broke off the attack, each grabbed their pack with what oil bombs they had left. James was most explicit in that they must remove all the evidence they can. Of course the shattered remains may give them some clue as to what happened anyway but why help them any more than they have to.

  Ceadric and his men, now fewer by half a score, join them as they swing into the saddle. “Back to the river!” Delia hollers. Each realizes the way they came across is the only avenue left if they are to survive.

  As they break into a gallop leaving the burning siege equipment behind them, the enemy forces begin forming an arc. “They’re going to drive us to the river and annihilate us against its banks,” Yern shouts.

  “Not if we can find where we came across,” Delia hollers back. Two miles to the river with soldiers bent on their destruction behind them, they push their horses to the limit. They manage to maintain a constant distance between them and the cavalry coming up behind. The foot soldiers begin to fall behind.

  After several minutes of riding, the river appears before them. “Beacon!” Delia hollers and a half mile away to the right, a light
appears.

  “There it is!” Devin exclaims.

  Unfortunately, the force to their right has already passed the beacon which now lies behind their lines.

  “What should we do?” Uther asks.

  “Ride through them and kill them all!” Jorry yells with a touch of bloodlust in his voice.

  “Ceadric,” she says. When she has his attention she says, “Fall back. Let me ahead.” She takes the lead and leads them on while maintaining a fast pace. From her remaining pouch she pulls one of the two crystals contained within. She moves to set it into her sling when her horse suddenly leaps to avoid an obstacle on the ground and the crystal falls from her hand.

  “No!” she cries as the crystal hits the ground. She removes the remaining crystal from her pouch then gets it set into the sling just as…

  Ka-Boom!

  …the crystal which dropped on the ground explodes in a great eruption, throwing rocks and dirt into the air. Fortunately all their riders had passed the area before the explosion. The concussion wave from the explosion causes a few of the horses to stumble but they manage to correct themselves quickly and continue on.

  With the last crystal in her sling, she winds it up and lets it loose toward the approaching cavalry between them and the beacon. “Stop!” she cries to the others and they quickly bring their horses to a halt. Hitting the ground, it lands a good twenty feet in front of the leading edge of attackers.

  The approaching cavalry comes toward them rapidly and passes over the crystal lying on the ground.

  Ka-Boom!

  Horses and men go flying in another massive explosion. “Now!” she cries. “Ride hard!” Kicking her horse in the flanks, she gets it back to a gallop and races through the dead and dying.

  Ceadric comes along beside her as they clear the area devastated by the explosion. Before them, no more than a hundred yards away, the glowing crystal beckons.

  In the moonlight from above, they see the foot soldiers that had fallen behind the cavalry moving toward them at a run. A third is moving toward the glowing crystal by the bank of the river.

  “We’ll hold them off,” Ceadric tells her. “You get your people across.”

  “But once we start, there’s only a limited time before the bridge will disappear,” she replies.

  “Just do it!” he yells. Then to his men he hollers, “For Black Hawk!”

  A cry erupts from his men as they break off from Delia and her band to engage the enemy. “They’ll be killed!” Shorty exclaims.

  “Let’s move,” she tells him. She veers to move directly to the light in the distance. It isn’t long before the sound of Ceadric and his men engage the foot soldiers heading for the beacon.

  Upon reaching the light, she says, “Golden Gate.” The shimmering bridge once more springs into being. “Now hurry across,” she tells the others. “It won’t last very long.”

  As the others move to cross, she takes Devin by the arm and asks, “Can you swim?”

  Halting his horse, he turns to her and replies, “Yes, why?”

  “I need you to do something,” she says.

  Leading his men against the enemy, Ceadric realizes this will probably be his last fight. Sword falling, he takes out another soldier and quickly brings it back around to block the hack from another.

  He needs to slow the advance of these soldiers to allow Delia a chance to activate the crystal and get across. With any luck, he and his men will be able to disengage and make it across as well.

  They stall the enemy for several minutes then he glances back to the river. Seeing Delia and her group beginning to cross he hollers, “To the river!” As one, his men break off and race for the river. Several were unable to disengage successfully and were cut down before they could get away. Using the light ahead as a guide they race for their lives, which may very well be the price if they fail to make it in time.

  As the light draws closer, he sees young Devin standing there with the light held aloft in his hand. He’s waving them to hurry as he shouts, “Twelve…eleven…ten…”

  Ceadric hears him coming ever closer to one and pushes his men even faster. The first rider hits the bridge as Devin says, ‘Six’. On the far side of the bridge Delia and her band are lined along the banks with slings in hand, her two archers are there as well with arrows knocked and ready. At ‘Four’ Ceadric’s horse races onto the bridge. As Devin reaches ‘Two’, the last of his men hit the bridge and begin to cross.

  The last five are still over the water as Devin says, ‘One’. A second later the bridge disappears. Men cry out and horses scream as they fall into the river below.

  Once the bridge disappears, Devin moves to collect the bridge crystal lying on his side then places them in a pocket. A noise behind him causes him to turn just as enemy soldiers appear out of the dark before him. Turning back to the river, he races for the water and before he jumps from the shore into its raging depths, he hears Delia holler, “Now!”

  Slings twirl and bowstrings twang as the enemy begins falling behind him. As closely as the soldiers are packed together, if a slug thrown by a sling misses one it’s sure to hit another, either to the side or behind. Hedry’s archers move into position with her slingers once they’ve dismounted and together rain a devastating volley of deadly projectiles and missiles across the river.

  “Get the men out of the river!” cries Ceadric to the rest of his men. Moving to the edge, they work to get the men and horses struggling against the current to their side safely. Of the five men in the river, only four manage to reach the shore, none of the horses make it.

  “Where’s Devin?” Delia asks as she sets another slug to her sling.

  “Over here!” she hears him cry from downstream. The river has carried him further away.

  One of Ceadric’s men cries out, “I’ll get him,” and then races downstream to retrieve him.

  Across the river, the soldiers are falling back now that their prey is beyond their reach. Soon, the hail of arrows and slugs ceases as the enemy moves out of range.

  “What’s the damage?” Ceadric’s voice rings out.

  “Seventeen dead,” Hedry replies.

  “Your group Delia?” he asks.

  “If Devin makes it back then we’re all accounted for,” she replies.

  “Everyone back away from the river,” he says. “Let’s not give them anything more to look at.”

  As everyone begins moving away, Delia goes to the bank and retrieves the second bridge crystal. When she bends over to collect it, she’s surprised to see it’s broken in two. Picking up both halves, she puts them into her pouch. Mounting up, she joins the others.

  A few minutes later, the man who rode to Devin’s aid returns with him and the fifth of the men caught upon the bridge when it fell. Both have been battered by the current, but otherwise are unhurt.

  “Let’s return,” Ceadric says.

  “We did it!” exclaims Orry.

  They turn to watch the siege equipment across the water burn as they make their way toward the lights of Lythylla in the distance. Soldiers of the Empire are silhouetted by the flames as they work to put out the fires. The remaining three are being pulled away quickly to avoid any possibility of the fires moving to them.

  Their group feels much lighter with the seventeen men they left on the other side. They talk in quiet hushed tones until Scar’s voice rises from where he and the others ride further back. “…no, seriously. It was on a trip me and Potbelly took across the Sea to one of the northern towns. Beset by pirates, we…”

  They continue on toward Lythylla as Scar relates the events of an ill fated voyage that cost the lives of everyone on board but himself and Potbelly. Seems the way they managed to escape death was to hide in the bilge compartment below the hold until the pirates left. Of course the fact the pirates torched the ship to hide all evidence, and that they escaped by prying a board loose from the side with two spoons didn’t do much for the credibility of the story. Believable or not, it occupies
their time until the walls of Lythylla come into view ahead of them.

  The gates open as they approach and the men manning the battlements give out with a cheer as they pass through. Illan, James, as well as Lord Pytherian and his adjutants are there to greet them.

  Ceadric pulls slightly ahead as the two groups meet and says, “All but three of the siege equipment are aflame. We lost seventeen.”

  Illan nods his head. “Good work.”

  “Will want a thorough debriefing about the enemy’s layout and forces,” Lord Pytherian says.

  “From what I could tell, they still have a sizeable army out there,” Ceadric tells him. “We were almost caught between two attacking forces. Would have been slaughtered there at the bank of the river if that bridge hadn’t appeared.”

  “From the report James has already given us,” Lord Pytherian says, “there were more men than previous reports indicated. But at least their initial assault should be stalled while they regroup.”

  “Best not to give them that time milord,” James interjects.

  “What do you mean?” he asks.

  “I mean, tomorrow morning, we go on the offensive once again,” he explains.

  “Do you think that’s wise?” he questions. “You and your people have barely come from a battle and you plan to throw them into another?”

  “Yes milord,” he says. “I plan to do just that.”

  “Best we talk about this in a more private location,” Lord Pytherian says.

  “I agree,” responds James. He moves to Delia and asks, “Everyone make it?”

  “All of our people survived,” she assures him. Then she lowers her voice as she adds, “The crystals worked perfectly, we brought them all back.”

  “Excellent,” he says.

  “Best we return to camp and get what rest we can before the morrow,” Illan suggests.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” He follows Illan and Lord Pytherian as they turn back and enter through the gates with the rest right behind.