EDIT: I want to write faster, but I only really have time now to write in the evenings when I’m very tired. I get a little done in the morning, but it’s not enough to satisfy me! Ahhhhh : P
Anyway, I’m not super convinced by this battle, but it’s better than it used to be? Might rewrite this one eventually again. I had so many great ideas this afternoon but I didn’t have time to write them down in any detail, which disappoints me. I think the last two chapters will go well, though.
Chapter 7: The Black Shadow Chapter 9: A Grim Reunion
Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy
Whizzzzzzzzzthunk! The ballista bolt narrowly missed Ceniro and Lyn, embedding itself firmly into a tree on their right. Splinters of bark flew everywhere, and Erk ducked.
Ceniro gasped, very glad to be alive.
“My lady!” Kent exclaimed, riding forward to shield them both from further shots.
“Speak of the devil,” Sain said, though his grey eyes were wide with alarm. “Deploying seige weapons… Lundgren’s serious this time.”
“We need to get off the road,” Ceniro said. “Get off the road and behind that hill! Florina, don’t fly; stay behind Sain. Kent, do you think there are any more ballistas, or does he have just the one?”
“I could not say for sure,” Kent said, as they all moved east into the shelter of a large hill. “If he has followed our progress in the slightest, he knows our group has grown considerably from the three that he originally expected, and he knows Lady Lyn is still alive… I would expect considerable opposition, but as to whether there are more ballistas, I don’t know.”
“Fair enough,” Ceniro said. “Hmm… Where’s Matthew?”
But the ‘acquisition expert’ was nowhere to be seen.
“Very suspicious,” Dorcas said calmly. “I’m sure he has a good explanation, but the timing is poor.”
“In that case, Rath, can you scout ahead?” Ceniro asked. Really, he should have been using Rath as a scout before, but Matthew had always been competent and he thought of Rath more as an archer than a scout. Which was silly. He needed to unlimit his thinking more. “Wil, head to the top of this hill and make sure we’re not ambushed by anything else while we prepare.” He turned to Ninian and Nils. “Thank you for your warning. Y-you saved Lyn’s life.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lyn said, bowing, and then she rounded on Ceniro. “And what do you think you were doing? You’d just get us both killed, and what would be the point of that?”
Ceniro looked at his weather-worn boots and blushed furiously. “I-I… don’t know. Ummmm… instinct…?”
She huffed, but then her gaze softened. “Don’t worry about me. You’re even squishier than I am, so you just take care of yourself, all right?”
“Um.” Well, now he was embarrassed at being called ‘squishy’ in front of everyone they had met in the last month or so. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt,” he mumbled at the ground.
“I don’t want you to get hurt either,” she said gently, and he blushed some more.
“Anyway!” he said, shaking himself back to the present moment. “Kent, Sain, what’s the landscape like in this area? Can we get behind that ballista from another angle, from behind that hill, perhaps, assuming there are no others?”
“We can, but it would take hours,” Kent said.
“They’ve set it up in a good spot,” Sain said, bending down to draw in the dirt. “See, the road heads into this narrow slot between the hills, and they’re perfectly set up to cover anything that comes through there.”
“Hmm,” Ceniro said thoughtfully. “I don’t think they’d dare fire on their own units. Let me think…”
In a minute, Rath appeared again in their midst; his approach through the fields had been completely silent and Ceniro jumped when he stood up beside them.
“There are no other ballistas, but there are a great many lancers, archers, and knights spread between here and a castle across a river,” Rath reported. “I saw at least one mage, as well.”
“All right,” Ceniro said. “I have a plan. Wil! Come back down, we’re ready to go.”
To his surprise, it wasn’t so hard to capture the ballista. Rath and Sain were sent forward with Nils’ assistance to keep it busy while Wil and Dorcas kept their heads down and got close to it. It was not heavily guarded by any means, and after a short scuffle, Wil was the proud wielder of a weapon heavier than he was, at least until he ran out of bolts. Once the ballista was no longer a threat, Lyn and the rest rushed forward, and Florina could take to the air again, still wary of the other archers still present.
“I know some of these men,” Kent said when he rode next to Ceniro at one point. “They’re all Caelin soldiers.”
“I’m sorry,” Ceniro said. “We don’t have much choice, though. They’re attacking us.”
“It won’t be a problem,” Kent said, but his face was stiff and Ceniro knew he was only hiding his feelings.
“Clearly they have overcome their own feelings regarding us,” Sain said, also drawing near. “That’s all I’m worried about!” He smiled, but it was a smile with a hard edge. Ceniro watched them both ride away. They were upset, no doubt about it. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it, not this time.
The enemies faded before them, and Ceniro grew suspicious. “Lyn, I’m pretty sure this is a trap of some kind.”
“Nothing we can do about that,” Lyn said. “You can get us out of it. Let’s spring it.”
“They’re withdrawing to the castle,” Ceniro said. “I’d like to thin out their numbers a bit more before they can draw us in and surround us. Wil! Don’t worry about the mage; he’s too small a target. Get the lance-men! Erk, Lucius, Kent, Rath, take out those archers and give Florina a clear shot at that mage! Dorcas, Sain, Lyn, hold those knights off until the mage is eliminated!”
After another half an hour of feinting and skirmishing, Ceniro let the group approach the castle, but not closer than bowshot. The gates were open, and a bulky, strong knight led a small contingent of lancers and swordsmen. “So you took the ballista, did you? No mean feat for a girl and some foolish knights and mercenaries.”
“What are you talking about?” Ceniro demanded, his professional pride injured. “You left that ballista sitting in the middle of the field with a quarter of the defense it should have had! What’s wrong with you!?”
Lyn coughed a laugh as the enemy knight puffed himself up and began to bluster. “I just wanted you to feel like you were doing well! After all, you’ll surrender immediately when you see…” He gestured, and the soldiers drew apart to reveal two soldiers holding two women captive.
Kent gasped, but the younger woman grinned. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she called. “Just like old times, isn’t it? But with soldiers instead of proper bandits.”
“Just like old times,” Sain agreed with a grin of his own. “Only this time, I rustled up a whole army to save you, my darling!” But Ceniro could see that his smile was brittle around the eyes, and the girl’s own smile was fearful. Kent looked miserable, and the older woman of the pair didn’t look much better.
“There will be no saving here,” the enemy knight said. “Either the lot of you surrender now, or we’ll do terrible things to your women!”
Lyn looked at Ceniro. He could save them without surrendering, but he’d need to call orders. Could they do it before something happened to the hostages? Undoubtedly, surrendering would mean death, possibly immediate death. But there was no way he was risking Sain’s girlfriend and Kent’s… mother? He gave a tiny shake of his head and looked to Erk and Lucius.
“I’m not surrendering to the likes of you!” Lyn cried, and Ceniro knew that she trusted him completely.
Erk and Lucius gave him a little nod.
“Then you will regret-” began the knight.
“Now!” Ceniro yelled, and light and fire exploded among the soldiers. “Florina, rescue! Kent, Sain, cover!” Florina swooped down on the soldiers holding the women, dropping neatly beside the castle wall. One solder was stabbed with her lance before he could look up; the other was knocked down by her pegasus. Kent and Sain were off in a thunder of hoofbeats, scattering soldiers. But the enemy lances… “Rath, Wil, fire when you have targets! Everyone else, follow Kent and Sain! Get the lancers!”
The hostages had their hands tied behind them, and Florina was having trouble getting them onto her pegasus. Enemies were rushing at her, and Ceniro could see she was about to panic. “Florina-”
“Florina, use your dagger, cut them free!” Lyn called. “One at a time! You’ve got lots of time. I’ll be right with you!”
That was what Florina needed, to do what needed to be done. With Kent’s mother now in front of her and Salir clinging to her in behind, she cried to her pegasus, who lifted somewhat heavily into the air just as the soldiers caught up to her.
“Back to me!” Ceniro told her. “That’s it! Serra, Kent needs your help! Nils, help Dorcas!”
Ten minutes later, the enemy had all retreated and the enemy knight lay dead, thanks to Lyn and Rath. Kent and Sain jumped from their horses and ran to greet the former hostages; Sain with a spinning embrace and passionate kiss for his fiancée, and Kent with a more reserved bow and hug for his mother.
Lyn joined Ceniro, smiling. “I’m glad. There were several minutes there where I was sure we were on the edge of disaster.”
“It was a close one,” Ceniro said, deciding not to tell her that they had been on the edge of disaster and it was only half his directions and their fighting skills that they were still alive and relatively uninjured, and half blind luck. He really shouldn’t thank her for trusting him when he was so unreliable. “Everyone was brilliant.”
Kent came forward, leading his mother. “Lady Lyndis, may I present my mother, Anastasia?”
“It’s an honour to meet you,” Lyn said, smiling, and clasping the woman’s hand. “Kent has been an incredible support ever since I met him and Sain in Sacae.”
Kent’s mother shared his red hair, but it was greying now, and she bowed her head before Lyn, quite overcome. “Lady Lyndis, you are as gracious and kind as your mother. I am glad my son has been of use to you. I’m so proud of him.” She looked up at him fondly, and he smiled, embarrassed.
“Quite right!” Lyn said. “You have much to be proud of. Ah, Sain, finally decided to join us, did you?”
“But of course,” Sain said. “How could I not let the two most beautiful women of my acquaintance meet each other? Lady Lyn, this is my lovely fiancée Salir. Salir darling, this is Lady Lyn.”
“Very pleased to meet you,” Salir said, smiling brightly and with a bob of a curtsey. “Heard a lot about you. Well, it was mostly from the idiot guards in that castle, but still. Apparently Lord Lundgren doesn’t like you, which is endorsement enough in my book!”
Lyn chuckled. “I’m pleased to meet you as well. I’ve heard much about you, from a slightly more reliable source.”
“That’s me,” Sain said, and Kent shook his head in exasperation.
“Oi!” Wil yelled. “Look who’s here!”
Matthew had appeared in their midst. “Ah, you’re still alive. Good, good!”
“Where did you go?” Lyn demanded. “Did you set this up?” Her eyes were flashing and her hand was on her sword.
“I swear upon my life, I did not intend to vanish on the verge of battle,” Matthew protested, holding out his hands. “I chose that moment to leave because I thought the road ahead might be clear for a while, actually! Clearly, I was wrong. And I apologize.”
“We could have used you,” she told him reproachfully, and Matthew actually did look properly apologetic. “So what were you doing that was so important that you had to sneak away without telling anyone?”
“I took the time to visit a village nearby, as I’ve been doing on occasion since I joined you, if you didn’t notice. I have a much better picture of what is going on, so if you would like to gather the relevent decision-making parties, I can tell all of you at once.”
Lyn looked around. “We’re all here. Sain! Pay attention, please.”
“Yes, my lady!” Sain stopped whispering to Salir and jumped to attention.
Matthew’s face turned grim. “Word is that Marquess Caelin is very unwell. Apparently he’s been bedridden for months.”
“He wasn’t when we left,” Sain objected. “What sort of illness is it?”
“Poison,” Salir said immediately, not smiling for the first time Ceniro had seen her.
“Precisely,” Matthew said. “No one knows for sure, of course, but it’s what everyone thinks. And guess who moved into Castle Caelin and took control of it as if it were his own shortly after?”
“Let me guess,” Lyn said sarcastically. “Would it be, say, the marquess’s dear younger brother?”
“That would be the person with the name everyone’s too afraid to say, indeed,” Matthew said, nodding. “And any nobles or retainers who might have objected have mysteriously disappeared. Dead, exiled, or imprisoned, no one can say – although we might get more news the closer we get to the castle. But that’s not the worst news.”
“What’s the worst news?” Lyn asked. “What could be worse than learning that my grandfather is deathly ill just when I’ve found out he exists?”
“Apparently, an imposter’s appeared, claiming to be the marquess’s granddaughter and accompanied by a pair of traitorous knights and a band of cutthroat mercenaries. At least, if you believe the rumours.”
Lyn stared. “He- he dares claim I’m an imposter?” They were all staring.
“Oh no, oh no,” Kent’s mother murmured, putting her hands to her head. “How could they say that? My son is the most honourable of all the knights…”
Kent turned to Lyn. “My lady, do you perhaps have anything that might prove your lineage? Anything of your mother’s, perhaps?”
Lyn shook her head slowly, a horrified look appearing in her eyes. “No. My mother brought little to Sacae, and everything was lost the night the Taliver attacked… I have nothing. It’s my word against his, isn’t it?”
“But my lady, you look like your mother,” Sain protested. “All they have to do is look at you-”
“They’d say we found a look-alike,” Kent said heavily.
“And after Marquess Araphen’s cordial response to the colour of my hair, it probably wouldn’t help at all,” Lyn said angrily. “I… I don’t know what to do. I just want to see my grandfather.” She turned to Ceniro. “What do you advise?”
“Me? Um… I… I don’t know either.” Ceniro thought frantically, but he knew almost nothing about the political games the nobles played. When he had done his training, he had done his best to stay away from all that nonsense. Now he regretted not paying attention.
“If you want my opinion,” Matthew said slowly, “you want to make sure that the surrounding cantons don’t help Lundgren. And you know someone who can help with that.”
Lyn blinked hopefully. “Eliwood! Eliwood of Pherae! If we return to Kathelet, we can ask him for help.”
“But do we want to ask him for help?” Wil asked. “I know he offered, and all…”
“It would be best,” Lyn said. “I’m not so proud I’ll refuse help from someone who offered it so selflessly, and… if Lundgren got more soldiers, he could make it far more difficult than it has to be to reach my grandfather in time. Let’s go to Kathelet with all speed.”
“How long did he say he was going to be there?” asked Sain. “A week or two, wasn’t it? Let’s hurry and make sure we catch him before he leaves!”
Lyn nodded and turned to Kent. “Let’s not stay in any villages while we’re in Caelin. Lundgren will surely track us through them, and I wouldn’t want any reprisals to come to the people here.”
“My lady is too selfless,” Kent said. “It’s a good idea, though. And if I might ask a favour… I don’t want my mother to go home alone, especially not when Lundgren might try to use her again. Could she…”
“She can come with us,” Lyn said immediately.
“Is that all right?” Anastasia asked anxiously, pressing her hands to her mouth. “I-I don’t want to be in the way…” She glanced at the fallen soldiers with an unhappy, nauseated look.
“We’ll take care of you,” Lyn said firmly. “You and Salir. We have lots of people in our group who can’t fight. Ceniro, Serra, Nils, Ninian. Just follow Ceniro’s directions and you’ll be fine.”
Kent’s mother bowed low. “I owe you a great debt, my lady.”
“It’s fine,” Lyn said.
“So I get to come along?” Salir said, her eyes sparkling. “With so many cute guys? And I’ll get to see my beloved Sain in action?”
“Absolutely you will,” Sain said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“Right, then, back to Kathelet!” Lyn said, pointing north.