Chapter 6: The Price of Hunger     Chapter 8: The Cost of an Amethyst

 

Chapter 7: Siege of Castle Wrigley

 

Louise fretted slightly as she waited for her husband to call at his usual time. She would have paced if it were in her nature, but it was not, and Erk was in the next room over, studying his books, and she didn’t want to disturb him. She had already been for a ride and a session of archery, and she had tried reading, but gave up in exasperation as the pages seemed to carry her husband’s face instead of words.

It had been five days since he had called to say that he had found the stone. Since then, his communications had been brief; saying only that they had fought a pack of bandits, or that they had passed through such-and-such a village… He and his group were making excellent time back to Reglay with all speed. They had gotten back out the mountains and the snow on the second day. And every look he gave her spoke volumes of his concern and love for her. They had been apart too long, and Louise wanted him back dearly even if Lesil had never come to afflict her.

She had received a visit from an old friend, which had cheered her immensely, but the friend had only been able to stay one night before she left for Lycia. Still, she had made the best of it, the two of them exerting themselves happily and with vigour in the kitchen alongside the cook that evening and the next morning.

But now she was in her room in Castle Wrigley with Erk studying, and the servants busy, and Yens and his fellow guards, though helpful, respectful, and polite, rather intimidating as well. All except for Yens, who could talk a mile a minute when he got going, and his charming and humble humour helped her through a few dark hours; his memories of past quests or his stories of his wife and children were very engaging – for a short while. Yet she couldn’t help but feel as if something were hanging over her, ominously, in a way that had not been there when Pent first left on his quest. So all she could do was twist her hair and wriggle her toes in impatience, noble bearing be dratted.

Finally, Erk came into the room with the staff. “Hello, Lady Louise!”

She smiled brightly at him. “Hello, Erk. Are we ready?”

Erk smiled as much as he ever did, which was slightly. “Yes, I believe so. Here he is now.”

Pent’s striking face appeared in the cloud over the little staff, also smiling. “Hello, Louise, Erk! How are you all?”

“We are fine, I believe,” Erk replied, and Louise bobbed her head. “We still miss you greatly.”

“As do I. Still, we shall be reunited soon. Tomorrow, in fact. We are within Reglay’s borders! We didn’t see any enemies today, only ordinary travelers. I’m rather surprised. I would have thought that certain lords would try harder and harder to stop us as we came closer and closer to home.”

“Well, I can only thank Saint Elimine that you haven’t,” Louise said. “What would I do if you got hurt away from me in the very place we call home?”

Pent bowed his head. “Of course.” He lowered his voice a little. “Ceniro is still greatly cut up over the thing with Rhost, and the part where several of us are only breathing thanks to the Jewel. He tries to hide it, and I mended his farseer, but it’s there. The others are all in good spirits, but when we get in, we will need to arrange some cheering up for him, all right?”

Louise clapped her hands. “That sounds lovely, like something you should all do anyway, after all that time under such strain.”

Pent laughed a little. “At least I haven’t had to be looking after Reglay’s affairs while I’m away. I rather prefer this strain to the other.”

Erk wrinkled his brow as he tried to imagine comparing the two duties, and failed. Pent laughed again.

“Anyway, we’re camped for the night about five hours away, so we’ll be home for lunch tomorr-“

“What’s that?” Erk asked, looking towards the door. Someone was approaching with heavy footsteps. Someone knocked boomingly on the door to Louise’s room.

Erk sprang up and opened it, leaving Louise holding the staff.

Yens stood in the door, breathing a little heavily in all his armour. “Sorry to bother you, milady, Master Erk, but there are armed men approaching the castle from the north. An army, about a hundred and fifty strong, mostly cavaliers and armour knights. I believe they are going to attack us.”

Louise’s good cheer vanished. “Truly?”

“If they were just passing through, they would take the highway,” Yens pointed out reasonably in his Bernese-Sacaean accent. “They bear no emblem, but they are extremely well equipped and they are heading straight here. They’ll be at the gates in twenty minutes….Oh, Lord Pent.” He saw Pent’s hovering head and bowed.

“Not a battle,” Erk mumbled. “They’re so bothersome.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Pent said. “I’ll rouse everyone here. We’ll be there soon enough. Can you hold out?”

“Yes,” Louise said firmly, standing, hiding her sudden panic. “We shall await your arrival. Don’t arrive too weary to fight!”

Pent smiled reassuringly. “That we shall not, dear wife. I’ll contact you soon to see if there are any changes. Live in hope!”

 

Ceniro had only just lain down in the tent he shared with Pent when he heard two handclaps, and Pent’s voice calling sharply: “Everyone up! We have an emergency!”

“What is it, sir?” George was first to ask, crawling out of the tent he shared with Cavven.

“Castle Wrigley may be under attack by a hundred and fifty well-armed forces unknown,” Pent announced. “I want us to get there as soon as possible and in good enough condition to assist.” Seeing the anticipatory exhaustion on several faces, he added: “And if it’s a false alarm, we can always sleep in real beds tonight.”

“Well, let’s get moving, then!” Ceniro cried, waving. “Pent, Andy, Frank, Fiora, Priscilla, you can go on ahead on the horses. Ummm… if we dump our tents and other supplies here we can probably put someone on the pack-horse as well. …George, you get to go on ahead with the others. The rest of us will foot it as best we can. Deis soldiers, you can stand down. There’s no reason for you to fight.”

“What about you?” George asked, saddling the pack-horse.

“…I’m not a very good rider,” Ceniro said, turning pink. “I’m just going to do the best I can with the farseer.” George nodded understandingly.

“What about us, sir?” asked the captain of the Deis troops, Phil. “We know it’s not our place to defend Reglay, and we have to get home to Deis, but we’re not comfortable just letting you go on and fight all by yourselves so vastly outnumbered.” Ceniro’s ears burned more intensely, though he knew that the soldier meant no reference to the time that they had outnumbered and brought down several of Pent’s group.

“…Always glad of the help,” Ceniro said. “If you’re sure. Cavaliers, go ahead with Pent and the others. Don’t get stuck in the middle of melees, and stay away from the armour knights unless you’re certain you can pierce their armour effectively. And thank you, thank you so very much.” The five Deis soldiers who had horses mounted and moved up.

“All right,” Pent said, mounting Rhost’s horse. “I’m going to call Wrigley in half an hour and see if anything’s changed. I’ll let you know the instant anything comes up.”

“Thank you,” Ceniro said seriously as the six riders and their escort set off swiftly down the road.

 

Louise rang for the steward and told him in her quick, soft way what was going to happen. Her steward, entirely used to seeing his mistress dressed for action with her pale ash bow in her hand and knowing of all that went on in the imperturbable mysterious way of his station, showed no surprise, but Louise could see an echoing panic to her own in his eyes.

“Milady, this is not a very defensible structure. The outer walls of the ancient keep are still there, but we don’t have enough guards to defend them, and besides the south tower, there is nothing left of the original structure. I would advise you to flee, not fight alongside us.”

“I know what you would have me do,” Louise answered in a small voice, “especially if the attacker is who I think he is, but I must stay and protect Lord Pent’s home. He is coming, and if he arrives in the midst of battle, I must be there to guard him.”

“I will try and think of how Ceniro would proceed in this situation,” Erk said, entering with a small stack of spellbooks in his hands. “Yens and I will do our best to assist you, Lady Louise.”

“Thank you, Erk,” Louise smiled at him.

Jerome, the head footman, knocked and entered, wearing his armour uncomfortably. “Milady, the approaching force has sent a horse-mounted messenger ahead to our gates. What shall we do?”

“Don’t let him in. I will talk to him through the gate. Erk, Yens, I’m counting on you!” Louise rushed out of the room in a whirl of pink and gold.

Erk looked at Yens, nervous. The older man nodded and led the way after his mistress.

Louise stood as tall as she could, which was only 5’4”, and stared at the ‘messenger’ on the other side of the wrought iron gate. “Lord Lesil!”

Lesil bowed, a strange look on his face. “Louise, I am glad you are well. I have grave news. Won’t you let me in?”

“Lord Lesil, I m-must demand an explanation for the armed troops approaching. Wh-why…”

“Oh, poor lovely Louise. It’s nothing to concern yourself so much about. I just heard that certain lords have been mustering forces, intending to take Castle Wrigley and use it as a bargaining chip to force Lord Pent to give up the jewel he has recovered.”

“Uh-huh…” Louise nodded doubtfully. “Are you not one-“

“But I learned just today that Lord Pent has already been attacked and… slain. By persons unknown, as yet, but the fact remains that you are in grave danger for no reason. Let me protect you. Let me in!”

His words did not have the effect he intended, for instead of gasping with shock and horror, and her big grey eyes perhaps filling with tears, Louise just looked confused. “Lord Lesil, there must be some mistake. I spoke with Lord Pent not ten minutes ago by contact staff. He is perfectly well. And I am perfectly able to defend myself, Lord Lesil. Therefore, I thank you for your kind words, but I do not wish to let in any armed forces at this time, not even yours.”

“But Lord Pent…” Lesil paused, then went on smoothly. “I was told five minutes ago that he was just attacked. And I still wish to protect you from the other armies.”

Louise frowned disbelievingly. “How could you learn so quickly of such a thing?”

“Louise,” Lesil said, pressing up against the gate as close as he could, “I must admit that it is not your disinterested safety that I am concerned for. I have loved you long, and I wish to save you from the perils ahead. Please, if you will not let us in to protect Castle Wrigley, then come with me to safety and let the Reglay guards protect it.”

Louise drew herself up again and contorted her face into the best approximation of a furious glare she could muster. “Lord Lesil, you have gone too far. I am faithful to Lord Pent with all my heart. Even if your words are true, and I greatly doubt that they are, even if he had fallen, I should not want another husband, for Lord Pent is my love and my joy. Now be gone, you and your army! Reglay shall protect itself.”

Lesil leapt on his horse, his own face twisted in anger. “So that’s how you want it, do you, my little countess? Very well. We shall see how long you defend yourself! Not long enough for your precious husband to come to your rescue, ha!”

Louise clenched her hands as Lesil rode away. She whirled and went to find Erk.

“Erk! Erk, dear, where are you?”

“Lady Louise! I’m right here.” Louise looked up to see Erk on top of the wall. He quickly ran down the stairs. “Yens thinks we should station ourselves on top of the wall for now. Groups of five, and pairs in the back to make sure they don’t try flanking us. They don’t seem to have ladders, but I’m sure a few of them can climb.”

“That sounds fine, Erk. Did you see who that was?”

“It was Lord Lesil. Obviously he has made you very angry, milady. What did he say to you?”

Louise tossed her head. “He tried to tell me Lord Pent was dead, and to get me to come away with him. As if!”

Her adoptive son had to smile. “His quest is hopeless. We shall defend you to the last.”

Soldiers were racing around the estate. Jerome and the other male servants were hovering anxiously in the door of the manor. The maid-servants, Louise supposed, were hiding upstairs in their rooms.

“You can stay there,” Louise called to them. “You’re servants, not fighters, so just wait and be reserves, I think the word is. We’ll hold them back!”

“But, milady,” the steward called.

“No buts,” Louise said firmly. “I will be careful! And they won’t want to hurt me, if Lesil wants me,” she added to herself as she turned away.

“Wait, milady! This contact staff is shaking!”

Louise and Erk ran back to the steward with the staff. It was easier to answer a contact staff than to call with it, so Erk had no trouble activating it.

It was Pent. “How is it going?”

“It’s Lesil,” said Louise. “He tried to tell me you were dead, but I told him you were not and that Reglay would defend itself. Now he is about to attack.”

“Understood,” Pent said. “We’re on our way, eleven of us on horses. Not many, but it will help.”

“It will!” Louise said. “Oh, we must go. Fare well!”

“And you too!”

The forty Reglay soldiers split into three main groups: the largest guarding the front gate, a smaller one guarding the back door, and another at the northern side door.

“He’ll probably think he’s being terribly sneaky if he tries to get in through the side door,” Yens said. “I am wondering how he ever thinks he will make it through the gates, although of course we can only do our best to keep them away. You know? It is best to think simply; that way when things get complicated you can still deal with them.” And he rambled like that for a few minutes, which made Louise smile gratefully. Other soldiers, in pairs, spread out across the wall to stop anyone from just climbing up.

The enemy forces were within bowshot already, but they only had a limited number of arrows, so no one tried to shoot just yet.

No one except Louise. Her aim was true, even at the great distance, and three horsemen fell with arrows in uncomfortable places before the enemy grew close enough that others could start shooting. Then dozens of arrows came zipping out at the attackers. More fell, but not enough.

A guard came from the north wall. “All is still quiet, sir! Do you wish us to send our archers over here?”

Yens thought for a moment, chewing Nabatan yerba mate as he did when he was nervous. “Master Erk, I think we should bring the other archers over. Would your tactician friend agree?”

Erk looked up from crouching over his fire tome. “Yes, I think so. Provided that enough stay that they can withstand a sudden onslaught in time that we can aid them.”

Yens nodded at the soldier, who saluted and ran off.

The enemy was very close now. A few of them with bows began to shoot back, and one Reglay soldier was unlucky and went down, an arrow in his eye. Lesil himself was shooting.

Then at last they were close enough that Erk stood up, his purple hair tossing in the slight breeze, and waved his hands. White and green light swirled around his hands, and large fireballs went searing out at the attacking army. Some missed, but the enemy soldiers looked nervous.

Louise gave Erk a look with large surprised eyes. “Erk, dear, that’s amazing! If you keep that up, we’ll win for sure! How is it that you can do that so easily?”

Erk smiled a grim smile. “I’ve been applying my studies. I can’t keep it up forever, but I’ll keep it up long enough! FIRE!”

Lesil, recalculating, pulled his army back into the field across the road while he reconsidered his attack. Twenty minutes passed before they moved forward again.

A column of armour knights fell to Erk’s spells, one after another. Lesil pulled them back, out of range of the young mage and the sniper, and sent some fast cavaliers and axe-fighters to attack the gate. A couple fell under the increased arrow barrage, but enough remained to hack away at the heavy lock on the gate. Louise regretted very much that their gate was only wrought iron bars, nearly decorative, suitable for keeping burglars out and not much else. The gate had been updated along with the rest of the manor, and so it was not the heavy wood and steel of older times. She made a mental note to tell Lord Pent and the steward to change it back.

A bolt of lightning and thunder crashed down on one cavalier attacking the gate with his sword, but the others scattered momentarily. They began darting back and forth, making a single attack on the gate and then diving into slight cover in the ditch beside the road. Several sallies were made over the course of an hour, with Lesil apparently content to sit back and wait for the inevitable. It was unbelievable, thought Louise, the extent of his arrogance, all the while counting down the minutes until her husband should appear along the road and turn the tide of battle decisively with the aid of his tactician.

The lock of the gate broke with a clang, though so did the attacking soldier’s axe.

“Back!” cried Yens. “We have no cover up here. Archers into the house! Open windows and fire through them. Infantry form a wall in front of Lady Louise and Master Erk. Go!”

Erk and Louise stood on either side of the double doors while archers rushed past them. Yens and the other melee fighters took up positions just in front of them. Some were partly shielded by the portico pillars.

“They shan’t set foot inside the house,” Erk said to Louise; she nodded with determination. “But you must also stay safe from Lord Lesil.” She had no time to reply.

The enemy cavalry let them run to the house while they lined up just inside the gate, and then charged all at once at the wall of lances and swords ready for them. They never got there. A massive wall of fire blazed up before them, an impressive though rather uncontrolled display of magic power. It lasted for a few seconds, scorching the front rank of cavalry, and then sputtered and died. The second rank of cavalry approached cautiously, and the Reglay soldiers were not swept away by their charge.

Erk waved his arms again, tired to the point his eyes would hardly stay open. A guttering flame made a ‘poof’ noise around one lance-wielding soldier and faded again, and Erk toppled over on his face, barely breathing.

“Erk?” Louise cried. “Erk?!”

She heard him mutter, “I am… the student… of Lord Pent… Must… continue…”

The soldiers were closing in. Louise glanced back at the door. It was open, but it was much too far away for her to drag Erk there in time. The other Reglay soldiers were all engaged with enemies and were too far away to help. She had no choice in her mind but to stand beside his unconscious body and protect him with her bow. Soldier after soldier went down, and arrow after arrow left her quiver.

Lesil rode up. “Well, well, my pretty countess, it looks like you’ve lost.”

Louise aimed at his face with her second-to-last arrow. “Never!”

“You’ll never shoot me, that’s for sure,” Lesil said, smirking. “I know you, Countess, and you’re far too weak to hurt anyone you actually know. Come with me, now!”

He rode forward, while Louise hesitated, and snatched her up to his saddle, knocking the bow out of her hands. Louise screeched and tried to slap him. Lesil pinned her arms to her sides and rode away north at high speed, the rest of his cavaliers following him, disengaging from the Reglay guards. Erk had already taken down most of the armour knights, but those that remained tried to follow Lesil as well.

A shout came from down the road to the south, and a bolt of thunder arced down from the sky and tore through most of the last armour knights.

Yens ran to the wall. “It’s Lord Pent! He’s arrived! Just moments too late… Lord Pent!”

“Yens! I saw Louise – I must go after her!”

“Just one moment, my lord! Master Erk is down and isn’t responding. Please tell me what to do!”

“Just wait there, Yens!” Pent put out a hand to his lancer. “I’ll be right there. Just two seconds.”

“But…” said Ceniro, miles away.

“Ceniro, it could be his life.” He turned from Lesil’s path and rode through the broken gates. The other soldiers followed him, except for Fiora, holding her position in the air, floating back and forth.

“Erk!” Pent leapt down from his horse next to his prone student. “Erk, get a hold of yourself!”

“I don’t think he can hear us, sir,” Yens answered, pulling away from Priscilla’s professional-healer grip on his arm, his injuries partly cured. She sighed and trotted after him, waving her heal staff. “His eyes are open, but it’s like he’s asleep. Did he expend too much magic? It was pretty amazing what he did, sir. He took down most of the enemies who fell here, the ones that Lady Louise took down herself. I’m honoured to have fought beside both of them. I think people will think twice about attacking Castle Wrigley after this!”

“I have no choice…” Pent muttered to himself, before closing his eyes and putting both hands on Erk’s shoulders. After a moment, the young mage mumbled and blinked, looking up with aware eyes at last.

“How do you feel?” Pent asked anxiously. “Numb? Stiff? Sore throat?”

Erk sat up, swayed, shook his head hard, and then climbed up nimbly. “Uhhh, no, master. I feel fine. Wait…” He frowned. “You- you gave me some of your magic power, didn’t you, master? Why would you do that, when you need it more than I?”

Pent shook his head and stood beside his pupil. “Erk, I’ve told you before, if you use up all the magic power in your body, you could die! Were you not listening?”

“How come no one ever told me about this?” asked the tactician, still miles away, making an indignant face as he and the other foot soldiers marched rapidly through the dusk.

“And…” continued Pent, pointing to a long black burnt line in the ground, halfway between the door and the gate, “what have I told you about using Elfire? You’re barely ready to practice that spell, let alone use it in combat.”

Erk looked down, chastened. “I am sorry, master. There were too many enemies.”

Pent smiled. “Don’t make that face. You did brilliantly, and I’m very proud of you. I’m only scolding on principle; I understand there was really very little else you could have done.”

Erk’s expression lightened a little bit. “I… will be more careful in the future, master. But Lady Louise! We must go after her!”

“No, you don’t,” said his teacher and adoptive father. “You are going straight to bed. I will rescue Lady Louise. You have done valiantly already. Rest, now.”

Erk nodded reluctantly and went inside.

“Now, after Louise!” Pent cried, remounting, grabbing Louise’s bow and an extra quiver a guard held out to him. “Ceniro, can you still hear me? Good. We’re going.”

 

Chapter 6: The Price of Hunger     Chapter 8: The Cost of an Amethyst