Swords At South Gate Part 2

   The gate’s set at the bottom of twelve narrowing steps so even if the enemy gets in they’ve still got to fight uphill against more numbers. Or would have if wasn’t just us four fools. Carys goes left where the floor puts her at head height with anyone coming through to stab their heads and shoulders as they try to get to Nala.

    Nala’s helm is wonky. She’s too sweaty, so I take it off wipe her brow and set the straps away from the pressure sores and give it a knock to make sure it’s set and she gives me a nod like the end of the world and barks position and I go up on the right further back than what Carys is and get aimed with a jav a second before the first poor Imp ducks inside and takes Carys’s long pointy sword in his armpit.

    The next comes shield up but angled left so my jav skewers his ribs. Third gets rested throat speared by Nala. Axes hack the gate and I jav an Imp pulling the bodies out to make room and he gets pulled out as well but they shove more shields through the door and Carys can’t get her sword through as those axes splinter away a chunk of door and we’re facing two Imps like what Nala is, head to toe in mail and plate. She’s been right though, rams and heatstones could’ve took the whole door off and they still might figure it out, but they’re fixed on the getting the small gap bigger.

    These two last longer; one knocks Carys’s sword aside with the weight of his own blade and she has to step back, the other wards me with his shield ducking up and down so I can’t jav him and his blade shatters Nala’s cheap city spear. As she turns to grab the next she takes a stab, chest.

The plate holds. Carys thrusts over her Imp’s shield and takes his throat out and Nala sticks a spear in her guy’s leg, he staggers back taking it with him. Three spears left.

    Shadows at the slits. “Carys! Window!” My jav hits one. She hops up to take the other and daggers the sod, they must be climbing each other’s shoulders or maybe a ladder. Well we knock ‘em both down and it makes a mess of the ranks on the narrow slope – sweet merciful Lords, the fishers did this every day? – for a second we get a breather long enough to block the slits with tables but they widen the gap and we’re facing three.

    Thank fuck it’s tight and we’re high up or they’d have us. This is the most they can send through. Nala turns her spear long ways and throws it at them, gives her a split second to grab her sword and she’s fending off theirs in high guard, deflect, deflect, deflect, moving left so only two can get her. Carys takes a gather step, lunges for the neck on the third Imp and he catches the blade, pulls her down onto the steps. Somehow no one steps through behind and does for her, she shoves the dagger through his visor and rests him and Nala takes a big step into measure with other two because she’s seen Carys fall so I grab my dagger and jump on one of ‘em; he grabs my hand and I throw the dagger to sinister and rest him in the throat only his hand in the gauntlet closes on mine and I feel the fucking bones grinding together as he goes down and I piss myself fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Draw hand.

    Carys slips on blood and that ridiculous hat flies off her head as she goes down; Nala berserks, drops shield grabs sword two hands on the blade and slams and slams and slams the crossguard into her Imp’s head until clear stuff trickles out his ears and he drops, but not before sticking her through the armpit and getting his sword right in her chest.

    Carys is fine the stupid cow. Nala coughs and red runs down her chin, she staggers back, Carys’s face looks awful and mine must too. Nala falls on the lever for the rock trap and it snaps the wrong way.

    Adina gets there with a grey brown crystal, smashes it again, casts.

    “I call the mountain.”

    Pale as ghosts Nala slides down the wall leaving a streak of blood. Her back arches, she screams, blood swirls around her and goes back into her and the big bright gash in her armpit closes. Big sucking breath, she’s blinking and alright. Good magic, I says. I realise we should be dead.

    I hear it now: thwip, squelch, thud. Rush to the slit. Shift the table.

    It’s only the bloody city boys back on the Lords-blessed walls. Shafts fall on the soaking Imps crowding the harbour but they mostly miss and stop after a few minutes. Another fine mess by King Luminius not keeping supply.

    A creak from behind us. My blood goes cold. Carys, Adina, Nala, at the gate watching walls and harbour.

    Back door’s open.

    “Ware!” I yells, and jump to pull my dagger out of the Imp as the black cloaked men come for us. Five all with mauls, we’re done for, backing away out down the slope when the single biggest armoured motherfucker I ever did see barrels in swinging a two handed warknife long as he’s tall and rests the lot of ‘em in five lightning cuts too fast for a big heavy bastard like what he is. Blood everywhere. He checks they’re dead, flips up his visor.

    “Aw fuck,” says Carys.

    “Fuck, indeed,” says tired Adina, collapsing on the step. To the big motherfucker: “Well, you found me.”

    “Not a moment too soon, my love. Come. We ride for Phorein. Brightlances once more united.” Real proud, beaming behind that stupid curly moustache. Big man.

    “Kinda in the middle of something.” Carys picks up her hat, puts her back to him.

    “Beloved Adina,” the knight says. Then he’s all, irresponsible, betrayal, how could you let her, unthinkable to have women in the field. We’re not in a field.

    “What’s ‘neath your skirt don’t stop folk resting you,” I says. Don’t know why I got brave, if he comes for me with that pig sticker there’s be two half-Scathas.

    Squints at me. Leans back, sword tip at his feet, hand resting on the crossguard. Meant to look relaxed, unthreatening. That’s why they call it fool’s guard. I’m no fool.

    “Can’t prove anything,” I says.

    “You let your daughter keep company with this knave?” He steps towards me. Any closer and I’m definitely scarpering.

    “Daughter?” Carys says, ice her voice. Death in her eyes like the High Queens of Hearthhold.

    He spots Nala. “And a renegade. Oath-breaking scum. That settles it – you’ll come, or I’ll put your companions to the justice of my sword.”

    “Master Albrecht. If the Brightlance name still means anything… we are needed. You are needed.” Nala stands up. “Treachery. But for us Beacon would be Empire’s, and spring would see their armies in the tablelands. The guards here, killed by those assassins you just dealt with.  I’m assuming a warrior of your calibre noticed their angle of attack. You trained me. Would I let myself be flanked?”

    His forehead does that crinkly thing like he’s thinking deep.

    Nala goes on: “Lend us your honour guard. Lend us your blade. We’ve held this long. With the wall took back…” She doesn’t say maybe we can win because I know she doesn’t believe it but bless her for trying. For a second he even looks like agreeing. But the thoughts slam shut across his face like a portcullis. Duty honour courage useless things.

    “My honour guard ride to secure the palace, and will investigate this supposed ‘treachery’. But my wife and daughter are coming with me. I will allow you a stay of execution for redeeming yourself here. My oath forbids otherwise.”

    Carys goes into guard, feet lined up for a gathering step. “I’ll die first.”

    Adina surprises me. “We’re not going, Albrecht. You know how she is. Maybe if you hadn’t stolen her off to the Greenflame Fortress I could’ve had some influence with her. Kinship beyond blood. But no. Spilling your seed in a Collegium Mage. Was shame why you made her hate both of us? You for taking her, and me for whatever twisted little lie you wormed into her ears for why I never came to see her? You call me wife! You let me suffer in that camp outside the walls for twenty years, you bastard. So shove your pox-riddled oath up your stinking woman-hating arse and leave us to the Imperials. Better the kindness of their swords than your twisted sense of honour.”

    Two months and she’s never gone off like that. Sharp and snappy sure just like her… daughter? Niece? But she’s red and venting set to bloodcast against him but Carys breaks the threat by laughing. It’s not a laugh like what you ever want to hear. Short donkey brays and her eyes glazed.

    “Told myself so many stories. Off fighting dragons at world’s end, learning the secrets of the elders in far-off temples. That’s what I used to think. Why you’d never come and seen Pa when he’s your brother. You were a Brightlance sure, got the cheekbones and those grey eyes.” turns to Albrecht. “Well Pa, here’s another story I call fuck you. Fuck you for doing that to me. Fuck you for making her lie.”

    “Such foul language speaks of hysteria.”

    “Too right,” Carys says, and her eyes size him up toe to head. “You ain’t taking us nowhere.”

    “You’re being unreasonable. If you’re hellbent on staying I’ll be back here with my guard in a quarter bell and we’ll see who’s going where.”

    He backs out the whole way keeping guard against his own daughter. What a guy.

    Carys and Adina just look at each other. Nala creaks over to ‘em and puts her hand on Adina’s shoulder and shoves her into a hug. They’re crying the pair of ‘em and I nearly go too only in my case its my draw hand throbbing.

    The moment’s had plenty. “Any more of them crystals Ad?” They’ve hugged Nala at this point and I back off so they don’t grab me in with it. Bloody women and their feelings. I don’t feel nothin.

    “Another few minutes,” she says, settling her robes back neat on her shoulders. “Earthrepair’s a difficult spell.”

    “Ta.”

    From the slope a huffing. Air gets hot fast.

    “Scarper!”

    We race up the steps across the gatehouse out the back door into the city as a ball of fire whooshes in behind us.

    Flames curl out of the slits.

    “Drake?”

    “Empire’s favourite toy.” For a second I feel sad for the big lizard stuffed in a stinking ship hold, fed dried scraps and carted across the ocean. Then I think, it’s trying to kill me.

    Slow moving though. They’ll be behind it, and it can’t breath fire that fast. I’m proud they’ve seen us as enough threat to waste a big beast like this on us – that said it’s the only way into Beacon without a long climb right now.

    “Rock trap,” I says.

    “Lever’s broke,” Carys says.

    “We’ll have to trigger it some other way,” Adina says.

    Nala says, “Look at this, guys.”

    Albrecht’s left his horse. Makes sense. Nobody’s all bad all good. All sort of grey to my mind. Empire’s invading, bad, but their land don’t grow much crops and King Luminius stopped trade, bad, but he’s a good king, keeps his people sheltered –

-it clicks in my head.

“Didn’t want to step down.”

“King Luminius? You don’t think-“ Adina stops. “We’ll discuss this if we live.”

Nala walks round the horse stroking the mane and twiddling its ears and testing the fit of its plate. From the saddlebags she unstraps a crossbow and throws it my way. I’m shit with crossbows. This one’s real nice though. Black steel. Crank-loaded so I can put quarrels in dexeter, Might hit something, might not, I take a big stack of reloads.

“Scatha. Shall we take a look at your-“

Huffing. A scaled wedge head appears in the ripped-open sally port. We scatter across the courtyard, Nala leading the horse.

“We can’t possibly defeat such a creature,” Adina says, and from her robes comes a blue crystal. “I call the ocean!”

A ball of water swirls up in front of her and gets bigger, dark green tides surging and crests of foam spot white around the edges. The ball shoots across the courtyard through the gatehouse hits the drake, sticks fast. It shakes it head and claws at the water but can’t shift it.

“Sorry Scatha,” Adina murmurs, falling to her knees.

“Needed doing,” I says.

Imps climb past it twanging their bows.

I fire the crossbow. It doesn’t speak but shouts. Didn’t notice it puts out eight shafts at once. Stop to reload but they don’t come. I’ve hit nothing. This is a terror weapon. I hate it but we have time to plan.