steep and the forest dense. She glanced back, the Knight chasing her dropped quickly from his mount to retrieve his kali, but then his eyes were on her again. He caught her eye and smiled with anticipation. Behind and far below him, na Gall could see the battle still raging all along the road.
She turned back and concentrated on finding a way through the forest.
“I’m coming for you girlie!” The Knight yelled from below, but this time na Gall ignored him and just kept pushing her way up the hill.
“If you slow down I’ll make it quick. I might even give you something before the end,” the Knight promised, but na Gall was far from tempted.
Everything was quiet, almost peaceful in the woods except for the muffled clang of metal and shouts of the wounded and dying coming from below.
“I’m gaining girlie,” the Knight reported and indeed his voice seemed to be much closer, but still na Gall resisted the urge glance back, instead she veered left and happened across a small meadow. She immediately spurred her mount into a gallop. She crossed the clearing quickly…too quickly but once she was in the cover of the trees again she veered due south and descended into a shallow ravine. She could not hear any signs of pursuit and the Knight did not speak out. She risked a glance back but did not see him on the hill above, so when she reached the bottom she pulled the horse to a stop and began to weave her hands through the twenty-nine steps.
“Ah, there you are. I’m going to slice your teats off girlie,” the Knight yelled from above, but na Gall did not open her eyes. She was half way through the connection, trying desperately to concentrate and attempting to ignore the sound of the man’s descent. She continued to work; eyes closed until finally she projected and flew back past him, noting that he was closing on her body fast. She would have liked to Travel all the way to Lonogan and the army but knew she did not have the time, so on the far side of the hill she stopped, called on the vortex and felt her two halves pull at one another. The bridge opened in front of her and she opened her eyes just as the Knight drew his kali. She threw herself off the horse and away from the sword which scraped along her shoulder cutting away her leather jerkin and a hunk of flesh. She hit the ground, her fall cushioned by a mass of leaves, and rolled quickly to her feet as the Knight jockeyed his horse to come after her.
Without pausing she ran to the front of her horse, gripped the bridle and turned the beast to block the path of the Knight so determined to kill her. For a moment it worked and the Knight’s mount was stopped short by her horse, keeping the man well out of arm’s reach.
“Asshole!” She yelled then turned and jumped through the bridge, a kali came with her, missing again but actually flying through a bit of her hair. She landed and rolled, closing the bridge instantly. She stood on shaky legs, very thankful that the Knight’s throwing arm was less than accurate. She picked up the short sword, though what she would do with it was beyond her. Still, just holding it made her feel better. She moved through the quiet forest and though she was not very far from the road or from the Knight who’d chased her, she could only dimly hear the battle as it raged in the distance. She tucked the kali into her belt and then began the weave that would take her to the army…take her to Lonogan Bock.
?
Traveler Jess na Gall appeared suddenly just to the right of Lonogan Bock and from her expression Gwaynn could tell that the battle in the hills north of Claymont was going very wrong.
“N’dori?” He asked, coaxing Eve closer to the stricken woman. “Did N’dori get word to you in time?” He asked, but he felt as if he already knew the answer and when na Gall shook her head his fears were confirmed.
“I never saw her…” na Gall stammered as Lonogan dismounted and embraced her. na Gall however, kept her eyes on Gwaynn. “The Knights came at us from all sides. I checked on their location twice after we were off the Plateau…we eliminated their scouts. It had to be just good fortune on their side,” she tried to explain, talking in a rush, and then was suddenly leaning heavily on Lonogan. He sent an aide for food.
“Do you need to sit?” Bock asked…all tenderness. na Gall would have smiled at his concern if the situation was not so desperate.
“There must have been scouts that eluded detection,” Gwaynn replied turning his eyes toward the far off hills, of course from his location he could see and hear nothing. “I projected myself and found them just before the attack. They were waiting for you.”
“Should we move the army…try to support the cavalry?” Monde asked feeling very guilty about her reluctance to project just one more time. If she had searched the far hills instead of Gwaynn she could have given a warning; she had the ability to create a Speaker bubble.
“No.” Gwaynn, Lonogan and Captain Marcum all replied at the very same time. They glanced at one another and Gwaynn could not help but feel a small amount of relief. They were all of the same mind. Gaston and the cavalry would have to look after themselves.
“We’d never make it in time,” Gwaynn said softly, understanding the look of panic in the older woman’s eyes. “It’s not your fault. We’ll wait here; the Knights will come to us…perhaps even more overconfident.”
An aide appeared, bringing seasoned meat, hard cheese and a bag of dried apples, Monde pulled herself from the saddle of her small gray horse and went to na Gall. She checked her wounded arm. Though it looked bad and there was a lot of blood on her clothes, the wound was superficial and was no longer bleeding. na Gall grimaced, feeling pain for the first time but said nothing. Both Travelers began to eat, wanting to gain as much strength as possible. After fifteen long minutes of continuous consumption, Monde finally decided she was strong enough.
“I will go,” she spoke moving to Gwaynn’s side and looking up at the still mounted young King. “I will see how they fared.”
Gwaynn nodded and smiled once more. He was hoping one of the Travelers would volunteer, or that N’dori would return with news. N’dori however, did not reappear. Gwaynn climbed from his horse and stood close to the High Zarina. He could feel her weakness but also her determination. But his need for news far outweighed his concern that she would be unable to protect herself once the main battle began. With luck the Knights would not come down and face them until the following morning, giving both Travelers a night to recoup. Gwaynn hoped so, he had the distinct feeling they would need them before end.
Within a minute Monde projected from her body and was streaking across the plains to the hills beyond. As spirit, she did not need to breathe but like nearly all Travelers her projection still went through the motions of drawing air into her lungs and expelling it out once more. She did this not from need, rather from sheer instinct and habit, but as she neared the battlefield she was unaware that she was holding her breath. Monde moved quickly, forcing herself along, very afraid of what she would find. Most of the fighting was now over although there were still small pockets of activity. The dead were everywhere, strewn about all over the road and scattered throughout the trees. The battle was decisive. Except for the rapidly shrinking knots of Massi cavalry still fighting, the only people she saw alive in the area were Temple Knights. It was as she feared; it was worse than she feared. She performed a quick search of the area, looking for Captain Gaston and the Solitary N’dori. Her search was unsuccessful, but there were many corpses lying face down, several with head wounds so severe that it made identification impossible and there were a few bodies that were missing heads altogether.
Nevertheless she searched as long as she was able then she rose straight up into the sky and surveyed a larger area. She immediately spotted a group of cavalry gathering near the edge of a wood line southeast of the battle. She moved in the direction and was gratified to see that the men were Massi. She moved among them, trying to count or at least get a rough estimate of their numbers. She spotted Captain Kerr among the living, but still could not locate Gaston. She rose straight up again and made another quick inspection of the area, hoping to spot additional stragglers but was unsuccessful. The need to return to her body was by now growing unbearable, so she dashed back before her strength completely left her.
She collapsed as she reunited with her body and was surprised by the sheer exhaustion which engulfed her. Gwaynn and na Gall helped her down so she could sit in the tall grass of the field. They looked at her expectantly as she tried to catch her breath, because naturally her body was holding it in as well. na Gall held out a few dried apples and Monde took them, but before she placed them in her mouth she looked at Gwaynn.
“It’s bad,” she reported barely above a whisper. “But some have escaped to the south.”
“How many?”
“It’s hard to say, they were all moving, but I would guess about five hundred…Captain Kerr is with them.”
