“You will come with us,” the soldier ordered Chyfe.
From where Riyan stood, it didn’t look as if Chyfe planned to acquiesce to the soldier’s demand. Removing his sling from where it hung at his belt, he picked up a rock and readied it.
“Don’t let any get away,” Bart told Riyan. Then to Haran, “Shall we milord?”
Haran nodded. “Yes.” They moved out from the stand of trees.
“I’m afraid I can’t come with you just now,” Chyfe was saying. Hearing the approach of his friends coming to his aid, he added, “In fact, I would advise you to lay your swords down and surrender.”
The five soldiers watched as seven tribesmen along with Bart, Chad, and Riyan emerged from the trees behind Chyfe. Still wearing clothes stained with blood from the previous fight, they were a grisly sight. “Flee and you die,” Bart announced.
Outnumbered against an obviously hostile force, the five soldiers turned and fled back down the river.
Chyfe leaped forward and drove his blade through the back of one man. Ripping his sword free, he raced in pursuit of the others. Two steps into his pursuit, he felt more than heard Riyan’s slung bullet fly within inches of his ear and strike the fleeing soldier in front of him. Cracking him in the back of the head, the stone felled the man. Leaping, Chyfe vaulted over him as he collapsed and raced after the remaining three.
“Attack!” one man yelled just as a knife sailed through the air and sank its blade into his right shoulder. The blow caused him to falter just enough for Chyfe to overtake him and cleave his side with a powerful two handed blow. Nearly cutting the man in half, Chyfe raced on after the remaining two.
“Help!” “Attack!” The two soldiers cried for help as they fled with all their might.
Another of Riyan’s stones dropped one. Chyfe lifted his sword over his head with both hands and gave out with a powerful grunt as he hurled it toward the remaining man. End over end the sword flew before striking true and impaling him through the spine, killing him before he hit the ground.
Chyfe came to the man and as he pulled his sword free, noticed men emerging from the woods and racing along the stream toward them. A score or more soldiers bearing Duke Alric’s crest were rushing forward with swords drawn. About that time, Haran and the others reached him.
Chyfe made to move forward and sell his life dearly when Haran placed his hand on Chyfe’s shoulder. “No,” he said. Stepping past Chyfe, he said, “See to your magic user. We may need him shortly.” Then without waiting for a reply, Haran stepped forward toward the oncoming men. On his left walked Lord Hurrin with two of his five men, while the other three were on his right.
Bart came up behind Chyfe and said, “Go get Kevik.”
“But he’s barely conscious,” he argued.
“Just do it!” Bart said.
As Chyfe took off back down toward where they left Kevik and the twins, he heard Haran shout toward the approaching men in his most regal, and commanding voice, “What is the meaning of this attack?”
The complete unexpectedness and boldness of it caused the men racing to kill them to slow and then stop.
Haran, with all the pride and bearing of his House, stared the men down. “I asked you a question!” he demanded. “Who among you would care to answer?”
Damn, thought Chyfe, he’s got a lot of moxie! Racing back down the stream, he reached the stand of trees wherein they had left Kevik.
“Kevik!” he hollered as he hurried closer. When no answer was forthcoming, he hollered, “Soth!” Still no reply. Quickening his speed and fearing the worse, he drew his sword and crashed through the outer layer of branches and bushes. “Kevik!” he hollered again, but when he came to the interior of the stand, he found it completely empty but for Kevik’s stretcher. Kevik and the twins were gone.
From their hiding place within the trees, Seth and Soth were watching their friends battling the five soldiers. “Good one Riyan,” Seth said when Riyan’s bullet dropped a man.
“What’s going on?”
They glanced back and saw Kevik propped up on one elbow looking at them. “Soldiers from Quillim,” explained Seth. “But don’t worry, Chyfe and Riyan are handling the situation.”
“That’s good,” he said.
Seth turned back to watch the unfolding battle while Soth came to the magic user’s side. “How do you feel?” he asked.
“A bit weak,” he replied. “But better.”
Soth nodded. Most of the burns had now healed over and the scar tissue was beginning to disappear. Pretty soon, the only evidence of the toasting Kevik took would be his lack of hair and the tattered remnants of his robe.
“Uh-oh,” Seth said.
“What?” asked his brother.
Seth turned to them and said, “They took out the five soldiers. But now there are more pouring out of the trees.”
“How many?” Kevik asked.
“A lot,” he replied. “A score, maybe more.”
Soth went to stand next to his brother. “They’re outnumbered,” he said.
Beside him, Seth nodded. Then he suddenly turned to Kevik and said, “Wait a minute! Isn’t your spell still binding the rest of the Haran’s men?”
Kevik shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe,” he replied.
“If it was, you could dispel it,” said Soth. “That would give us more men.”
He glanced to the brothers a moment then replied, “I can’t do it from here. I would need to be much closer, within visual range.”
Seth glanced back to the two converging sides and saw that Riyan’s group had come to a stop. The group of soldiers was slowing, almost as if they were coming to parlay. “Good,” he said as he turned to the other two, “it looks like they plan to talk.”
“That would afford us time to get you there and free the men,” Soth observed.
“Hand me my staff,” Kevik said to Seth. Then he grabbed hold of the healing gem and placed it in his undamaged pouch. With Soth’s help he made it to his feet, then leaned heavily upon his staff when Seth handed it to him. “Let’s go,” he said and began shambling toward the back of the copse. Though outwardly it looked as if he was pretty much healed, he was still in a lot of pain and consciousness remained a fragile thing.
Seth was quick to notice how slow Kevik was moving. At this rate, the impending battle would be over before they made it very far. So giving his brother a knowing look, they came to either side of Kevik and lifted him off the ground.
“What are you doing?” Kevik asked as the twins began carrying him quickly through the trees.
“This is faster,” Seth replied. And with the magic user between himself and his brother, they worked their way through the trees.
“Who is your captain?” Daniel demanded.
It had been an unexpected surprise when they came across the camp. Forty men lying on the ground, all immobilized by some sort of sticky substance, were struggling mightily to escape their bonds.
However, the most inexplicable aspect of the situation, was the composition of the men. Half wore the uniform of Byrdlon soldiers, while the other half were clearly Tribesmen of the Orack Tribe. All in all a perplexing state of affairs.
They noticed right away that the shepherd and his crew weren’t among the immobilized men. Also, seeing as how the substance holding the men was identical in nature to that which had affected the soldiers back at the Magistrate’s manor, it would seem the shepherd’s pet magic user was to blame.
One of his men had discovered a trail of footprints leading away alongside the stream. Daniel had Captain Glaver send five of his men to follow the trail to see where it led.
The soldier before him wasn’t being very cooperative. In fact, other than glaring at Daniel, he hadn’t made any other response. “What would bring our soldiers and Tribesmen together out here in the middle of nowhere?” he asked.
“They are probably hunting for the Horde as we are,” Rupert said.
Daniel turned a face red with anger toward him. “Speak again and they will be the last words you utter!” he
