open. One soldier tried to reach out and grab Soth’s ankle as he passed, but Soth easily avoided him.
At the gate, men were shambling about as they continuously worked to overcome the affects of the spell. A couple even had their swords out and were moving toward the twins.
“I’ll take ‘em brother,” Seth said as he drew his sword. “You get the gate.” As Soth raced for the wooden beam keeping the gate closed, Seth moved to engage those who had shaken off the affects enough to become a nuisance.
Chad turned toward Seth as the clang of sword striking sword was heard. Glancing back down the steps, he saw that Kevik had paused twenty steps from the top to catch his breath. The magic user was leaning heavily upon his staff and breathing laboriously.
“Hurry up!” Chad hollered down to him. “The affects of your spell is wearing off fast.”
“I’m…” Kevik said, then stopped to gasp as he took in air, “I’m going as fast as I can.”
Chad and Chyfe watched as Kevik moved a foot to the next step and resumed his climb to the top.
“Think we should go down and carry him?” asked Chyfe.
When Chad looked to him, he saw the Catha-born fighter grinning. He shook his head. Then he drew his sword and pushed Chyfe aside as he blocked the downward swing of a sword gripped in both hands of a guard. “No,” Chad replied as he knocked the sword to the side. “We have other things to worry about.” Kicking out with his foot, he sent the guard sprawling backwards.
Behind the guard, a dozen other individuals had regained sufficient equilibrium to walk and draw their swords. Five of them were on their way to the corral where Riyan and Bart were busily saddling the last two horses, the other seven moved toward Chad and Chyfe. Further back in the camp near the buildings, one man in armor was shouting as he ordered his men to their feet. At least that’s what Chad thought he was doing as his speech was so slurred, the man’s words couldn’t be understood.
“Oh…man,” a breathless Kevik said from behind Chad. Glancing back, Chad saw the magic user standing but four steps from the top.
“Give me a hand,” Kevik said. “I…” All of a sudden, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head, his face turned pale, and fainted.
Chad immediately raced down and reached him just as the magic user was about to roll off the steps and plummet to the ground far below. “Kevik!” Chad yelled as he dragged him securely back onto the steps. Once Kevik was no longer in danger of slipping off, Chad raised one of Kevik’s eyelids and found him unresponsive. He put his ear to his chest and thankfully heard the lub-dub beat of Kevik’s heart. “Thank god you’re alive,” he said.
With sword once again in its scabbard, Chad picked up the unconscious magic user and his staff and carried them the remaining distance to the top. “Guess we should have carried you after all,” he said softly to himself.
Kevik had had little time to recuperate from the ordeal of passing through the Wrath of Hennon before he had been asked to cast spells. Then the time spent beneath the ground searching for the key, more spells, followed by an arduous climb to the top of the canyon walls. No wonder he had passed out. He simply wasn’t cut out for such exertion.
As Chad topped the cliff with Kevik in his arms, Chyfe was embroiled with two combatants not ten feet away. Easily blocking their attacks, he deflected one man’s sword to the side. Quickly following through with a thrust to the other, he took him between the ribs. He had to kick out with his foot in order to dislodge the man and barely recovered in time to block an overhand hack by the first. Using the crossguard of his sword, he trapped the man’s blade.
“Finish it!” hollered Chad.
Chyfe glanced back and saw Chad carrying Kevik. With a deft twist of his blade, Chyfe jerked his opponent’s blade from his hands. Then with a well placed kick, broke the man’s knee. A cry of pain was torn from the man as he crashed to the ground.
“Chad! Chyfe!”
Riyan and Bart were riding toward them, each holding the reins of another horse. As Riyan drew near, he saw the state Kevik was in and asked Chad, “What happened to him?”
“Over exerted himself,” he said.
Riyan came to a stop and reached for the magic user. With Chad’s help, Kevik was soon slumped before him on the horse. Chyfe had already mounted one of the spares, and he and Bart were racing for the gate.
Swinging up on the horse Riyan was leading, Chad was quickly in the saddle.
A group of armed men led by the man wearing armor were moving toward the gate. Seth and Soth had their swords drawn and were set to meet them. Behind the twins, the gate stood open.
Bart and Chyfe were almost upon the men. The leader had taken notice of the approaching riders and set half his men to meet them, the other half continued toward Seth and Soth.
“We better hurry,” Chad said to Riyan. Indeed, more and more of the men within the stockade were regaining their feet.
Riyan had one arm around Kevik’s chest while the other held the reins. “Lead on,” he said, then he and Chad began making their way toward the gate. Ahead of them, they watched as Bart and Chyfe raced for the waiting men. Then at the last minute they swerved to the right.
Racing around the men, they bolted for the twins and soon reached their side. “Seth!” Bart yelled, reaching a hand down for him.
Seth quickly sheathed his sword and grabbed Bart’s hand as he came close and swung up behind him. At the same time, Chyfe was doing the same with Soth.
Chad and Riyan were taking a more circuitous route through the stockade on their way to the gate in order to avoid coming close to the leader and his men. When they rounded the building situated closest to the gate, they saw Bart and Chyfe with the twins.
Bart saw them appear and turned his horse toward the gate. Before he could get his horse in motion, a man came out of nowhere and charged with a knife. By the way he was dressed he had to have been one of the wagon drivers. Seth saw him first and kicked out as the man approached, catching him in the jaw.
Then with a cry, Bart kicked his horse in the sides and bolted for the gate. A split second later, Chyfe did the same. Riyan and Chad reached the gate the same time as did Bart and Chyfe and together, they fled from the stockade.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The road leading from the stockade was little more than a dirt path cutting through the hills. Bart didn’t slow until the stockade had disappeared behind them. Even then, he had them keep a quick pace. For he knew that once the horses still in the stockade recovered from the affects of Kevik’s spell, the chase would be on.
“How’s he doing?” asked Bart, glancing back to Riyan.
Riyan shrugged. “He’s alive.” Kevik remained unconscious.
Bringing his horse to a stop, Bart turned around. “See if you can bring him around,” he said to Riyan. “More than likely we’re going to need his magic before long.”
Riyan nodded.
Chad quickly dismounted and moved to help his friend in easing Kevik to the ground.
Bart dismounted, then said to Seth, “Range on ahead. See if you can find somewhere we can acquire more horses.”
“You got it,” replied Seth. Moving forward on the horse, he took his place in the saddle Bart had just vacated.
Soth dismounted from where he had been sitting behind Chyfe and went to his brother. “Here,” he said. Taking the ring which allowed one to communicate magically with the bearer of the other, he handed it to his brother. “This may come in handy.”
Taking the ring, Seth slipped it on his finger and said, “Thanks.”
“You be careful,” Soth warned his brother. “Don’t make me have to explain to father why you didn’t come back.”
Seth gave his brother a grin then kicked his horse in the sides. As he rode off, he hollered, “I wouldn’t do that
