Robyn turns to me, next arrow already poised and ready. She finally pauses, so slightly that had I blinked I would have surely missed it. In that moment we find each other and the battleground separating us disappears so that I may as well stand directly before her.
Robyn looses her arrow. My breath catches in my throat as the wind of the feathers caress my cheek. I turn to a colony soldier clattering into the pavestones, pierced through the sternum.
Orrian and Damion have already moved several paces ahead and are slowly cutting a path through the chaos. I don’t look back as I move to catch up to them, but I can’t help but notice the soldiers around us who continue to fall at the hands of my saviour above.
Several of the soldiers here are armoured differently to the masses back out in the courtyard. Their armour looks thicker and patterns and designs protrude from their bloody plates. Their helmets are not as simple and they all stand taller than Orrian. Some even have the faintest traces of dirty gold on their shoulders and in the centres of their chests. These guards are not like the others.
The grass has been tainted red as warriors lay broken on the ground. More villagers are still rushing in with their spears from a path off to the side. One of them sends a soldier backwards crashing into a delicate fountain. The top of the stone structure comes crashing down onto the man below, water reaching high before raining back down to muddy the ground at their feet.
Orrian pushes us forwards, swinging his blade as he clears the path in front. A soldier charges him from the side and he ducks, sending the soldier flying over his back and into the path of an approaching village spearman. It’s Rhys. I catch his eye as he throws himself back into the conflict.
We push against the stone sides as we leap over dying men and brawling opponents. Damion points ahead at a doorway further into the castle. One man stands before the entrance, waiting for any challengers to attempt to get past him.
It’s Becker, he is dressed similarly to the ornate guards fighting around him. The scar I last left him with has scabbed over nastily. I cut deeper than I realised, not that I have any remorse. He spots us instantly, staring past the few remaining struggles between us. A villager becomes lifeless at our feet as his killer rises before us. The soldier swings his blade desperately but Orrian stays out of reach and it collides with the stone brick. The forest king never stops moving, kicking the soldier in the jaw and continuing as he passes out.
Finally, we stand before Becker. He grins at me but says nothing, showily swirling his blade around him before bringing it to a stop before us. I hold Orrian back as I step in front.
We both increase our pace as the distance between us reduces. I move faster in my light clothing, it’s time to use everything that Orrian’s taught me. He’s heavily armoured, which means he’ll be slow. I can kill him this time, I know I can. I will do what needs to be done, justice will be served, I will not let him stand between us and ending this war. He’s only a few steps away, we both raise our swords and I ready myself to slide beneath his strike.
A blur lunges through one of the archways and collides into his side. The two men go sprawling into the courtyard, weapons flying from their grips.
Arthur.
Avlym’s leader rises to his feet whilst his long-term foe struggles against the weight of his armour. Arthur looks down emotionlessly at the worm before him, his spear is ready at his side.
Becker reaches for his sword. Arthur thrusts downwards with all his might.
A steady trickle of blood escapes Becker’s lips as he fumbles at the shaft disappearing into his heart. His whole-body shudders as Arthur pulls his weapon free. More blood spills from his mouth as he raises his head one last time, his fingers twitch feebly, and he collapses dead against the stone.
Arthur reaches the entrance at the same time as us. Through the archway a spiralling staircase disappears into one of the towers above.
“Go!” he shouts over the anarchy, “I’ll hold them off!”
Orrian nods and we duck past him and towards the bottom of the stairs. Orrian and Damion dart upwards, I cannot help but give one last look at Arthur. His back blocks the entrance as a pair of soldiers approach him. He readies his spear and charges both of them, screaming with everything he has.
I continue up the staircase, no more guards wait to block our entrance. Upwards and deeper into the castle we go. I force myself to not stop at the windows as we pass, through which I catch glimpses of not only the war occurring on the ground but also the entire city sprawling outwards towards the distant wall.
We must be nearing the top, now that I’m not amongst the fighting my exhaustion is finally catching up with me. Several hours of tiring action must have passed since we had hidden in the bushes. We continue up further staircases, without Damion we would have never found our way through here.
With each hallway we pass, the decorations and finer details on the walls begin to increase. Red and gold cloth now covers the floor. I notice with satisfaction that with our filthy boots we have
