Second Guard (36 page)

“Would you sacrifice more lives just to kill me, old woman?” Telendor taunted.

Do it, Jessa! Tali thought. Land that arrow in his black heart.

But Jessa’s bow dropped, and with it, Tali’s hopes. Her own sword hung lifeless from her hand, its tip resting in the sand. She glared at Telendor as a self-satisfied smirk spread
across his face at Jessa’s surrender. He raised his arm to address the crowd, his sword glinting in the light of the fires. “I hereby claim the Alcazar as regent for the Queen of
Andoria. Lay down your weapons and—”

Thwack!
An arrow swished through the air, piercing Telendor’s raised arm between elbow and hand. He dropped his sword and growled, in pain or anger, Tali couldn’t tell.

“No surrender!” Jaden yelled, suddenly appearing on one of the Alcazar’s lower ramparts and aiming another arrow at his father.

Telendor looked up at his son in shock and rabid fury.

“No surrender!” Jaden yelled again. “For Tequende!”

Telendor whirled on his horse, narrowly escaping the second arrow his son loosed in his direction. The fighting exploded once more, the clash and clang of weapons filling the air, punctuated by
screams and commands. Tali fought with her body but her mind kept replaying the last few moments.
Jaden shot his own father! He came back to protect the Alcazar.

She and Chey fought on either side of Zarif’s fallen body as the attacks continued. During a momentary reprieve, Tali glanced down to check that Zarif was still breathing. His chest rose
and fell, but he had lost consciousness. Another wave of Andorians charged toward them as the last of the longboats made it to shore. Tali felt as if the entire population of the southern kingdom
now emptied itself onto the island.

With her left foot near Zarif’s body, Tali pivoted right, trying to cut down one of the many Andorian warriors who flung grappling hooks at the wall. Alcazar servants emptied pots of
boiling water onto the enemies below, while pledges armed with spears tried to knock off those who had managed to near the top.

Outside the walls, only a handful of pledges still stood fighting. From the corner of her eye, Tali watched Chey hold his ground, strong and fierce, his barbed club taking down any Andorian
unlucky enough to find himself within its reach.
Gods be good,
Tali thought, gaining strength from his steady presence. Their unwillingness to move away from Zarif made them increasingly
vulnerable, but if their friend was to survive this melee, they could not abandon him.

A hulking Andorian, twice Tali’s own size, bore down on her with a broadsword held over his head. His face revealed his thoughts perfectly. He thinks I’m a gnat to be swatted,
thought Tali, waiting until he was almost upon her. She maneuvered sideways and tumbled underneath his sword, leading him away from Zarif. Spying a grappling hook nearby, Tali grabbed the rope and
swung it upward, lassoing the hook around the Andorian’s neck. His breath cut off and the hook embedded firmly in his leather-clad shoulder, the soldier dropped his sword, struggling to free
himself from the noose. Tali ran up behind him and cut him down at the knees. He fell into a heap, never having touched her.

“The gnat wins,” Tali murmured, turning quickly back to Chey and Zarif to assess her next move. The torchlit scene in front of her was grim. The Andorians had amassed underneath the
Alcazar walls and would soon be over them, from the looks of it. They didn’t even bother engaging the few remaining pledges on the ground, intent on the bigger prize that would soon be in
their grasp. Jaden had jumped down from his perch and entered the ground fight, his flashing sword taking down one Andorian after another near the doors of the Great Hall. Meanwhile, Telendor
bellowed commands from his horse, ordering the Andorians onward.

Chey looked at Tali and raised his eyebrows in question. She knew what he was asking. Should they leave Zarif and defend the wall? Brindl was up there somewhere. Tali knew that Zarif would not
want them to leave her unprotected, even if it left his own life in jeopardy. Tali nodded reluctantly, bending down quickly to cross Zarif’s splayed arms across his chest. “Protect your
son, Elia,” she murmured at the crescent moon, hoping fervently her friend might survive the night, though she had no such hope for herself.

“Ready?” asked Chey, as he moved to her side. Together they looked at the wall, where their enemies were grouped in force.
One of them will kill me soon.

Tali inhaled heavily. “Is there a plan, Earth Guilder?” she asked, a small, resigned smile playing across her face.

Chey rewarded her with a grin, his teeth contrasting brightly against his blood-streaked face. “Take out as many as you can, Sun Girl, and I’ll meet you on the other side,” he
said, raising his club. “For Zarif!”

Tali raised her sword. “For Brindl!” she cried, then charged toward the wall.

As she ran forward, she saw Jaden look toward them, his face startled, almost angry, by their intent. “Now!” he bellowed, striking the hilt of his sword three times upon the Great
Hall doors. The double doors flew open, releasing a horde of men and dogs onto the grounds. Tali and Chey stopped in their tracks, amazed by the incredible sight. Praise the Gods, there is hope
yet, Tali thought, as hundreds of salters and packhounds raced forth to join the battle with Jaden at their helm.

Tali and Chey surged into their ranks, emboldened by the small, brave salters who fought with little to no armor, yet brandished their picks and hammers as if they were a mighty army. The loyal
packhounds instinctively guarded their masters, their ferocious growls and teeth menacing any Andorian who dared come close. The ground battle once again roared, the Andorians abandoning the wall
to fight off the enemy closer at hand. Commands, cries, and harsh barks filled the air, while rivers of blood soaked the earth beneath them. The brave packhounds—gray, black, and brown
streaks of instant terror—ripped limbs, crushed necks, and rained dread upon the screaming Andorians, who had never seen such beasts before. Tali marveled at the fearless dogs, which had
faithfully followed their masters into war.

Two Andorians charged Tali then and she braced herself for the attack, raising her sword to ready position. As they came forward she studied their movements, noting that one was a bit taller
than the other, though they shared the same rock-solid build. Both wore the scowl of concentration and anger that battle seemed to inspire, and as blood pumped madly through her veins, Tali
wondered if the same scowl crossed her own face.

“She’s mine!” yelled the taller one, slicing through the spot where Tali had just stood. Rolling under his arm, Tali ducked again, then pivoted to avoid the swords that seemed
bent on taking her head. Aching now from the demands of battle, Tali’s sword arm took a bit longer to respond than it had before. She was losing ground, taking steps backward toward the
beach. The two soldiers crept toward her, stalking her like prey. Soon she would be trapped between them and the lake.

Which will it be, Tali—death by beheading or drowning in your own armor?
The voice in her head would not be silenced. As she took another step back, she stumbled over the
outstretched arm of a dead body lying in the lapping waves of the lake, a dead tradeboater whose build snagged at Tali’s memory. She had no time to contemplate the loss as the Andorians moved
in for the kill. Forcing herself to move, Tali ducked and swung her sword wildly, but only grazed the thigh of the shorter warrior. Just as she squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth for the
blow that would end her life, a packhound charged from behind her. In one gray blur, he leapt into the air and grabbed the tall soldier’s arm between his powerful teeth.

“Boulder!” Tali cried, scrambling to her feet. “Ory, no!” she screamed as the small boy came running after the dog.

“Take that!” Ory yelled, swinging his salt hammer at the shorter soldier, who crumbled under the blow.

Tali sprang into action, putting her sword through the tall soldier before he could put his own through Boulder.

“Ory, take cover!” she yelled, whirling around to face the young boy, who had already run off with Boulder on his heels. They ran toward Chey, who had managed to work his way back to
Zarif’s body, zealously guarding it again and fending off another Andorian swordsman. Boulder launched himself at Chey’s attacker, crushing his neck between his jaws.

As Tali made her way over to them, Jaden once again appeared in the corner of her eye. He battled what seemed to be his twin, only older. Even with one arm injured, Jorge Telendor held his own
as he roared at his son. “I warned you to keep out of this! You should not have returned!” he yelled, swinging his sword a hair’s width from Jaden’s face.

“Traitor!” Jaden answered in defiance, delivering a swipe of his own. Telendor pivoted deftly to avoid the blow.

“Do you think to wound me with words?” Telendor sneered, his eyes burning.

“I prefer my sword,” Jaden shot back as their weapons clashed between them. Fueled by his father’s taunts, Jaden began to fight with an intensity the older man could not match.
Inch by inch, Jaden slowly backed his father against the Alcazar walls. Tali held her breath. Would Jaden strike a deathblow to his own father? She would not wish that task on anyone. Telendor
signaled to someone behind Jaden, and Tali watched as two of Telendor’s guards began to sneak up on Jaden from behind, their swords drawn. Cowards! Tali raged. They mean to stab Jaden in the
back!

Tali started to run. “Stay with Chey!” she hollered over her shoulder to Ory, then willed herself to move faster. “Jaden! Behind you!” she yelled.

Jaden twirled around immediately, spinning his sword in a circle. Telendor’s guards leapt out of reach, while Telendor himself used the distraction to move back into the open again. Now it
was Jaden pinned against the wall, facing three attackers.

“Surrender!” Telendor yelled at his son. “You are defeated!”

“Never!” Jaden replied, his sword raised in front of him.

“Then die!” Telendor yelled, his face filled with fury as he charged forward to kill his own son.

“Jaden!” Tali screamed, but it was Telendor who pitched backward, the hilt of a throwing knife protruding from his neck. Blood poured from the wound while his body twitched for a few
moments before becoming still. His hand remained clasped to his sword, as if even death would not make him relinquish it.

Jaden, Tali, and the two guards stood frozen for a moment, then looked up at the wall. Jessa stood above them, her right fist raised in triumph. “For Tequende!” she yelled.

Jaden and Tali sprang into action at her words, back into the battle. Telendor’s two guards engaged them immediately. It felt like madness, battling someone dressed in the uniform Tali had
always hoped to wear one day. When she finally landed a deathblow upon her opponent, she said a quick prayer to the Gods of Tequende, begging forgiveness for killing one of their sons. Beside her,
Jaden felled his own Tequendian opponent, then together they ran back into the fray. Side by side they fought, working their way through the Andorian soldiers. Tali kept looking for Zarif, Chey,
Ory, and Boulder, but the battleground had grown too chaotic, and she could not risk taking her eyes off the enemy for more than a second.

Jaden stayed close to her and they began fighting in tandem as the Andorians charged them singly and in pairs. Jaden’s strength and technique served him well, but so did Tali’s
ability to surprise her opponent with unexpected moves. Together they were relentless, a wall of slashing swords. “Well done!” Jaden would call out when Tali felled someone, as if they
were still in the training ring.

Beside him, Tali felt a surge of energy. Slowly they found their rhythm, cutting down opponent after opponent, anticipating each other’s every strike. Soon they had felled a dozen
warriors, who lay around them in a bloody ring. Tali tried not to look at them. “I’ll take this one,” Jaden offered when yet another warrior ran toward them. It felt odd to thank
him, so Tali answered, “Intiq save you,” instead. She was fading, she realized, her body spent.

As she bent over to regain her breath, she tried to block out the screams around her, terrified she might recognize one of the voices. Then another sound pierced the night air, loud and mighty.
Conch shells. Tali turned toward them and nearly fell to her knees.

A hundred or more tradeboats circled the island, lit by a thousand lanterns as if on their way to the Festival of Light. The boats created a chain around the island, pinning the Andorian
longboats to the shore. Most incredible of all were the hundreds of citizens from Porto Sol teeming on the decks of every boat. Mostly Sun Guilders, but several Earth Guilders and Moon Guilders
too, all brandished weapons over their heads and began to chant. “Tequende! Tequende! Tequende!”

Soon the pledges and servants along the wall of the Alcazar took up the chant as well, then the salters on the ground. “Tequende! Tequende!” they all yelled, as the stunned
Andorians, one by one, bent their knees and surrendered.

Tali stumbled toward Jaden. Bloodied, wounded, and exhausted, they fell into a heap.