The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns (48 page)

“My lord, I could get but sixty-two men p
lus myself out safely.” a
s Norrice and the men
surrounded the small encampment, each man bowed to his lord in amazement that he still lived.

“Well done Norrice, well done. Gather round men, for shortly we will be marching against our own castle which, as you know, is occupied by royal guard courtesy of King Richmond
the Second
. We will be thanking our king in our own way, and showing him the hospitality of our swords in but a few moments.” Cristoff waited for the cheers and low roars of laughter to cease before continuing
from his shelter of the trees
. He could not help but smile at seeing his men ready to fight, especially against their own king.
He fought the frown that dug at him at the thought of having but sixty two men.

“My lord? How will we get past the cavalry, archers, and then throug
h the two gates with a force one
third their size?” one of his
serge
ants asked nervously as he checked his shield strap
.

“You see that they have the positioning and superior numbers, do you?” Cristoff smiled again. He waited for the nods and “
ay’s”
to quiet so that he may bolster his men’s confidence. “What you do not see is a brave knight of Chazzrynn who
I have fought beside recently
against overwhelming odds. Sir James Andellis
will rally our cavalry once inside.
You do not see a lady swordsman from the elven nation of Kilikala who is far deadlier with her blades than ten men.
Shinayne T’Sarrin is ready to open the north doors upon our signal. And you do not see the
minotaur warrior
,
Saberrak
the gray. He is
with them as they prepare to take the gates
,
once we draw out the army from behind the walls. They are in position now, waiting for us to move.”

“But how will we survive against that many
?” a
nother soldier spoke up.

“With help. This is Azenairk Thalanaxe, last of his family from Boraduum and a priest and
fearless
soldier of Vundren. He has already blessed the battle and has the strength of his God
in his every swing of that warhammer
, I assure you. And this is Gwenneth Lazlette, the most powerful wizard in Chazzrynn and former student of Kalzarius of Harlaheim. We could not have stronger allies men, and we will
take back our castle. I cannot tell you what will happen when the king hears of his losses, or when his knights and army will come. But I can tell you that we have been beseeched by a corruption that I cannot abide. I tell you that the men that have been ordered to come are not just here to take me, but to put to the sword anyone who does not follow the wickedness of our king. We stand for more than that, we serve Saint Erinsburg and Harlaheim. Today, we fight
against disloyalty and dishonor
!” Cristoff raised his sword and pointed toward his own castle, passed down through his family for generation after generation. He heard his voice captivating even himself through the enchanted armor of the first king of Harlaheim. The Lord of Saint Erinsburg felt no fear, only victory and righteousness in the battle ahead. He took a knee, followed by his men, and thought deeply of his cousin Savanno Lisario. He hoped no more would die in vain for this king or his manipulations. Cristoff whispered a silent prayer to Alden the merciful for his family and his men.
He had never seen his men so inspired. He looked to the armor he wore, its shining steel like mirrors from the Gods.

“I feel like he put us
up on a bit of a pedestal there, for the men to have faith and all that.
G
reat words, and inspiring, but we
don’t deserve all that glory and praise.” Zen whispered to Gwenneth so the men could not hear while they prayed.

The prodigal wi
zard smiled at the dwarf. “Speak for yourself
.”

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Shinayne slinked through the shadows of the oak tree branches that hovered over the north wall of Bradswellen Castle. She crouched on a small branch only a few feet from the catwalk on the top of the outer wall, watching guards pass by every few minutes. The elven noble kept her eyes on the door below, the one she would open for
Saberrak and James once the men focused their eyes on Lord Cristoff and his advance. The sun had set, leaving a beautiful purple and orange sky in the east. Shinayne drew her matched set of swords,
Carice
and
Elicras
, and readied herself for the jump to the wall and whoever she may face there.
The men began yelling orders and questions at one another, and it only grew and spread more as they realized there were men missing. The archers yelled to their sergeants who yelled to the capitan in charge of the
occupation of Bradswellen Castle and Saint Erinsburg. All eyes, blades, and bows went to the eastern battlements and walls as the advance of the returning Lord Cristoff was spotted. Shinayne knew her moment was now.

The highborne elven noble leapt from the branch to the outer wall and crouched low into the shadows. She crept to the ledge of the inner wall, looked down over and saw two armored royal guard standing on either side of the door she needed to open, the door that James and Saberrak were on the other side of. The elven swordswoman leaned over the edge, feet first, then dropped over ten feet to the ground below. Her stance was perfect a half second later as her light form hit the ground and she maintained her footing. “Evening gentlemen.”

The shocked looks upon their faces was to be their last expression as the white stone pommeled longblade and shortblade of ancient elven craftsmanship and fey enchantment
s
cut clean through their plate armor with simultaneous slashes to the chest. The cutting of steel by something stronger and sharp beyond manmade quality echoed throughout the courtyard matched with screams of pain and the clamoring of dead men in armor.
Shinayne heard the loosing of arrows away from her, and knew they had begun to fire upon Cristoff and the others. She
sheathed her curved shortblade
and pulled the heavy iron bar aside and opened the door.

“What took so long elf?” Saberrak roared as he entered, greataxe in one hand and curved shamshir in the other. James followed the horned warrior inside, broadsword drawn and shield up.

“No time, the archers have begun. James, get the cavalry and soldiers from ins
ide, Saberrak you take the south side, I will take the north and we meet at the gate
!” Shinayne saw the men pointing from the courtyard, dozens of soldiers had noticed them, and dozens would have to perish so that they could get those gates open. She drew her off hand shortblade as Saberrak roared ahead toward the charging men.

James ran with sword in hand toward the western keep where he knew the soldiers of Saint Erinsburg would be. Arrows fired out from the castle walls and inward toward him. The whistling projectiles went past his head, into the ground at his feet, and not once did he look or slow his pace. Two armored guards appeared from the barrack doors he was running toward, yet he
still kept his momentum
. As the sweat ran down his brow and the sides of his face, the knight of Chazzrynn
dove sideways between their raising bladed polearms, crashing into their
shoulders and knocking the three of them tumbling to
the stone floor inside
.

James rolled on his shield and sprung to his feet first, turning to face his opponents as they struggled to draw their rapiers and stand up in their heavy plate armor. He saluted the soldiers with his broadsword, allowed them to stand, and stepped forward with purpose. The first yell of the soldiers was followed by diving plunges of their
now drawn
rapiers, one was deflected by James’ shield
,
the other he dodged with a small step to his left. He returned their attacks with crosscuts and wide slashes to back them up near the doors they had just fallen through. As the steel rang on steel, the veteran knight lowered his head and shoulder behind his shield and changed his attacks to sharp quick stabs and plunges of his blade
to the soldier on his right, piercing through his armor twice before he dropped to the ground. The remaining soldier grabbed the shield with his free hand and tried to pin James against the wall and force his blade into James’ stomach. The broadsword met the rapier, crossguard to crossguard, and the two men were locked together in a struggle of strength and ferocity.

The knight of Chazzrynn pushed with all of his muscle to get the soldier back away from his pinned position against the wall. He gave one more shove, then turned to his left as the man leaned forward. The soldier lunged face first into the wall, then felt the cold steel of a blade penetrate his ribs from the side. He turned to face James Andellis, but another sting of steel swept through his armor and chest. The warm blood poured out inside his armor, as did his strength to stand.
As James turned from the falling man, he let out a yell, a cry to battle, from a deep inner voice that even Saberrak would have noticed.

“Hhaaaa!!!”
h
e faced the long torchlit halls that led to the barracks and stables of Bradswellen Castle.

“Men of Saint Erinsburg! Your Lord fights in the eastern fields of the castle, and he fights with but sixty men against hundreds! I am Sir James Andellis, knight of Chazzrynn, and I call you to battle for Cristoff Bradswellen the Third! By horse, by shield, and by the sword, we go to war
! Defend Saint Erinsburg!
” James
yelled then
turned toward the wooden stable doors as dozens upon dozens of men emerged from many halls and quarters to see who it was that was calling them.
They had been kept here by the royal guard, shocked looks upon their faces.
Not waiting for questions or a count of who was with him and who was not, the veteran knight of the south mounted a brown painted stallion and charged the courtyard. He heard many horses behind him
being
mounted
, and
knew that his blade was not the only fla
sh of steel thirsting for the charge of battle in Saint Erinsburg.

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Gwenne spoke the words of arcane protections as the archers let their arrows loose from the walls of Bradswellen Castle.
Transparent energy shadowed the forefront of the advancing soldiers of Lord Cristoff, and the prodigal wizard felt the arcane flowing through her and the staff of Imoch almost effortlessly. The ancient runes on the white wood staff glowed a rich red in places, green in others, and Gwenneth barely concentrated as the arrows ricochet off of the invisible moving barrier that surrounded them. Her thoughts went to how easily it would be to make the barrier solid and hard as stone in but a few arcane words through the staff.
“Vianna ver hethuum
!”
the barrier parted high above the marching soldiers, Azenairk, and Lord Cristoff. Gwenneth
squeezed her free hand into a fist while the gemstone atop the staff glowed with a fire orange swirling heat. She opened her green eyes as she walked, opened her hand, and set loose a stream of flame that arced through the opening in the protective arcane shield and impacted into the upper wall of the castle. The eruption lit the eastern wall aglow with flames and blasting rays of light as half a dozen archers ignite
d and were hurled
to their demise on the courtyard floor. Smiling at the ease of the arcane incantations and flow of magic the ancient staff had empowered her
with, Gwenne began to chant more
words and close her fist again.

“Azenairk, take thirty men to the left when they charge, I will take to the right and we meet at the gate when it is open!” Cristoff kept his march steady as arrows aimed for him and his men bounced off of the mystical barrier above them and streaking blasts of magical fire were returned to his own castle walls by the potent prodigal wizard behind him. The gates were still closed as the outer soldiers and cavalry formed up by the hundreds to charge the mere sixty men at his command.

“Young Lazlette, are you certain you will break their charge?” Cristoff spoke over his armored shoulder as he drew his longsword.

“They will crush themselves
into a wall as hard as stone, you just cannot see it yet. I need no protection, my Lord, stay with your plan and do not interrupt me.” Gwenne let loose a handful of green and purple gas that sprayed from her fingertips and seeped through the air like a string of serpents toward the high walls that the archers still waged war from.

“I would like my castle in one piece, wizard.”

“Noted, my lord.”

“She will do more than break the charge Cristoff, I can attest to that.” Zen raised his hammer and began to veer to the left with half the soldiers following in tow.

“Keep you pace steady men, draw your swords, and be ready to fight for your city once the cavalry have been stopped. Show no fear, have courage and honor! We ma
ke for the gates on my order!” t
he thundering of a hundred horsemen followed by that many again royal guard behind them forced Lord Cristoff to yell his orders to the men. He looked to the castle gate, still not open and
the barrage of arrows and magic
continued above him.
The formation of the occupation from the king began their advance.
“Alden help us and
help
our friends inside.”