The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) (25 page)

General
Kolk sat upon a massive war horse, surveying the battle taking place within the
encampments. At first, the combined divisions of the Third, Fourth, Seventh,
and Ninth Kingdoms had easily made headway. Many tents were trampled or burned,
and the soldiers within the immediate area were killed. However, surprise can
only last so long, and the more skilled forces in the employ of the councilors
began to rally. The battle was now lasting longer than Kolk had wanted it to.

Yero, his
temper nowhere near in check, came storming up the hill. He stopped a sword’s
swipe away from the general and his small attachment of visiting commanders.

“General,
sir!” Yero hollered over the tumult of battle. “My company has secured part of
the western flank. I’ve ordered my men to stand ready, but we have prisoners
and I ask your leave to secure them at a location further from the battle.”

General
Kolk looked down at Captain Yero, aristocratic disdain evident in his face and
his tone. “Captain Yero, I clearly ordered you to dispatch any enemy
combatants. This is also a direct order of the king.”

“Sir,
with all due respect, my troops have in custody registered men of the Seventh
Kingdom militia who surrendered upon recognizing myself and members of my long
patrol. Would you have me kill unarmed men who were under the impression they
were helping maintain peace within the Seventh Kingdom?”

“Captain
Yero, those men serve a traitor to the crown and will be brought to swift
justice as ordered by your king.”

“Justice?
When did their trial take place? General, I serve here to help maintain the
peace of this kingdom and will not order the death of unarmed soldiers who have
dutifully surrendered.”

“You will
put swords back in their hands then and do the job you’ve been ordered to do!”

Yero
growled at this suggestion. For a moment the growl grew savage with a genuine
animal sound within it. Yero’s eyes shown yellow and his skin darkened. General
Kolk balked, as did his horse in spite of its battle training. The visiting
commanders paled and moved their equally skittish mounts back. Before Yero
spoke again his body resumed its normal appearance. His voice, however, was charged
and rumbled with an animalistic sound.

“That
will not be happening. My men will make a holding place for prisoners, unless
you care to come down here and make them a different order. I will pass this
news along to the others so they can act in good conscience.”

General
Kolk steadied himself and peered down at Yero with contempt. “
You
treacherous dog,” he spat, panic and rage pulsing in his
words. “Do you think the Truth Blade will rescue you from the ire of Lord
Avrant or my own sword? There will be no new order, as those brats of his are
being seen to as we speak.”

Yero,
alarmed by the realization that David’s fears were grounded, turned to the
north. There, just visible, was the castle; a column of smoke was rising from
the general area where the Way House would be. Yero turned back to Kolk, a look
of disgust on his face.

“So, you
cast your lot with the Void’s will and seek to disrupt the Way of the Word.”

Yero drew
his sword, but went no further. Another captain ran up to the commanding party
and fell to his knees. Blood covered a great deal of his face and uniform.

“General,”
he gasped, his words gurgling with the blood pooling up in his mouth. “It is
Illdwar, the Misfit; he leads the sell swords.”

Having spoken,
the captain fell forward unmoving. No one, not even Yero, checked on the prone
man. It was evident he was dead. Yero, malice in his eyes, looked up at Kolk.

“Illdwar
will have an eye out for you once he weaves together those men down there.
You’d better hope no other Misfits are with him.”

At this,
Yero turned and left. He made his way to his troops and ordered them to take
the prisoners well away from the fighting. He further ordered all save two to
stay and guard them. The remaining two he sent to spread the news of Illdwar
and the new prisoner camp that was being set up. This done, he headed toward
the castle and Way House.

*

When Yero
arrived at Way House, he found Rock leaning heavily on his thick bow staff,
many cuts upon his exposed skin. The Beagle was sniffing around a pile of
bodies, and turned when it heard Yero approaching.

“What has happened?” Yero asked looking over to the still
burning Way House.

“Thralls
attacked from the front and sought to push us into the waiting Dark Riders in
the back,” answered the Beagle. “A force originating from one of the children
opened a way through the front where we met the thralls in battle.”

Yero
focused intently on the angel and asked, “Was it Nicodemus?”

“No, Nic
was in the kitchen. The power emanated from one of the children on the stairs.
It was unfocused and probably prompted by fear. We can talk later of our
observations of the children's budding powers at a later time. Rock’s brothers
split off from this fight when they saw the Riders going after the fleeing
Koens. We should try to catch up with them.”

No sooner
did the Beagle say this than he raced off, following the trail of the children.
Rock took a deep breath and began to jog after the angel. Yero surveyed the
devastation of Way House and the bodies lying around it before he followed his
two allies.

“There
are three Riders,” whispered Silas. “They are headed right for us.”

Nic was
propping Jeremiah up, still examining the healed wound. He frowned as he looked
at Silas and asked, “Only three?”

Silas
nodded. Nic looked around the enclosure and then over to where Eve was. “Eve,”
he spoke quietly, yet urgently, “Is that way clear?”

Without
turning she answered, “Yes, though the trees start thinning out. I don’t think
they’ll offer us enough coverage for an escape.”

“Nic,”
Mary scrambled over, covered in dirt. “Dinah found a hole under the big rock
over there.”

Mary
started scooting off and Nic scrambled after her. Ruth and Hannah were there,
half under the rock. They moved aside when he tapped their backs. Once they
moved he saw a crevice, barely visible, in the shadow of the large boulder. As
he shimmied down, he saw that the crevice opened up into a sizable hole. Hannah
grabbed Nic’s arm desperately.

“Dinah
won’t come out,” she reported in near panic. “We can hear her, but it is too
dark to see her.”

Nic tried
to wedge himself further in the hole before he called out, “Dinah, can you hear
me?”

Dinah’s
voice came back small and distant, “Yes.”

“Are you
okay? Can you get out of there?”

“It’s
dark and I can’t see. You’re blocking the light from above.”

Nic
pulled back and brushed against a fist size stone. Hannah was whispering
frantically, asking about Dinah. Silas was warning that the Riders were nearly
here. Nic barely registered anything except the rock. He picked it up and
concentrated on it and the strange vision he had several days ago. Time slowed
and Nic felt the light within him. He looked at the rock in his hand and saw
the light move from his fingers to the rock. The rock began to glow and
everybody stopped talking. When Silas heard the gasps, he turned his head to
see what was going on.

Nic
called out to his sister, “Look out, Dinah; I’m dropping a light down.”

He let the
rock go, then heard a delighted gasp from Dinah, “Ooh, a glowing rock,” she
said in wonder.

Nic
looked back into the hole and was able to just make out Dinah at the bottom of
the hole. A slope from the entrance led down, but a small drop off prevented someone
of Dinah’s size from getting back out. He called down the hole.

“Dinah,
honey, can you look around now? What does the hole look like?”

Silas had
turned back around and was quietly muttering, “Come on guys, they’re getting
closer. They have swords out. Come on!”

“Nic,”
Dinah’s voice came drifting up. “This place, it’s a cave. There are tunnels
too.”

“Okay,
just wait,” Nic said then stood.

Silas was
becoming more agitated, “Nic, the Riders are on the other side of the boulders,
they are about to enter.”

Nic
looked at his brothers and sisters and knew they had to run. He also knew he
could not get down the hole to rescue Dinah. He could hear the Riders upon
them. Suddenly, Nic grabbed Mary and slid her into the opening. Before Hannah
could react Nic was pushing her down the hole. Esther needed no prompting and
slid down the hole, concern for her sisters already down there. Ruth started
backing up, shaking her head. He ignored her protests and shoved her in the
cave.

When Nic
got to Jeremiah the other boy innocently asked, “How’d you make the glowing
rock?”

Nic
grabbed another nearby rock and his brother. As he wordlessly jammed Jeremiah
into the crevice, he pulsed light into the second stone. Just as Jeremiah was
sliding out of sight, Nic rolled the new lit rock after him.

“You’re
so smart, Jeremy; you tell me.”

Nic moved
over to Eve; she pushed at him, shaking her head violently. “No,” she started
to say.

Nic took
her hands quickly, but gently. “Eve,” he spoke softly, “I won’t fit down the
hole. Silas may, only barely. You, however, will.”

Eve
continued to shake her head fiercely, tears springing into her eyes. “They’ll
kill you,” her voice broke.

“You have
to protect our siblings, Eve. Find a way out, get Dad, bring help.”

Eve
reluctantly nodded and wiggled down the hole. Nic then turned to Silas, but
just behind him Caliban came into view. Nic pulled Silas close to him. Both
boys drew their swords and faced the Dark Rider. Ferreter came into view and
Maraud thereafter. Each held a sword at the ready.

Caliban
was disappointed to find only two of the children, but was pleased at the
opportunity nonetheless. He recognized the bigger boy as the surprisingly
skilled warrior from earlier. The other boy looked fresh into puberty and not
very confident of the blade in his hand.

“Maraud,”
Caliban spoke with a sneer in his voice. “Circle around the boulders and come
up behind them. We’ll take these two out and find the others.”

Maraud
wordlessly obeyed, disappearing quickly.

“Watch
behind, Silas,” Nic muttered, gripping his sword firmly. “The way I see it,” he
said to Caliban, “you’re a bit broad in the shoulders for both of you to fit in
here and fight easily. You may have years of experience on us, but two to one
should even that out.”

Caliban
laughed darkly and moved forward, drawing a second yet shorter sword. “We shall
see, boy.”

Caliban
took another step forward. Suddenly a black blade dropped from out of nowhere
and landed in between the two. Nic took an instinctive step back and both he
and Caliban looked around trying to access where it had come from. Suspicion
tugged at Caliban and he stepped back.

Ferreter,
however, crept forward and put himself just in front of Caliban. Similarly,
Silas was staring at the ebony weapon and took a small step toward it. Caliban
sheathed one sword and placed a restraining hand on Ferreter’s shoulder. Nic
whispered warily to Silas.

“Si,
stop; this doesn’t feel right.”

Silas
didn't hear him. The younger boy looked at the sword and a dream of glory crept
into his imaginings. A hunger to prove himself growled deep inside. A desire to
destroy all those in his way gripped him. His hand itched and he licked his
lips. Suddenly, the sword was in his hand.

“Si,” Nic
hissed.

Caliban
pulled on Ferreter who turned to look at his leader questioningly. Silas swung
the blade and sliced into Ferreter’s exposed arm. Ferreter roared and turned to
Silas raising his hand and shooting forth a blast of Hellfire. Silas raised the
dark blade to block and the fire was absorbed into the shadowiness of the metal.
A ribbon of obsidian laced into the Hellfire and slithered through to make
contact with Ferreter. The Dark Rider screamed in raging pain and Silas laughed
giddily.

Caliban
threw Ferreter against the massive boulder to his right and the Hellfire stopped.
Silas slumped and the blade struck the ground. Nic turned, alerted by a sound
behind him. Maraud came into view. Then behind him came Yero.

Maraud
did not hear Yero and did not register that he was in danger until a sword punched
through his stomach. He tried to turn, but the sword cut into him and brought
waves of pain. Maraud blinked and inky blackness clouded his vision. He fell to
his knees and the sword slipped out of him. Warm wetness washed down his body.
Then the pain stopped and the man registered that he was on the ground. Cold
swept over his body and he heard his father, long dead, whispering, “Deals
made, in time paid.”

Caliban
pulled Ferreter back out of the rocky hall and shook him. Ferreter, glassy
eyed, looked at his leader. Caliban asked, “Can you move with me?”

Ferreter
gripped Caliban and stood straighter and answered weakly, “Barely.”

“We have
to go,” Caliban said with urgency. “The tide has changed; a Hungry One is now
in play. I believe our pardon to kill these brats just got revoked.”

Ferreter
looked at Caliban, confused, though he did not have time to question him as his
leader rapidly pushed him forward.

Silas
twitched and hastily sheathed the ebony sword, feeling a compulsion to hide it.
Yero and now the Beagle came into view. Upon seeing the angel, Nic breathed a
sigh of relief. He pointed out the hole and told the Beagle about the other
children. Without a word the Beagle scrambled down the hole and disappeared.

Yero
stayed with the boys. After a cursory examination of the surroundings he looked
over the boys. “Is everything alright with you two?” he asked.

Nic shook
his head. “No; I mean that was way too close. I’m really getting tired of all
this weirdness. Jeremiah was shot with an arrow. Then they were on top of us
back at the castle. I was able to hold them off, I don’t know how. . .”

“Nicodemus,”
Yero broke in, resting his hands on Nic’s shoulders. “Stop; I meant, are you
injured?”

Nic shook
his head and looked over at Silas. Silas also shook his head. Not totally
convinced, Nic asked verbally, “Are you sure you’re not injured? That fire, the
sword. . .”

Silas
snapped back at Nic,” Look, the only one hurt was Jeremiah and you apparently
healed him.”

Nic
stared at his brother for a moment, but before he could respond Yero took hold
of him and began questioning him. “What does Silas mean you healed your
brother? You said Jeremiah was shot; tell me what happened, slowly.”

Nic
nodded, took a deep breath, let it out, and then began. “The Riders came around
from behind Way House. They shot Jeremy with an arrow; it hit him in the
shoulder. Once we got here I pushed, pulled it out. I was pressing on his wound
to stop the bleeding when he screamed about burning. When we looked, his
shoulder was healed. I don’t know what happened.”

Yero
studied Nic closely; however, before he could ask or say anything further Rock
came lumbering into the alleyway. At the sound of his arrival, Yero had raised
his sword, as did Nic. Silas’ hand rested on the sheathed ebony blade now
buckled to his side. When they saw Rock they all relaxed slightly. Between
breaths, Rock spoke.

“There
are Dark Riders all over. They seem to be retreating. I tracked them for a
little bit, but without Fleet of Foot. . .”

Nic
waited for him to finish, but when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to
he asked, “Where’s Fleet of Foot?”

Rock
looked at the boy with deep sadness in his eyes. “Fleet of Foot is resting as
best we could arrange him in this chaos. A Rider struck him with a curse,
though with the sun out the Void power couldn’t do much.” Rock paused then said
solemnly, “First Thunder’s dead body lies beside him.”

Yero
remained quiet, looking at the ground. He had been with the Beagle and Rock when
they found the two Coterie. It took Silas a moment to process Rock’s words;
then he spoke out in shock, “First Thunder is dead?!”

Rock
nodded and said no more. Everyone fell for a moment into their individual
grief. Rock, however, knew there would be time for this later and spoke up,
asking about the other children. Yero told them about the bolt hole.

“Makes
sense,” Rock said after the explanation. “A natural formation like this so near
the castle probably has dozens of such tunnels and caves.”

“It does,”
acknowledged Yero. “My troops and I have cleaned it out twice. Once quite
recently, so there should be no goblins or other creatures loyal to the Liar or
the Void lurking below.”

Yero went
over to Maraud’s body and cleaned his blade, then sheathed it. he looked over
to Rock and asked, “Can you carry this thing so we can get it back to the
castle and burn it properly with the others?”

Rock
nodded. Yero turned to the boys. “We should head back. The angel will lead your
siblings out of the tunnels and to your father. We shouldn’t tarry any longer,
or they’ll worry about us.”

As they
headed out, Silas took up the rear. When no one was looking he tossed his
regular sword down the bolt hole before joining the group.