That morning saw more people at the gates and trouble at Lilly’s private enclosure outback. Fortunately the towns they visited the day before already sent help from the temples. There were now a dozen additional priests of Astikar and five priests of Ulustrah on hand. They drove the crowd off from the back garden, where they were hoping to reach Lilly.
When they were gathered out front, Lilly addressed them. She told them about the decision to take eleven more acolytes, and that if they were serious, they needed to come back at the appointed time.
The people threw more coins into the yard, and it was now Culver's job to gather them. He crawled about picking them up and deposited them in the lower room of the guest house.
Gersius spoke with Kilgian at length about the tents and about making sure Culver did more. Kilgian assured them he would keep an eye on him and keep him busy. He also told Gersius about the tentmakers and where he could find them.
As afternoon approached, they flew into the city of Avashire. The sky was gray and overcast with a stiff breeze that forced Lilly to compensate for it. They landed in the yard before the temple of Astikar to pick up Lengwin and immediately Gersius knew something was wrong.
“On your feet!” he said to Thayle as he stood and drew the sword from his side.
“What is it?” Thayle asked alarmed at Gersius's unexpected behavior.
“The front doors are open, and there are no guards,” he said in a whisper.
Thayle hastily drew her sword and shield and stood on Lillys back to peer into the open door.
“I can sense your unease,” Lilly said in their minds. “What is wrong?”
Gersius silently replied, “Lilly, you need to fly to the temple of Ulustrah. Tell them there is something wrong here, and to come quickly.”
“Maybe you should come with me. You can come back with the priests of Ulustrah,” Lilly pleaded, but he jumped down from her back, and Thayle quickly followed.
“Lilly, please, go get help. You are too big to fit inside,” Gersius implored her.
Gersius crept to the door and pressed himself to the wall beside it. Thayle ran to stand behind him as he leaned over to look into the gap. The flap of Lilly’s wings as she took to the sky made him jump. He hoped nobody inside heard it.
He carefully looked around the open door. Inside two men in the armor of the knights of Astikar lay on the floor in pools of blood. Beyond them were three men in black armor with red ravens heads on their shoulder guards.
“The raven guard is here,” Gersius said to Thayle. “They have killed the guards at the door.”
“Ulustrah give us strength,” Thayle whispered under her breath.
“They are probably here for Lengwin. The Father Abbot must know of his plan to challenge him.”
“But we are weeks away from Calathen, and the people here only knew two days ago.”
Gersius nodded. “I never understood how the Father Abbot always seemed to get news from great distances. Even his presence in Whiteford is hard to explain. Somehow he can communicate over great distances and react to that news quickly.”
“Then what do we do?”
Gersius glanced to her as he felt her tension growing over the bind. “We have no time to figure out how it happened, right now we have to rescue Lengwin. If we lose him, our campaign is already lost.”
“So what is your plan?” she asked.
“Simple, they are not expecting a battle. We take them into one quickly and cut them down before they can react.”
Thayle went to steady herself for the plan, but Gersius immediately charged in.
He raced in as quiet as he could, his polished armor mirroring the red that drenched the hall of Astikar. The men at the bottom of the stairs didn’t realize the attack was coming until they heard the heavy metal footsteps. Before any of them could react, Gersius took one mans head from his shoulders.
“It’s him!” one of the remaining men yelled.
The two men immediately danced out of the way, one man favoring a sword and shield, the other a short spear. The spearman took a cut to his arm before he got clear, but he ignored the wound and stood his ground. They attacked in coordination, working together to keep Gersius on the defensive. These men were trained fighters that knew the art of combat. They would not make a mistake. However, they did not see Thayle.
Green chains wrapped around the spearman as Thayle channeled the power of her divine. Gersius took advantage of the change in the battle to press the attack. His sword clattered against the shield of the raven guard and the raven guards sword slashed low trying to breach the gap between his breastplate and his leg plates.
Gersius almost admired the man. He clearly knew how to strike for weak spots, but Gersius knew how to dance the blade, and he quickly parried the precise attack.
Thayle concentrated on holding the man. She felt a strain and realized he was calling on divine might to break the chains woven around him. She prayed she could win this fight by holding him. She'd never killed before, and she didn't want to kill now. However, the choice was taken from her. She heard a call of alarm and looked up to see five more men in black armor on the balcony above them. A noise like a shrill whistle filled the air, and a crossbow bolt buried itself in her left hand. With a cry of pain, she fell back, and the chains released freeing the spearman.
The man with the spear angrily rejoined the battle with Gersius, trying to put him back on the defensive.
Thayle yanked the bolt from her hand with a cry of pain and quickly uttered a prayer of healing. The injury was superficial and mended quickly, but time was not on her side. She looked up just as a raven guard priest jumped from the balcony above and landed before her.
He wasted no time coming at her with a spiked mace of terrible size. The first blow nearly took the shield off her arm. The second swing forced her to jump back, unwilling to use her battered shield again. She tried to gain some advantage by cutting back at him. It worked as the man went on the defensive for a moment, but another man dropped down behind her.
Gersius saw the danger even as he dodged the rapid thrusts of the spear. They were both outnumbered and by veteran troops. Thayle was swinging her sword in broad, rapid sweeps trying to keep two men at a distance. She moved with skill and grace but was in no position to strike them. The best she could do was hold them at bay. Even more, he felt a pain in his left hand a moment ago and knew it came across the bind from Thayle. She was wounded, and that made his blood boil! His wife was in danger, and he was not going to tolerate it.
The spear thrust in and instead of dodging it he rolled into it. Catching it up with his arm between the armored plates, and punched the man in the face with a metal hand. Blood flew into the air and a sword cut into the mail of his back leg. He took the blow trading it for the opening he needed to roll away dropping his sword and taking up the spear as he came to his feet. He threw it with all his might across the room into the man to Thayle’s left. The man yelled in pain as the spear caught him in the gap under his arm and fell away from Thayle, allowing her to focus on one man.
Gersius rolled away as the swordsman nearly took off his head. His leg was cut, and he found it painful to stand on. He quickly looked for his dropped sword, but the black-armored priest kicked it away and stood ready to strike.
“What a prize you are,” the man said as his eyes locked with Gersius. “Not only do we kill Lengwin, but Gersius as well. Dellain is going to be pleased.”
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Gersius watched the mans eyes; they would tell him all he needed to know. He ran at the man as fast as he could. The raven priest sliced sidelong to catch Gersius in the chest. Gersius folded backward and slid across the floor on his knees as the sword sailed over his face. He hopped to his feet and punched at the man turning his whole body into the blow. The priest failed to get his shield up in time, and Gersius caught him in the throat. The man's armor absorbed some of the strike, but he still staggered back into the wall. Gersius used the break to run for his sword even as the remaining three men in black armor came down the stairs.
Gersius snatched up his blade and raced to Thayle. He knew the others would be only moments behind him, but a few moments were all he would need. He joined the fight against the man with the wicked mace and quickly put him on the defensive.
Thayle's wooden shield was shattered and useless, but she was following the flows of combat like a master. Gersius attacked with a powerful overhead chop forcing the man to raise his weapon in defense. Thayle quickly followed it with a thrust right to the stomach, impaling the man in a terrible scream.
Across the bind, he felt a shocking terror radiate from Thayle. She went pale, and her hand began to shake as the blood flowed from the wound. He worried about this moment. He knew she had training in combat and a title as a leader of soldiers. But he suspected she had never actually gone into battle and killed.
There was little time to ponder the thought as the three men from the stairs were on them. Two had swords, but one of them used two small axes. This man flailed in, moving quickly and striking rapidly. Gersius was so taken by surprise by his speed that two blows rang off his armor, narrowly missing the gap under the breastplate.
One man with a sword pressed Thayle driving them apart and the second swordsman joined the deadly ax man. Even worse, he could see the man he punched had healed himself and was ready to join the fight. He pulled the first swordsman up, and both men prepared to join the battle.
It would soon be six to two, and the six were well trained and disciplined fighters. Gersius prayed for a miracle, and then heard the voice in his head. “Huddle together!”
Gersius turned and raced to Thayle who also understood and ran to him. The raven guard followed them, unaware of the danger. Gersius and Thayle practically collided into each others arms and curled into a tight ball as the men closed in on them.
The doors to the temple burst open, and the head of a great blue beast with blazing blue eyes opened its terrible toothy maw. White death flared out, filling the air with a cold that sapped the life and froze flesh. Men screamed for only a second before they died in an icy grave.
The remaining men were only partially caught in the blast and stumbled back. Four women in silver and green armor ran in from the doorway to meet them. An orange hammer raced across the air and took down one of the priestesses of Ulustrah. A second hammer struck a green shield of warding in a great shower of glasslike shards.
Gersius and Thayle were coated with a thick layer of frost and ice hung from their arms. They struggled to get up as ice and snow fell away and joined the battle. The air in the room was bitterly cold, and it was clearly having an effect. The surviving raven guard were dazed from the attack and moving sluggishly. Still, they fought to the last hurling hammers and insults as they died. In moments the fighting was over, and bodies littered the floor.
Priestess Rachel worked on healing the priestess who took the hammer blow. Her armor absorbed some of it, but it had broken her ribs.
Malvin was quick to check on Gersius and Thayle, but Gersius had only one thought on his mind.
“We must find Lengwin!” he shouted and led the way.
Up the stairs, the three ran kicking open every door and looking in every room. They found two more priests of Astikar dead on the second level, and they quickly raced up the steps to the third. Gersius went straight to Lengwin's office and noted the door was battered open.
He ran inside to find the space ransacked. The furniture was broken and thrown about. Books from the bookcases littered the floor. Paintings were torn down, and the suit of armor was toppled over. Beside the desk was the red and white robes of a priest of Astikar concealing the body of Lengwin.
“Balisha help us,” Gersius said as he ran to the man and turned him over.
Blood ran from the mouth and nose of Lengwin's battered face. What worried Gersius the most was the three crossbow bolts in his stomach. He looked at Thayle, and quickly pulled her over and shielded her with his back as a crossbow bolt bounced off his armor.
“There is one more!” he yelled and raced across the room. The shooter was carefully concealed in the corner beside the door. She wore black fabric that covered her entire body and face except for the glaring eyes. Gersius knew what she was and that giving her a moment to react would be a mistake. He charged across the room as the assassin drew two short wicked blades.
Thayle ignored the shouting and fighting going on behind her. Lengwin was mortally wounded and near death. She could see the faintest of breathing and heard him gurgle as his life withered away. She pulled the bolts out quickly as time was of the essence now.
She put her hands to his chest and began to sing as she called for healing power. Ulustrah answered, and her hands glowed with golden light. She could feel the severity of the wounds, and she realized Lengwin was poisoned. Her song changed, and she attacked the poison first, drawing it from his body. She felt her power growing thin as she went back to healing the punctures in his chest. It became a struggle to heal so many serious wounds. She spent much of her power in the battle below, and she fought to pull more. As the strain built, she remembered the day beside the river when Lilly was poisoned and how Gersius had drawn on Lilly’s power. Thayle closed her eyes and changed her focus, she reached out over the bind and touched Lilly.
Her hands blazed with golden light, and she gasped as the power surged through her. The light pulsed around her fingers and spread into Lengwins body. He suddenly twitched and convulsed, and to Thayles great relief turned his head to cough, spitting up blood and groans. Behind her, she heard the sounds of a man gone berserk.
“You tried to kill my wife!” Gersius roared, swinging his sword. The long blade clipped the wall, and the black-garbed assassin took advantage of it, stabbing at a leg and drawing blood.
Gersius grew enraged and dropped the sword reaching out with his hands and wrapped them around the assassin's neck. With a fluid motion, both blades came up, and one went into each of his arms. The eyes of the masked attacker went wide when Gersius didn't flinch.
He hoisted the fool from the ground by her neck, holding her in the air. The woman beat on Gersius with her fists, but it did no good as her world descended into blackness. Gersius held her there a moment longer before finally casting the lifeless body aside like a discarded rag.
Malvin reached the doorway in time to see Gersius casually pull first one and then a second dagger from his arms and toss them to the floor. He froze and gawked at the display of terrible might.
Thayle helped Lengwin sit up and turned to look at Gersius as he arrived to help. She then saw the blood pouring from his arms, his leg, and his side.
“By Ulustrah, Gersius, your hurt worse than he is! Come, let me heal you!” Thayle yelled quickly reaching her hands around his neck.
Again she prayed for healing, and again, she reached for Lilly's strength. The golden light spread across Gersius, and the blood stopped running down his armor.
Thayle breathed heavily as she let him go. She looked up to see all the priests and priestesses of Ulustrah standing in the doorway stunned at the display of her healing power.
“Lengwin,” Gersius said, taking the mans hand in his own.
“Gersius, thank Astikar you are here,” Lengwin said and fell into a fit of coughing.
“Can you stand?” Gersius asked.
Lengwin looked a mess of blood and bruises. He wobbled as he struggled to get to his feet, but with Gersius's help, he stood and surveyed the room.
“I feel very weak,” he said.
“You were nearly dead when we reached you. You will have the weakness for a day or so,” Gersius told him.
“Gersius, there is an assassin with them!” Lengwin tried to warn him.
“The assassin is dead,” Gersius assured him.
Lengwin looked around the room and saw the black-garbed body slumped against the far wall.
“I can't believe the Father Abbot would stoop to this. I knew the man wasn't fit to lead but to try and assassinate me!” Lengwin cried. He leaned on his disheveled desk to stay on his feet as tears came to his eyes.
“How many are dead?” he asked in a dire tone.
“We counted four,” Gersius said. “But there may be more.”
Lengwin nodded. “Fortunately I have most of my guard at your estate. I had only minimal staff here. I didn't expect there to be any trouble.”
“I am sorry to have lowered your guard for our sake,” Gersius began.
“No, Gersius, if those men had been here they would be dead as well. My men didn’t see the danger. They let those murderers in as brothers of Astikar. No, I am lucky I had so few men.”
“I am going to see Lilly. she has to be worried sick about us,” Thayle said, interrupting him.
Gersius turned to her and nodded, “Of course, go tell her we are safe.”
As Thayle left the room, the rest of the priests and priestesses of Ulustrah followed her.
“Did they say anything to you?” Gersius asked Lengwin.
“Yes, they told me I was cast from the order and my command forfeit. They said my sentence had already been decided and it was to be death.”
“Not even a trial of bishops,” Gersius said. “The Father Abbot brazenly spits on the rules and traditions of the order, and nobody dares question him.”
Lengwin looked up at him with fire in his eyes. “I will never rest until that man is purged from our order. This cannot stand; I will not allow it!”
“Why has Astikar not acted? Why does he allow them to use his blessings?” Gersius asked.
“I don’t know, Gersius. The Gods have done such things in the past. There have always been a vile few who would flaunt the power of the gods for their own wicked ways.”
“It is not right, Lengwin. The Gods should not bless the wicked,” Gersius said.
“I feel the same way you do, Gersius. But this has happened before, and it will happen again. It's up to good men to put a stop to it, not the gods.”
Gersius nodded, he’d heard the saying before, but it still didn’t sit right with him. He decided to let the subject go and stand with his friend in his moment of pain. Gersius had planned to bring the war to the Father Abbot, but the Father Abbot brought the war to him. Lengwin paid the price for standing beside him. He was cast from the order, sentenced to death, and his men littered the floors below.
All he could do now was be supportive as Lengwin dealt with the pain that was heaped upon him. One thing was clear, in failing to kill Lengwin, the Father Abbot made a terrible enemy. One that would never rest until the order of Astikar was free of the Father Abbots vile influence.
Gersius’s mission was stronger than ever and sealed in the blood of innocents. He was going to tear the gates of Calathen from the walls and drag the Father Abbot out to throw him at Lengwins feet.
He prayed the day would come soon before too many more had to pay for the man's lies.