Chapter 42 Battle

I have heard of a third group of us outside the city of SnakeIn, but have not met any of them. That is the wildest area in the Midhe Nua with predators more aggressive than we are, so I don’t know how well they can survive, or how much food is available to them. --Prince Eater, undocumented

After Liam shot down the horses dragging Tom and Craig behind them, two other Grays sliced through the ropes, wrapped the freshly cut ends around their hands, and swung back onto their own war mounts. Tom and Craig struggled unsuccessfully to regain their footing as the Grays pressed their horses viciously and began dragging the men around the Courtyard.

On the parapet, Jon hurriedly loaded a crossbow. When he had the weapon ready, he precisely tracked the twisting form of Craig Docherty. As he did, Liam began hooking empty weapons on his belt and reloading them. When Jon was certain he had the timing right, he loosed the quarrel and sent it soaring through the rope restraining Craig. Liam took the empty crossbow from Jon who snatched up the next loaded one. The prince tracked Tom Jarek until he was once again certain of his aim, and then freed Tom.

As Jon and Liam focused on freeing the two men, Rory stepped to another crenel with an armed crossbow at his shoulder. Calmly and coldly, he blocked out what was happening to his father and tracked a target of his own. He centered his aim on Holy King Harrison who sat unmoving in his chair. The youth hesitated, and then turned slightly and sent a thwacking quarrel through the Most Revered’s side. Nearby priests seized her to keep her upright while a volley of responding quarrels bounced off the half wall around Jon, Liam, and Rory who ducked behind the merlons.

Colleen crawled out of her lethargy toward one of the crenels until she was near enough for Rory to seize her arm and tell her, “You need to stay alive and healthy, for Fitzreginald’s sake.”

“Fitzreginald?” she murmured. “Fitzreginald.”

Jon and Liam resumed shooting at the Grays threatening Craig and Tom. Once he was assured that Colleen would stay put, Rory began targeting Magi and Magi Soldiers.

“Why aren’t the Kings Soldiers fighting?” Liam asked. “I understand the layers of guards surrounding Holy King Harrison, but why haven’t the rest intervened?”

“I don’t think it’s clear which side he wants them to fight on,” Jon answered. “The Royal Archers decided on their own to defend the hostages because of Alec. Look closely at my father. He’s dying.”

Craig regained his feet more swiftly than Tom. He started to run, limping and stumbling, toward Annie’s Rebels. Almost instantly, Craig was enveloped in the protection of Holdingfree Fighters who fought off the Magi Soldiers trying to re-subdue him. Padraig MacGavin and Watcher Lynch darted from the screaming crowd, ducked under the halberds and axes being brandished by the Magi Soldiers, and sprinted to their aid. Watcher Lynch lifted Craig brusquely onto his back and ran to safety while Padraig fought his way to Tom.

Four Holdingfree Fighters who had realized that Tom wasn’t moving, were already trying to help him. One student lifted Tom by his shoulders and began to drag him toward help while the others formed another barricade. As soon as he reached them Padraig took Tom Jarek from the student, shook his head when he realized that there was no sign of life, and then tossed the dead man over his shoulder. He led the Holdingfree Fighters and the remainder of Annie’s Rebels from the Courtyard to safety.

Behind them in the center of the Courtyard, among the bodies of Grays and Magi Soldiers, Lachlan O’Hara lay with several crossbow bolts jutting out of him. Both of his sons lay across the body of their dead father having given their own lives defending him, one when a sword sliced through his chest, the other when a war axe severed most of his throat.

A commotion behind the wounded Ava Most Revered and King Harrison caught Jon’s attention. A door opened and several Magi and Magi Soldiers hauled Prince Seán across the dais, his wrists tied and his face bruised. As they dragged him down the steps toward the Ritual Arena, several of the Kings Soldiers attacked the group abusing Prince Seán. In a burst of new energy, nearby Annie’s Rebels beat down their opponents and sprang to the side of the King Soldiers to defend Prince Seán.

On the dais, Ava Most Revered clutched her side as she rose to her feet and shouted as loudly as her weakening body allowed, “No! No! He hasn’t been prepared. You’ll kill him. Stop!”

Horror-stuck that her own magi would ignore her, she leaned forward as if to go to the Courtyard but instead sagged in the arms of the Magi with her.

When Ava fainted, Harrison grew stronger. He shook his head as if he’d just woken up in the morning, saw the battle around his youngest son, and shouted, “Save Prince Seán! I command you. Save Seán.” The king shook his fist and yelled loudly. “Save my son!”

Immediately, the Kings Soldiers still ringing the dais and several of the Kings Guard lifted their weapons, joined the attack against the Magi and Magi Soldiers, and found themselves fighting side by side with Annie’s Rebels.

Jon accepted another crossbow from Liam and scoured the scene below him before he sent a quarrel through the heart of the largest priest holding Prince Seán. The woman slumped to the ground, and in the confusion, the other magi released the captive to help their comrade.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Ignoring the cries to “come back” from the crowd and the Rebels stationed to protect the spectators, Grace raced to Prince Seán. Alec pushed aside the handful of people restraining him and ran after her. They dodged battling soldiers until one Magi Soldier snatched at Grace. Alec tackled the soldier and the pair grappled. Grace kept running and reached Seán as he tried to gain his feet with his hands still bound. A priest clawed at Seán’s shoulders, so Grace kicked the mage and kept kicking until Seán could jerk loose. Alec rose from overpowering the soldier and jerked a thumb toward his back as he ran to them. Grace climbed on as soon as he bent down to lift the bound prince in his arms, and he bore both to safety.

More bolts poured from the crowd and from the rooftops, as additional droves of Annie’s Rebels arrived to mount another direct attack.

The magi on the dais abandoned the Most Revered when they realized they would not be able to defeat the combined forces of the Crown and the Rebels. Glancing at each other in disbelief, they darted through the exit at the rear of the dais to make their escape.

Heavy footfall on the stone steps leading to the roof warned Jon that their time was nearly up. Liam and Rory jammed quarterstaffs through the door handle to gain time as Jon neatly loaded one final bolt that he aimed precisely at the gate confining the Prince Eaters, and then shot through the lock. Jon hooked the crossbow onto his belt and then frantically chucked all the other weapons off the edge of the parapet so that they would smash against the ground and be unusable. Dragging Colleen to the aerial line, Jon flipped the shafts of a dozen crossbow bolts over the cable and urged Colleen toward it. As soon as she had a hold of them, he pushed her with all his strength, sending her flying down the line to Armed Watcher Ned Logan who caught her just as the shafts started to smoke from the friction. Liam and Rory each secured their own bundle of shafts and as soon as Jon stepped aside, Liam flung his bundle over the line and jumped. Rory did the same, but as he glided down the traverse line, the pouch containing the groom’s flintlock pistol slipped unnoticed from his belt and fell to the ground. Finally, Jon flipped his cane over the cable, secured his hands around both ends, and within seconds was at the far end of the line where Ned Logan stopped his descent, and members of Annie’s Rebels closed around him protectively until he gained his footing. Jon, Rory, and Liam quickly disappeared into the trees intending to double back to the Courtyard.

Ned cut the aerial line, frayed the ends, and used a striker to set it on fire. When he turned to follow the others he discovered Colleen sitting on the ground, her legs drawn up, and her forehead pressed against her knees. Ned walked over, leaned down, and asked, “Mrs. Raedwald? We have to leave before the soldiers get here.”

She didn’t answer or lift her head.

“Mrs. Raedwald?” he repeated. “Colleen?”

Ned sighed, moved around to one side of her, lifted the expectant mother gently, and took her with him. He was well into the trees when he heard the Magi Soldiers break through the door and storm the roof. He smiled at the angry swearing when they discovered the burning aerial line, and he whispered in Colleen’s ear, “Looks like you and I made it, Colleen.”

“Fitzreginald,” she murmured.

“Your baby, too.”

“Can you take me home?”

“To Braeford Estates?”

“I have nowhere else to go.”

“Sure thing, Colleen. Sure thing.”

Finding no servants nearby to assist him, Holy King Harrison rose unsteadily onto his feet and stabbed Jon’s short sword into the floor so he could use the hilt for balance. He shuffled to the Most Revered, and slowly knelt down to grasp one of the Most Revered’s arms. He pulled it toward him, latched his fingers onto her bracelets, and then yanked them off viciously. He grasped the hilt of the sword and rose to his feet. He patted at his robes indecisively, and then held up Jon’s sword, and slid the bracelets onto the hilt. Once Harrison was certain the jewelry was secure, he tucked Jon’s sword in his belt, and then grasped the Most Revered’s arm again and tugged her after him as he started down the dais steps unsteadily.

Near the Courtyard, the gate to the pen with the lock Jon had shattered, flung open under the onslaught of Prince Eaters throwing themselves against it. The first ones lowered their heads and charged at the crowd who screamed, and ran, pushing and shoving to get away from the deadly beasts.

The large Prince Eater designated #3, however, heaved her head from side to side, her vision tracking a figure who seemed to be both human and beast with numerous horns displayed on his back. The figure moved slowly toward the fighting as if he were going to join in the fray. Prince Eater #3 roared with gratification when she recognized that he was dragging behind him the cruel Most Revered who had conscripted her son to his death and that it was Holy King Harrison arrogantly displaying the remains of Prince Eaters as part of his own body. On his left shoulder, she saw a crooked horn with a kink near the tip. She knew that kink well. It happened when a careless male Prince Eater stepped on her child, a child the gamekeepers had called #17, a child gone except for that crooked horn on a usurper’s body. She snorted, pawed at the ground with her hooves, then roared from the depth of her lungs. Lowering her head again, Prince Eater #3 charged toward the abomination in anger. Other Prince Eaters followed.

The Kings Guards bravely closed around Holy King Harrison and faced the angry beasts, wielding swords, halberds, war axes, and bludgeons. Prince Eater #3 caught Holy King Harrison on one of her horns and flipped him into the air. As he came down on the Prince Eater’s back, Holy King Harrison slammed his son’s sword into the base of Prince Eater #3’s head. The thrust twisted the bracelets together and Holy Lightning swirled around the blade into the beast, while a second arc traveled through Holy King Harrison. The horns at the base of his neck smoked, burst into flames, and seared down to cinders, leaving charred wires in the center of a savage burn between the king’s shoulders. Harrison convulsed as he careened off the beast, his hand still wrapped around the short sword. The longest of the thirty-three horns in his back dug into the dirt and the momentum jerked the rest of his body downward around those now stationary horns.

Harrison’s primal shrieks rose above the din of battle. Frightened citizens in the crowd, Annie’s Rebels, the Armed Watch of SnakeIn, and the few remaining Magi Soldiers and Grays all froze in place, all silent, as they turned to the king. Around him lay the destroyed bodies of every member of the Kings Guards.

Ava’s eyes sprung open, and a choked, bloody scream rose from her throat as Prince Eater #3 twisted uncontrollably above her. Dragging herself with her arms, she managed to crawl far enough to avoid being crushed.

The other beasts ignored the fate of Prince Eater #3. Some dove greedily to munch the limbs or heads of dead guards, soldiers, Rebels, students, and Grays. Others assessed their surroundings, and then collectively turned and started toward the crowd for fresher nourishment. Four of them broke from the herd and headed toward the woods and open fields beyond the Ritual Arena.

©2022 Vera S. Scott