Chess woke before the sun the next morning to someone shaking her shoulder and a world of dark greys painting her tent. She groaned and brushed the hand away, rolling onto her back to stare at the ceiling. She took the moment to gather her thoughts.
I need to figure out the plan of attack, I got distracted with my new toy yesterday and got stupid. Chess admonished herself, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands as she worked up the motivation to roll out of the hammock and address her skunky alarm-clock. Thump is fun though.
“Sir Caldur wants everyone outside, Lady,” Lynn said as she waited for Chess to gain her feet.
“Alright, thanks,” Chess said with a yawn, studying Ashley’s sleeping form. Her new daughter had a tight two-armed hug on her tail, her breath coming out in a soft, raspy, sputtering, snore. Chess suppressed a snort at the girl's open-mouthed slumber and rolled to her feet, moving to shake her awake.
“Hmm?” Ash’s asked, rubbing the drool from the corners of her mouth. Chess repeated Lynn’s request, encouraging the girl to get up, and they followed Lynn out.
“My tummy hurts,” Ash complained as she shuffled in her wake holding her stomach, her tail rigid behind her.
Chess gave her a concerned look but was unsure how to help. Not like they have Pepto or tums here. “Hopefully it passes soon, if it gets worse let me know.” Chess said.
Outside the men were making quick and quiet work of dismantling the camp. Caldur had moved the men deeper into the woods the night before and they were now camped in the lee of a small hillock. The thick trunks of the towering Ironwoods that dominated these woods blocked sight of the road. The underbrush here was low and new, topping out around three feet, due to a recent fire. Many of the trees still bore blackened bark and others stood as tall leafless skeletons. Another of Chess’s thorn barriers encompassed the camp and kept the horses fenced in.
Kan had spoken the night before about the value of the dead trees while marking the location on his and Caldur’s maps. When asked, he’d explained that harvesting living Ironwood trees came with a whole host of political consequences. And that didn’t account for the local Dryads. Prospectors rarely found dead Ironwood trees and the men were excited to find a few dozen in the immediate area. Chess shoved a few of the heavy branches into the free space in her inventory, hoping they’d come in handy later.
Caldur and Kan were consulting with a few men over a map laid out on a small folding table when the girls found them.
“What do you expect from me today?” Chess asked in a quiet voice rubbing her face as they approached.
“You, your daughter, Lynn, and a few of my men will be hanging back from the fight as much as possible. We’ll need you safe to heal anyone that needs it and none of you are battle healers. If you’re able to make a hiding spot we’ll do our best to bring any wounded to you. Otherwise, do what you can but wait until the battle starts; your music could give us away.” Caldur said, turning to face her.
Chess nodded, putting on a resolute face despite the apprehension growing in her belly.
“We’re also leaving the horses here. Can you enclose the horses’ area and grow more thorns to discourage the lions before we leave?” Caldur asked Chess, who nodded.
“Is that a good idea?” She asked.
“Can’t have the horses giving us away; worst case, we have to run down some thieves,” Kan nodded.
“We should have a few hours until they're ready to leave their camp. I’ll get the men warmed up and stretched once they’re done packing. Join us when you finish with the horses,” he continued, the last directed at Chess, before leaving to gather the men who'd completed their chores. Chess noticed they’d already taken her tent down in the short time they’d been talking.
She got to work making an elaborate and dense fence for the horses while making sure she gave them room to move about. Once she'd finished with the horses, she grew a few cloaks for the people who were manning the healing shelter. The least I can do is make it harder to spot us.
Chess decided warming up sounded smart and joined the men in a light jog once she finished with her tasks. Heavy clouds started rolling in, dulling the meager light the sun had started to filter through the forest. The heavy scent of impending rain settled over the camp and the humidity rose.
Why does all military training have to involve running; my boobs hurt. I thought sports bras prevented this shit. Chess thought while rubbing her sore chest. Her blouse and pants clung to her uncomfortably in the humid air and she yearned to strip down to her bra and panties. She was not looking forward to the coming battle in the impending summer rain.
I guess indestructible underwear can still suck; this one isn’t the best for running. Maybe I can cut the bottom off of my dress and remove the arms to get myself a good breeze going, she mused. They followed the running with a light stretch reminiscent of what she’d done in gym class back in high school. With their morning warm up done, and camp packed, the group headed out.
With surprising speed, Chess soon found herself at the planned ambush site. She was happy two of the guards left with her were men she’d gotten to know better recently. Having Adit and Steven at her side helped settle her nerves. The last man in the fallback position she learned was Ehan. He was the strong and silent type that liked to answer in grunts and smiles that left her a bit uneasy.
“I’ll whistle when I sense someone approaching,” Steven said to the small group, demonstrating a bird’s lilting song so they all knew what to listen for.
After donning the cloaks that Chess had made, the group set up the hiding spot while Chess grew an enclosure to hide them from casual view. Lynn and Ash gathered some bandages from Lynn’s inventory and cleared a space they could lay any wounded. Meanwhile the men got comfortable so they each had a good view of their section of the area, spreading their new cloaks about them so their forms hid them from a casual look.
She carefully buried brambles in the soft loamy soil by some nearby tree roots before causing a circle of sharp thorns to grow out of them. She then created a semi-circle of thorns behind the hiding place with a path out she made sure everyone knew about.
As she and Ash settled in the rain started to fall and Chess groaned, reaching out to grip Sprig. Should I risk it? She thought, studying the folded amber canopy. No, it stands out too much. Shaking her head, she returned it to the bush she’d made to hide it and her guitar from outside view.
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Maybe I can make the brambles thick enough the rain won't get in. She attempted to improve the situation by singing under her breath but as soon as she got a decent cover built, the rain picked up and streams of water found their way in, soaking her once more.
Boredom is way better than this bullshit. Chess thought miserably while trying not to focus on the stream of water that was flowing down from her wet hair into her ass crack. As time went on she got more and more uncomfortable, shifting back and forth in a futile attempt to get away from the rain.
At least I'm not alone and it’s a lot warmer than the other day, she thought while picking out the forms of men crouched in anticipation with weapons in hand.
Steven’s whistle brought her out of her stupor and she looked up and around, her heart beating a staccato rhythm at the thought of impending danger.
This was a terrible idea! I should’ve gone with Sholer, what was I thinking? This is no place for me. She thought as she caught the first glimpses of the approaching group of rough men and women. Bandits surrounded a group of children, pretty young women, and men, all who wore tarnished silver collars with chains attached that kept them daisy-chained together in 3 short columns.
Chess counted roughly 30 prisoners, herded by over a dozen hard-eyed men and women. She held her breath, her eyes drawn to Caldur as he raised a fist. A few men nearby drew back short horn bows. Their arrows gathered a presence, feeling somehow more real, and Chess drew in a sharp breath as she felt the surge of magic drawn to the projectiles.
A man in the passing troop whipped his head around towards one of the hidden archers and opened his mouth, a look of alarm in his eyes. Caldur dropped his fist and the man dropped between one step and the next, a feathered shaft blossoming from his right eye.
Chess sucked in a breath as half the bandits fell and Caldurs troop surged forward.
“Charge!” Kan roared, his shield tight to his body and his short spear thrust forward. A nimbus of red light puffed out below his feet on the next step.
“Charge!" His men answered, a similar red glow at their feet before they all blurred forwards; rocks and dust rocketing into the bushes behind them.
“Brace,” a woman’s voice rang out firm and confident from the group on the road. Chess couldn’t place who spoke, as the bandits turned to face the charge. The earth rumbled below her and five of the soldiers, already fully committed to the charge, couldn’t avoid the spikes of rock that sprouted from the ground. The soldiers ran right into them, impaling shins and feet in a single stumbling, gore-filled, moment. Their intended targets were quick to take advantage of the prone soldiers; stepping forward and dispatching them with vicious strikes.
Chess’s eyes widened in horror at the speed of the initial exchanges as the men quickly fell into a brutal free for all. All sense of discipline was abandoned as the two groups tore into each other while the archers remained hidden, looking to targets of opportunity.
“Incoming.” Steven hissed beside her and she spun around, putting an eye to one of the small openings she’d left in the back. Another troop of bandits was carefully making their way through the forest behind Caldur's troop.
“There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface. Consuming, confusing,” Chess sang, the song popping into her mind of its own accord. She took a mental grip on the plants at the full range of her ability, about a half dozen strides, and in front of the approaching group. They had their attention fixed on the conflict taking place on the road, causing them to overlook the hiding spot. Chess felt the song building from the despair growing in her belly and her voice rose; confident and carrying.
“CALDUR, BEHIND!” Steven bellowed, spurring the approaching bandits to quickly spring forward, not wanting to give up any advantage they still held.
She knelt to pick up her guitar, eyes still focused on the group. “This lack of self-control I fear is never-ending, controlling,” she sang in a crisp voice and the forest floor sprouted a large field of hidden spikes.
“Their mages,” She noted one of the men saying with a corner of her mind. He pointed towards the shelter and half the group turned towards it.
“I can't seem to find myself again, my walls are closing in,” Chess continued to sing. The bandits slowed as they closed in. They formed a line while searching the ground as they went. Shit, they must've felt the magic! Chess reasoned. She felt someone brush against her and glanced over, finding Lynn standing beside her. She didn’t pause or stumble in her song despite the distraction, letting the magic permeate all the plants between the bandits and them.
“I've felt this way before, so insecure.” Her magic worked to soften the spikes for a few paces in front of the bandits while two of them took a careful step forward. When nothing happened, the others followed suit and the group continued their approach.
“What language is that?” The whisper and the “shhh,” response carried clearly to Chess despite the pounding rain.
The other half of the original group had passed and engaged Caldur’s men on the road.
“Crawling in my skin, these wounds, they will not heal.” She played and the spikes regrew behind the group, followed by an undulating mass of vines. With the next step, one yelped with a hop and fell back and into an abrupt silence.
The rest of the group paused, looking back at their fallen comrade and their bodies became rigid.
“Fear is how I fall, confusing what is real,” roots snaked forward under the loamy earth, wrapping their ankles as they froze in fear. Sheets of rain flowed off the temporary statues.
“Trap!” A distant voice yelled, followed by a scream, from the other side of the road. The approaching bandits' heads jerked around and they tried to take a steadying step.
“Discomfort, endlessly has pulled itself upon me, distracting, reacting,” She sang and emphasized ‘pulled’, as the vines first tightened around their legs before jerking back and up. Abruptly yanking their feet out from under them, catapulting the 6 men and women into the field of eight-inch spikes. They all stopped moving almost instantly. Chess paused for a few seconds, stunned by what she’d done before Lynn shook her arm and woke her from her stupor.
“Steve, get them out of here!” Caldur yelled over the din. Chess turned and attempted to seek out his form in the chaos.
Caldur paused, catching a blow on his shield before returning the favor by ramming his blade into a woman’s exposed groin. “Get to Sholer!” He bellowed, him and Serus now fighting back to back while Kan held off a small group not far from the pair.
Chess heard Lynn muttering beside her before shadows rose up behind two bandits who were fighting Steven and Adit where they defended the shelter. The shadows wrapped around their necks before flickering out in a flash of light, taking strips of flesh with them. The bandits screamed, dropping their weapons to grab the wounds in vain. Steve and Adit showed no mercy, finishing them off before turning to grab Chess and the others and pull them out of the shelter. The group quickly ran for the forest, taking advantage of the opening in the bandit's lines from Chess’s magic.
Chess tried to protest their retreat; her eyes fixed on the fight even as she ran.
“I can help.” She murmured as she witnessed the remaining five soldiers who desperately fought together in a small clump, surrounded by many times their number of bandits.
As she watched, Kan stepped forward and rammed his spear into a man’s throat, but with so many enemies the move cost him. Two of the bandits took advantage of the situation, blurring forward in the same red charge the soldiers had used earlier. The bandits rammed their blades into Kan’s sides, he deflected one with his shield but the other dipped below his spear-arm and sunk deep into his armpit. The bandit that landed the blow died to a short stab from Caldur as he tried to withdraw his weapon from Kan’s body, but the other managed to dance back as Kan slumped forward, lifeless.
Caldur snarled, “Shield All,” and was encompassed in the familiar nimbus that absorbed some of the incoming blows.
“No!” Chess choked out, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, gasping as the others pulled her along. "No!" She repeated trying to shake them off.
“Come on!” Adit yelled, shoving her along. Ehan picked up Ashley and they picked up the pace.
“Give it up Lord Caldur,” Chess heard a woman’s voice sneer into sudden silence.