8.
On the road out of camp the dishevelled figure of Niv jogged to
Pyrrho's side, “I presume there aren't two one legged hell-bitches
which plague your life?” she asked with a smirk as she looked
Aesara ahead of them
“I was drunk when I told you about Aesara” he didn't break
stride, nor look Niv's way
“But still pretty accurate given by the look of her”
“Perhaps”
“So why are we following her? How about we just slope off back to
the drinking tent?” Niv asked conspiratorially
“Family reunion on the day of victory. Kinda marks a neat end to a
break up precipitated by the start of hostilities”
“Not like you to be sentimental”
“Maybe I'm mellowing” Pyrrho suggested, but Niv just sniggered in
response
“We need to make more haste” Aesara barked from the front of the
ramshackle group without looking back “Towards those trees” she
nodded at a small copse at the top of the hill they were currently
embarking.
“She's...only...got one leg” puffed Volk at Pyrrho's other side
“but I don't... think I could...keep up....if I had....eight legs”
he stopped to gasp for breath.
By the time Volk caught up the others were sat under the shade of an
old lopsided oak, sunlight dappled through gaps in the canopy. They
were silent, all absorbed by the progress of the Stead's forces a few
miles distant.
Silent that was till Niv hollored “WOOOOO, GO STEAD-IE, WRECK THOSE
DRAKHAN SCUMLORDS”
“You keep good company as always” Aesara remarked to the slumped
and heavy breathing form of Pyrrho next to her
“None of the women in my life can quite match up to you, it is true
my precious Sara” false sincerity was always an easy way to rile
his sister.
“You mix in undesirable circles, that is certain. This is too easy”
but this latter aside wasn't describing the verbal joust that she'd
embarked upon with her brother
“The Drakhan do seem somewhat reluctant to engage” Pyrrho shared
his sister's emerging wariness. “Perhaps they concede?”
“There is no white flag. And their weapons remain raised. But why
do they not attempt to meet the Stead's charge?” Aesara leant
forward, squinting at the distant vista “The Stead will take that
hill unopposed. And from there the Drakhan flank is for the taking”
she had begun to talk more quickly, soldiers instinct screaming that
something was wrong.
“Something is wrong” the remark from Pyrrho caused Aesara to
shake her her head, it was some time since she and her brother had
shared thoughts quite so closely.
“YEAH, GO KILL THOSE DRAKHAN BASTA.....” Niv was cut off mid
curse. The Stead's vanguard had crested the first hill.
But then the hill wasn't there any more.
In its place a rolling turmoil of dust and confusion.
“What the...” Pyrrho had lent forward, mirroring the pose of his
sister
Then came the sound.
The crack and boom shook the ground beneath them, oak tree dropping
leaves, infant acorns shed prematurely on the late summer afternoon.
Volk and Onatas yelped, while the others gaped in awe. What had been
an amply size hill, covered in the Stead's men was now a lumpy
expanse of brown and singed earth, smoke eddying, filtering out the
sunlight that had dappled the five stunned figures on the hill across
the way.
The silence that struck the group neatly mirrored the noise that had
rolled past them. It would have persisted were it not for the sight
of the long Drakhan line descending like a locust on a wheat field.
“The counter attack” Aesara's voice sounded distant, automatic
almost.
“That's why their lines were so thin” Pyrrho spoke as if to
himself “they never expected the attack to get to them”. He
glanced towards his sister, managed to hold her gaze for once.
“It was a trap” they stated together, eyes fixed on one another
“It was stinkin Previous magic, that's what it was!” an alarmed
Volk had both hands on his head “how'd they make the Stead just
disappear like that?! We're cursed, CURSED!”
“The Previous had nothing to do with this betrayal” Pyrrho stated
“He is right for once” Aesara agreed with a shrug
“Well great time for the heartfelt family reunion 'n all that”
Niv had stood “but how about we save it f'later. Maybe make
ourselves scarce in front of the, y'know, rampant Drakhan horde?”
“Per'chance the, er, lady speaks sense” Onatas followed Niv's
lead in standing, himself unsettled by the tense silence now
emanating from between Aesara and Pyrrho.
“Y'mean we should make a run f'it?” Volk didn't totally
understand Onatas' fancy language, but certainly followed the
sentiment.
“Where to?” wondered Niv aloud
“Opposite direction to 'em?” Volk pointed towards the Drakhan,
who were making ground fast.
“The redoubt” stated Pyrrho
“The Stead actually nominated one?” Aesara replied
“He always does, no matter what the odds. Looks like he was, is,
wiser than you thought?”
“We can establish that when we get there. Lead on, dearest brother”
copying Pyrrho's mocking tone, without quite the conviction.
With the Drakhan snapping at their rear, no-one felt like complaining
about the pace set by Pyrrho and Aesara this time. Thankfully the
early part of the journey was mostly downhill, Pyrrho weaving them
through marshy farmland and more stony fenland. Aesara suspected it
wasn't the most direct route, but keeping the group out of sight line
from the Drakhan was a tactic she approved of in her younger brother.
“You got some nice knives in that robe of yours then?” Niv had
matched pace with Onatas at the rear of the group
“Excuse me?” Onatas wasn't quite sure why this scary woman had
descended upon him
“Well you ain't go no proper weaponry on ya, I can see that, so I
assume you're the more close quarters sort of fella. No my style
o'course, but each to his own.”
“Close quarters?”
“Yeah, approach from behind 'em, slit throat, dagger to the belly,
tha sort o'thing” Niv miming the vicious attacks unknowingly;
Onatas shrinking away from her
“I, er...”
“I ain't judgin' ya or anything, just cos close quarters is the
cowards way, we all gotta fight how we can, a dead Drakhan is a dead
Drakhan after all. Just wanna know how we stand if push comes to
shove”
“I'm not really an, er, fighter”
“Al'right, assassin, ninja, however you wanna call it mate. I know
your sort. The quiet ones” she gave him a playful nudge, which
seemed incongruous in the current situation as they fled.
“Quiet” Pyrrho rarely gave direct orders, but the stress was felt
among them. He'd stopped and crouched by a ragged hedge, the others
following suit.
“What is it?” Aesara strained to see between the hedge, but it
was too overgrown to get a good view.
“The other side. It's flat ground, open until a small hamlet at the
bottom of the valley. We need to get across the open ground quickly,
as it's in view of the Drakhan approach.”
“How defensible is the hamlet?” Aesara was still looking around,
the area seemed familiar
“Not much in the way of strong positions, but there is a small barn
still standing. We can make it there, then maybe reappraise the
situation?”
Volk stiffened, he too had been trying to work out where they were, a
sense of direction never his strongest asset.
“Ok, we move quickly then” Aesara used her damaged staff to wedge
open a gap in the hedge. Onatas, you first, she nodded at the nervous
looking apprentice.
“W-why me?”
“Because as the time you've finished moaning the others will have a
nice warm fire and a flaggan of tea going at the barn. Move” the
last word said through gritted teeth.
They sprinted over the open ground in turn, vigilant for approaching
Drakhan. At the barn they paused to catch their breaths, Pyrrho
climbing into the rafters in order to peer out of a broken hole in
the roof. Sawdust gently fell into the main space of the barn as
Pyrrho moved about above them, Onatas sneezing, then apologising
for making a noise, then for speaking. A glance from Aesara saw him
finally clam up.
"Company" Pyrrho dropped back down into their midst "about
five of them coming down the lane"
"Five? That it? " Niv brightened up, " I ever tell
you the story of when I took five on at once? " Volk rolled his
eyes, the big man having heard it plenty of times. Onatas was
equally sceptical having more recent first hand experience of what
five on one combat looked like. Or at least what it sounded like
from inside the belly of a Previous construction while Aesara did the
hard work.
"We'll stay low, hope they pass through" Aesara stated
"Who you think you're ordering round? " Niv had taken out
her club and was moving towards the barn's entrance way. " Let's
take em down, for the Stead, see how they fight without any of that
Previous magic to sucker punch with"
"Aesara is right, we hold up here " Pyrrho rarely gave
direct orders, his leadership style was more unconventional, he
needed his team to think for themselves when out behind enemy lines.
But in this case his sister was right, too much weird stuff
happening to risk a frontal assault. Niv looked downbeat at the
decision, but nevertheless moved back into the barn in compliance.
Under Aesara's direction the group moved towards the rear of the
barn, hiding amongst fallen masonry and other detritus that had
gathered over the years. Silence descended, enveloping them like
the dust in the barn's gloomy atmosphere.
“YOU IN THE BARN, EXIT IMMEDIATELY” the voice boomed, echoing
around the confines of their, apparently insufficient, hiding place.
No one inside the barn made a sound, but a series of increasingly
alarmed glances were traded.
“DO NOT THINK YOU CAN DECIEVE US, WE SAW YOUR SCOUT POKE HIS HEAD
OUT OF THE UPPER STORIE” the voice had a slightly odd
characteristic, one that Aesara could not quite work out
Pyrrho was less concerned with the tone of the voice and more how he
had been detected. “No way” he whispered, “they were
silhouettes on the horizon when I made them out. I know how to stay
hidden when on reconnaissance, it's what's kept me alive so long”
“More Previous magic” muttered Volk, his lumpish form slump
behind the rotten carcass of an old barrel.
“DO NOT THINK US SHY OF COMING IN TO GET YOU. BETTER TO GIVE UP
YOURSELVES NOW”
“Well this hiding plan ain't workin' out so well. How about we go
with my first idea?” Niv had once again drawn her fearsome looking
club, but had instinctively looked to Aesara for confirmation.
The overseer gave a slow nod, “We'll try and tempt them in here,
attack while their eyes aren't adjusted. Pyrrho, think you can go
take a look without being spotted this time?” she asked in a hushed
tone “Pyrrho? Pyrrho!” now less of a whisper and more a husky
urging. “Where's he gone?!”
“Yeah, he does this” Niv replied sardonically
“Does what?!
“Disappears right when t'is about to get tasty.”
“He runs away?” Aesara was incredulous, her opinion of her
brother was low, but was rapidly becoming subterranean.
“Says that it ain't his style. That he'll leave it to me n' Volk”
a shrug “suits us fine, more skulls for me to crack” a devious
smirk had emerged.
“Plus...” Volk spoke up “He does sometimes turn up to finish
the last one off and make some clever comment 'bout it”
Aesara shook her head in exasperation, not for the first time today
and probably not the last. “Ok, we can still hold the entrance way.
You two on that side” a nod at Niv and Volk “and I'll hold this
one” she moved towards the right of the door.
“What 'bout him?” Niv indicated the nervous Onatas, the
apprentice was visibly shaking
“He'll just stay out of trouble”. But then an idea struck Aesara,
“actually, Onantas, see if you can climb into the rafters where
Pyrrho was. Keep an eye out for anything unusual”
“But everything today seems unusual” Onatas whimpered
“More unusual. Now get your tubby arse moving” and with that she
retired to the gloom on the right side of the entrance way. Niv and
Volk followed suit on the opposite side, while Onatas attempted to
scramble up into the rafters.
A few minutes past, the silence once again came surrounded them.
“Pssst, Aesara” it was an unusual sound, but not the one from
outside. The overseer looked back into the barn, then upwards. Onatas
dangled above her.
“What is it?” she demanded through gritted teeth; the adrenalin
that was now coursing through her veins was making her irritable.
“I can see them, just over the other side of the hamlet”
“What are they doing?”
“Talking I think. I'm not sure. They carry, er, devices”
“Devices?”
“Yeah, two long staffs, like yours with metal at the ends, except
one of those ends looks hollow.”
“Hollow staffs?” Aesara screwed up her face in confusion.
“Yeah, but another has something else. Looks like a tube, but maybe
has glass in it? He's pointing it at me now”
“Previous magic, be careful” the voice wafted over from the other
side of the barn
“Shut up Volk” Aesara barked across the entrance way, although
was lacking any better ideas to what the devices were. “Any sign
of Pyrrho?” this directed up to the roof of the barn.
“None. Wait!”
“What? Pyrrho?”
“No, the others, they move. Heading our way”
“ENOUGH PROCASTINATION, WE WILL SHOW NO MERCY”
“About 'ruddy time” Niv was impatient for the action to begin.
Far too much talking for her taste so far.
“Two with swords are coming first, then the two with the funny
looking staffs” the keen eyed Onatas was proving some ability as a
spotter
“And the remaining one?” Aesara wanted to build a complete a
mental picture as possible.
“At the rear. Think he's the one been shouting at us. He's got the
glass ended tube, but also has this other thing. He's holding it to
his mouth now”
“I THOUGHT BETTER OF THE STEAD'S GRUNTS TO SPEND THEIR FINAL
MOMENTS COWERING IN AN ELDER BARN”
Aesara gripped an axe in each hand, her damaged staff stowed away at
the rear of the barn. Wait she
mouthed across the entrance way at Pyrrho's lackeys. She caught Niv's
eye, the other woman sneering in reply. Aesara needed them to hold
the line here if they were to surprise the Drakhan, to pit their slim
strength against the Drakhans odd devices – whatever they actually
were – but
she had little faith that Niv would heed her tactical advice.
But it was Volk that charged.
The big man leapt forward with considerable speed, closing the gap
with the sword wielding enemies in just three strides. The flash of
his long blade was even quicker, the first Drakhan's tatty tunic
slashed open in a burst of scarlet. Next was the first of the staff
bearers, the young man looking terrified in the path of Volk's rapid
charge.
“Save some for me!” Niv was off in pursuit, but before she could
enter the fray a crack and bang echoed around the small hamlet. Smoke
enveloped Volk and the staff wielding Drakhan, but was blown away
quickly by a freshening evening breeze.
Volk lay face first on the ground.
Niv only broke stride to leap her fallen comrade, club brought down
in a crashing over head swipe onto the young Drakhan's startled face
with an unsettling crunching sound that too echoed off the derelict
buildings.
The remaining Drakhan had spread out, Niv snarling as she whirled
round to choose her next target. The other staff bearer held up his
device, towards Niv.
“WATCH OUT” cried Aesara, although not quite sure what they
should be looking out for. She wasn't quick enough to cover the
ground as fast as the other two, so instead flung one of her axes. It
wasn't a skill that she had practised as much as she now wished she
had done, but the axe still hit home, albeit with the hilt rather
than blade, and into the staff bearer's flank rather than head. But
this was enough to cause the Drakhan to drop the staff. Niv was on
him in a flash.
The other sword wielding Drakhan charged at Aesara, yelling. Her
disdain for those that yelled when running into battle was almost as
much as her disdain for the young Drakhan's guard as she parried his
sword swipe then buried he axe up and into his arm pit. No missing
from this range.
“Bloody work” the two women turned from their fallen foes and
looked across the narrow lane to the Drakhan lieutenant. But the
voice had not come from the Drakhan. All that came from him was a
slight wheezing noise.
And a thin trickle of blood from a line across his throat.
The dead eyed lieutenant slumped to the floor. Pyrrho stood in his
place, wiping the garrotte on a silken handkerchief. He smiled
towards his sister.
Aesara shook her head as she clumped over to the prone body of Volk.
Niv had turned him over onto his back, with no small exertion on her
behalf, before recoiling from the sight. Volk's belly and chest was
ripped to shreds, blood oozing from the mess. Aesara knelt beside
him, feeling for a pulse in a pudgy wrist.
“He alive?” Pyrrho had joined them
“Barely. Perhaps if you prioritised teamwork over dramatic
entrances this might have been different”
“He should have listened to your orders”
“How did you know what my orders were?” Aesara briefly caught her
brother's eye, before ripping off Volk's sleeve to dab at the wounds,
investigate the damage. “You were long gone by then, as always when
a little adversity comes your way”
“Stay calm, stay quiet, pit your strength against their
weakness” Pyrrho parroted his sister's mottoes. “You expect
little old me to fight head on? Where is the tactical advantage you
were forever extorting in that?”
“Well you could have stuck around to discuss it”
“War isn't a committee” another motto as Pyrrho angrily
stalked away, almost colliding with the panting Onatas jogging across
from the barn.
“C...can I help?” a mix of moderate exercise, fear and
nervousness causing him to stutter.
“Need to stop the bleeding” Aesara spoke quickly, but without
making eye contact, instead watching the retreating form of her
brother.
“W...we also n..need to clean him. The Elders wrote f...frequently
about in..infection”
“So you do learn some actually useful knowledge while locked away
in the archives?” Aesarsa watched Onatas redden, before turning to
Niv. “Can you get us some clean water, and start a fire?”
“Sure” Niv was quick to comply with a request for once, still
shocked by Volk's appearance.
Now with just the unconscious Volk within earshot, Onatas looked
towards Aesara, “what was that that did this?”
“You're supposed to be the clever one”
“The Elders spoke of an invention that spat fire and hot lead. But
The Previous, it is said, preferred even darker technologies, so left
little trace of the Elder's knowledge when they rose to ascendency”
“Depends how hard you look for it” Aesara did not look up, her
tone did not invite further questions.
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