Chapter 16-The Trigger
Chapter 16-The Trigger
Just outside the South Gate, their large group of nineteen, mostly folk, was joined by fourteen of Darrian's rebels–all of which were human. Quite a few of them had magik, but Darrian had only trained them to the point that he was sure it wouldn't break out at odd times. It was too dangerous directly inside the capital and so close to the palace to use much magik.
Beforehand, Darrian had decreed that only he, Seren, Lita, Nath, Mina, and Jalen would enter the castle. The others waited outside, concealed in the foliage. Reisha was the leader of those who would cover their escape from the South Gate; Andrew was named second-in-command. Along with eighteen other fighters, they hid themselves carefully to await the arrival of the other two groups.
A disturbance was created at the main gate to the palace (the North Gate) by a group of seven folk that were the most adept at their craft. Zaccheus commanded the magik users, who constructed flashy mirages and false images to lure the majority of the castle guards away. As soon as they were a sufficient distance away, Zaccheus gathered his troops and rejoined Rei. They moved swiftly and silently through the forest, paralleling the movement of the six inside the palace.
Most of their concentration was put towards maintaining the illusions at a distance. Once they reached Rei's fighters, the magik users shifted to the back. They would be feeling drained from using their magik and would only be called into battle in emergency circumstances.
Rei stared, almost unblinkingly, at a small glass globe nestled in her palm. Darrian had another just like it on him–when he felt that they could stop the magik, he would signal her by lighting green fire in his own globe. Because they were connected, green light would also fill Rei's globe. Blue sparks meant a change of location. If something went terribly wrong and they were captured, Darrian would light red sparks.
Meanwhile, Mina guessed that Kentan might be imprisoned in the same cell as before. "It's quite logical," she had assured Darrian aboard the ship. "It can't hurt to check there first. If you were hiding something, and someone had already stolen it once, you might try to put it in the same place as before, thinking that the thief wouldn't try the same place again."
Although he had been impressed, his voice was cool as he replied, "We are no thieves."
Her lips had quirked upwards in a bright smile. "No, we're liberators."
****~**~****
Nath wondered, as they crept through the palace, why Queen Serenitatis had blocked up all the secret passages. That had been one of the very first questions Mina and Darrian had asked Seren–where the secret passages were. Her response had been that the queen had blocked them all up when Kentan had been "killed," claiming that some rebel assassins may have used them to get into the palace.
Privately, Nath disagreed with her logic. Even though there was the danger of enemies sneaking in, no one could get out. Mina had shown him the tunnels she knew in the land nymphs' palace; they were well-maintained and well-hidden. There were also alarm spells that would let the guards know if anyone tried to use the passages, which was one reason Mina hadn't bothered to use them to get out of the palace–she hadn't wanted to waste the time undoing the spells. They were based in old magik, refreshed every five years or so. He wondered why Queen Serenitatis didn't just have her pet mages place alarms on those tunnels. Darrian had muttered something about paranoia and dictatorship.
They made it to the dungeons with relatively little trouble. Lita was even more adept than Darrian at sensing human presence ahead of them due to the nature of her magik, and Darrian had already taught Seren how to render someone temporarily unconscious. She did her work quickly and neatly, and Darrian murmured a compliment in her ear before he, Mina, and Lita started on the spells around Kent's cell. She flushed with pleasure and stood quietly in anticipation of seeing her brother again.
The spells were much stronger than the last time–but it was to be expected. Jalen and Seren stood watch, and every so often, they would hear Mina mutter a suggestion–and sometimes a curse. Once, Darrian yelped, and they turned to see blood pouring from his nose. He shook his head and pinched his nose, saying thickly, "It's these damned spells. Undoing them can give you a nasty shock if you're not careful."
Although he returned to his work, Seren could sense that he was shaken. Lita kept the complaint of a splitting headache to herself. Mina experienced more magikal backlash; just as they had undone the last enchantment, she had been blasted backwards into the opposite wall. Darrian worked some minor healing magik and brought her back to consciousness, but from the way Mina touched her head tenderly, he had been unable to do much besides revive her.
Mina melted the metal locks; this time, Darrian didn't have to pry them open. Kent was relieved to see that his friend had brought reinforcements. He was even more relieved that he hadn't needed to kidnap his sister, who rushed at him, throwing her arms around his neck–but he was extremely displeased that Darrian had brought her along.
Mina's eyes had widened upon seeing the human prince they had talked so much about for the first time. Her first coherent thought had been that he was extraordinarily handsome–even if he was covered in bruises and looking very pale. ‘Of course, with Seren being as beautiful as she is, I should've known her brother would inherit good looks as well,' she thought to herself.
As Kent disentangled himself and turned to Darrian, she said loudly, "We'd better hurry. It took longer than we expected to free him, so we'll have to try a circular route–go the opposite way we came, past the great hall."
Kentan's gray eyes widened in astonishment. "Are you insane? It'll take much longer that way, and there are always assemblies in the great hall."
Her eyes narrowed, and she tried to repress the annoyance she was feeling. She had met pigheaded men like him before, who thought they were superior to women. She was just as good as Darrian–perhaps better. "We took a direct route here to buy as much time as possible. I daresay that someone will have found the bodies we couldn't spare the time to drag out of the way."
"How many people did you kill?" he asked in a soft, steely tone, while the other three looked on, slack-jawed.
She resisted the urge to stamp her foot. He made her feel like a child. "We didn't kill anyone. They've only passed out. Your sister did excellently."
Kentan swerved to stare at the silvery-haired princess. "What? Seren?"
"I was under the impression you only have one sister, Prince Kentan. If you've finished wasting our time, precious little that we have of it, we'll get out of these dungeons." Mina rolled her eyes. For a man as handsome as he was, Kentan was surprisingly blockheaded.
And why was he usurping her authority? If anyone had the power to gainsay her, she would prefer it to be someone who, like her, had spent an entire week working out the details of their plan. She brushed past him, and the others followed her.
"Wait," he said in a strangled voice.
Mina spun around. "What is it now?"
He flushed an angry, sullen red. "I can't follow Your Excellency with my ankles chained together, can I?"
"That would be your title," she responded coolly, pointing her finger at the manacles. "Why didn't you bring it up earlier?"
"I didn't have the time," he bit up through gritted teeth.
When she noticed the shackles on his wrists, she melted them as well. The shining pool of molten metal rippled violently before it reformed into a long chain that she coiled around her waist as he stared, clearly impressed. It could come in handy later.
Darrian led them out of the dungeons without another word. Mina and Kentan brought up the rear, glaring at each other intermittently. Suddenly, the black-haired man swivelled around abruptly, turning to face them. He didn't seem to notice that Jalen had crashed into him and was now staggering backwards, trying to regain his balance. "Soldiers up ahead," he told them tersely.
Seren, who was looking slightly pale, asked in a hushed voice, "How many? Can we knock all of them out?"
He shook his head. "I think not."
"We'll have to split up and lose them," Mina cut in decisively, her bright hair hidden beneath the hood of her cloak.
The ebony-haired man nodded in agreement, just as Kentan opened his mouth to protest. "Lose as many as you can and don't fight if you can help it. We'll meet up outside the South Gate, the one we came in through. Partner up," he ordered brusquely.
Immediately, almost instinctively, Seren moved to his side. He looked down at her and nodded. When he took her hand, Kentan's eyebrows rushed together swiftly. "Why can't–"
Impatiently, Mina interrupted, "You're in no condition to fight after being tortured and nearly starved to death."
Against his will, his hand moved to touch a wound on his arm, concealed by his sleeve. There were more bruises in other places on his body, and he hadn't eaten in the past twelve hours. How could she have known?
"You'll come with Jalen and me." She appeared not to notice his gesture and darted a look at the blonde man, and he nodded his acquiescence. "That leaves you two as the last group," she told Nath and Lita.
Darrian, Lita could see, agreed with the pairings. Mina and Jalen were competent enough together, and Darrian would watch out for Seren as Nath would do for her. He held each of their eyes in turn with his sapphire ones. "See you at the gate," he said quietly, "stay safe."
****~**~****
Their footsteps pounded through the halls, and Lita's heart beat furiously against her rib cage. Her hand was joined with Nathair's; they had had to split up into three groups to try and lose the guards that were hot on their trail. The brunet man was running swiftly, a heavy wooden staff in his hand. There were knives in his belt, and Lita was clutching her bow tightly in her other hand. The quiver of arrows jolting against her back with each running step she took was hampering her movements, but she had a feeling that it would come in handy.
Suddenly, directly after they had rounded a corner, Nath ducked into a shallow niche and pulled her in after him. Her face was pressed against his chest, which was heaving even as he tried to regain his breath. He didn't seem to notice that his left arm was holding her tightly against him, his right hand holding his staff in readiness.
Lita closed her eyes, also trying to still her breathing. Any minute, the guards that had been pursuing them would race around the corner, and they could not draw their attention, trapped as they were in this cramped alcove. ‘They said the plan was foolproof...everything went splendidly until now. Now we've split up, and everything's fallen to pieces. We were supposed to have been able to reach the South Gate together and run for the ship. The magik users should have joined the archers by now.' She didn't know if Darrian remembered that Rei was waiting for his signal.
Mina had been adamant about the archers covering their escape from the castle. ‘What would be the point if we freed Kent and couldn't make it off the castle grounds?' she had said, her cornflower blue eyes alight. Organizing the rescue mission had set her afire–unfortunately, so had Prince Kentan.
Lita opened her eyes when at least twenty pairs of booted feet pounded past them. As soon as the last man had passed, Nath began counting aloud. "On fifteen, we'll go in the opposite direction. One...two..."
She tensed, readying herself to dart out of their nook, checking in the direction from whence they had come for signs of human life. It was her close bond with living and growing things that made her so good at this particular skill.
"Eleven...twelve–"
Nathair paused uncertainly when she elbowed him in the ribs. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's taken care of now."
"Let's go, then."
As they ran down the hall, Lita thought they might finally be out of trouble. That was before they skidded to a half in front of a smaller group of five guards.
****~**~****
Due to Seren's familiarity with the palace, she and Darrian had been able to reach the South Gate first. They bolted out of the palace together, and when Seren suddenly realized that he was no longer beside her, she turned around, her heart beating even faster.
He was shutting the heavy wooden doors, and when he rejoined her, grabbing her hand again, he was furious. ‘I was just covering up our tracks. We don't want to leave the doors wide open. If that ever happens again, don't wait for me.'
Before she could answer, he pulled her behind a great hedge. A squad of guards dashed past them towards the apparition that had appeared at the West Gate. Darrian commended Zacch's quick thinking. As they reached the South Gate, a familiar face appeared in the brush. He hoisted Seren into Rei's grip and levered himself up after her.
"What are you doing so close to the gate?" he demanded.
"Never mind that. What happened? Where are the others? Is it–is it just the two of you?" It shocked her that the first person on her mind was... ‘Jalen. Where is he? Was he captured?' She refused to consider that possibility that he was seriously wounded or even dead.
"I don't know," he said tightly. "Where did all the soldiers come from?"
Rei sighed. "Queen Serenitatis must have been expecting trouble. There was an entire regiment encamped outside the East Gate. Our scouts narrowly escaped being detected."
Seren, who was near tears but trying hard to hold them back, whispered, "All those guards...we had to split up to make it out. Lita and Nath and Mina, Kent, and Jalen are still inside."
"Darrian. Darrian! The others don't know that there's an illusion at the West Gate. What if they think we had to change plans?" Rei's violet eyes were wide and filled with anxiety.
In reply, he cursed violently as they came upon the fighters, clustered together. He took ten of the revolutionaries, including Andrew, and nine folk. After a moment's hesitation, he indicated that he wanted Rei to join him as well. Then he turned to look at Seren. "You're staying here," he ordered, his tone of voice brooking no argument.
She nodded, her eyes huge and her face white. She threw her arms around Rei briefly before she released the dark-haired girl, who smiled at her and touched her cheek before she followed Darrian out of sight. As they left her, Seren tried to ignore the feeling of abandonment that had come over her.
An arm settled around her shoulders comfortingly, and she looked up into compassionate green eyes. Zacch patted her back before withdrawing his arm. "They'll be fine, Seren–they'll watch out for each other."
She didn't dislike many people with only first impressions to go upon, but she admitted that she hadn't liked Zaccheus. Now, however, she smiled up at him–she trusted him. He emanated waves of fierce protection, even for her, and they had not gotten along on the ship. ‘It's for Ami,' Seren thought to herself, ‘what she loves, he loves.'
Her chest tightened painfully as sounds of weapons clashing and men yelling from the West Gate reached them. Zacch stiffened beside her, and he touched her hand gently. She closed her eyes as she witnessed the scene through his magikal senses–three minute figures were running out of the castle as fast as they could towards the disturbance at the West Gate. The image shifted so that she saw Darrian and Rei racing towards them. She could only hope that they would make it there in time.
****~**~****
The leader of the group had slitted, pale eyes, and as he and his men encircled their prey, he let out a derisive laugh. "Well...what have we here...a lady," he leered, moving his face much too close for comfort to Lita's.
She tried to move away, but he grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise. As Nath leapt for her with a strangled yell, two other soldiers pounced on him and wrestled him roughly to the ground. His staff fell to the floor with a loud bang, rolled a few paces, and knocked against a closed door, which flew open.
All of a sudden, the air seemed to grow cold. "That's no lady," an even chillier voice cut in. "She's a dryad."
Lita's eyes widened as she surveyed the land nymph who had happened upon them so calmly, closing the door behind him as if nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. His eyes were a flat, steel grey, and his very blond hair was threaded through with gray.
"A dryad, eh?" The commander seemed not to notice her close inspection of the newcomer. "Never met one," he said skeptically. He yanked her towards him by her long ponytail, and she cried out in pain. Nath jerked on the floor, and he became aware of a bitter, salty taste as his mouth hit the hard stone tiles.
The nymph gave a harsh laugh. "They're more difficult to capture because of their cowardliness. They dwell in the Sylvan Forest for most of their lives."
The other man, who was a mere lieutenant, nodded quickly, although his expression became somewhat blank. Lita doubted whether he knew where the Sylvan Forest was, but the pain in her head was starting to make her tear. "Are they...good for anything?"
An outraged yell issued forth from Nath's mouth, but because of its proximity to the floor, it sounded more like a muffled grunt. However, it drew the folk's attention to him. His countenance suggested that in his view, Nath was little better–probably lower–than a cockroach. "Not that one. He's a human," he remarked derisively. "As for the dryad–she's mine."
Lita struggled furiously. He was claiming her? Not damned likely. But as his hard, frigid eyes met hers, her stomach plummeted. She didn't care about the filthy, smelly man who was talking about her like an animal, but her senses screamed that this land nymph meant trouble.
"What do you want with her?" the lieutenant muttered, his pale eyes twitching restlessly.
He smiled a frightening smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
At that moment, Lita drove her elbow into her captor's flabby stomach. He stumbled backwards, and she further incapacitated him by kicking him in the groin. One of Nathair's guards jerked him upwards, planning to smash his head against the wall to knock him out. In a lightning-quick response, the collar of his shirt tightened against his throat, and he released Nath, clutching at his shirt. Lita's connection to growing things had helped her awake the dormant threads; it was cloth that had been spun from sheep's wool.
Nath lashed out at the other guard, landing a few punches before he ran to retrieve his staff. Lita, meanwhile, was hooking her foot around the fourth soldier's ankle to trip him. When she sensed that her previous foe was unconscious due to lack of oxygen, she ordered the fibers of his shirt to loosen slightly. He remained in his comatose state. As Lita looked around wildly, flinging her hair out of her eyes, she saw Nath hit the last soldier hard on the head–hard enough to stun but not to kill.
Laughter reverberated off the walls, and the echoes made it seem all the more sinister. The traitor, as Lita had named him, clapped his hand disdainfully. "Very nice, very nice. Of course, fools who attempt to infiltrate the palace must be able to fight the guards–even paltry ones such as these."
Wiping away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth as Lita moved towards him, Nath bit out, "We seem to have done more than attempt, if you catch my meaning."
"You will regret the day you opened your idiot mouth to address me," the man commented softly, and the brown-haired man collapsed abruptly, his hands clutching his head.
Lita dropped to her knees as he moaned. "What did you do to him?!"
"Not that much. His mind is no match for mine."
"A Mindelo," she whispered. It was the male form of the word for mind-reader. The female term was Mindela.
He turned his cold, watchful gaze on her. "Yes, I am a Mindelo–and much more besides. You need not worry. I haven't damaged him sufficiently to render him insane. So tell me, little one, what you're doing so far from your forest...and with a human, at that." His long, thin nose wrinkled in distaste at the mere word.
She spat at his feet as Nath's suffering eased slightly; he lay panting, his eyes barely open. "You serve a human, you traitor! A human who gave the orders for my capture and torture!"
"Mm. Yes, that was a clever potion of mine." He smiled at her, showing a mouthful of very white teeth. "That poison was one of my finest creations–don't you think? It's quite effective, isn't it?"
Lita let loose a string of curses, and his light eyebrows raised about a millimeter. "I see. Well, I've always wanted a dryad for the...collection."
Nath was struggling to sit up now, and his dark blue eyes burned fiercely. "Don't you dare touch her," he warned.
"I dislike that tone, human," the folk said coldly. "Perhaps another taste of the power of a Mindelo, then?"
Just as the sharp spike of gray light issued forth from his fingertips, Lita leapt to her feet and sent forth a stream of a bright, rich green that blocked the attack.
He stared at her for a few minutes, and Nath was temporarily forgotten again. "Yes...you're so very spirited, like most of your kind. But much stronger than I expected. What an odd wood-child you are."
She felt the goosebumps rise on her skin and quickly turned away to help Nathair rise. "Let us go," she ordered.
He held out his hands. "I've done nothing to prevent your departure." A smile played around his lips as they walked a few steps, glancing back every so often anxiously. "But rest assured, we will meet again–Lirita."
They broke into a run again, and he watched them go, laughing quietly. Lita, meanwhile, was furious. "Who was that–that arrogant–how dare he do that to you!"
"I'm all right now," he reassured her. But then he asked, a grave expression on his face, "How did he know your name, Lita?"
Angry tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes. "He stole it from me! I felt it–just as we were about to leave–he came into my mind and just took it!"
He shook his head in incomprehension. "You'll have to tell me about those...Mindelo, Lita."
She looked behind them and spotted a squad of twelve soldiers racing towards them. She tapped his shoulder and pointed them out to him. "I'll have to do it another time!"
They sprinted towards the door she had spotted.... If she remembered correctly, it was relatively close to the South Gate. It was fortunate that Rei and Darrian had consulted Seren so often about the layout of the palace. The princess had done a great deal of exploring in her youth. Lita hadn't been surprised to hear that–Seren looked like a delicate moonflower, but she had a stubborn streak a mile long.
She ran on and on, wincing at the ache in her legs. Why did the stupid gate have to be so far away? She chanced a look behind her and put on a spurt of speed–they were getting closer, and it looked like there were more than twelve soldiers now. Perhaps closer to twenty.
Nath's head was still hurting, but he didn't say a word about it as they sprinted over the ground together. If the time came...he would make sure she got over that fence while he stayed behind to hold them off.
Suddenly, he spotted a face at the South Gate–was that someone scaling it to get in? What kind of idiot would do that? Was it one of their people or just someone who was taking this golden opportunity to break into the palace?
When he recognized the light-haired figure, he groaned. "No...is he addicted to heroics?"
Lita gave him a strange look. "Stop talking and run faster!" she gasped. ‘Who are you talking about, anyway?' she wondered.
"Zaccheus, that dunderhead!" he said through gritted teeth.
Her eyes widened. He had heard her?? Or was he just remarking? Her stomach flip-flopped as she recognized the silvery-haired figure now being boosted over the gate. Seven other people were already on the ground, including Nath; she thought she saw one long-haired figure just outside the bars. Suddenly, there was no time to worry about anything else except staying alive.
****~**~****
Mina was in the lead, her hood thrown back. Kentan followed, close at her heels, and Jalen brought up the rear. With Kentan, they had no fear of getting lost, but he was in bad shape after his month of imprisonment. Even Mina, irritated as she was with him, could see that he had been much more fit before. He was, she thought whimsically at one point, as muscled as Darrian and Chayne were.
Darrian and Seren had taken the short way out; she was sure of it. He would want to get her out as quickly as possible. Lita and Nath, Mina recalled with a frown, seemed to have headed east. By default, their threesome had gone west–all of them knew not to go north, where the first illusion had been placed.
Slanting a worried look at Kentan, Mina ordered a short break, her blue eyes combing the walls for guards. They had managed to lose the first group fairly easily.
The other two men leaned against the wall, and Jalen offered Kent his canteen. "Thank you. I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" Kentan asked as he leaned against the wall, tired of saying "over here" and "you two!" Then he flushed darkly. "I mean–what are your names?"
Jalen winked at him genially. "Nice of you to ask, your highness. I'd bow, too, but I've got an awful stitch in my side. This is Lady Malina of the land nymphs, first cousin to the king," he said, introducing Mina first.
She glared at him as Kent's eyebrows shot upwards. "Yes, well, this is Jalen Eridian. Not only is he a close friend of the elfin prince, Zaccheus, he's also graduated from the university with high honors."
"What exalted company we have," Kent remarked dryly. And he didn't even know that Zaccheus was actually in their company or that Reisha was also a princess.
"If you can talk, we can get going again."
"Yes ma'am," Jalen mock-saluted before they started running again.
They nearly collided with a well-dressed man who had an unsheathed sword in his right hand. Even though his long white hair swept his shoulders, he looked only a few years older than Kent.
"Artemis," Kent whispered.
"By Lareina...so it was true. You are alive. I thought it might be so."
Mina was eyeing the sword still. She edged up beside Kent and whispered, "Who is he?"
"My mentor. He taught me how to fight before Darrian did, and we were friends," he answered, tensing.
Artemis shook his head. "We still are friends, Kent." He moved out of their path. "Hurry. The place is teaming with soldiers, and some of the queen's lackeys are...very dangerous. You don't want to be caught by any of them."
Kent grasped his gloved hand in silent thanks before he turned to follow the two blondes. Just as he was about to pass him, Artemis said, "Wait. I hear guards coming down the stairs–you'll have to knock me out, or it'll look very suspicious." He turned around, resigned for a blow that would render him unconscious, dropping his sword so that he wouldn't accidentally impale himself on it.
Mina stopped Kent before he could hit him. "Hold on. I can do it much less painfully." After a few seconds of concentration, Artemis dropped to the floor, fast asleep. Kent sent her a grateful look.
Jalen glanced through a set of magnificent double-doors that were wide open. "What's that room, Kent?"
Kentan peered in interestedly. "The great hall. It's odd that no one's in there...there are meetings almost every hour of the day. Let's go through .It has four doors, one for each direction. We can pick the south entrance and make our way to the gate from there."
Halfway through, Mina suddenly asked, "Why weren't there guards stationed outside?"
He shrugged. "Usually, there are. And the doors usually aren't open, even when there's no on inside. I guess they must all be occupied elsewhere. You said something about an illusion, didn't you?"
"That should have been over at least a half an hour ago," Jalen remarked, picking up on Mina's unease.
The three other doors, which had been closed before, were flung open with loud bangs. They halted and spun around to check behind them, but more guards had filled that entranceway. "All right," Kent said, "it was a trap. Which entrance do you pick, then?"
They all looked around wildly: four doors, four directions, and four squads of soldiers at each one. Jalen glanced down at the floor for a minute and repressed the urge to laugh hysterically–they were standing in the middle of a four-pointed star traced on the ground, done in midnight blue tiles and outlined in gold.
Quick movement caught Mina's eye, and she turned her head sharply to look out the great glass windows. "There's something at the West Gate," she told them urgently. "It could be some sort of signal–maybe the plan's changed."
"We don't have any way to get in touch with Darrian."
The guards circled in closer. "Hey, that's the prince!" one yelled, pointing at Kentan. Another man replied in the affirmative, turning as white as a ghost.
The supposedly-deceased gave them a rare smile and seized the opportunity to turn to the window and punch through the glimmering, diamond-like pane quickly. A stray piece of glass nicked his arm, but he failed to notice it.
Jalen had jumped at the noise, but seeing Kentan's intent, hurried to help him shatter it.
Within seconds, they had cleared a large enough space. Jalen motioned the other two through first and then departed himself.
They began running across the lawn towards the gate, not noticing that a platoon of soldiers was also headed there. They were almost at the gate when Mina grabbed Kent's arm suddenly to stop him. He looked down at her in confusion until she pointed to the jagged gash on his arm, which was bleeding profusely. He cursed and searched for some part of his clothing that would be easy to rip off, while Jalen looked around uneasily.
"Mina, can this wait?" he asked quietly.
"Not unless you want him to bleed to death" was her tart reply. She didn't look up, unrolling a bandage that she had stashed in her belt pouch. He commended her on her resourcefulness, but the relieved expression faded from Kent's face when he saw the soldiers coming towards them.
****~**~****
It was utter chaos. Aiken and Narain, neither of whom were very fresh considering they had participated in both magikal workings, had insisted that they were feeling well enough to take the first surge of troops. They were flanked by four of Darrian's fighters. Zacch and Nathair were a few paces behind them, trusting Lita to protect Seren. Rosalia, the land nymph hovering behind the gate, was looking pale and drained. However, she was already preparing for a new magikal attack.
"Get over that fence," Lita ordered through gritted teeth, her emerald eyes fixed on Nath's taut form.
"I'm not leaving!" Seren said stubbornly. "You can't make me go. I can fight with you, Lita."
The brunette was torn between tears of frustration and laughter at the ludicrousness of the situation. Seren shouldn't be here. Zaccheus shouldn't be here, either. But any minute now, she was sure that the others would be unable to hold off the onslaught of guards.
Zacch, meanwhile, could see Nath struggling. The brunet was exhausted from running, and he had a serious migraine. He could also see that Aiken wasn't holding up well, either. One of Darrian's friends had gone down and didn't appear to be breathing anymore.
"Zacch, look out!" he heard Lita cry from her post, where she was shooting arrows from.
He spun around and blocked with his sword, wincing at the hideous screech of metal upon metal. It was getting harder and harder to only knock them out; he knew that soon, the killing would begin.
The soldier saw that Seren was behind Zaccheus, and there was a determined look on his face. They had orders to secure the princess at all costs. He shouted to his comrades, who pushed forth through the meager line. Zacch moved backwards but not quickly enough–the long staff of another guard knocked him off his feet, and his sword flew from his hand.
Just in time, Nath swung his own staff hard at the back of the man's head, and he collapsed. Behind him, a commanding soldier hit him hard in the arm with a heavy wooden club, Zacch leapt to his feet, withdrew a knife from his belt, and flung it at the man. It buried itself neatly in the corporal's shoulder, and he staggered away with a grunt, his fingers red with blood.
"Thanks," the brown-haired man gasped, holding his arm against him.
Zacch nodded before taking a closer look at Nath's left arm–it was bent at an odd angle, and his hand was dangling limply. "You're no good," he said curtly, "you've broken it." His face was tight. There was no way he was going to make it over the tall iron gate with only one usable hand. "Go stand by Lita and Seren–tell her to come here, and ask Rosalia to melt the locks," he directed tersely. He hadn't wanted to leave this gate wide open, but he knew that once they had gone over, they wouldn't have been able to climb back over the gate to get out.
Nath followed his orders only because he knew the futility of fighting with one arm. He couldn't barely see straight, and the headache was getting worse. At least, he thought ironically, his arm didn't hurt. He seemed to have lost most of the feeling in it.
Rosalia undid the thick chains securing the gate, and Nath passed through. She leaned tiredly against the gate, having already rendered three men temporarily unconscious. She could work no more magik that day. Seren remained stubbornly on their side of the gate, and Lita continued to argue with her. Suddenly, her face was filled with terror. "Darrian!" she shrieked, running in the direction of the West Gate.
A soldier threw himself at her, intent on "saving" the princess. She stumbled over a hole in the ground, and her ankle twisted beneath her. She fell with a cry, but her eyes remained unfocused. Lita charged after her with an infuriated yell. The soldier, frightened by Seren's antics, slapped her hard across the face, figuring she had gone slightly mad after a month being held captive by the rebels.
Sense returned to Seren's crystal blue eyes, which filled with tears as she put her hand to her swelling, red cheek. Lita had reached them then and punched the soldier hard. She pulled Seren to her feet, but she yelped at the renewed pain in her ankle. The brunette grabbed the princess, lifted her into her arms, and ran for the gate to deliver Seren to Nath and Rosalia.
Narain spotted her, encumbered by her load, and turned to parry with the soldier who was pursuing them. His technique was neat and accurate, and he was able to block the flurry of blows and cuts aimed at his arms, legs, and torso.
Lita pushed Seren through the gate. Nath gripped her wrist firmly–he still had one good arm, and he would use it to keep her there. As she was about to turn away, Seren cried, "Wait, Lita! It's Darrian–they're in trouble, they need help, I saw him–"
A long, curved knife was pressed against the dryad's throat, and she stiffened. "Give us the princess," the soldier ordered Nath, who was staring at Lita in horrified shock.
"Never," Lita answered as the blade made a small cut in her throat. A tiny green spark leapt from her fingers to the knife blade, and the bright metal reflected the glimmer, with Lita's help, until it filled the air around them with a blinding shimmer. She stomped on her captor's foot hard and turned in his grip to face him. He staggered backwards, but he swung his knife in a low, wide arc that sliced a long, shallow gash in her thigh before Darrian's friend came to her aid, clubbing him hard on the head.
Aerlene had moved back to stand by Zacch, and it seemed that she was doing rather well. The guard were hesitant to fight against women, but men were fair game. A brawny captain, however, did not seem to share this prejudice. He made for the elfin woman with a roar as she turned, oblivious, to a foe that was sneaking up on Zaccheus from behind. Just in time, Zacch pushed her out of the way. He cried out in pain as the dagger plunged into his chest, dangerously close to his heart, and was then pulled out again.
Aerlene screamed shrilly, attracting Aiken and Narain's attention...and the notice of the one remaining rebel fighter. They ran to Zacch's aid as Lita coolly shot the captain. The arrow sprouted in his chest, and he collapsed. Zacch's hand was pressed tightly against the ugly hole, crimson staining his fingers. His breathing was labored, but he struggled to get up.
"We have to get the prince out of here," Aiken panted, barely able to stand himself. Rosalia was coming towards them as well, her auburn hair shining with reddish glints in the hot sunlight. He turned to look at Narain and the fighter whose name they still did not know. They were helping Zaccheus to his feet, and he swayed dizzily, supported mainly by Narain. "Get him out of here–and take the princess, Lita, and Aerlene as well," the elf ordered.
Aerlene's eyes filled with tears. "What about you? What about Rosalia?"
"I'm tired," Aiken said softly, one hand covering the ugly slash in his side. "I have already created two illusions and am badly wounded. Rosa's used too much of her magik up. We cannot think of a worthier cause than our prince."
Gently, Aiken took Rosalia's hand. They were both elves, and they were willing to sacrifice for their prince. She knew what he intended, and she had agreed silently. She was so exhausted that she wouldn't make it back to the ship. No one mentioned that it was doubtful that Prince Zaccheus could. "Hurry," he ordered them, drawing her forward with him.
They disappeared into the foliage, Lita leading with Seren and Nath close behind her, Narain supporting Zacch, and Aerlene and the rebel bringing up the rear. When Lita glanced back, she glimpsed blinding, bright green and brown light beginning to expand from the two elves as they put the last of their energies into an impenetrable shield against the South Gate that would hold as long as they drew breath.
****~**~****
Kentan turned as someone grabbed his shoulder, nearly stabbing Darrian in his shoulder. Relieved as he was, he shouted, "Don't do that! I almost killed you!"
"So you did," Darrian answered calmly. "I've brought reinforcements. Make yourself useful and worth all this trouble, won't you?" he asked in a dry tone.
Kent cracked a smile before he got into position: he and Darrian were used to fighting back to back, and in a crowd, it was particularly efficient. Mina, Jalen, and Rei were not so lucky. They were dispersed in the crowd, fighting alone and with nasty odds.
Rei's dark hair had been braided and coiled neatly that morning, but strands of it had come loose. Her face glistened with sweat–it was beginning to obscure her vision. She fought on, taking out many soldiers with neat cuts and slices. There was no chance to use her arrows when she was so close to her foes. When she had a spare moment, she pulled the dagger from her boot and cut the infuriating lock of hair short: the raven strands fell to the ground to be trampled by many more people. It was mayhem–the glinting metal of knives flashing everywhere, arrows shot into the crowd without any real targets in mind, and signs of magik all over the place.
Jalen was busy keeping an eye out for Rei, who wasn't too far away from him, until a young lieutenant (all too eager to prove himself in the fray) aimed a well-placed kick. He landed hard on his back and was immediately ringed by guards. Rei, who had seen him fall, hacked her way through the crowd. A wayward dagger, off its mark, cut a thin gash across her cheek, but she ignored the slash, turning and disarming him swiftly.
She reached Jalen, and they were given a hand by an unseen magik-user. Zanna, Talasi, and Dallin were working more magik, using magikal Sight to see from their perch in the trees. They sent light bursts, melted metal weapons (though not as well as Mina did, often leaving misshapen blobs of warped iron), and knocked out soldiers. They were tiring quickly, but the work they were doing was important.
As soon as he got the chance, Jalen pulled Rei out of the fighting and to the gate, whose lock Mina had melted. He pointed into the surrounding brush and said, "They're losing strength, Rei. You haven't used your magik yet, and it's extremely strong. I know you don't like using it in battle, but you have to. I'm not asking you to kill anyone directly–just help us."
She nodded quickly. "I'll think of something," she replied, swinging herself up into the trees to join them. Talasi moved over to make room for Rei, her face pale and her blond hair matted with sweat. Dallin's face had a greenish pallor, but Zanna appeared to be holding her own. She was one of the strongest magik users and extremely skilled in her craft.
The other folk: Cathair, Aloysius, Aurick, Adaira, Darick, and Chayne were banded together in an unyielding line before the gate while the ten rebel fighters were distributed somewhere in all the chaos.
Rei caught a glimpse of Mina's bright hair; her hood had fallen back, and she appeared to be fighting fiercely with her knives. Looking away determinedly, she gathered her power around her and focused her eyes on the palace, beginning to set fires in less-populated wings, hoping that no one would get burned.
Mina squinted to get a closer look at the palace, ducking a punch that suddenly flew her way. Was the palace on fire? She began to see women in long dresses, followed by men who weren't in uniform, evacuating the palace. Some of the soldiers were called away to help put out the blazes, and the resulting riot actually proved to be beneficial.
****~**~****
"You fool!" she hissed angrily, stalking around her rooms like an angry cat. "How could you let them go?!"
"Calm yourself, my queen," he answered coolly.
She turned on him, her lavender eyes afire. "I want my daughter back, do you hear me? I resisted scouring the land for her when I knew that renegade had stolen her, but this is too much!"
He placed his hands on her shoulders, sending waves of calm through her. "Just outside the archives, I met a lovely little dryad that I wanted. We all have to deny ourselves certain pleasures, don't we?"
Queen Serenitatis was still not appeased. "She is my daughter. And my son! The entire castle will know by now that he's alive."
"He is easily taken care of," the land nymph replied.
She continued to fret. "Are all those fires put out now? I cannot have the palace turned into a madhouse at Darrian McKellan's leisure!"
"Serenitatis."
The silvery-haired woman looked up at him. "Yes?"
In a flat voice, he said, "You want your daughter back. You want your son taken care of...and you want to wage a war on the folk, do you not? This is the way to go about it, your last chance to wipe them out completely–especially the naiads.
Let your children go for now. I promise you that in the future, Prince Kentan and Princess Serenitatis will return to the palace. Their infiltration of the capital clearly shows the dangerous influence McKellan exerts over them. It would be your perfect excuse to declare war on those pesky rebels–and on the folk. All the folk kingdoms." His eyes shone fanatically, like matching, metallic stones.
She took a deep breath. "All right. I will do as you say."
He kissed her bare shoulder before leaving to summon the court scribes: they would write out the order for war.
****~**~****
When they regrouped in the trees, Darrian was leaning on Kentan: he had an ugly slice in his side that was oozing blood while the prince had some nasty cuts on his face, several bruises, and a sprained wrist. Of the magik users, Dallin had succumbed to exhaustion. His body had run out of energy to keep his heart beating.
Aurick was the only one of the folk who had been in battle left. Darick, who had always been slightly clumsy, had been the first to fall. Aloysius, who Rei had spoken of as a "bloodthirsty savage," had distinguished himself well on the field before being cut down by a sword from behind. Dark-haired Adaira, who was one of the best female fighters, had stood her ground until as many as six arrows had pierced her flesh. Chayne had been the last folk to die; although his wounds had already been very serious, he was the one who had made it possible for Darrian and Kent to make it through the gate. They had been fighting the farthest from the gate, and Kentan hadn't been doing his best. Still, there was no time to mourn the dead.
Mina had, with a gleaming smile, melted the metal chain that had served her well on the field. She had created new locks for the West Gate–one that the soldiers didn't have the keys to. The old keys were completely useless.
Unfortunately, the other three gates were presumably still accessible to the guards, and most of the fires in the palace had been put out. It was only a matter of time before the soldiers penetrated the forest, and they had a long way to go before they reached the ship.
"You two are leaving right away," Mina commanded, motioning at Kentan and Darrian. They would be leaving in the first group with four of the rebels. Andrew was still alive, although he was barely conscious. He had taken an arrow in the shoulder, and when one of his friends had removed it, he had fainted from the pain.
She pointed to Zanna, the freshest of the magik users, and Aurick. "I know it's a strain, but you'll have to build a shield around your group to avoid detection." Then she turned her attention to Jalen. "I think you'll have to go with them, Jae, to help Darrian walk." Two others were occupied in carrying Andrew.
Jalen was torn between leaving Rei, who would be remaining behind to cover their tracks with Mina and Talasi, and helping Darrian. "I can help," he argued. "Let someone else go ahead."
Their argument continued for a few minutes until Rei's attention was attracted. As Jalen looked at her, he saw the dried blood flaking off the cut she had received earlier. Although she looked worried and upset, her voice was uncharacteristically gentle as she said, "Jalen, it would be best if you went ahead. They need your strength–two magik users, two people helping Darrian, and two people helping Andrew. Kent's wrist won't allow him to do much."
"But the magikal aspect...I can help with that."
Mina's eyes shone with compassion. "Jae, my very dear, I'm afraid that you can't do what we are about to."
He turned away, and Rei touched his shoulder. She was a little irritated that Mina had been able to say what she couldn't, and her voice was back to its usual sharpness as she said, "We're wasting time, and you must go now." ‘Please don't make us hurt you more.'
‘I won't,' he mumbled, starting off, draping Darrian's arm over his shoulder.
She stared after him, startled, until Mina touched her arm. The land nymph figured that she was feeling bad about hurting him. "I feel badly, too, Rei, but we have to hurry. Let's lure than away from Darrian's group first and then try to lose them."
Talasi nodded agreement, and they purposely "stumbled" into a small group of soldiers. They swiftly disappeared into the tree branches, letting off tantalizing light bursts every so often to attract their attention. When they no longer wanted to be pursued, they created three humanlike forms that split smoothly from them. Their real selves began to travel quietly through the brush. Talasi was sweating profusely with the effort of maintaining the illusion, and she was very pale. Rei had not been taught to make one beforehand, but she had caught on quickly and seemed to be doing it with ease.
Mina was using up a lot of her magik supporting Talasi and Rei; their phantom figures flickered periodically. She had already used quite a bit of it before, and her golden streams of light were the basis for their mirage.
When they reached the cove at last, they saw that the wooden plank used for boarding had been drawn up. However, the ship was still close to shore. The three of them splashed into the water hurriedly, and one of Darrian's friends, who had a white bandage wrapped around his forehead, shouted out a warning: one clever archer had followed them through the trees. Mina plunged away from an arrow that splashed into the water; Rei was not so lucky–she cried out as a lucky shot buried itself in her thigh.
With the rebel's help, Mina boosted Rei up onto the ship. She was unable to do it herself because of her injured leg. Then the blonde turned to Talasi, shouting for her to move, quickly. They made easy targets, and more soldiers were lining up–some of them were even going after them in the water.
The nymph's lips were blue, and she was shivering. Mina recognized that signs of using too much magik use, and she all but dragged the other girl onto the ship.
"Everyone get down!" the stranger yelled as more arrows zinged into the dank wood of the ship. There were not many people on the deck to obey orders. "Lady Malina, we need you to steer," he told her hurriedly, helping her to a sitting position.
She gasped, spitting out some saltwater. "Talasi! Is she–Talasi," she said more softly, tears pricking her eyes as she spotted the arrow in the golden-haired nymph's chest.
The fighter she didn't know patted her on the arm sympathetically. "Please, Lady Malina. You must get us away before the soldiers get close enough to jump on board. I promise that I will take her to the healers right now."
"Rei, too," she said, her voice strangely calm, "you must not forget her." Her mind, at that moment, seemed to be unfocused and clouded.
"Yes, yes, Miss Reisha too."
It was fortunate, she thought dimly, that Nath had been giving her lessons in steering. Her hands worked automatically at the task while her brain remained in a dull stupor. All she could think about was the faces and the bodies of the dead. If she had been faster...if she had sent Talasi up before her...would she still be dead? Or if she had ordered Talasi to go with the first group? Would she and Rei have been able to manage alone?
Her heartbeat quickened, and a miserable lump in her throat seemed to be choking her. They had laughed together...talked about these men and their attributes and which one was the handsomest...and now they were dead.
****~**~****
AN: Wow..so long and so dreary. ;; Sorry for the depressing thoughts ^^;
I regret that this chapter is not at its best because I'm very, very bad at fight scenes ^^; I'll do my best to research medieval weaponry in the future, even though Soulmates isn't exactly set in medieval times. Please overlook these discrepancies.
I'd have to say that even though Ami's always been my favorite, I really like Rei in this story ^^ She's extremely cool, and there's a lot to build on. I still have some trouble writing Lita and Nephrite, and Kunzite was a major jerk, but he and Mina were not meant to get along. Next chapter is shorter, we have a lot of healing going on, and then...I believe that would be the last chapter ^.~
Thanks again for reading and reviewing! (You guys at Shittenou are awesome! ^^) Please tell me if there's anything that needs to be cleared up or what you would like to see more of.
~Ice
Soulmates: Mainpage
