Adversaries Together (41 page)

“
Trying to put a spell on
me with your cant, rover?” Asa ask moving closer to
Roth.

“
Hardly,” Roth said flatly.
Asa had sheathed his dagger and reached down grabbing Colm by his
hair and yanking him up. Again, Roth called out in the cant to the
boy who this time responded in kind.

“
Ah, you’re both Athingani.
How cute.” Asa smirked as the Silvincian soldiers drew closer. “I’m
certain they’ll grant me a few more coins for eliminating you
two.”

Roth looked at Colm and spoke in the cant
calmly; the boy watched him closely and seemed to assent. Roth then
glared at Asa, “You need to let him go.”

“
I need to make you hurt.”
Asa growled.

“
I gave you a scar and you
threw me into the sea. I think we’re even.”

“
You’re forgetting when you
thrashed my ship and threw me into that putrid bay.” Asa made a
tsk-tsk sound. “So it turns out, I owe you.”

“
This is your last chance
to walk away.” Roth said evenly.

“
I’ll see you flailed
tonight.” Asa spat back.

“
Now!” Roth yelled and Colm
twirled around with a shocking quickness before Asa knew what was
going on and landed a hard kick to the side of Asa’s knee. The boy
threw all his weight behind it, and it was enough for him to hear
several popping sounds as Asa bellowed collapsing to one side. The
boy escaped his grip and ran towards Roth, disappearing into the
woods. Roth came running forward tossing two blades at Asa. The
corsair managed to block one with his hand but took the other in
his shoulder right where his arm met his chest. Drawing his own
sword, Roth was nearly upon Asa when a Silvincian pole arm darted
across his chest. He dug his heels in and slid under the spear but
fell on his back. Suddenly, there were soldiers all around
him.

Arrows rained down onto the Spires’ men. The
soldier who had struck out at Roth was about to drive the spear
down into his chest when a mace crashed into his face sending him
reeling back lifeless. Goshen put out his hand and picked Roth up,
“So that went well.”

“
Could’ve been worse.” Roth
said as he engaged the soldiers that were now all around
them.

Goshen moved slowly but with a strength and
precision that was hypnotizing. Soldiers moved on him believing him
the main threat, he soon was battling four men. Roth lashed out
indiscriminately but was soon in over his head again when Declan
appear and the two fought back to back. Arrows seemed to fall
indiscriminately and not many seemed to take down any threats but
they were enough of a constant to cause the soldiers to be
preoccupied. Roth kept his eyes darting around trying to catch a
glimpse of the pirate but he couldn’t find him.

The three men were outnumbered three to one
and the soldiers better armed. Goshen called over to Roth and
Declan, “We need to withdraw to the pool.”

“Aye!” Declan parried a blade, turned it
aside and then lunged, skewering the Spires soldier. Roth then
sliced a wooden pole arm meant for Declan’s side in half as Declan
threw the dead body towards the pike man.

As the three moved closer together, Fery
leapt into their midst. She moved with dizzying speed as she
twisted and spun around them slashing at the soldiers. She knelt
taking the legs out from two men, turned and jumped over another
her degen cleaving his face open as she went over him, landing on
her feet she parried two blade, careened off a shield, and drove
her blade deep into a soldier’s throat. Declan’s face showed how
dumbstruck he was, Goshen tapped him on the shoulder bringing him
back, “Come on, she’s bought us some time.”

The three men withdrew up toward the pool.
The soldiers were hesitant to follow as they tried to size up Fery
and her next move. There was a commotion from the back of the ranks
as Jena emerged slicing her way through her way through, the
soldiers turned confused and froze. Jena moved passed them and
grabbed Fery’s arm, “You too girlie.”

The two women caught up with the men in no
time, but all five were breathing heavy. Goshen stood tall; blood
was painted all over his breastplate and greaves. Declan was seeing
to a wound he had taken in his thigh.

“
You alright?” Roth
asked.

“
Yeah, just give me a
moment.” Declan barked back as he tore his sleeves off and began
tying them around his wound.

“
Your counts.” Goshen
commanded.

“
Fery got at least four, I
killed three but they weren’t soldiers.” Jena replied.

“
Two.” Declan said as he
gingerly tested putting his weight on his hurt leg,
wincing.

“
And you?” Goshen asked
Roth.

“
Maybe the leader, maybe
one more. You?”

“
One dead but I’m sure I
hindered a few more.”

“
So that’s what? Ten
between us all?” Fery asked.

Jena looked down the slope, “There are at
least eight men coming up at us, a couple aren’t soldiers but I
don’t see the leader.”

“
Wynne!” Roth bellowed.
Arrows came faster now and at least one of the soldiers fell, the
rest were quick to raise their shields and form some kind of
huddled mass.

“
That’ll buy us some time.”
Goshen nodded.

“
They’ll run out of arrows
sooner than we’d like.” Declan said soberly.

“
The boy?” Roth looked at
Jena.

“
He’s safe. Scared
shitless, but safe.”

“
Okay,” Roth took a deep
breath, “It’s even now. We need to charge them.”

“
Sooner is better than
later, mate.” Declan wavered slightly, the wraps around his thigh
already soaked with blood.

“
Right then,” Goshen
stepped forward, “I’ll break the shields.”

Before anyone could say anything, Goshen went
thundering down the hillside. The cover that Kira and Wynne had
provided lighten. As the Silvincians opened their shield huddle
slightly to check the status, they caught an eye-full of Goshen.
His mace raised above his head, he brought it down with a
thunderous amount of force. Several shields buckled as Goshen threw
his shoulder to one side and flung his mace upwards along the
other. The huddle was split open. Roth struck out at a couple of
swords meant for Goshen and pulled the men off. Jena followed on
his heels; she cut into the crowd wildly stabbing at the seams of
the soldier’s armor. Her fierceness seemed to send a few men back
and once they had collected themselves, she was joined by Declan.
Fery was entwined in a fairly even fight with two men as the last
of the arrows took down both of men.

The Silvincians collected themselves and
formed relatively even line. There were five soldiers remaining;
even odds at last. The soldiers stood their ground but were clearly
hesitant to engage.

“
Alright then,” Roth said
as he come up next to Goshen.

“
One last push?” Goshen
said.

“
Just deal with the man in
front of you.” Jena said flatly, as she stepped forward. A soldier
met her steel but then slammed his shield into her face. A splash
of blood flew up from her nose and her eyes seemed to roll back
into her head as she collapsed. Before the soldier could make a
finishing move, Goshen brought his mace around and crushed the
man’s hip. He fell and Goshen shattered his skull with a kick of
his sabaton.

Roth came on Goshen’s heels and met blades
with a soldier without a shield. The Silvincian hacked with his
sword and all Roth had to do was step to one side as soldier tired
himself out. Finally, the soldier lunged and Roth buried his katar
in the man’s neck. Declan was getting out played, his thigh wound
had slowed him down too much to have any advantage. Fortunately, he
was smarter than the soldier he was facing. The soldier tried a
shield bash but Declan absorbed the blow and pulled the soldier
toward him. As the two fell down, Declan reach over the shield with
his sword and severed the man’s spine. Fery had already lost one of
her degens when the soldier she was facing was lucky enough to
strike her blade at just the right point to break it. Virtually
unarmed, Fery held out the broken blade but it did little to dampen
the confidence he had now as he bore down on her. He slash and cut
her upper arm but as he looked to bring down a finishing blow, a
bloody spear burst from his chest. He fell towards Fery, who jumped
back and looking up to see Jena standing blood streaming down her
face from her nose. The last soldier realized he had no hope and
broke away, throwing his shield aside he bolted back the way he had
come. He didn’t get far before two arrows found his back. Roth
turned and saw Kira and Wynne standing side by side having just
released.

Declan rolled the body off himself and saw
Goshen standing over him with his hand out. Rising, Declan had to
lean on Goshen for balance, “So that’s over, eh?” Goshen laughed
and the two hobbled over to the others.

Roth shook hands with Wynne and patted Kira
on the shoulder, “You did well today.”

“
As well as you?” Kira
asked

Wynne went to Fery, “Are you hurt?” He looked
at cut she had suffered.

“
Just grazing, stitches
maybe is all it’ll need.” She reassured her father who nodded but
still looked overly concerned.

“
I’m just fine by the way.”
Jena spat out a wad of blood.

Fery blushed and drew some cloth from her hip
pocket, “Sorry.” She held it out to Jena who gladly snatched it up.
She pressed it to her face, winced, and swore.

“
Broken nose, most likely.”
Wynne said.

“
Will I ever be pretty
again, papa?” Jena joked. The Landis’ smiled.

“
What about the leader?”
Goshen asked.

“
What about the boy?” Fery
added.

“
Boy?” Kira
asked.

“
You didn’t see the boy the
leader had?” Fery asked. “I’m sure it was Reg’s son.”

“
Colm?” Kira said in
disbelief, “How then?”

“
It was Reg’s son.” Roth
said assertively. “It was the same corsair who attack you two in
the marsh, the same one that kidnapped us, who threw me over board,
who delivered you to them, and who I had to throw into Rikonen
harbor to find out where you were.”

“
He seemed obsessed with
finding you.” Goshen nodded.

“
He must’ve found Reg’s
cottage and then used Colm to guide him here.” Roth
said.

“
Reg’s likely dead then.”
Wynne said. Kira’s eyes welled up.

“
But where is the boy!”
Fery demanded.

Jena pulled the soiled cloth from her nose,
spat out more blood, “He’s in the damn wood.” She snapped
pointing.

“
I’ll get him.” Roth said
solemnly.

As he walked away, Declan looked around at
the bodies. “Well, we’ve got work ahead of us.”

Goshen set him down on the edge of the pool,
“When haven’t we lately?”

Declan chuckled a bit, and then grimaced,
“So, any of you a healer?” Everyone looked at him, then each other
with blank faces. They burst out into laughter.

Wynne shook his head and gestured for Fery
and Jena to come over to where Declan was, “I think this is going
to be my job.” He pointed at Kira, “Put that stuff down and run up
to the great room. Grab my red leather pack.”

“
Gladly,” Kira said and
disappeared.

Goshen stood staring into the woods and over
the glen at the bodies of the soldiers, “These were recruits. Green
still.”

Jena spat out a huge clot of blood, “Lucky
for us.”

“
That’s all it ever is.”
Goshen mumbled as he watched Roth disappear into the
woods.

Roth took a few steps into the forest and
listened. He didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary; slowly he
made his way to where he and Jena had been hiding out. He could
tell Colm had been there but he was gone now. Looking around Roth
called out in the Athingani cant. No response. He called out again
and heard a distant reply. Roth walked towards the voice, which
lead him out of the forest and back into the glen only nearer where
the road began.

As he stepped out in to the glen, he saw Colm
standing with his back to him holding one of the soldier’s pole
arms. Coming closer Roth could see the grass beneath him had been
matted down; there were spots of blood as well. When he reach Colm,
he put a hand on the boy’s shoulder but Colm didn’t look at him.
Rather, Colm lowered the pole arm and pointed at Asa sitting with
his back against a stone glaring at the boy.

“
Little fucker,” Asa
grumbled, “Shattered something in my knee.” He hadn’t removed the
throwing knife from his shoulder and it was clear was losing quite
a lot of blood. Asa had taken the blade from his hand and wrapped a
cloth around it. He held his hand curled to his chest, the back of
his hand trying to put some pressure on his shoulder wound. Asa was
draining of color but his eyes burned with anger.

Roth came closer to Asa, knelt and looked him
in the eye, “You killed Reg.”

“
Who?” Asa sneered, “Oh,
the runt’s father? Yeah, I killed him. You told him how to lame me
when you were talking that gibberish before, didn’t you?” He looked
passed Roth and yelled at Colm, “I set your house aflame as well.
You’ve nothing now, you shit.”

“
He has me.” Roth said
calmly.

“
One Athingani bastard
takes in another. Too perfect.” Asa’s eyes fluttered and he
swallowed hard.