The Kingdom Pt. 02

§ 9 ~ Observation

"Something's not right," Corinne whispers in my ear as she crouches next to me in a patch of undergrowth at the edge of a clearing.

After following the signs along this well-worn trail for the past two hours, we arrived at a small homestead in the middle of nowhere. Off to our right, a few horses roam a small fenced-in pasture. The sound of occasional whinnying lets us know that the barn off to our left has at least one more horse in it.

Other than the horses, the only living thing besides the birds in the trees we've seen or heard is a man sitting in a chair on the rear porch of a small house a hundred or so feet to the left of us. Just before we reached the edge of the woods, he was facing the back door, expressing his discontent to someone inside, and didn't notice us approaching.

"He looks like he's wearing armor," I observe. "Why would someone living way out here be wearing leather armor?"

"Because he's expecting to need it," Corinne answers.

"Should we just sneak around?" I suggest. "We can't wait here for long if we're going to catch up to the others."

Before Corinne has a chance to respond, the back door opens. A second man roughly herds an older child through the door in front of him. As they emerge from the dimmer light of the porch's roof into the sun, I nearly gasp in surprise.

"Hurry up you little bitch!" I hear the man yell at her.

The man sitting on the porch laughs. "Looking forward to getting me some of that tight little coochie tonight!" He jeers.

Anger boils inside me, and I begin to get to my feet. Corinne firmly grabs my arm, pulling me down, and whispers urgently, "No Quillion! Now is not the time for heroics!"

"But that's Micaelah!" I whisper vehemently, trying to rise again.

Her grip tightens enough to cause pain, reminding me that she's been shaping steel with a heavy hammer most of the past twelve years. The pain clears my senses enough to focus on her words and realize her words make sense. I'll probably just get myself killed, maybe even Micaelah, if I simply rush in blindly.

"Okay," I tell her, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

She relaxes her grip but doesn't release my arm yet. "Look," she says, gesturing with her other hand. "Micaelah is fine. She's tough."

I turn to watch as the man leads Micaelah to the small outhouse, her chin in the air and defiance in her step.

"We need to make a plan, but we don't know enough yet," Corinne continues. "We don't know how many men there are and we don't know what's happened to the others in our group."

"What do you propose?" I ask her, exasperated.

"I think we first need to find out what we're up against." She pauses, surveying the homestead. "How about this. You stay here and keep an eye on that privy. Try to figure out how many different people come out to use it so we can determine how many soldiers there are. They all need to go sometime.

"Make a mental note of something unique about each of them to keep them separate, like hair color, clothing and gear, especially weapons. I'll sneak around to the other side of the house and see what I can see. Sunset is still a few hours away. I'll meet you back here before then and we'll compare notes.

"Hopefully you'll see everyone from our group at least once and hopefully they're all okay. Don't lose your head, but if you see that one of our friends is about to be killed, do whatever it takes. I know Teritha would want us to just sneak around and keep going to the Temple, but I don't think she considered the possibility of something like this happening."

I nod soberly, then turn back to observe the homestead. I barely hear any sound from Corinne as she makes her way through the trees behind me, her bow in hand. I watch Micaelah as she's now finished with her personal business and is being led back to the main house.

Over the next two hours, I note only one more man, different from the one on the porch and the one who escorted Micaelah. I also see Lisbeth and Jolie make a trip outside.

An hour before sunset, I hear a noise behind me. Turning to face the threat, a throwing knife in hand, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Corinne, thirty feet away. She gestures for me to follow her, so I carefully make my way through the trees.

A couple hundred feet later, I catch up to where she's waiting. We describe to each other what we saw and heard, comparing notes.

We determine there are likely a total of four men, the three I saw and another she saw who appears to be in charge. They are all armed with swords, except I saw the one on the porch also had a crossbow leaning next to him.

"So, what do we do?" I ask. "There's four of them and only two of us."

Corinne thinks about it for a minute. Then she smirks. Then she smiles. Then she tells me her plan.

§ 10 ~ Extrication

About a half hour before sunset, one of the horses suddenly bolts from the fence near the trees towards the small barn, whinnying loudly. From my hiding place in the trees where I pelted it with a rock, I see the soldier on the porch stand up and assess the situation. He grabs the crossbow and heads towards the barn, scanning the pasture for predators.

He doesn't see the predator until he walks around the corner. Not realizing his mistake until it's too late, he stands frozen in surprise as Corinne fires an arrow into his eye from less than ten feet away.

The arrowhead exits the back of his skull just a few inches, friction slowing its journey. For a split second, his body seems suspended by strings like a marionette. Before he collapses, Corinne quickly closes the distance, slinging her bow over her shoulder as she moves. She grabs the crossbow with one hand and the neck of his armor with the other, gently lowering his corpse to the ground.

Wasting no time, I hasten through the trees around the pasture until I'm out of sight of the house. After hopping the fence, I hurry across the pasture to where Corinne is waiting for me.

"Nice shooting," I say quietly.

"Too bad I had to waste an arrow on scum like that," she replies as she finishes removing the man's chest armor. "Let's get this on you."

The fit is a little snug but serviceable for the next part of Corinne's plan. She looks at me appraisingly, adjusts the straps and checks me out again.

"How do I look?"

"Close enough to pass for him as long as they don't get too close a look. You'll need to be careful."

"I will," I assure her.

"Ever used one of these?" she asks, handing me the crossbow.

"Nope."

"It's easy. Just point it and pull this lever with your finger. Once you fire it, don't worry about reloading. It takes too long. Keep your daggers handy."

"I will."

"I'll watch until you get into position. Walk like he did. Act like you belong here. I'll be right behind you if something unexpected happens. Once you're in place, listen for my signal, then make your move."

I nod.

"Alright. Let's go."

I walk towards the house with the crossbow in hand, trying to imitate the man's demeanor, hoping against hope that no one comes through the back door. There's little chance of being seen from inside as there are no windows facing the back, but I'm still nervous. No one's come outside for a while.

Two grueling minutes later, I step onto the porch and sit down in the chair as calmly as a person can when their knees are shaking.

As I intently listen for Corinne's signal, I'm startled by the back door opening. Nearly panicking, I do the only thing I can think of to hide my face so I'm not recognized. I bend over and pretend to adjust my boots.

"Cover me while I escort this vermin to the privy," a rough voice says in passing after closing the door. I look up to see Kendric being goaded from behind by the man's sword in the small of his back. Not knowing how else to respond, I let out a grunt and get to my feet, crossbow in hand.

This wasn't part of Corinne's plan, so I'll need to improvise.

As my brain completes that thought, I hear Corinne's signal.

"What the...?" the man begins to say, but it becomes a gurgling sound as the crossbow bolt enters the back of his head and exits cleanly through his eye. Trying to imitate Corinne's earlier move, I reach for the man's armor but he drops like a rock to the ground along with his sword.

"Kendric!" I whisper urgently.

Kendric turns around in surprise, sees my face and says, "Oh thank the gods!" He quickly picks up the fallen sword. "I'll take my sword back, thank you." He kicks the dead man then turns to me so I can cut the leather bindings around his wrists.

"Corinne?" he asks hopefully.

"She's fine," I assure him. He lets out a sigh of relief. As I quickly remove the leather armor, I ask, "How many men are inside?"

"Not men. Bandit scum," he corrects me. "Just two, but there's a fourth one around here somewhere."

"Not anymore," I tell him. "And a third should be out front right about now being fatally surprised by Corinne. My job is to rescue everyone inside," I say, drawing my daggers. "Are you with me?"

"I am," he answers. "Let's go."

Since he'd have more difficulty fighting with a sword indoors, Kendric opens the door for me and steps aside. More confident now that there are only two enemies left to deal with, I dash in, ready for a fight, but all I find is an empty main room and kitchen. A closed door on the far wall is probably the bedroom.

I turn to Kendric and point at the door. He whispers in my ear, "That's where they're keeping the ladies."

We move to the door. Kendric readies himself to open it and waits for my cue. I nod. He throws it open fast. I burst in and scan the room with him right behind.

Teritha, Lisbeth and Micaelah are all sitting on the floor, reclining against the wall. Their hands are tied behind their backs and their feet are all tied together. Jolie is laying on the bed, spread eagle, with her hands and feet tied to the corner posts. Thankfully, all her clothes are still on, although her shirt ties appear to be undone. All have gags in their mouths.

Their initial startled looks of surprise turn to moments of dread fear until they realize who's standing before them. Almost in sync, they all begin sobbing.

As I move to cut Jolie loose, we hear blades clashing, signifying a sword fight has begun outside in front of the house. Kendric and I look at each other.

"Go!" I tell him, although he's already in motion. "Watch out for the fourth bandit!"

I quickly cut Jolie free. She grabs me and hugs me so hard it hurts, bawling into my shoulder.

"You're okay now. They can't hurt you anymore," I say soothingly, patting her back, then gently pry her off me. "I need you to free the others while I go help Kendric and Corinne." I take out one of my two throwing knives and hand it to her. "Okay? Can you do that for me?"

She nods and sobs, "Okay."

Now I hear more steel clashing. I rush to the front door and look outside to discover both Corinne and Kendric fighting one of the bandits.

Kendric I've seen fight before. Not just against me, but against others in the practice yard during training. His movements are fluid and graceful, his sword dancing through the forms.

Corinne is using her hand and a half bastard sword, and as I watch her wield it, I have to agree that she definitely knows how to use it like she said. But she seems to be angry. Really angry. And she's acting as if she's battling a demon rather than flesh and blood.

The bandit they're fighting however, is clearly a better swordsman than either of them. Dressed in fancy clothes and a shiny steel breastplate, this handsome, charismatic man must be the bandit's leader.

Wielding a long sword and a short sword at the same time, he makes this fight seem effortless, like he's toying with Kendric and Corinne. The smile on his face and his casual mockery makes me wonder why he hasn't already killed them.

"That was a really good parry," he tells Corinne, his words dripping with condescension.

"You wouldn't be half as good as you seem to be if you hadn't killed my brother and stolen his sword!" She attempts a desperate lunge, foolishly exposing herself, but the bandit doesn't press his advantage, merely dancing out of the way.

"Oh ho ho!" He laughs. "So that's why the grim face. That was your brother I gutted on the road outside Jasper?" He deftly parries a lethal maneuver by Kendric. "I must say," he continues cheerfully. "This is the best sword I've ever had the pleasure of holding. Too bad I had to kill a man with such incredible talent. Using this blade is like holding a feather and wielding a serpent at the same time!"

To demonstrate his witty analogy, he darts inside Corinne's guard and nicks her cheek. She winces slightly in pain before a tiny red line appears on her otherwise unmarred face.

Kendric let's out an infuriated holler, doubling his efforts.

The bandit's smile grows bigger. "And who are you to this desperate maiden good sir? Her lover perhaps? Her betrothed?" he asks, sneering at Kendric, easily deflecting the fury of Kendric's blade. "Did I just hurt a special someone you care about? Oh, I do apologize. I'll have to make things right." He parries Kendric's blade away then blindingly fast gives Kendric a matching wound.

"There!" the bandit exclaims happily. "Twins!" He laughs heartily.

The fight goes on, and as I watch, I begin to see subtle signs indicating the bandit leader isn't as good as he's pretending to be. His taunts are merely a clever ploy to induce his opponents to make a mistake, and so far his charm has allowed him to succeed.

But I realize this can't go on forever. He's beginning to tire. His maneuvers, while magnificent, are taking their toll.

Then I notice the bandit's eyes keep darting, ever so briefly, to a point behind Kendric and off to his right. My eyes search the area until I finally see what he's been watching. The missing bandit is standing between two bushes, mostly hidden, and is loading a crossbow.

I react immediately, but stealthily, not wanting to give away my own presence. Gauging the distance from me to him at about twenty feet, I pull out my last throwing knife. As he steps forward and lifts the crossbow, I plant my foot and let it fly.

It hits true, but not where I'd planned. Instead of taking him in the neck, it hits lower, sinking into the forearm of the hand holding the stock, striking at the same time he releases the crossbow bolt.

But neither does the bolt find its intended target. It flies within a breath of Kendric's ear and sinks itself into the bandit leader's shoulder.

Shock is the only way to describe the look on his face. He doesn't let the pain show, even though he must be in agony, but after a few breath-holding moments, the shock fades. Fear takes its place.

As I turn back towards the fourth bandit, he looks almost as scared. Of who, I'm not sure. His leader, or me as I close the distance between us. In an effort to even their now diminished odds, he tosses the crossbow to the ground, draws his sword and rushes towards Kendric's unprotected back.

But I intercept him before he reaches his goal. Turning to face my attack, he attempts a quick kill by swinging high and hard, trying to separate my head from my shoulders. Not expecting such a bold move, I leap backwards, barely in time, the point of his blade passing within a few inches of my neck.

Consequently, I'm unable to counter-attack, instead establishing a ready stance.

He attacks aggressively, using his sword to its best advantage against my daggers, never giving me an opportunity to penetrate his defenses. Likewise, he's unable to penetrate mine as I effectively sidestep and parry his blade each time.

Frustrated and bleeding from his forearm, he attempts another quick kill with his sword's longer reach, in a powerful overhead swing downward, aiming for my head. But this time I was waiting for it. I brace myself and catch his sword between my crossed blades, then kick him in the chest, knocking him backward, stumbling and off-balance. Before he's able to recover, I force his blade to the side with my left dagger and drag the point of my right dagger across his wrist. He cries out in pain. His sword falls harmlessly to the ground.

"Mercy! Mercy!" he pleads, stepping back and throwing his hands in the air.

Before I have time to consider how merciful I'm feeling at this particular moment, the center of his chest suddenly sprouts an arrow shaft.

Startled, I stare at the quivering arrow.

Then it sprouts another.

As he falls over backward, I slowly turn around. Jolie is ten feet behind me, holding her bow and a half-knocked arrow. She looks almost as angry as Corinne.

"Neither my pleading nor my tears kept him from showing me any mercy while he was pawing my breasts with his grimy hands," she snarls unapologetically.

I become aware of steel clashing off to my right, causing me to look to the battle with the bandit leader. It takes only a moment to realize that it's no longer a battle. Sweat is rolling down the bandit leader's face as he tries to defend himself from both Kendric and Corinne with a single blade, having lost hold of the second one at some point. It lies useless at his feet. Much like the hand that once held it, his blood-covered arm hangs free like so much dead weight.

"I have riches to share!" he offers desperately. "Surely we can come to some sort of agreement or compromise," he gasps, barely able to parry Corinne's heavier blade.

Kendric and Corinne share a look. Then as one, as if they'd rehearsed it, they both take a step back.

"Kendric. What do you think?" Corinne asks. "Can we agree on something regarding this man?"

The bandit leader looks somewhat surprised, then hopeful as his gaze shifts to Kendric.

"Yes. I think so," Kendric replies calmly. "I could live with some sort of compromise."

Looking like a cat caught eating the canary and then being offered seconds, the bandit leader looks at Corinne to gauge her reaction.

"Then it's a deal?" Corinne queries. "I'll take half and you'll take half?"

Kendric nods his agreement.

The bandit leader takes a deep, ragged breath, then lets it out. With a satisfied smile, he lowers his sword, looks to the sky, and closes his eyes in an arrogant display of satisfaction.

Their gazes still locked on one another, Corinne and Kendric move in unison, stepping forward and swinging their blades from different sides, into the bandit leader's neck, severing his head, each having agreed in their heart to compromise on their sole right to kill this man for murdering in cold blood Corinne's brother, Kendric's best friend.

§ 11 - Reunification

I sheathe my daggers, then turn back to Jolie, who unceremoniously drops her bow and arrow and closes the distance between us. I take her in my arms where she sobs uncontrollably, repeating again and again, "Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..."

As I hold her and speak soft words of comfort, we're joined by Teritha, Lisbeth and Micaelah. All five of us hug as one, then break off to hug the others individually. Micaelah kisses me openly, unconcerned about what anyone else might think of it. Teritha holds me the longest though.

After their initial reunion, Kendric and Corinne join us. Everyone thanks Corinne and I for saving them. Even Kendric gives me a brief but fierce hug, telling me how proud of me he is.

Corinne retrieves the two blades the bandit leader was wielding, along with their scabbards. The longsword, crafted by her brother as a gift, she gives to Kendric, its intended recipient. Before presenting it to him, she explains its story to the others and what happened to her brother. Everyone chokes up during this impromptu ceremony. Tears flow freely from everyone.

The short sword - her brother's sword - she keeps for herself.

As a group, we investigate the entire homestead, just to make sure another bandit isn't hiding somewhere. In the process, we discover a total of five horses, including the ones in the pasture, all fairly well taken care of. The barn has stalls for a total of six horses, so we round up, feed and stable the horses for the night, then continue our investigation. The loft area of the barn holds a sleeping pallet on the floor with a small table and a chest nearby. In addition to the house and the barn, there's also a small bunkhouse with two beds. It too holds a couple of chests.