The Rise of Aredor Page 18

  A woman walked past with a basket laden with ripe apples. A Calorin soldier stopped her rudely. Taking an apple, he bit into it and stepped aside to let the woman pass. As she did, he tripped her. The woman fell, spilling the contents of her basket everywhere. The Calorin kicked the basket out of her reach with a laugh. Seething with anger at this, the girl stepped out and began helping the woman. The Calorin knocked fruit from her hands.

  “Who are you?” he demanded in broken Rhyddan.

  “What’s it tae you?” she replied.

  The soldier strained to understand her accented speech. “How dare you address me like that! I am one of Lord Balkor’s captains!”

  “I don’t care who you are! You’re just a big bully!” she snapped back.

  The captain raised a hand to strike her, but to his surprise, she knocked it away. Outraged, the Calorin drew his scimitar, and she drew her rapier in answer.

  “Well, well, what have we here?” a new voice asked.

  They whirled to see a cloaked and hooded figure leaning casually on his long bow. All activity in the square had ceased at his appearance. Soldiers now jumped up, reaching for weapons.

  “You!” The soldier jabbed his scimitar at the man.

  “Well who else were you expecting?” The newcomer laughed. “I can’t let the girl beat you, now can I?”

  “You will pay for that!” the soldier raged.

  “Not today, I’m afraid. My men are everywhere, you’d be cut down instantly. Now, miss, if you’d be so kind as to come with me,” he said.

  The girl grabbed her horse and joined the stranger.

  “Start walking away. They’ll figure out I’ve only got five men with me pretty soon,” the man said in an undertone.

  Obediently, she began walking out of the village. A few seconds later, she was joined by the man. The Calorins watched them leave, frozen in place by the man’s threat. The captain saw them break into a run and realized he had been tricked.

  “After them!” he shouted.

  Her strange rescuer slowed at the shout and gave a whistle. Five men galloped up leading his horse. She followed his lead and mounted and they raced off to the forest. They easily gave the Calorins the slip and halted on a hidden track. They ranged their horses around so that they did not crowd her and pulled hoods back.

  A shiver of excitement teased her spine as she realized these were some of the outlaws Braeton had begun to hear about. She probably should be more nervous in the company of six strange men, but they didn’t look like they would hurt her any time soon.

  “My name’s Kara,” she spoke up first. “Thanks for helping me out of that mess.” The men looked surprised when they heard the soft brogue unique to the Clans of Braeton.

  “You’re welcome.” The apparent leader of the band introduced himself as Corin. “Tell me though, Kara, why were you in the village?”

  “I’m looking for my brother. I haven’t seen him in three years.”

  “Where are you from?” Liam, the man Corin had named his second-in-command, asked.

  “Braeton. I crossed the border yesterday,” Kara said.

  “Can you prove it?” Corin asked.

  Kara unbuckled the brace on her left arm and pushed up her sleeve, revealing a six-pointed star with a G inscribed in the center tattooed on her forearm.

  “I’m of Clan Gunlon.” She couldn’t keep the pride from her voice. “As is my brother.”

  “Why is your brother here?” Liam asked.

  “My father was Aredorian. Our mother died when we young, and our father brought us up in Braeton. Every year, my father would bring us here tae visit his family. Three years ago, I stayed home with my aunt tae help her with her baby. My father and brother went and never returned. We heard about the invasion and thought them dead. I convinced an old warrior tae train me so that I could come looking for them. And I…um…” Kara hesitated before finishing in a rush. “I ran away from my aunt three days ago, and now I’m here.”

  “Your brother,” Corin said. “How old would he be now?”

  “Seventeen. We’re twins.”

  “I think we might be able to help you then.”

  “Really?” Kara’s eyes widened in hopeful expectation.

  “Aye, but we have to finish our patrol first. We head back to the main camp in two days so you can tag along. Ian, take Kara to the crossed pines. The rest of us will continue on and be back tonight,” Corin ordered.

  “Yes, sir.” Ian saluted.

  He led Kara off the path and farther into the forest. They rode in silence, each quietly sizing the other up. Ian had pushed back his hood and pulled down the mask bound about his lower face. He had dark hair, as almost all Aredorians did. Kind grey eyes gleamed above a nose sprinkled with freckles. He looked very young, only a few years older than she was. Unlike the rest of his band, he carried a scimitar.

  Summing up her courage, Kara asked him. “Why do you have a Calorin sword?”

  Ian looked surprised at the sudden question, but answered.

  “I tried using the broadsword, but wasn’t very good with it. The captain had me try the scimitar. It’s so much lighter and fluid feeling. He’s teaching me, but I haven’t quite mastered it yet,” Ian admitted. “What about your blade? I’ve never seen one like it.”

  “It’s called a rapier,” Kara explained. “Our claymores were too heavy for me. The warrior who trained me found it and gave it tae me.”

  “You know, you’re the first girl I’ve ever met to carry a weapon.”

  Kara laughed with him. “My father always said I should’ve been a boy. I’m stubborn and wanted tae do whatever my brother did. It’s gotten me intae trouble more than a few times.”

  “We’re here,” Ian said.

  Kara stared in astonishment. Some force of nature had bent two pine trees to an angle at which they crossed each other. Ian dismounted and led his horse under the arch formed by the trees. Kara followed his example and came out the other side into a small clearing.

  Ian tethered his horse at the far end of the clearing. She picketed Delyth nearby and loosened the girth. Delyth plunged his nose down to begin grazing. She slapped at his shoulder and he huffed back, but continued with his meal. She pushed away the wisps of honey-brown hair that had escaped from her long braid and looked over to where Ian was finishing with his mount.

  “I’m going to check our traps. You may as well come along,” Ian said.

  The first two snares were empty before they came to a small stream. Ian pulled at several hidden lines, flipping three fat trout up on to the bank. Resetting the lines, he turned to Kara.

  “You ever gutted a fish?”

  Kara shook her head, and he pulled a knife from his belt and handed it to her. She took it, looking at the fish a little hesitantly.

  Ian grinned. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure they won’t bite you.”

  Kara made a face at him and moved to pick a fish up. Still half alive, it flopped suddenly. Stifling a shriek, she jerked back. Ian tried in vain to stifle his laughter. Kara glared at him for a second and then began laughing. Splashing water at him she asked, “You going tae show me or not?”

  Half an hour later, they left the stream and went back to the camp. Ian put the fish on a flat rock and built a fire. He began seasoning and cooking the fish as Kara picked blackberries from the bushes growing at the edge of camp.

  Shadows lengthened as the sun began to set. Corin and his men arrived, and a short time later, they were joined by three more men. Kara was introduced to the new arrivals.

  “We caught her telling off the captain in the village,” Liam said.

  “How’d Taysir take that?” one man asked with a grin.

  Corin laughed. “You should have seen his face.”

  “We found their outpost, Captain,” the man said.

  “Where?”

  “Close to the border. It’s fully armed and garrisoned. I’d say fifty soldiers. It’s perfectly situated for striking into Braeton.”
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  Corin rubbed at the glove covering his right hand. “You think we could take it down?”

  “Just us ten? Doubtful. But if we had another patrol with us, I think we could.”

  “It’d take too long for Martin to get here. We’ll go early tomorrow morning and see if we can find a weakness,” Corin said.

  Kara listened to this exchange, biting back questions. She wondered if she would be allowed to go along. The men had been friendly enough but it was obvious they did not fully trust her. Not that she could blame them given the circumstances. Ian tossed her an extra blanket as they bedded down for the night. She gazed up at the stars shining softly through the trees, eventually lulled to sleep by the soft melody of the forest.

  * * *

  At dawn, the camp rose. Men moved about, saddling horses and drawing breakfast from their packs. Corin drew Kara aside.

  “You’ll come with us, but I have to know that you can keep quiet and take orders.” She looked like she had a level head, but he didn’t know her yet.

  “Yes, sir.” Kara’s blue-green eyes were serious as she nodded.

  “Good. Now, can you use a bow?”

  “Aye, I can handle one, sir,” she replied.

  Corin brought out a Calorin bow from a hidden place at the base of a tree. He handed her the bow and a full quiver and pointed to a large pinecone hanging from one of the pine trees.

  “I know it’s a small target, but do your best.” He positioned her across the clearing.

  Kara strung the bow and took aim. Sighting carefully, she released. The shaft sped across the clearing and pierced the cone.

  “Now the one next to it.”

  Kara took aim at a much smaller cone. It also fell.

  “Aye, you can handle a bow.” Corin suppressed a smile. He already liked her. “Mount up!” he called.

  Kara settled the bow across her shoulder and mounted her horse. An hour’s ride brought them to the Calorin outpost. Halting a short distance away, Corin left two men and Kara with the horses, and the rest slipped away to scout the fortress.

  Corin and Liam circled and viewed the front of the small outpost. It was built from wood, the walls as tall as a man. The outlines of sentries flitted between the loopholes cut into the walls. Two towers rose on either side of the stout gate, giving the Calorin guards a wide view of the surrounding forest. The ground all around the outpost had been well cleared.

  “They’re learning,” Liam said. “We won’t be able to sneak up on them.”

  “We have to, or else Braeton goes down,” Corin replied.

  “Sure, and we were just thinking the same thing,” a voice broke the silence behind them.

  Corin and Liam whirled around with swords drawn instantly. The stranger held up his hands.

  “Don’t be killing me just yet, lads. I have a feeling we might want tae talk,” he said.

  Corin eyed the stranger up and down. He was dressed in dark clothes to blend with the forest. A green-and-black plaid cloak was thrown about his shoulders clasped by a silver brooch shaped like a stag’s head. His left arm was bare and revealed markings; two circles, one inside the other encompassed a D on his forearm. A stag reared majestically on his muscular upper arm.

  “Who are you?” Corin asked.

  “And I thought you would never ask.” The stranger chuckled. “Dandin of Clan Dyson at your service.”

  Corin and Liam sheathed their swords and introduced themselves. They knew they had nothing to fear from the clan leader.

  “Call your men, Corin, and we can go somewhere safer tae talk,” Dandin said.

  Liam whistled a signal, and within moments, they were joined by the rest of the patrol.

  Dandin openly scrutinized Corin as he led them away from the fortress. He didn’t flinch when Karif flew in to perch on Corin’s shoulder.

  “So you’re the one they’re calling the Hawk?”

  “That name seems to get around a bit.” Corin hadn’t decided if he liked how Castimir’s old nickname for him had taken on a new meaning.

  “We hear rumors of a man who leads a rebellion in the forest, determined tae drive the invader out. It’s said wherever wolf howls or hawk cries, he appears.”

  Corin darted a glance at the taller man. Word had spread further than he thought. “You seem well informed.”

  “Never live in ignorance of your neighbors.” Dandin winked and Corin wondered how much he really knew. “We’ve been watching these Calorins for some time. It’s pleased I am tae have met you now.”

  “How many men do you have with you?”

  “About two score. I convinced my father tae let me watch the border and try and take down this outpost. It’s too dangerous. The Calorins can sneak intae Braeton if we’re not careful enough.” With that, they arrived at the Braeton camp.

  “Lads,” Dandin announced, “I’d like you tae meet the men who’ve decided tae challenge the Calorin leopard.”

  Introductions were made all around, and Corin and Liam joined Dandin and his captain in a large deerskin tent. Dandin produced a rough sketch of the Calorin outpost.

  “How do you think we’ll take it?” Brian, the captain, asked as Corin studied the sketch.

  “We’d just get cut down trying to climb over,” Corin said. “Unless we had a distraction.”

  “How big do you think, Captain?” Faint concern showed through Liam’s stance. This was bigger than anything they’d attempted yet.

  “I’m thinking the gates and these towers. We can fire the towers and knock on their gates a few times.”

  “While the rest of us go over the back,” Dandin finished.

  Corin shoved away his own doubts. “I think it could work. If we strike fast, we’ll keep the element of surprise.”

  “There’s a great big oak that’s gone and fallen not too far from here, my laird,” Brian said.

  “That’ll do nicely.” Dandin rolled the sketch up. “See if we can find some smaller trees tae scale the back wall.”

  “Aye, laird.” Brian bowed and left the tent. Dandin turned back to Corin.

  “I’ll take half my men and attack the gates. You can take the other half, along with your men, and take the back. Make sure you let us in though. It’s a fight I don’t want tae miss.”

  “Let me send my two best archers with you. They can take care of the towers and give us the signal,” Corin said.

  “Sounds grand. I’ll go and tell the lads. They’ve been wanting a bit of trouble.” Dandin flashed an irrepressible grin and strode from the tent. Corin and Liam followed.

  “I want Kael and Bran to go with Dandin. Once those towers are blazing, they can give us our signal,” Corin said. As Liam went off to tell their men the plan, Corin found Kara.

  “We’re going to attack that outpost. I want you to stay well out the way, Kara.” He held up his hand to forestall any protest. “No, this fight could easily turn against us. I’m giving you an order, and I expect you to obey it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kara submitted meekly.

  Within an hour, the small force moved out, carrying with them three tree trunks. Kara remained behind along with the few men left to guard the camp. Corin and his men left their cloaks behind and moved their swords to their backs to allow for easier climbing. Corin and Dandin briefly clasped hands and wished each other luck before Corin led his men away through the forest.

  Dandin and his men crept forward, carrying the large oak tree. They halted a short distance away from the fortress but deep enough to remain hidden in the forest’s depths. Bran and Kael kindled a small, smokeless fire. They wrapped several arrows in oil-soaked rags donated by Clan members. Carefully setting these aside, they settled in to wait.

  “You lads do this often?” Brian asked them curiously.

  A smile flitted across Bran’s face. “Attack outposts? Not usually.”

  “We do a fair amount of ambushes and raids for supplies and weapons,” Kael added.

  “Sounds like a grand life,” Dandin said. The men
of Clan Dyson knew the ways of the forest and could appreciate the outlaws’ stealth and cunning.

  “Aye, lord, it is. Our captain knows what he’s about. The Calorins are deathly afraid of the forest now.” Kael’s smile was one of ferocious pride.

  “But they’ve become smarter and more cautious. They’ve started traveling in greater numbers, which makes it more dangerous for us. But we trust the captain to come up with the best plan,” Bran said.

  “I’ve only known him for a few hours, but I’d gladly follow him intae battle any day,” Dandin said.

  A curious cry went up; a hoarse birdcall ending in a screech.

  “They’re in position now.” Bran shifted up to his knees.

  He and Kael fitted shafts to their bows and held them to the fire. Both shafts flew true, hitting near the top of the towers. They each loosed two more fire arrows as the sentries raised panicked shouts. Their next shots killed the sentries, allowing the flames to continue unchecked.

  Dandin signaled to his men. Sheltered under large wooden shields, they lifted the heavy battering ram. The Calorins threw ladders up against the walls, and standing on the upper rungs, they fired at the advancing men. When he gauged the enemy was sufficiently distracted by the ram pounding on the gates and the burning walls, Bran cupped his hands around his mouth and gave voice to the eerie wolf call. Then he and Kael turned their attention to the Calorin archers.

  On the other side of the fortress, Corin heard the sound.

  “That’s us. Get those trees up against the walls,” he ordered.

  When they were well lodged against the wall, he loosened his scimitar in its sheath and scrambled up the nearest trunk. Pausing at the top, he glanced below. The back of the outpost was completely deserted. They were partially screened by a long building. He gave a sharp whistle and was quickly followed over the wall by the rest of his men.