Kingdom Born

Chapter 1: Night Attack

The dying hearth left the bedroom with a sharp chill. Karl's shoulder hung out over the top of the heavy covers, as he lay face down in the pillows. How could he breathe sleeping like that? I pulled the top cover up to his head taking a moment of liberty to stroke his silken hair. Thank Goddess that he was a sound sleeper. I would be back in bed before he knew I was gone.

My helm and breastplate were hanging by the front door, positioned so I would easily shrug into them without help. Still groggy with sleep loss, I had made good time armoring up. When I shut the door behind me, the echo of the alarm gong was still filtering through the cobbled streets. I listened for a moment, then took a quick march pace toward the place of attack. A young guardswoman met me in the town square. She snapped off a sloppy salute, showing how annoyed she was to be waiting here instead of in the middle of the action. Ah, youth... "Captain, the Lieutenant ordered me to wait for you here!"

I gestured for her to fall into quick step with me. The less time wasted getting to the scene the better. "Report."

"The last count was forty Badlanders, Captain. They scaled the outer wall in the southern quadrant and were attempting to break into some of the civil's homes when the night patrol came on them. The Lieutenant reported seeing someone directing the raid from the top of the battlements."

I nearly broke into a run. It had to be Misha Righthander. The woman had some nerve leading those misshapen things to attack on her home village. Even if she was banished, she still had relatives here.

Civilians were beginning to crowd out of their houses now that they were assured of not being harmed. They saw us and started demanding to know what was going on. I led my companion into a short alley way that would take us directly to the troubled area. As Captain, it was my duty to know every square inch of the village where thieves and other undesirable could hide or run. I knew every alley, dead end and any other place that could hold a body in this town. We disappeared into the night, running toward a low bricked wall at the end of the alleyway. I may have sworn to protect the civilians but I was grateful to get away from these meddlesome people.

I vaulted over the brick wall easily but landed hard on my left leg. Pain shot up into my spine. The girl grabbed at my arm but I shook her off and quickly climbed to my feet. We could see the fighting at the opening of the alley. From the number of Badlanders I could see, we would need all of the swords we could get. I waved her off. "Go ahead!"
The guard hesitated little more than a heartbeat. She then left me, running toward the melee with steel drawn. I gritted my teeth and limping, hurried and joined in the melee. Centering all my concentration inwardly, I pulled my sword free from my shoulder harness and stepped into the fray.

Badlander corpses littered the street. In the corner of my eye I saw a novice catch a spear butt to the back of the head. Her helm flew off her head and she collapsed face first onto the cobbles. The attacker shifted her grip to drive the blade deep into the youngster's unprotected back. I hobbled-skipped over to the battle and brought my blade down hard across the shaft to deflect her blow. My ankle gave way as I tried to bring my blade down the shaft into the attacker's face. Air exploded in my face as the metal tipped end slammed backwards into the space were I had been standing. I hobbled away, playing my injury for more than it was, and putting some distance between my fallen guard and the attacker. Everyone knew that one sword could not protect two people for long. She needed only to wear me down and she was arrogant about it. My hobbling retreat built her confidence level so high that she wanted to toy with me before killing me. Her jabs were solely aimed at the head. I dived and stepped backward ignoring the pain as best as I could. I pivoted on my bad ankle and brought my sword up under her rusty breastplate. Blood bubbled out of her mouth as she dropped to her knees.

I nearly lost my grip on the hilt as she toppled backwards, knocking me off balance. I had to jerk the blade out of the body, before I headed back to my fallen guardswoman. There was no time to see if her wounds were anything serious. The Badlanders smelled our weakness.

Suddenly the pack retreated. Their dead lay strewn across the stones and their blood mingled with the filth of the street.

"To the walls!" Yana, my first lieutenant, grabbed at one of the fleeing creatures with her bare hands. She rode the Badlander down to the cobbles, pulled out a knife from her boot and ended the squeals. Fewer than six figures reached for the ropes that swung against the walls and none of them got any higher than double a woman's height.
Satisfied that my guards were under competent leadership, I knelt down and felt for a pulse on the fallen girl. She was a child really. One of the new novices.

"Healer!" I shouted. There was a tell tale flow of life but it was weak and unsteady.

"Healer!"

"Check those bodies. I don't want any of the dead getting up and knifing one of us in the back." Yana trotted up to me. Blood spotted her face but her ready smile belayed any fears that it was hers.

I hissed as I settled my weight on my throbbing ankle, "It wouldn't be too much to ask that one of you planted an arrow in Righthander."

The Healer came to us and brushed us aside. We warriors had no place in her art. I could feel the rush of danger pass out of me, making me so lightheaded I almost fell over on the Healer-- which would only have endeared me more.

"It wasn't Misha." Yana walked beside me offering a support post in case I staggered again. "Maybe it was her in the old days, but the leader directing the attack was just a better example of Badlander. Caught it in the throat with a crossbow shaft. She won't be leading anymore surprise attacks. None of these things will."

I took a deep breath filling my lungs with the icy air hoping that the shock of it would clear my mind of its returning mist, "Get this blood washed off the streets before daybreak. " Yana met my sarcasm with a raised brow. My exhaustion was letting words I usually guarded blurt freely. "I'll see to it, Captain. Any prisoners will be taken back to the barracks for interrogation."

"I'll meet you there."

"Begging the captain's pardon, but you look like shit." Yana flipped over one of the corpses. Its hood fell back exposing dirty bandages and rotten green black skin. There was a strange unpleasant scent wafting up from it. Legend said that the Badlanders had abandoned the ways of the Goddess, and as a curse they were sentenced to decay of the Goddess's form. As a child I had dismissed this as nothing more than religious drivel, but looking at one up close always set the hairs at the back of my neck standing. Maybe there was some truth to the matter. Yana kicked the hood back over the rotten flesh and turned her face aside.

Yana's voice dropped low and she leaned even closer to me, "We had reinforcements from the barracks before the tenth ring was struck. I know what the Council as put you through the last six months when you wanted to try out this new system. By the Goddess, you've proved those old sticks wrong. No one aside from Jafee was seriously injured and if she spent as much time on her lessons as she did chasing boys she wouldn't have been hurt.'

'Go home, Phara. You've deserved a break. You have a family who's been placed second in your priorities for far longer than they deserved. Your man won't settle for being ignored much longer."

I stared down at Yana. We had known each other for years. We had beaten each other in school; beaten each other in weapons training and befriended each other on the Eve of Womanhood over half a keg of mead. Yana could be a pest when she wanted to, but when she spoke the truth...it was the truth. Karl had been more than patient. Deep in my heart, I thought that it was all right with him; that he had given me approval for my efforts to the Captaincy...maybe it was just my own wish that I thought he understood.
"He won't wait forever." Her words echoed a fear I was not ready to face.

The healer broke a vial of some green liquid under Jafee's nose and she held it there until the girl had some presence of mind to push it away. Her eyes opened slowly to both Yana and myself. "Captain...."

"Well, Longsword, you're just going to have to try harder. This one is going to live." The healer stood up slowly raking the entire guard with a scornful eye.

Yana stepped up to her and shoved her face up into the Healer's, "Try harder! Remember that when Badlanders come rushing your house. The only thing that's going to be standing between you and your man is us..."

"Lieutenant!"

Yana snapped her mouth shut and settled for a there's-something-on-boot glare. I continued on, "I want the bodies burnt and the street washed down. Take any prisoners to the Garrison and interrogate them. Have someone take Jafee back to the barracks and confine her to bed." I looked down on her with my darkest stare. "Maybe now, you'll pay more attention to your training instead of ogling the boys."

The Healer bristled at being ignored, then turned and stormed off to see if her wares could benefit anyone else. My conduct would be dragged up before the Council of Elders at daybreak but right at this moment I didn't care. "Hop to it Lieutenant. I want a full report when I come to the barracks."

"You'll have one, Captain." Yana turned on her heel and started barking out orders. I wiped my blade off on a piece of rag the Badlanders wore, then returned it to the sheath on my backside. The weight hung heavily. I took a deep breath; the night air stung my throat and lungs so much I ended up in a coughing fit. Soon the chill of the winter season would be gone, and in the spring there would be new threats to worry about; but right now, my bed looked pretty tempting.

There was a loud mumble cornering the street. Then hordes of concerned civilians came into full view. They must have waited until they were sure that all the fighting was done before venturing forth. "Captain!"

I didn't feel up to taking their complaints right now. Yana yelled something else into the air drawing the crowd's attention. She wanted me out of the way, so be it. Hobbling back into the alley, I left her to deal with the usual griping and outcry that followed a defense. The adrenaline sped away as quickly as it came leaving me staggering. I was so tired. The last six months were hellish. The ache in my ankle clamored amongst my other injuries for its share of attention. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep in a warm bed with a warm man. Grunting and squirming like a little pig caught in a narrow fence, I finally pulled myself over the wall, then landed roughly on my bad ankle. It hurt badly but the pain was nothing like a broken bone. Maybe I would play it up for a few days and get some rest if the Goddess is willing.

It took me ninety-seven steps to get to my front door. I opened it slowly. There was a tendency for it to squeak when swung too quickly. I need not have bothered with sneaking...Karl crouched by the hearth where the fire now blazed wildly. He did not even turn his head when I shut the door behind me. The coolness of the night made my fingers fumble with the straps of the sword harness. He was still looking into the flames when I pulled my breastplate off and shucked the smaller pieces of armor.

"I didn't want you to worry.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they were the wrong thing to say. He was spoiling for a fight and I just wanted to go to bed. He rose to his full height, using it as intimidating as it could be...but I knew him. He would sooner lose his hand than strike out at anyone in anger.

"How dare you decide what I should or shouldn't worry about. I understood that this marriage was a partnership--not a dictatorship!"

The ankle throb was growing in intensity as the rest of me began to shut down. Usually if Karl wanted to fight, I was ready for it but not tonight. I tried not to limp past him.

"You're hurt! Why didn't you tell me!"

"I just want to lay down for now."

He caught me around the waist then bent to lift me up. I am a big woman, one of the largest in the village. While Karl is, by far, the tallest of the men, as to physically tossing me around even, muscular Yana has trouble. "Let me go. You'll hurt yourself."

"Quit squirming or we'll both hit the floor." He grunted and brought on arm up beneath my knees and the other around my back.

"Karl!" I had to grab him around the neck to get some more support.

He carried me into our small bedroom and gently placed me on the bed as if I was some fragile child. "Lay still." He unlaced my boot and freed my foot. The ankle was already swollen and starting to discolor. "I'm surprised it's not broken. Woman you need a keeper."

"I've had a lot worse than this. I tried to get back here before you woke up."

"I wasn't asleep when you left. By the Goddess, Phara, you treat me like a child when it comes to your work. I've stood by and let you go your own way and it's been killing me." He turned away, dampened a cloth and wrapped it around my ankle. It did little for the pain but it warmed my heart. "I won't stand by and watch you fade away before my very eyes."

My husband's eyes were wide and settled in defiance. There was a lot more of him in our son than one would first think. Shame touched me for a brief instant but it was driven away by my confidence in doing what I knew in my soul was right. "How can I turn my back on someone who looks to me to defend them, Grey Eyes? Tonight, not a single man was lost and only one of my women were injured. That is nothing...."

"You don't sleep anymore. You're getting less than four hours a night." He took my other boot off and began massaging the bottom of my foot in a manner that was less than angry concern. If I was not so exhausted and in pain, I would have crawled over him with desire.

"Grey Eyes, you are not the one who has to tell a mother that her son was stolen out of her house in the dead of night. You do not see the faces of the little ones when I tell them that their mother or their father will never be coming home....I cannot in good conscience turn away." My voice began to sound slurred as if I had been drinking too much mead.
Warm hands pulled at the laces on my tunic. "The only thing I want you to understand, Sunny, is that the citizens of this town don't need you as much as Kyle and I do. I miss you."

It was almost too much an effort to lift my hips from the bed so he could pull my tunic off. "I miss your obstinacies, your stubbornness and tenaciousness."

"Don't use your big words on me, Scholar." I yawned and closed my eyes. The arms of the Goddess were beckoning me to her sweet temporary embrace.

"I love you Phara Longsword--holder of my heart."

"Shut up and let me sleep." He laughed at my sleepy threat, finished stripping me clear of bloody clothing then laid beside me. I could feel his hands wind their way into my war braid and begin to work it free.

"Promise me you'll never cut it." I grunted something that must have sounded like a yes then fell into the arms of the Goddess.

* * *

Snake/Kingdom/6