“I will kill them…I will kill them all,” he promised and this was one promise he fully intended to keep.
Samantha continued to cry softly and Gwaynn continued to sit and hold her until Lonogan Bock appeared with Jess na Gall and Monde.
“The Palmerrio are moving off to the south, hugging the mountains,” Bock informed him. “Kommidi had a small engagement with the Palmerrio cavalry but it didn’t amount to much and the Palmerrio horsemen have since ridden off, following their army.”
Gwaynn nodded. He heard the man’s words but nothing much was registering in his brain at the moment.
“I’d like to take the army back toward Colchester,” Bock said.
“What of Lynndon? It’ll leave Marcum and his men exposed,” Gwaynn said finally coming around as Samantha grew quiet once more and closed her eyes.
Bock smiled wryly. “We’ve had at least some good news today. The Deutzani army was destroyed…Arden is dead.”
“Destroyed!” Gwaynn and Samantha said as one; her eyes flying open at the news, she even smiled when Gwaynn looked down at her. She was pale and her body was shivering slightly, but even so she was heartbreakingly beautiful.
“Seems Gaston disregarded orders and moved his men down the Scar River and attacked,” Bock said and watched Gwaynn’s expression darkened. “Marcum claims he called him for aid…and that Lynndon was about to fall.”
“Manse?”
Bock nodded. “The Knights are making preparations but they’ve not attacked yet.”
“We’ll be caught between two armies,” Hahn said, but before anyone could answer Van spoke up.
“We need to get her and the rest of the wounded to Linkler,” he said strongly. “I’ve done what I can for her, but Linkler’s a true doctor.” The young Deutzani turned to na Gall. “Can you Travel with the most critically wounded?”
Jess thought about it a moment, then nodded her head. “It will put me out of action for a day, but I can…”
“I’ll do it,” Gwaynn interrupted, then glanced at Van, who nodded up the hill.
“The rest of the wounded are up the hill a bit…we’ll need a few minutes to prepare,” Van answered and left but then quickly returned with a cup.
“How do you feel?” He asked Samantha, kneeling beside her.
“It hurts,” she hissed through partially clenched teeth.
“Drink this…it will take the edge off of the pain,” Van answered, impressed with her control. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything stronger.”
She drank from the cup.
“Willow bark,” Van told Gwaynn who was looking at him questioningly. “Can you walk?” Van asked Samantha when she was finished with the draught.
Van and na Gall raised her from her prone position and helped her off Gwaynn’s lap and then to her feet. She stood for only a few seconds before her legs grew shaky then she gagged once but she somehow held down the medicine.
“I don’t…” she began but stopped as Gwaynn carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her gently up the hill to where the others were waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, the bridge was open and the seriously wounded were carried across into Manse where Doctor Linkler quickly took charge of the situation. In all fifty-seven men and women needed urgent care and another sixty where needed to help transport them and by the time they were all through the bridge Gwaynn was seriously tiring, but he managed to hold the portal open until all were through.
“See to Krys,” he said to Lonogan, his voice breaking slightly. “See to all our dead.”
Lonogan nodded and then Gwaynn shakily lifted Samantha and carried her across to Manse.
ǂ
“We were close to crushing them,” General Sanchez insisted excitedly.
“We were close to losing everything,” King Weldon snapped back glancing warily at the Speaker bubble floating in the center of the tent. “They had a Tar in our rear…and they have Travelers.”
“We had our reserves well placed,” Sanchez argued. “We should turn about and press them.”
Weldon shook his head. “They have a Tar! We need to fall back through the Aleria Pass and circle back around to the plains. Is the Gap is still open?”
“You will do no such thing,” Hothgaard’s voice boomed through the Speaker bubble. “We are preparing to attack the northern walls of Manse. You must keep the Massi army up on the Plateau and away from the area.”
“They have a Tar!” Weldon repeated once more, still shaken by the quick, decisive deaths of two of his Executioner allies.
“I do not think he was a Tar,” the Executioner Giodart said confidently from his chair on the far side of the tent.
Weldon’s head swiveled to the man from Sinis. “If not a Tar, then who? The man killed two Executioners in under a minute. They hardly challenged him.”
Giodart stared at the Palmerrio King seemingly unperturbed by the comment, but greatly concerned by the implications. “Prince Gwaynn Massi would be my guess,” Giodart replied dryly. “Do not forget that he trained on Noble and under Tar Nev.”
Weldon barely controlled a shiver at the mention of Nev’s name. “He was only on Noble for a little over a year.”
“You will continue to engage the Massi army,” Hothgaard’s disembodied voice interrupted. “Keep them out of Manse.”
“What of the Deutzani?” Weldon asked.
“We’ve no word,” answered Hothgaard. “Perhaps their Speaker has been killed or wounded, but according to Arden’s last report Lynndon was near to falling.”
“Then the Deutzani could press west toward Manse,” Weldon answered and continued to hold out hope of moving back through the Pass and around to the plains. He did not like the Plateau. He felt trapped and unable to move though the land was wide and open. What truly worried him was the possibility of the Aleria Pass being closed off, because then retreat would be impossible…if everything went bad.
“Forget the Deutzani, though if they actually break Lynndon I will order King Arden west to support you against the Massi army. In the mean time you will continue to harass them. Keep the Massi away from Manse; when we take the city their resistance should collapse.”
There was a moment of silence then the bubble unceremoniously blinked out of existence.
Weldon shot a frustrated glance at Sanchez, who was smart enough not to show his own pleasure. The General was utterly confident that on their next meeting his troops would crush the Massi army and prove his King’s doubts unfounded.
“What of the Travelers?” Weldon asked but he was addressing Tar Giodart rather than his own General. “If we face the Massi again, I want the Tars of Sinis with me.”
Sanchez frowned but before he could say anything Giodart spoke up. “No…I will stay back for protection…if the Prince of Massi comes after you again I will take him, but Tar Rhinehold and Tarina de Croix stay on the wings where they can do the most damage.”
“You think you can take Prince Gwaynn…if that’s who it was?”
Giodart shrugged, though inside he was confident he could handle even a Tar. He was nearly the oldest of the Tars of Sinis, only Tar Nacht and Lacombe had more experience. If the attacker was Prince Gwaynn, well then, so much the better…better than facing a true Tar of Noble at least. From all reports the boy was talented, but he was young and Giodart doubted any youth could hold out against him for long. But if he, in fact, had killed the two young Executioners…plus Tar Navarra, then the boy was truly deadly and should not be underestimated. Still he was young and the young were prone to overconfidence. Plus Giodart had a few subtle moves he was sure would surprise the young Prince. He would win such a contest, he was sure, after all his own skill and training had yet to fail him in combat and he had faced many formidable opponents. Just one slip by young Gwaynn and everything would end for the Massi…abruptly. Even so, when they finally met in battle Giodart decided he would end it quickly, no taunting, no playing with the Prince, there was too much at stake.