The Coastal Kingdoms of Olvion: Book Two of The Chronicles of Olvion (24 page)

On both sides of him the members of Jo-Dal’s bodyguard were inflicting similar damage on the other pirates.  There were only eleven of them against at least thirty enemy fighters, but the odds were quickly being reduced.  The warriors, true to their training, fought as a team.  They knew when to press the attack and when to assume a support position for their brother warriors.  In the space of a heartbeat the pirates lost twelve men. 

More pirates surged forward to join their shipmates against the small band of defenders.  By now over a hundred of them had dug their way through the eroded rock foundation of the stronghold.  They had broken through and into the cellar of a residence and charged up the stairs, killing the family who lived there.  They had then streamed out into the open streets intending to overrun the redoubt.  Many were helping themselves to valuables, and others were grabbing women and dragging them back to the cellar from where they had gained entry.  Only about sixty or so pirates were engaged in fighting the defenders, but more were getting inside the walls.

At about the same time that the larger band of pirates sought to engage Jo-Dal and his men, the main force of the Aspellian warriors arrived.  To call the resulting carnage a slaughter would be understating the situation.  The warriors moved through the pirates like a scythe through a weed.  In short order shouts were heard for a withdrawal, and many simply turned and ran.  Most were chased down and killed without mercy.

Jo-Dal led his men through the door from which they had seen the pirates emerge.  They ignored the horror of the slaughtered family and followed the surviving invaders down the cellar steps and out of the hole they’d created and exploited.  The Sword of the King looked outside and saw how near they were to the piers.  From his vantage point he could see dozens of women being herded aboard the tethered ships.

Followed by his men he crawled through the hole and sprinted for the waterfront.  He knew they would not be in time.

***

Taggart and his two companions came thundering over the dunes that lead down to the Kingdom and castle of Aspell.  The charon were thickly lathered.  They had been ridden hard for three Earth hours.  Taggart did not slow his mount until he reached the inclined approach to the stronghold.  The gate stood open, and there were warriors milling around.  There had obviously been a battle, and wounded were being attended to by civilians and warriors.

Down from the stronghold Taggart saw a quay wall and a line of small shops lining the wharf.  Many warriors were there, and some were pointing out to a ship that was just off of the pier.  He turned his charon in that direction and Lyyl and Toria followed.

Pulling up hard on the reins Taggart saw a man with the insignia of the King’s Sword on his uniform.  He leapt from his charon and ran to the edge of the wharf where all of the other warriors were standing.  Several held bows, but none were nocked.

“What’s happened here?” he demanded from a warrior.

The man turned to look at him and was shocked to see the size of him.

‘What the…Who are you?  Are you…”

Taggart grabbed him by the collar and shook him with one hand.

“Focus, man.  What has happened here?”

The warrior gathered his wits and responded.  He pointed out to the ship which drifted lazily off the pier.  Aboard it he could see a deck full of men in dirty and ragged clothing.  They were laughing and brandishing weapons at the warriors on the pier. 

“Those men, those pirates there.  They tunneled under our walls and snuck in.  They took a lot of our women before we were able to push them back.  We were taken completely by surprise.  Some held us back while others loaded our women onto their ships.  There’s dozens of ships.  We don’t know how many women have been taken or how many warriors we’ve lost.”  His shoulders sagged in frustration at the situation.

Taggart looked out at the ship as one warrior attempted to shoot an arrow into the densely packed deck of the ship.  It appeared as though they were purposely floating just out of archery range for no purpose other than to taunt the people of Aspell. 

It was at that moment that Toria came walking up leading both her charon and Taggart’s.  He snatched the stout bow from under his saddlebag and slung the quiver over his shoulder.  As the other warriors watched, he wrapped a leg around the weapon and bent it down to the point where he could loop the string over the tip.  On the ship the pirates laughed when they saw him nock an arrow and take aim.  He pointed it to the place where he wanted the arrow to hit then lifted his sights to adjust for the distance.  The arrow shot out far over the water, but fell just short of hitting the ship.  The warriors around him expressed surprise at the distance he was able to achieve, and he heard words of encouragement.  On the ship the pirates saw how close the arrow had come to hitting them, and their taunting ebbed for a moment then continued even louder.

When Taggart nocked his second arrow some on the deck turned and lowered their trousers to shake their backsides at him.  This earned them a round of laughter from their comrades.  Taggart put his toes of his left foot to the edge of the seawall and drew the bow back again. He felt Old Geord’s smooth black arrow slide through his fingers and this time elevated his aim just a little higher than the last time.  The bowstring sang, and the shaft flew impossibly high.  It was unseen in the glare of the sun as it reached the zenith of its arc and fell back toward the sea with gravity lending it more speed.

On the ship one of the men with lowered trousers screamed in pain as the barbed arrow caught him high on the shoulder blade.  Even from their position on the wharf the warriors could see that it had penetrated all the way through and was protruding from the man’s chest.  A cheer rose up on the wharf from the warriors and civilians gathered there.

Now on the deck of the ship there was a shouting of orders and a scrambling of activity.  Sails were raised, and the wind filled them.  The weight of the ship kept it from moving just long enough for Taggart to fire one more arrow.  It didn’t hit any of the pirates, but it made them jump for cover just before it buried itself into the deck.  The crewmen of the ship continued their efforts to get the ship moving while keeping something between them and the huge man with the impossibly long-ranged bow.  Taggart saw them pitch the body of the man he’d shot over the side.

Then the ship was too far away.  Taggart and Toria stood beside each other and watched as it sailed gracefully out of the harbor and gathered speed when it hit the open sea.

Someone grabbed Taggart’s arm and tried to spin him around.  He would have been as successful trying to spin a house, but Taggart turned around anyway.  Standing before him was the man he had seen with the King’s Sword insignia.

“Who are you, and from which kingdom do you come?” the man asked.

Taggart took a last look at the departing ship.  “Most know me by the name Tag-Gar.  We are part of a detachment from Olvion sent here in answer to your call.”

The man relaxed.  He extended his arm.  “I am Jo-Dal, Sword of King Tyner.  Welcome and thank you for your assistance.  That was a masterful shot.”  He looked around.  “Where are the rest of you?”

Taggart grasped the man’s wrist in the Olvioni version of a handshake.

At that point Lyyl walked up.  He saw Jo-Dal’s insignia and stood stiffly.  He executed a salute with a fist over his heart.  “Lord Jo-Dal, I am Warrior Lyyl, one of ninety two men and women who were released after the Great War.  We heard of the invasion and voluntarily reactivated our service.  We have been harassing the enemy and keeping the roads open.”

Jo-Dal looked at both of them.  “I had no idea that anyone was acting on our behalf, but again my question is; where are the rest of you?”

Taggart unstrung his bow before answering.  “Archer’s Gate has ten thousand warriors heading this way as we speak.  By now they have joined up with our force from Olvion and should be nearing our location.  If you have any cavalry I would suggest you send out riders to inform them of the new situation.  Otherwise they’ll be staging in the outlying areas waiting for a plan of attack.”

Jo-Dal nodded and beckoned to one of his warriors.  He gave the woman instructions, and she ran off to carry them out.  He looked back to Taggart.  “Judging by your size, the gold hair and the blue eyes I would judge you to be the same Tag-Gar who is the hero of the Great War.  Some also say you are The Legend”.

“I am Tag-Gar.  The rest is for others to decide.  Your king?  Is Tyner safe?”

“He is.  We held the pirates off for days.  They are not warriors, little more than rabble really, but they got lucky and found a soft spot under the walls on the water side.  They were able to tunnel in a short while ago.  They got only a few hundred inside before the alarm was sounded.  There was a fight that lasted a while owing to the fact that there were civilians in harm’s way.  We had to dig the invaders out of residences and shops all through the stronghold.  They were also fortunate in that their tunnel came up right under the clinic and the women’s quarters for unmarried clinic workers.  They got away with several dozen women.  Took them as slaves.”

Taggart’s blood froze.  “Do you know a healer named Dwan?  She’s from Olvion.”

Jo-Dal realized the connection.  “Yes, Healer Dwan was instrumental in treating King Tyner’s health concerns.  We don’t have a full record of people whom we are certain were taken.  There were many that ran and others that hid themselves.  I have an administrator and several clerks trying to get us a list.  We are also still trying to determine how many people were killed.”

“I’ll be needing to see that list, Warrior!”

Jo-Dal nodded.  “Of course.”

Taggart turned and hoisted himself back up into the saddle.  The lathered charon was tired but willing.  He rode off toward the main entrance to the stronghold followed by Toria.  Five minutes later he had located a stable, and then he and Toria went searching for anyone who could tell them whether Dwan had been taken.  They asked numerous people within the structure, but most of them were still in a state of shock from the attack.  He was on the verge of panic when someone tapped him on the shoulder.  He turned to see an elderly man who was missing one leg and was using a wooden staff and a prosthetic to get around.

“Would you be Tag-Gar of Olvion?  I mean…of course you are.  Please follow me.”

Taggart started to object, but the man raised a hand to silence him.  “No doubt you are seeking the Healer Dwan?  His Majesty King Tyner has news of her.  He sent me to fetch you.”

Taggart beckoned for the man to lead.  Toria walked beside him, watching his expression.  The pain etched on his face was difficult to see.  She was a bit surprised to see that a man of such immense physical strength could be so affected by his concern for a loved one.  Somewhere in a hidden pocket of her heart she recognized that, some day, she would want to have a man that concerned about her.

They followed the elder up to the high point of the stronghold where the entrance to the castle was located.  The guards recognized their escort and waved them through.  He led them to a large set of double doors on the first level.  Instead of knocking he simply pushed open one of the doors and entered.  The room within was a large office-type setup.  There were fine rugs on most parts of the floor and floor-to-ceiling windows cast bright light into all of the corners.  There were several men and women engaged in unidentifiable tasks.  Taggart’s size brought most of them to a state of inaction until they roused themselves and went back to their duties.

Their escort led them to a corner of the room in which sat a huge and very ornate desk of carved wood.  Sitting at it was a man that Taggart took to be the King.  He was seated on a simple chair and speaking with a young woman who was roughly Toria’s age.  She had been crying, and King Tyner was apparently trying to calm her.  He saw Taggart coming and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder as he stood.

“Ah, Tag-Gar of Olvion no doubt.”  He held out his hand, and the two men gripped each other’s wrist.  “It’s an honor to meet you in person even under these circumstances.”  He gestured to a steward who took two chairs from their place against the wall and brought them over for Taggart and Toria.  Taggart was too anxious to be seated, but he could sense that the king wanted to so he and Toria sat facing the monarch.

“This is Glaid, she is an apprentice to your Dwan.”  Taggart seemed surprised that Tyner was aware of their relationship.  The king read his expression.  “Yes, I know about you and Dwan.  I dare say everyone in Aspell knows.  That is why it pains me to give you this news.”

The king momentarily glanced at Glaid.  Taggart stood quickly.

“What is it?” he demanded, forgetting the protocol reserved for a monarch.  “Is Dwan here?  Is she…”

“The news is not all bad,” Tyner said holding both hands up with the palms out.  “Unfortunately it is not good.  She is alive and unharmed, at least she was at about midday, but she was definitely among those who were taken by the slavers or pirates or whatever they call themselves.”  He leaned over to put a hand on Glaid’s shoulder.  “Do you feel like telling him what happened, Dear?”

The young woman nodded.  Taggart thought she looked ashamed.  A piece of ice had formed in his chest when the king told him Dwan had been taken.  He sat impatiently as she wiped her eyes on a cloth.

“Dwan is my friend,” she said to Taggart.  “She asked me to stay with her overnight.  She said it was because she was afraid of what was happening with the pirates.  I knew she was only doing it for me, I was having a hard time with it.  We had just gotten inside her place when we heard the fighting and the alarms.  I was…terrified.  I couldn’t make myself think, you know?”  She looked pleadingly at Taggart as if it were important that he understood the state she’d been in.  “I just stood there.  Dwan locked me in her wardrobe.  She fought them all by herself.”  She looked at Toria as if the other woman among them would better understand her.  “I wanted to help her, to barricade the door and try to keep them out until help arrived, but…I just couldn’t.”  She looked back over to Taggart with eyes brimming with tears.  “She was wonderful.  I could see out of the slats in the doors, she had a sword, and she fought them.  I know she killed at least three of them because they were still on the floor when Lord Jo-Dal came to check on her.”