FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (25 page)

     Upon these sights, the rest of the armed village men dropped their weapons and surrendered. Moments later, the Serpentian soldiers bound the remainder of the villagers with ropes. The Serpentian commander laughed out loud with pleasure as he looked upon the prize of his conquest. He had won himself sacks of rice and wheat, a few boxes of gold, silver and diamond jewellery, and the 125 helpless men, women and children of Easthaven Village.

     That very evening, the sky opened up and tears of the heavens fell upon the land of Free Falls once again. Streaks of lightning provided a strange shadow-play for soldiers of Fort Eastguard. These Provincial Guards moved in a hurried pace to prepare for the upcoming Serpentian attack. Large rocks were gathered to be used as ammunition for their Heavy Catapults. Food and water were stored and rationed. Swords were sharpened and countless arrows were made. A minvian-ranked soldier, in his mid-forties and of Serpentian ancestry, walked into Orgavian Deffs’ office.

     “Freedom and harmony, Orgavian Ram Deffs
!
  Minvian Thorn Sayvion making a request, sir
!
” said the minvian.

    “Freedom and harmony
!
Enter and sit, Minvian Sayvion. What is it that you wish to request
?
” said the orgavian.

     There was a sentry’s distant shout, announcing the arrival of a Provincial Guard on horseback.

     “Sir, as you are well aware, we have received numerous reports of Serpentian advanced parties raiding our villages. With all due respect, sir, when will our soldiers be deployed to defend the other villages from these Serpentian raids
?
” enquired the minvian.

     Orgavian Deffs contemplated the question in deep silence.

     “They will
not
be deployed to defend those villages, minvian. We are as short-handed as it is. I do not have the resources to spare for their protection. The reinforcements from our own 3
rd
Ocean have not arrived.  The Royal Guards are days away. Minvian Jussette and her pond have yet to return. I need every single soldier to stay here to prepare our defences,” replied the orgavian after a long while.

     Minvian Sayvion’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He shook his head in disagreement.

     “But sir, what about those villages
!?
Are we just going to sit by and do nothing
!?
” protested the minvian.

     “We are not
sitting by!
We are
preparing
for the defence of this fort. This fort is of the utmost importance
!
It must not fall into enemy hands. As it is, the Serpentian can only mount raids by negotiating the mountainous terrain to attack our villages. Because no animal or vehicle can get through this terrain, the size of their attacks is limited and the bounties that they can bring back are also limited. But if this fort falls, they will have an open gateway to attack the entire province. They will be able to bring in their Grand Catapults and re-supply their soldiers easily using horse-drawn carts. Not just villages, but
towns
will be raided as well
!
The entire population of Eastern Falls Province,
50,000
Fallsians, will be enslaved. This fort must not fall
!
” stressed the orgavian.

     Minvian Sayvion shook his head in frustration. He knew that Orgavian Deffs had a very strong point. Then, an idea occurred to him. It was not the best of plans, but something was better than nothing.

     “Sir, I request permission to leave the fort and organise a militia defence
!
” said the minvian.

     “Request denied, minvian
!
  I need you here
!
” replied the orgavian swiftly.

     There was a knock on the door. Orgavian Deffs signalled for the visitor to enter. A servian, who was soaking wet due to the ongoing downpour, entered and bowed. Both the orgavian and the minvian rose and bowed in return. The orgavian recognised the servian as the runner he had sent to look for Minvian Jussette.

     “Freedom and harmony
!
Orgavian Deffs, Minvian Sayvion
!
Servian Tile Nieven reporting, sir
!
” said the servian.

     “Freedom and harmony
!
Servian Nieven
!
Go ahead with your report,” said the orgavian.

     “I have found Minvian Jussette and 3
rd
Pond. They are… they…,” said the servian as a several teardrops flowed from his eyes.

     “Take a deep breath and calm yourself, servian. Tell me what you have found out,” said Orgavian Deffs gently, although from the servian’s composure, he knew that the news would not be good.

     Servian Nieven took in a deep breath. Struggling to control his sadness, he finally managed to deliver his report.

     “They are dead, sir. All of them, Minvian Jussette and 3
rd
Pond, I mean. I found them… found them by the side… side of a stream. Poisoned… they were all poison, sir
!
” continued Servian Nieven, barely.

     Orgavian Deffs took in a deep and thoughtful breath, closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head slightly.

     “Very well then, servian, you are dismissed. Report back to your convian and tell him I grant you six hour’s rest before your next duty,” instructed the orgavian.

     Servian Nieven bowed, to which both Orgavian Deffs and Minvian Sayvion reciprocated, and then the servian turned around and left the office.

     Orgavian Deffs slammed his fist onto his desk in frustration. Minvian Sayvion sat in silence. He was shocked to hear about Minvian Jussette. More importantly, he was sad. She was a close comrade. She was almost like family to him. Everyone who served at the fort was like family to him.

     “If there is nothing else, minvian, you are dismissed as well,” added the orgavian.

     The minvian sat silent for a while. Finally, he stood up, bowed, turned and left the orgavian’s office. He took not but five steps out of the office before smashing his fist into the wall in a fit of rage and disappointment. He steeled himself. His mind was made up. He was going to do what he knew deep inside was wrong but necessary.

     The heavens continue to pour while the evening turns to night. Minvian Sayvion climbs the stairs to the top landing of the fort’s western battlements. On his back he slung his shield. On his left shoulder he carries a cloth bundle and on his right he hangs a long continuous roll of rope. Casually, he walks up to the sentry. The sentry turns and bows. The minvian bows in return. Then suddenly he rushes forward and executes a right hand punch at the sentry, hitting the unsuspecting soldier squarely in the jaw and sending him sprawling to the floor.

     A nearby sentry witnesses the event and shouts out the word ‘deserter’ repeatedly. A large bell in the fort rings and scores of soldiers rush out from their barracks with their swords drawn. The sentry then rushes forward with a right hand punch, but Minvian Sayvion sidesteps to his left to avoid the punch while simultaneously grabbing the sentry’s right hand with his own right hand. Minvian Sayvion then slides forward, brings his left elbow towards his own right shoulder and then extends it outward towards the sentry’s nose while jerk-pulling his right hand backwards, and smashes the sentry’s nose. The sentry’s head snaps backwards from the impact. Blood drips from the poor man’s nose. He feels disorientated. His eyelids close. He loses consciousness. With a final jerking pull of his right hand, Minvian Sayvion sends the sentry crashing onto the floor.

     In the cold and wet of the Fallsian night, Minvian Sayvion clumsily tied the rope to the closest solid structure he could find and threw the other end of the rope down the outer side of the wall and climbed down it. He landed and ran into the darkness. Several archers let loose their arrows at him. These arrows flew wild and blind. Not a single one even got close to hitting him. These archers did not have the slightest intention of injuring or killing their comrade. They did not know the reason for his desertion, but they knew him well enough to know that he had a good reason to do what he was doing.

     Orgavian Ram Deffs stood at the western battlements. His facial expression was blank. But in his heart, a whirlpool of emotions was taking place. On one hand, he was furious that his most able subordinate chose to abandon him in the time of great need. On the other hand, he was proud and in a way relieved that Minvian Sayvion had done so, because this would give the nearby villages a fighting chance for survival.

     Lightning flashed across the sky as the soldiers looked at one another. The booming sound of thunder followed. After several moments of silence the soldiers dispersed, leaving two of their numbers behind to replace the injured sentries.

     The full moon of the
14
th
Night of Second Month of Wet Season
provides a faint illumination over Timberstock. At the fence of a fairly large house in a corner of this town, six soldiers of the Provincial Guards stand guard with their shields raised and swords drawn. Their looks are of alertness and anticipation. They scan the dimly lit streets before them, eyeing every shadow, shape and figure. Their breaths are heavy and their heartbeats are erratic. But all they see is calmness. All they hear is silence.

     A swishing sound gently breaks the silence as a spinning metal object cuts through the air and embeds itself into its designated target. The soldier cannot call for help. The object has cut his throat and is now blocking the airflow to his lungs. Red liquid sprays out from the wound, drenching the soldier in his own blood. Within moments, his five comrades share the same fate. A few moments later, four assassins of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan jump silently over the fence and cut across the lawn with relative ease.

     Three of the assassins take up position in various shadowy places in the front lawn. The female assassin crouches under the sill of the living room window. She places a small satchel on top of the window sill. Then she turns and makes a hand signal at the dark street from which they came. A fifth assassin strikes a flint rod and lights a torch with it. He runs out from the dark street, jumps over the fence, sprints across the lawn to the window sill and lights a fuse that is protruding from the satchel. Then with supreme agility and speed, both assassins jump away and roll behind the numerous pots of flowers that adorn the lawn.

    
Boom!
The window frame is sent flying everywhere in small pieces. All five assassins, with swords drawn, jump through the window within moments, not even waiting for the smoke to clear. The female assassin is the first one through. As she lands on her feet, she slashes the throat of a soldier standing nearby. Still stunned by the explosion, he hardly realises that cold steel has cut his throat. His eyes bulge in surprise. As he collapses to the floor, the remaining four assassins jump past him.

     The female assassin runs into the hallway, passes another stunned soldier whom she hardly bothers to kill. In a blink of an eye, the male assassin behind her stabs the soldier with a sword. The female assassin executes a Horizontal Cut at the knees of another soldier who is standing next to the stairway, bringing him to the ground instantly. This soldier screams in agony. She reverses her grip on her sword and with a firm thrust downwards, puts the poor man out of his misery.

    The female assassin leads the rush upwards through the stairway. A soldier on the upper landing attempts a Vertical Downwards Cut at her, but she blocks the cut with ease. She then steps forward while maintaining the block, sidesteps onto the landing and letting the swordsman’s blade slide harmlessly away, swings her blade around and slices towards the back of his neck. As the soldier spins around to block the cut from the female assassin using his shield, the following assassin comes up the stairs and stabs the swordsman in the back. After retracting his sword, the second assassin pulls the soldier down the stairs. The other assassins rush up behind their two comrades.

     Kicking the door of the master bedroom open, the female assassin sees her target standing in the far corner, the new mayor of Timberstock; soon to be the
late
new mayor of Timberstock. Two soldiers stand in front and either side of her target with raised shields and drawn swords. One of the soldiers is a suvian. The other is a very nervous servian, who shivers with fear at the thought of what will happen next.

     The assassins enter the bedroom. They stand in a wedge shaped formation, with the female assassin in front. Two of the assassins swing their swords vertically downwards toward the soldiers, and as the soldiers lift their shields up to block, another two assassins rush forward and swing their swords to knock away the soldiers’ swords, and then grab their sword arms to immobilise them. The assassins mercilessly stab the soldiers to death, decorating the carpet under their feet with crimson blood. A moment later, the female assassin lunges forward and executes a Right Diagonal Downwards cut at the defenceless mayor. The mayor freezes in silence. A fine line of crimson liquid form from the side of his neck, running diagonally across his chest down to his waist. Mayor Etner breathes his last breath and then collapses onto the blood-soaked carpet. Frozen on his face is the look of surprise and shock.