Fifthwind (25 page)

Ben
snapped his eyes open and looked to his archers. Flights of shafts
were already being loosed at the approaching targets. Ben cupped his
hands and shouted, "Arms!"

The
rider came into view and charged into the mall, pulling hard on the
reigns. The horse reacted quickly, sliding to an immediate halt as
the rider dismounted with sword drawn to turn and face his pursuers.
The horse panicked, and galloped away as soon as it was released, but
it would not survive long out in the dark, Murg infested alleys. The
massive, black charger was as good as dead.

"Megan,
run for the inn!" Gordo called as he squared off against the
nearest beast that was unfortunate enough to be a little too close to
the seasoned veteran.

Mason's
men moved in to surround the band of Murg who suddenly found
themselves in a veritable killing field. Gordo took down two more of
the beasts in single, long strokes of his over-sized broadsword, but
then had to pull back as three more moved in to fill the space. The
Murg attacked in a frenzy of clawing blades and biting teeth, with no
concern for the soldiers closing in around them. The creatures were
maddened into a suicidal rage and attacked anything that got within
their reach.

A
soldier cried in pain out as one of the beasts found a opportunity of
unprotected flesh and drove its blade home. Reacting to the scream of
the dying man, several nearby Murg turned and swarmed over him,
finishing the deed violently. Within seconds, there was nothing left
that could be recognized as ever having been a man.

Two
of the Murg took advantage of the opening where the soldier had
fallen and raced out of the circle to attack from behind. Breaching
the confined space emboldened the escapees to a level of credulous
bravery and they aimed their delusional rampage at Ben. The speed and
maniacal savagery of their self-destructive attack left him with
little time to react.

Ben
ducked low and took the first attacker with a deep plunging jab to
its groin. The severed artery bled freely and the Murg never regained
its footing, falling a few feet away to slowly die. Ben could not
move fast enough to defend against the second, and braced himself as
it plowed into him. He fully expected to feel the sting of its
blades, but the creature rolled off to the side and into the snow.
Ben brought his sword around, but saw the creature was already dead
from an arrow buried deep into the base of its neck. Someone in a
window above had just saved his life.

"Don't
break the line!" Mason ordered. "Keep them pinned between us!"

The
rain of arrows from above was taking a slow toll, and many of the
Murg sported crippling wounds, but they still hobbled relentlessly
toward the attacking men only to be cut down efficiently. Caught
between the surrounding soldiers, the archers above, and Gordo and
Mason's skilled swords, the remaining Murg were killed at last.

Gordo
sheathed his sword and spat on the nearest corpse. "Damn things are
everywhere, but they die easy enough."

"Where's
the rest of your team?" Ben asked. "Where's Horace? Kasper, Your
men?"

Gordo
grimaced. "Me and Meg are all that's left. There wasn't anything I
could do."

"I'm
sorry. You can brief us about what happened later. I think I speak
for all of us when I say, it's good to have you back." Ben said,
"Let's get inside."

Mason
swatted Gordo on the back. "I'll see both of you in a few hours,
but I've got to stay with those folks over at Harry's."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ben
covered his eyes against the bright morning sun as the door of the
Masked Pig was opened. Outside, the snow had stopped falling but had
accumulated in spots to almost knee depth. In the mall, a wide area
of blood-soaked snow remained as evidence of the morning's attack and
in a nearby field, a black cloud of rancid smoke broke westward on
the morning wind, fueled by the burning bodies of dead Murg.

Most
of the locals had thankfully ventured outside after a tense night in
cramped quarters. In fact, Ben found it easier to breathe now that
the Masked Pig was more or less vacant. Seated near the window was
the usual group. Vincent and William Babbitt sat together on one end
of the long table while Kyla stood at the other end at Ben's side.
Gordo was finishing off his breakfast and Mason was quietly talking
to Megan. She seemed comforted by his attention, but she hadn't
spoken more than a few words in return. Ben pulled out a chair and
sat.

The
thought of fallen men, murdered civilians, and injured boys wore
heavily on his thoughts. He had willingly taken the responsibility of
protecting these people and he had failed the first test. He blamed
no one but himself for the death and injuries they had incurred. He
had let these people down when they had depended on him and he
deserved nothing short of resentment.

Kyla
sat next to him and after an awkward moment of nervous silence,
decided to break the tension. "I think we all owe Ben some thanks
for organizing a successful defense. I can't think of anyone more
qualified to protect us in this time of need."

Several
of those sitting at the table nodded in agreement, but Ben was quick
to rebut the praise. "I failed you! Can't you see that? I'm
incapable of protecting anyone... that's precisely why I was
discharged from the King's service—"

Mason
slammed his fist down hard on the table, startling everyone. "Sir!"

"Mason,
you stay out of this—"

"I
will not! You've beaten yourself up over this for almost two years
now. You've got it all wrong in your head. You're not to blame for
what happened."

"She
died because of my incompetence, and so will everyone here if they're
counting on me for protection!" Ben said, looking away.

"That's
what you keep telling yourself, but I won't let you do it anymore."

Kyla
pleaded to Mason, "What really happened? Who died?"

Ben
glared at Mason.

"Sorry,
Sir," the old soldier said sincerely, "but you can't stop me from
telling the truth."

Ben
stood from the table and stepped away. He turned his back, but did
not leave.

Mason
spoke to everyone gathered, "The Lieutenant has been blaming
himself for the Lady Elaine's tragic death for over two years."

"Lady
Elaine?" Kyla exclaimed. "The Princess of the Isles?"

"Yes,"
Mason said, then quickly continued. "Lieutenant Karr was the Royal
Guardsman assigned to escort her during her father's visit two years
ago. There were serious threats made against the entire delegation,
by a faction of traders from the Aristeed Union across the Southern
Sea. It seems they were committed to preventing a trade agreement
that would favor the Island Kingdom of Meirnac. Concerned for their
safety, King Erlich assigned a Guardsman to each of them. The
Lieutenant was assigned to Elaine."

"And
Lady Elaine was killed," Kyla finished, stating common knowledge,
but understanding at last Ben's burden.

Ben
did not turn, but echoed the sentiment, "That's right. That's what
I've been trying to tell you..."

Mason
gave Kyla a slight smile. "What he hasn't told you, is that it
wasn't his fault. In fact, her father, Lord Diarmid of Meirnac,
commended Ben as a hero despite his own grieving for his lost
daughter. Ben's sword was a special gift from Lord Diarmid himself.
It is the finest blade ever to bear the Falcon of Kreggoria." Mason
pointed to a shield hanging above the hearth that showed the sacred
emblem of the King's lineage.

"Hero?"
Vincent said, "This is something I haven't heard before."

With
more than a little admiration in his voice, Mason said, "In broad
daylight and on a crowded street, they attacked. Not one, but eight
skilled assassins. The Lieutenant single-handedly fought and killed
them all, a feat that would have been impossible by a man of lesser
skill. But his commitment did not stop there... even while seriously
wounded, he still managed to run with the Lady Elaine back to the
palace, never leaving her side."

Mason
drank long from his cup and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "But
before they could get there, they were faced again with several more
would-be killers."

"They
must have been determined," Kyla said, "What was he expected to
do?"

Mason
stated matter-of-factly and without emotion, "He was expected to
lay down his own life to protect her, and that's exactly what he was
prepared to do. He engaged the enemy once more, though this time
injured and weak. Still, and against all odds, he found the strength
and courage to rise up and defeat them once again. Then, battered and
bleeding, he returned yet again to help the Lady Elaine."

Ben
turned and placed his hands flat on the table and finished the tale
in a flat, rueful tone. "But she was gone."

"Gone?"
Kyla asked. "What happened?"

"While
I was distracted, they had taken her away... her body was found later
that evening floating in a tide pool beneath the cliffs."

"Distracted?"
Kyla shook her head, "You did everything you could!"

"Did
I?" Ben sighed, sitting back down. "After a lengthy
investigation, I was discharged from the Royal Guard."

Mason
said, "Only because you'd lost your confidence. No one blamed you,
and you were even offered a promotion to Captain, but you had lost
all faith in yourself. You simply gave up."

"I
was discharged!"

Mason
leaned across the table and spoke his words as clearly as he could,
"They let you go in hopes that you would someday come to terms with
it. That is the truth, whether you want to accept it or not, the
Royal Kreggorian Guard would gladly reinstate you."

Kyla
turned to Ben and placed her hand on his. "Is this true?"

"Someone
died who was counting on me to protect them. I failed... that's all
you need to know." Ben kept his face an expressionless mask.

Gordo
growled, "So, this is how kingdom officers feel sorry for
themselves, is it? Do you think you're the first to ever have to
carry that kind of guilt? Mr. Hoff and Kasper were counting on me to
keep them alive, but sometimes your best just isn't good enough. I
had to watch them be butchered—"

Ben
caught Gordo's eye and then glanced toward Megan who sat quietly at
Mason's side. She was tense and detached and didn't need to be
hearing any of this. Ben reached for Kyla's hand and nodded toward
Megan who only offered him a faint smile. Since her arrival, she had
not spoken more than a handful of words and those had been reserved
for Mason. She appeared to feel comfortable around the older soldier
and hadn't strayed far from his side. Traumatized by the recent
events, she was a closed book of tormented emotions.

Kyla
stood, "If you all could excuse me, I think Jimmy could use a
woman's touch in the kitchen. Maybe me and Megan can help in some
way."

Megan
raised her eyes to Kyla and then looked out the door at the crowd of
townsfolk sitting on The Step. She slowly nodded and pushed back her
chair to stand. With a small voice she said, "I know how to
bake..."

"Perfect,"
Kyla smiled and took her hand, leading her away from the men. Kyla
also knew that the poor girl needn't hear any more of the men's
planning. Talk of war and bloodshed never helped anyone feel better
after losses of their own.

Ben
turned away from Gordo and addressed Mason, "Sergeant, what do you
make of our current situation?"

Mason
knew that Gordo had gotten through to Ben and wasn't going to press
the issue any further. There were far more important things to deal
with at the moment than arguing about the past. He leaned back into
his chair and laced his fingers across his stomach. Almost
whimsically he announced, "It might not have been a full-on
assault, but we're not going to make it through too many more nights
like that one."

Ben
nodded. "We might have to change our defensive strategy if we are
going to face something like that every night, but right now, what I
want to know is how three of those things got inside."

"Someone
unlatched the rear door," Vincent said.

William
seemed upset by Vincent's remark. "Unlatched it, or just forgot to
close it to begin with?"

"I
watched Ben, Paul and at least a half dozen other men check and
recheck those doors every half hour," Vincent said. "It wasn't
carelessness. Someone can't be trusted."

Gordo
said, "Let's not be pointing fingers, it'll only weaken us."

Ben
said, "He's right. Without proof, I'll not have any accusations
thrown around. We need to focus on things that we can use. Gordo,
what can you tell us?"

"At
first, they were like animals," Gordo offered. "It wasn't until
we got closer to town that we found them organized, armed, and under
the control of some kind of leadership."

"The
Man in Gray," Vincent finished for him.

"Men,"
Gordo said flatly.

Ben
perked up. "There's more than one of them?"

Gordo
nodded. "On three separate occasions, as we rode in from the west,
we saw a man in a green cloak who was clearly directing the actions
of those things."

"Green
cloak?" asked Ben. "Are you sure it wasn't gray?"

Gordo
looked at William and nodded at the holy man's robe, "As green as
the good brother's."

William
half-stood from his seat. "What are you trying to say? I've been
here all night!"

Mason
said, "Relax, he's just saying it was the same color as yours. We
know it couldn't have been any of us, we would've noticed if there
were three missing... especially if it had been Brother Babbitt. I
guess that's good news in a way. We can safely eliminate who it
wasn't."

"I
can't say that I entirely trust anyone at this point," William
mumbled halfway under his breath but looking at Gordo suspiciously.
"No offense, of course."