Time of the Draig (23 page)

“Inside the walls, what’s the largest liability?” Jeff asked as his gaze fell to Dana.

Dana replied, “Most of this place is wood. Flaming arrows could be our undoing.” With that said, she gave commands for the women to fill every pot, bucket, and bowl and be prepared to deal with the problem.

Faolan smiled across the table at the brave woman and nodded.

Efraim added, “We have time to get most of the villagers within the walls if we move now.”

“You took the words out of my mouth,” Samantha replied. “Efraim, find Kagen and take seven or eight men. Use the horses. Move those people up here now. Boomer and I are two minutes behind you to assist with evacuation and protecting the village. Jeff, take Iduna and Jensen and your drinking buddies and head for the trail. Faolan, take the rest of the men and head for the fields where the largest group is moving in. Miller can direct our movements as needed.”

Faolan listened and agreed when Jeff finished breaking down the men by skill set and assigning patterns to their movement. Gratitude overwhelmed him at the direct and efficient instructions that were so much more thought out than his.

Jeff looked up from the glowing tool before he said, “Samantha should stay here.”

Before Faolan could speak, Samantha said, “We’re outnumbered as it is. We need me out there.”

“No, Major. I need you behind the walls finishing your mission,” Jeff retorted.

“Can’t do it. I still don’t know how,” Samantha added, “We need to protect this keep at all costs. Do you really think if this place falls those warrior priests are going to let me work in peace? Priority one is survival.”

“Compromise then. You help evacuate the village and then stay here to call the battle,” Jeff suggested.

For the first time Faolan realized Samantha meant to fight. He said loudly, “My wife does nay go into battle. She stays within the safety of my walls.”

Entertained green eyes challenged his words, and the men moving toward the doors stopped in their steps. All waited to hear her reply. Yet it was his grandmother who spoke. “She needs to agree, Faolan.”

Jeff growled, “I thought all of that was a past misunderstanding.” His eyes wandered the hall enough to note the sheet hanging over the fireplace. He growled, “Major, what have you done?”

While Faolan expected her anger, she looked at Jeff and calmly said, “That had nothing to do with you or the men. That was between Faolan and myself. Though apparently he and I need to have a chat on what should be private business.” Samantha commanded her men to action, and Faolan’s moved at her strong words.

Faolan stated loud enough for all to hear, “You will remain here where you are safe, wife.”

Samantha’s small hands pulled his face down, and her smile greeted his irritation. He sighed at the lips that brushed against his, and she spoke against his mouth, “It’s not going to be that kind of marriage, Faolan. I’m going to the village whether you like it or not. So now would be a good time to kiss me for luck.”

His hands pulled her body against his as he pleaded, “Tell me you will seek shelter within the walls after the villagers are safe.”

When she nodded, he complied with her request and kissed her as if it could be the last time. He savored her soft sounds as he claimed her mouth and stole her breath. With reluctance, he broke away from the sweet moment and whispered against her mouth, “Wife.”

Samantha smiled and pulled away. Her words called out, “Captain Harrison, I suggest you move now.”

Faolan did not miss the captain’s eyes, which focused on Keira across the hall. Jeff called out, “When I get back, I’d really like to talk to you.” As Keira nodded, Jeff strode to the front door and out into the battle to come.

In two heartbeats, Samantha and Boomer were at the door ready to leave. She turned back and called out, “Be careful out there. You owe me a few nows. I plan to claim them.” Her eyes caught on the sheet over the fire, and she asked, “Is that really necessary?” The irritation rang clear in her voice.

“You are mine, wife,” Faolan growled and called to Boomer. “Dark Mountain, guard my wife.”

“You know I have her back.”

Faolan nodded, and they ran into the light of the courtyard. With a quick hug for his grandmother, he said, “Close the gates before danger comes to the door.”

Dana nodded. “Go and be as safe as you can. I know what to do.”

Faolan took his sword in hand and let his gaze peruse the walls of his hall. He prayed he would see it filled with his people to celebrate victory and marriage, and then he ran for the door.

Chapter 15

Samantha watched the line of civilians run from the village to the safety of the walls. She could hear Dana yell for everyone to hurry while she listened to Miller warn of the approaching threat. A smile crossed her lips as Efraim rode past on horseback with four children. While it was reckless, she knew he wouldn’t stop until all of the kids were safe.

“Is everyone out?” she asked Boomer without turning to face him. There was no doubt in her mind he was the person who stood again at her back blocking the warmth of the morning sunshine.

“Everyone who needed assistance has been helped, dragged, or carried. We had a few complaints about leaving possessions behind, but for some reason no one wanted to argue with me.”

Laughter rang from her throat. She turned to gaze up at the massive man. “Imagine that.”

Miller’s voice sounded from the communicator. “Major, the first attack squad is approaching the far northwest side of the village.”

She held her hand in the air for acknowledgment and called for the warriors to move forward.

“You’re not going inside,” Boomer stated.

“Did you expect me to?”

“Faolan expects you inside the walls,” Kagen said as he reached her side.

Samantha eyed the line of villagers that snaked up the path to the keep. “There are still way too many people outside of the gate. We need to buy them time to get safely inside. Dana can’t keep the door open forever.” She blinked in surprise at the statement.
Could a door be kept open forever? What happens if no one is there to close it? How does the number one play into all of this? One door or multiples?

“Not now, Sam,” Boomer said, as if he noted her wandering thoughts. “If you can’t focus on the battle about to happen, I will carry you inside and tie you to a chair,” Boomer commanded.

Her head shook to push the thoughts aside as she again watched the villagers scramble to the safety of the stone walls. “I’m here.” She glared up at him. “It won’t happen again.”

With a wave from her hand, the eight men under her command began their jog to the village. Miller answered her unasked question via the communicator at her belt. “You have fourteen approaching with weapons drawn. They are in an inverted V formation and should be visible.”

They wove through the paths between cottages, past the center well, and stopped before reaching the tree line. She reached out to hold Kagen back when the enemy came into view. Miller had left out that these were fourteen large men with long swords. All had shaved heads and wore padded leather jerkins.

When Kagen pushed away from her hold, she whispered, “Make them come to us. They will have to break formation to weave through the cottages.” At his nod, she continued, “They will understand every word Boomer or I speak. You need to be the one giving orders. Can you handle that?”

Kagen gave the command, and they retreated to the well. “We wait here.” His eyes tracked the men who wove through the paths and were seemingly oblivious to their presence.

Samantha ignored Miller’s voice and his assessment of what the other two groups would face. It was similar to her situation, and they were all outnumbered. The smile crossed her lips as Jeff ordered all of her men to depend on the commands of the local warriors, via the communicator. She knew there was no need to warn him; he knew how to assess any situation.

“Got your back,” Boomer whispered. Samantha whispered the same back to him.

As the enemy approached, Boomer jumped to the stone ledge surrounding the well. With his sword in hand, he yelled, “I am the Dark Mountain. Come and taste my wrath!”

Samantha felt the smile cross her lips, and the approaching men faltered in their progress. While foolish, it had a direct impact. The attacking men realized they had been separated and faced a ready opponent. Clearly, it was not what they expected to find in the village in the mid-morning. The looks on the enemy’s faces spoke of how they had anticipated unarmed villagers.

Boomer held his perch, which greatly exaggerated his already massive size. Kagen and the men moved to flank Boomer and the well. Samantha drew up next to Kagen as she heard a man on a path to her left give the order to strike.

Even with a limited view between the stone cottages, it was obvious who spoke. He was slightly older and held himself back from the front line. The commander of the attackers had a dragon tattoo that ended on his shaved head. Even from the distance, she could see the difference between hers and his. The visible dragon head had giant yellow teeth that gave the visual appearance of it eating the man’s skull.

Kagen caught it too. He said, “The one with the dragon on his scalp needs to fall.”

Samantha raised her weapon to lightly slap Boomer’s leg. His head turned to look in the direction of the squad leader, and he caught the intent. That was who they would attack. Before she could issue a warning to Jeff and Faolan, she heard one of the Draig warriors on the comm device alerting all to the way the squad leader was marked.

A cry rose from the dragon priests as they once again slithered forward. Kagen held them back until only several feet remained between the two parties. She saw the hard set in his eyes as he nodded at her. With a wink from her, he ordered the attack.

Samantha pivoted to the left and felt Boomer land behind her. His sword was visible out of the corner of her eye as her blade met the first attack.

Faolan swore as the man fell to his feet. His blade cut across the evil yellow teeth of the dragon on the man’s neck. With a spin, he turned to face the sword that had just cut along his ribs. He could only stare in amazement at the sword tip protruding from the man’s chest.

“You’re welcome,” Weiler said as he pushed the dead man from his weapon.

Too many bodies littered his field. The neat rows readied for planting had become uneven patches of black earth covered with fighting men, blood, and dead warrior priests. He knew the attackers had not expected to be met so quickly. The surprise had been obvious as he and the men had been present to greet the invaders as they entered from the trees. The attackers had strength in numbers, but not the skill needed to defeat his trained warriors.

Yet, still more men approached from the trees. The morning had become midday, and still they came. Faolan pushed grief aside as he recognized two of the bodies on the soil meant for sustaining life. If he survived the day, he would mourn for the loss of life.

Rolph’s voice came through the box on Weiler’s hip. “There are twelve more approaching the fields.” Rolph swore and continued, “Jeff, you have eight more hidden to the south off the main path. Stay clear of the dense trees.”

The voice cut in and out. Faolan and Weiler winced as they heard commands for water to be brought to the roof. There was no need to turn to see smoke as both could smell fire and knew what burned. Should he live, Faolan promised himself to find the means to demolish the wooden sections of the keep in favor of stone.

Jeff’s voice sounded strained. “I could use reinforcements.”

“We can’t spare anyone,” Weiler answered. His eyes were on the eight men approaching and their men who took the brief reprieve to catch their breaths.

Faolan knew Jeff had the largest number of fighting men, as his need would be greatest given the counts and movements of attackers. His heart stopped as he heard Samantha’s voice in Weiler’s hand.

“We can’t find two of the attackers in the village. Go infra-red and locate.”

When Rolph responded, he heard Samantha demand, “No, that’s us. Miller, help me.”

“He’s tending the wounded, so wait and let me try again,” Rolph replied.

Faolan had been afraid she would get caught up in the battle. When it was over, he would find out if she deceived him or simply became trapped by the chaos of the morning. Faolan shook his head to clear away the thoughts. It didn’t matter. He mentally amended, when they survived the day, he would lock her in their chamber and find many ways to celebrate that they lived.

Faolan had no choice but to jog to follow Weiler as the man moved to meet the next wave of challengers. Even as his weapon met the threat he faced, he heard where it went wrong. He heard Rolph yell after he said he sent Samantha the wrong way. Fear crept down his spine as the old warrior spoke of several invaders poised behind the cottage in waiting. Red filled his vision as he heard, “The major is down,” followed by, “There are too many surrounding her.”

The scream left his throat, and the man before him fell with his head landing somewhere else. More men than Rolph had expected poured from the trees. Faolan shoved Weiler to the side and killed the man who would have attacked his back.

Her heard Boomer demand Rolph give him Samantha’s position. In the background, he heard Kagen yell and give orders. Then Weiler was forced from his side, and Faolan fought, not knowing if she survived.

Samantha went still as the weight covered her back. Rough ground and sharp stones dug into her cheek as someone held her braid and shoved her face down. For the first time she could remember, fear trickled down her spine during a fight.

She had rounded the corner, expecting Boomer and a few of their men, definitely not the fist of the man who had taken her face down. Fortunately for Samantha,, they were too surprised by her sex to attack as a cohesive unit.

“The fool sends tiny women to do his fighting. She is not fit for sacrifice,” the voice sneered to the three others that had her flanked. From his position, the warrior-priest held her with a knee planted against her spine. She assumed there were no others to the left side. There was no sound of movement or breathing, and she prayed she was right.

Still, the “tiny” part pissed her off immensely.
I took out four of his men. The asshole should have a little respect and fear.
Patience was a virtue, and she waited for the pressure to ease, signaling the mistaken lack of fear of her petite frame. It didn’t faze her one bit that her sword had been taken. Her knife was safe, and that was all she needed.

The word
sacrifice
rang in her mind. While she would never willingly succumb to whatever these men had planned, sacrifice was in her future. It was only then she realized it. She would sacrifice her life to save time and all these people. First, however, she needed to live long enough to finish her work.

The jerk to her braid brought her back to attention. The enemy she couldn’t see spoke to the men and not her. Apparently he had no idea she could understand every word. “I want her marked and her body flung before the gates. Let them know who we are.”

She heard laughter and her lips curved up as the pressure eased off of her back. For show, she whimpered as a blade ripped through the back of her jacket and t-shirt. She assumed they meant to carve some form of a mark on her back as a message of sorts. They were about to get one heck of a surprise.

“How dare you bear the mark of my god? You defile all by marking yourself with his sacred image!” the warrior priest yelled as air touched the skin on her back.

It was the diversion she had been waiting for. Before the rest could react, she was on her side and held the wrist of the man who had cut her shirt. He screamed as she raised a leg against the arm and kicked hard. His arm dangled, and she pulled him down and slashed her knife across his stomach. Before anyone else could react, she rolled and jumped to her feet.

The injured man commanded, “Kill her. She defiles all.” Then he fell to the ground in a bloody pile.

Samantha stepped back and waited to see which one would attack first but was aware it could come as a joint force. She smiled at the man who stepped forward. “Look behind you.”

The warrior sneered and missed the opportunity to block Boomer’s attack. Within seconds, the three attackers were dead on the ground. Samantha smiled up at Boomer and Kagen. “Your timing was perfect.”

“I couldn’t find you,” Boomer explained and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Sam. I couldn’t find you.”

The smell of blood filled her nose, and she pressed her cheek against his chest. “Are you hurt?”

“Nothing touches the Dark Mountain,” Boomer teased as he held her tightly. Then he pushed her away and used his large hands to search her body for any sign of any injury.

Boomer scowled down at her. “You could at least look like you were scared for a moment or two.”

Scared didn’t come close to the emotion that ran through her when the warrior priest had thrown her to the ground. There were some things Boomer didn’t need to know. She was supposed to be stronger and in command.

“Why? I knew you’d be here.” Stepping back out of his reach, she said, “I’m good. Just some bruises, so back off.” She glanced around the quiet village, confident these men had been the last of the threat.

“You bear his mark,” Kagen whispered. His hands pushed the torn fabric away from her back and traced the image of her dragon.

Samantha turned to face him. “The way I see it, he bears mine.”

Kagen laughed. “You are a fine pair.”

The quiet banter was disturbed when one of Kagen’s men handed her the communicator that had suddenly become talkative.

Rolph’s voice was broken with a lousy transmission. “Jeff . . . requesting back up . . . fields full of men . . . holding . . .”

Samantha took the offered device and shook the broken case. She knew it had saved her side from the impact of a sword, but it had been damaged. Boomer held out empty hands to say his was gone.

“I can’t send a reply. But if we just heard correctly, the fields are being covered, and Jeff needs our help.” Samantha smiled as Kagen and the men began running to the path that led to the main gate.