"I mean with anyone."
"Does that include Dale?"
Sophie laughed again, then she saw he was serious. "Dale?"
"He's older, you spend a lot of time together."
"Mark, there's nothing going on between me and Dale, I promise you. I'm just happy to be alive right now, happy to be here. I need to be around people who make me feel safe."
"But Dale-"
"Oh my God — Dale's a laugh, Mark. I like his company, that doesn't mean I'm going to jump into bed with him!"
"I didn't mean…"
"My sister went out with plenty of men like him, before…" She looked sad for a moment, remembering. "Trust me, I'm not looking for a guy like that."
"Then there's still a chance?"
Why can't you keep your big mouth shut, Mark? If you push it, she'll tell you — and this way you can live in hope.
"No… I don't know. Not right now anyway. Look, this is starting to make me feel uncomfortable."
"I just wanted to-"
"Mark, just drop it. Please." She made to leave. Mark stood in her way.
"Sophie, just let me explain."
"Mark, I said drop it!" Something in her eyes told him to do as she asked. This had gone from talking to arguing and Mark couldn't see the join. He got out of her way.
Almost immediately Mark changed his mind and went after her, but she had a lead on him and was heading for the steps. In fact she was racing up them; he'd really upset her.
His head was telling him to leave this alone, yet his legs were still carrying him forwards. Perhaps that was his immaturity. In the same situation Dale might let her calm down, talk to her later. But he wouldn't have created this situation in the first place! All Mark knew was that he wanted to make this right again.
He was part of the way up the steps when he heard the explosion, felt the earth tremble beneath his feet.
Sophie! was his one and only thought.
His legs worked harder, getting him to the top. His eyes scanned the area quickly, as he shouted Sophie's name. Then he saw her. She was on the ground, had been blown over by the blast. He raced across and checked her for wounds. She didn't seem hurt, just extremely shaken up. He couldn't help thinking about her words not ten minutes ago:
"I'm just happy to be alive right now, happy to be here… I need to be around people who make me feel safe."
"Sophie, are you okay?"
Eyes wide, she nodded. "Mary," she said, pointing. He followed her finger and saw the gate to the caves wide open, smoke coming from beneath. "I saw her. She was trying to get out."
Mark left Sophie and ran over. He had time to glimpse a figure on the stairs, with long dark hair, partly buried under the rubble. There was blood on the walls. His hands went to his mouth, but before he could do anything about it, there were more explosions — this time coming from near the castle entrance.
The first volley of shells hit the side of the castle wall, fired by tanks and armoured vehicles coming from two directions.
Mortars were also fired into the grounds, their purpose to send the enemy into turmoil, taking some out in the process. The guards positioned on the walls and at the castle's front gate did their best to fight back, but they were unprepared for an attack of this scale. Robert was supposed to have slowed the army's progress at least. The fact that they could have split into two, that they had enough weapons, vehicles and men to do that, hadn't been a serious possibility.
Until now.
It wasn't long before the side gates were breached, an AFV smashing through them, busting them wide, allowing smaller vehicles to follow; jeeps and motorbikes. The Rangers assembled in the grounds shot at the vehicles with flaming arrows, the concoctions attached exploding on impact. But seconds later machine gun fire from the mounted guns dropped many of these. Men entered the grounds, overrunning the place — not just soldiers, but men in robes. Members of the cult.
Robert's troops stood more of a chance against these, swords clashing with machetes, but again there were just too many. Slash after slash, those who were defending the castle fell, and a path up towards the castle keep itself was cleared.
A rocket blast hit the side of the castle, but oddly it didn't seem to come from the outside. It appeared to have been fired by someone in the grounds, its tail winding down towards the Middle Bailey. Masonry dropped on people below, taking out more fighters.
From an AFV near the back of the convoy, they watched all this with satisfaction: Tanek, The Tsar and the twins. Tanek was itching to get out there, to take his place with the men on the ground. To, as he put it, 'crack some skulls'. The Tsar insisted he wait a little while, at least until they'd put down the first wave of resistance.
Tanek huffed at that, and watched for his opportunity to leave the vehicle.
Tate, Jack and Gwen were still inside when the first set of explosions came.
Tate told Gwen to go to one of the rooms while they checked on the situation. Ordinarily, he knew she'd argue, but she had Clive Jr with her so she did as he suggested. She could protect him better inside.
When the Reverend and Jack stepped out of the castle, they could scarcely believe what they were seeing. Already the grounds were flooded with enemy foot-soldiers. "Where are they all coming from?"
Jack shook his head, and clutched his staff.
It wasn't long before they encountered the first couple of men, running towards them. Luckily they were cult members, not soldiers. Jack and Tate looked at each other. Each was thinking: since when was The Tsar in league with the Morningstars?
Then they were on them. Jack met a machete blow with his staff. Tate dodged his opponent, but seemed reluctant to fight. In fact, he only just got out of the way of the second swing, his face a rictus of fear.
"Rev, look out!" shouted Jack, striking his man in the stomach, crumpling him up, and then slamming the staff down on the back of his head. Without drawing breath, Jack swung the staff around and smacked the cultist attacking Tate in the face. He went down backwards, dropping the machete. "Are you okay?" Jack asked Tate, who looked dazed. These guys really freaked the holy man out.
"I… I don't understand," the Reverend said finally.
"Me either. But let's figure it out later. Right now we've got to-" He dragged Tate down as a hail of gunfire tore into the wall behind them. The soldiers hadn't been that far behind, as it turned out.
Leaving Tate, Jack ducked and rolled, coming up and striking one of The Tsar's men across the legs, sending him toppling over. Another he whacked in the side, then brought the staff around again to catch a third across the chest. Not seeing another way to tackle those coming up the steps, Jack grabbed a Kalashnikov belonging to one of the incapacitated soldiers and shot over the heads of the approaching troops. They backed off instantly.
He returned to Tate, taking him by the arm. "Come on, we have to fall back!" It wasn't easy getting away with the Reverend's limp, and when they turned the next corner, Jack saw Mark and Sophie running to meet them.
"Jack, what's happening?" asked Mark.
"We're under attack, kiddo. And not just from those Russians — from the cult as well."
"What?"
"We don't have much time. Have you seen Mary? Adele?"
"Adele, no."
"But you've seen Mary?" said Tate. "She went looking for you."
"Oh no, did she?" Sophie was choking back tears.
"What is it?"
"There was an explosion," Mark told them. "In the caves. Maybe the soldiers got in down there, I don't know. But… I think she might be…"
Jack shook his head. "No way, not Mary!"
"I didn't get a chance to check, there were men coming up the steps," Mark told him.
"There are men everywhere," Sophie added, with a worried frown.