“And none of the guards noticed their approach?” said Dorian with a severe tone.
“Begging your pardon Sir, but we have had a steady stream of people. It has been utter chaos, but with the barrier still up we believed that there would not be any enemies among them. The guards tried to intervene as soon as the cry went up among the people. They were unable to stop them until Sir Lionel reached them,” explained Harold.
“And how did Lionel get wounded?” asked Dorian. It was a simple question, but it bore a heavy weight. The armor that Mordecai had crafted for the Knights of Stone was so effective that it had become almost legendary. In the seven years since the order had been founded, none of the Knights wearing it had ever been seriously wounded. The worst injuries had been one concussion (from a training accident) and a variety of mild sprains and muscle injuries that no armor could prevent. With the new exception of whatever it was that pulled Sir Ian apart like that, Dorian noted silently.
Harold coughed. “I wasn’t aware of the attack until after it happened, but witnesses among the crowd tell me that one of the men struck him with a massive iron maul. Each of the four of them was armed with one. Sir Lionel cut two of them down before the third caught him from behind, with a blow to his head. He has not regained consciousness yet, and I fear he might die before he does.”
“How did the third get behind him?”
“He leapt over them, Sir. According to the crowd he jumped almost fifteen feet into the air while Sir Lionel was fighting the other two.”
“How did it end?”
“I finished the third man before he could reach the building. The fourth entered the crowd from a separate direction and reached the interior of the building by smashing a hole in the side wall. I caught him inside and slew him there. My guess is that he hoped to use the distraction to get inside and kill our wizard before we could stop him,” answered Harold.
“The men guarding the town gate are dead, including Sir Ian,” said Dorian without waiting. “It appears our enemy is as strong as we are.”
Harold was shocked. “Ian is dead?”
“Along with every guard there and quite a few townsfolk,” replied Dorian. “It looked as though they caught him by his arms and pulled him apart.” Now that he understood the strength of their foes, Ian’s death made perfect sense.
Harold grimaced, and Dorian spent the next minute describing what he had found at the gate. When he finished, Harold commented, “At least they don’t have our armor. We have one advantage at least.”
“Those iron maces are devastating. Sir Lionel’s armor didn’t fail, but he’s still half dead. They also have us greatly outnumbered. I saw well over a hundred men similarly armed beyond the wall, along with a man that appeared to be Karenth. How many of the knights in Washbrook returned after the outer barrier went down?” asked Dorian.
“None have made it here, though some may have reported to Cyhan in the castle,” said Harold.
“I doubt it,” replied Dorian. “They were to head for this rally point after leaving those positions. We have to assume they are either dead or trapped outside.” Dorian mentally tallied the numbers; six knights were stationed at the gates in Washbrook, including Sir Daniel commanding them, Sir Ian is dead, and Sir Lionel wounded… that leaves nine knights still active, twelve if I include myself, Cyhan, and Harold.
Twelve Knights of Stone, facing something over a hundred foes with similar strength and speed, foes that did not flinch at wounds or stop for anything less than death or dismemberment. “At least we don’t have to deal with Karenth,” muttered Dorian under his breath. “He’s all Mort’s; assuming he isn’t too sick from whatever he ate.” Glancing about, he wondered if Castle Cameron would be half destroyed by the battle, as the royal palace in Albamarl had been after Mordecai’s struggle against Celior. “How long before we have all the townsfolk and servants out of here?” he asked, as he returned his thoughts to the present.
“At least fifteen minutes and probably more like twenty, and then we still need to transport the guardsmen after that,” said Harold.
“If the barrier lasts that long… the outer one came down sooner than we had planned. Send a runner in to inform Cyhan of the status out here,” instructed Dorian. “You and I will stay until the barrier comes down, and then we’ll take whoever is left and join him in the castle itself. Let us hope George can get most of them to Albamarl before that happens.”
“Where is the Count?”
“Inside, with Walter… the two of them are preparing something to deal with Karenth,” assured Dorian. As he said it though, he thought of how ill Mort had seemed before he had left him. He couldn’t help but wonder if his friend would be able to live up to his own plan.
Chapter 23
“What’s happening?” I asked Walter again, as I had every minute or so for the last quarter of an hour. I didn’t enjoy nagging him anymore than he enjoyed me constantly asking, but without my magesight I had no idea what was occurring in the castle, or more importantly what state the barrier enchantment was in.
“He’s still trying to bring it down. Every ten seconds or so he strikes again; it makes the whole thing vibrate when he does,” replied Walter patiently.
“How is the evacuation going?” I added.
“They were attacked by some of the ones that got through the gate, but it appears to be over now. Some of the people there are dead, but George is still transporting the rest,” he told me.
I ground my teeth in frustration. Those deaths were my fault as well. I had kept the gate open to save some, and others had paid the price. “Can you tell how much longer it will be before they finish?”
Walter shook his head negatively. “I think roughly half of them are gone, but there are too many to count. I can’t be sure.” After a long pause he added, “There are men fighting in the great hall now. I think they’re trying to find you.”
“Dammit!” I cursed. “Where are Penny and the children? Have they reached the apartments upstairs?”
Walter frowned as he focused upon the many people moving within the castle, trying to identify them. “They’re close to the fighting. No… wait, the Countess is fighting.”
The next few minutes were some of the worst of my life, as Walter quietly relayed the events unfolding. My heart was in my throat as he told me of Penny’s fall, and her subsequent close call with death. When he began describing the events with Elaine and the children upstairs, we both grew tense.
“I can’t sense the children any longer, she’s hidden them with a stationary invisibility illusion… and she’s created an empty shield, probably as a decoy. Clever girl!” said Walter with pride. “They can’t tell where she is hiding. She’s managing multiple illusions now, and maintaining the invisibility around Rose and the children. When did she grow so skilled? I doubt I could manage all that at once.”
“Where’s Penny?” I said tersely.
“She’s coming up the stairs now… Oh my! Fire whips? Where did she get that idea? Did you teach her that?” asked Walter.
“Entirely her idea,” I responded.
“She’s facing them down now, but…” Walter’s voice trailed away as he trained all of his attention on the fight between his only daughter and the warriors trying to find my wife and children. “No!” he shouted suddenly, and my heart leapt into my throat.
“What?!”
“She’s down! One of them got to her!” cried Walter. The man was already on his feet and heading for the door. I was right behind him. The rest of the world could go to hell, if it meant my family would suffer for it.