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Sieg and Marien - Part 18

As the last light of the sun faded away, and the cold fog of night began to appear over the water as Basikal City once more fell to slumber. Ghostly tendrils of mist drifted through the empty streets coiling around the lampposts, filling the alleyways with an impenetrable gloom. A soft, misty rain began to fall as, one by one, the lights of the city were extinguished.

But out in the bay, amongst the swirling shroud of mist, came the first flickers of pale yellow light, winking in the thick darkness. The sound of a bell being run cut through the silence, echoing across the water. As the harbour guard set about lighting the braziers around the docks, out of the rain swept gloom, the first ships of the Goliath Fleet entered Basikal Harbor.

Lieutenant General Conrad Kolvest, dressed in a thick oil-skin cloak, watched as the ships' sails were furled, and their anchors dropped. He folded his hands behind his back as a dozen longboats were lowered from the ships and began rowing towards shore. The boats were filled with soldiers in dark grey tunics, with shining steel armour and long red cloaks bearing the sigil of the Chariot family.

As Conrad stood, another Basitin approached from behind.

"Commodore Schaften." Conrad nodded his head slightly as the young man stopped beside him.

Talon Schaften was young for such a high ranking officer, barely out of his twenties and already a commander of some note. His steely grey eyes were narrow, but famously sharp, able to spot things on the horizon that even those with telescopes had missed. His thick fur, icy blue eyes and snow white hair betrayed his northern lineage. His ostentatious officers coat hung from his shoulders with casual ease.

"Lieutenant General Kolvest." Talon nodded respectfully, "A fine night sir."

"It is indeed. Though my forecaster has informed me that there will be a storm soon."

"I'll make certain the fleet is locked down and secure." Talon closed his eyes and raised his nose, breathing deep. "Yes indeed... you can smell the mountain air, the smell of the jungle... It's come a long way. "

Watching as the largest ship in the fleet, the Goliath, dropped its anchor, Conrad turned to Talon. "Are you certain you are ready for this?"

Talon was the grandson of the legendary "Hawk of Basikal", the most successful naval commander of the last one hundred years. When his grandfather had been a mere seventeen years old he had taken command of his stricken ship after the deaths of all other commanding officers, and directed a daring raid against the Templar ship that was attacking them. The technology stolen from the human vessel had advanced Basidian naval prowess by decades, and earned Talon's grandfather the position of Admiral. Talon had grown up hearing stories about his grandfather, and now he was eager to forge a legend of his own.

"Yes, sir," Talon replied, resting his hand on the hilt of his sabre. "I am ready."

"Good. The Captain of Goliath has been told to expect your arrival." Conrad withdrew a leather wrapped scroll from his cloak and handed it to Talon. "Your orders."

"I will not let you down, General." Talon announced as he folded the orders into a pocket inside his coat.

Watching as the first of the longboats dock and began offloading soldiers, Talon crossed his arms and grinned. "By the time the humans know we are coming, their fleet will be at the bottom of the harbour."

"I hope so, Commodore, for all our sakes. I have informed the commander of our landing forces of the plan."

"Ah yes, the Western Captain. I look forward to seeing her in action."

"Just remember, she is expendable. Your primary objective is to destroy the Imperial fleet. Once that's done, we can burn Calmbirth from the water."

"Indeed." Talon looked over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps approaching. "Ah, it would appear that our benefactors have arrived."

Conrad nodded with a scowl, 'Yes... so it would seem."

"With your permission General, I am going to get settled on the Goliath and review the fleet." Talon turned and bowed, "I look forward to presenting you with the token of our victory once you arrive."

"And I look forward to hearing of your success. Good luck and good hunting, Commodore."

"Thank you General. Long live the King." With a final salute, Talon turned on his heel and marched off.

Conrad took a deep breath as Shani and Jabarian approached him. When he turned around, Conrad was surprised to see that Jabarian was no longer wearing his majordomo's uniform. Instead he wore a black, form fitting tunic, with thick leather bracers and armour plates on his shoulders, knees and elbows. What surprised Conrad even more were the muscles that the tunic displayed. Of course, Conrad had made it his business to learn as much about his hosts as possible, and so knew that Jabarian had once been an assassin, the infamous 'Sliver'. But in his new uniform, Jabarian no longer showed any signs of degeneration from his advanced age. His shuffling walk had been replaced by a proud, energetic stride, and his normally downcast and sullen eyes shone with renewed energy.

"Good evening General," Shani called out as she and Jabarian drew close. "Lovely weather."

"Indeed. I assume there is a reason you have decided to come all the way down to the docks?"

"I had heard that the Goliath fleet would be arriving, and I wanted to see it for myself." Shani nodded out over the bay. "How many of our soldiers were you able to retrieve?"

"Five hundred and seventy," Conrad replied. "The rest are aboard the ships of the Titan fleet, and will be here within the week."

"Superb. And the attack?"

"My allies within the intelligence corps have already begun spreading the rumours about the Imperial fleet amongst the commanders." Conrad's eyes narrowed, "Of course, my primary concern still remains."

"Yes, the Westerner." Shani waved a hand, "Don't worry about it, I have that covered."

"And how, exactly, do you have the 'covered'."

"That's my little secret. Speaking of..." Shani turned, "Jabi, would you please get our men ready to move. We're already in town, might as well pay a visit to our messengers."

"As you wish, Lady Chariot."

As a group of Chariot soldiers marched past, Conrad's gaze turned into a scowl. "Just what are you planning?"

"Don't worry, we'll be very quiet. Now, while Jabi gets the boys ready, I think we should have a more private meeting. There are far more delicate things we need to discuss."

"I don't have time to waste."

Shani's tone darkened, "Neither do I, General. But believe me when I say, this is not something to discuss in the open."

"Very well then. Follow me." Conrad turned and strode away, Shani walking casually behind him.

===

As more Chariot soldiers disembarked, Private Garda couldn't help but stare as they marched past. Their pristine uniforms and shiny new armour made Garda feel self conscious about his own slightly rusted, hand-me-down armour. But there was something about them that he couldn't quite put his finger on that made him nervous. Every once in a while one of them would turn and meet Garda's gaze, and he couldn't help but feel like he was being sized up.

Garda shifted, scratching his leg and trying to stifle a yawn. He'd spent far too much time at the tavern when he should have been sleeping, and though he had managed to amass a tidy little profit from playing cards, the night ahead already seemed interminably long.

"Private, stand up straight and be steady!"

The sharp voice of lieutenant Basker made Garda jump and almost drop his spear. Clamouring to catch his weapon, Garda straightened as quickly as he could, "Yes, ma'am!" As Basker turned away, Garda called out, "Uh, lieutenant?"

Basker turned, obvious irritation etched on her face, "Yes, private?"

"Shouldn't Lieutenant Kolvest be on duty tonight?"

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Basker growled, "But since Lieutenant Kolvest failed to check in and relieve me, it would seem I am stuck here. Now, carry on, and do your job."

"Yes, ma'am!"

As Basker moved on down the dock, Garda looked over his shoulder at the city. "The lieutenant is never late... I wonder where he is..."

===

"So then she says, *hic*, 'the best thing you can do is find someone who makes you *hic*, happy'."

"Oof, that is a stinger that is," Paul muttered, pouring himself another half glass of ale.

The Broken Sword Tavern was empty of everyone but Sieg and Paul. The two sat together at a table covered with a collection of empty bottles and glasses and lit by a lone candle.

"You gotta remember though boy, she just lost her babe," Paul commented as Seig set about downing another glass of ale.

"So did I," Sieg grumbled. "But you don't see me *hic* destroying years of... of... whatever it was we *hic* had."

"Marriage?"

"Marriage," Sieg shook his head, his ears flopping back and forth. "We were more married before we got married and less married after we got married." He took another drink. "Fuckin' laws... I hate them..."

"Hey! Careful of that tongue or I'll take you out back and wash out yer mouth young'un."

"I'm serious *hic*. Not that it matters... Marien's gone and blown it all up."

"Yer not giving up though, are you?"

"Of course not!" Sieg grumbled, staring down at his glass. "I'm supposed to make her *hic* feel better with the faith I have in her. But she doesn't wanna see it."

"Women are hard to convince, boy. They are thinky creatures."

"Overthinky. Marien *hic* thinks she killed our daugther, which is just so stupid..."

"Yeh gotta know that it'd be harder for her. She had a child inside her, she felt it growing, and then all of a sudden it was gone. I don't think we can even imagine what that must be like."

"But it was my *hic* daughter too!" With a heavy sigh, Sieg put his head on the table, not caring that his ear was in a small puddle of ale. "You know I knew she was gonna be a girl. I did, I really did. I wanted to.. to play with her and *hic* train her how to fight and... "

"It'll be alright." Paul reached over and patted Seig on the shoulder. "You'll see, everything will be alright in the end."

"Marien's gonna die."

Paul was taken aback, "What?"

"She didn't *hic* have to say it, but I could see it. She had the same *hic* look she got when she was about to fight a duel... She's gonna die."

Sieg sat up and took another drink. "An' I tried to stop her. But nope, she's just gonna go off, and die."

"You're drunk lad, you're not thinkin' straight. Just calm down."

"Oh I'm calm..." Sieg muttered, laying his head down on the table again. "I'm so so so calm... Calm as a clam..."

Paul sighed heavily as he watched Seig fall asleep. "Good thing you're a short, scrawny little thing," he muttered to himself, taking a final swing of his ale. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to carry yeh up the stairs."

===

Sara gasped as she was awakened by a splash of ice cold water on her face. Her eyes flew open, but she was blinded by the water in her eyes. Her head felt heavy and her whole body ached.

"Time to wake up, Mrs. Silver." A voice called out.

Another torrent of ice cold water struck Sara just as she was trying to sit up. She shook her head to clear her eyes, but the motion sent ringing echoes of pain through her head. She tried to reach up and rub her eyes, but found that her hands were bound together, and felt as if they were made of rock.

As her vision cleared, Sara could see that she was in a cell. Judging by the empty shelves and the strong scent of wine, she was in a converted cellar. On the other side of a wall of iron bars was a Basitin dressed in Chariot House Guard armour, a pair of buckets at her feet, one empty and the other filled with muddy water.

The guard sneered as Sara tried to pick herself up. "That's it, wakey wakey, let's go."

Sara tried to stand, but a heavy weight around her neck, ankles and wrists were weighing her down.

"What's wrong Silver, can't get up?" Bending down the guard picked up a full bucket. "Maybe you need another drink to really wake you up."

As the guard drew back the bucket, another voice rang out. "That's enough!"

The guard froze as another Basitin approached the bars. The newcomer was large and well muscled, with powerful shoulders and a strong jaw. His right eye was a deep oaken brown, while his left was a pale grey, a long scra running from his scalp, across his eye, and down to his neck.

He jerked his head at the other guard, "Get out."

The woman dropped the bucket and kicked it towards Sara, before turning and stalking out of the cellar.

"My apologies, Mrs. Silver," the guard said, bowing his head. "She was ordered to wake you, not soak you. You have my sincere apologies. I will see to it that you receive dry clothes as soon as we get where we are going."

Still struggling to get to her feet, Sara looked down at herself. There were thick bands of steel around her neck, ankles, and wrists. Each restraint had a circle of symbols etched into them that glowed with magical light.

"It will take some time to adjust," the guard said, observing Sara's struggle but doing nothing to assist. "Take it slow."

"Who are you?" Sara demanded, finally managing to pull herself to her feet.

"My name is Davit Rogal, Captain of the Chariot Family Guard."

"Well, Davit Rogal, since it would seem that you are aware of who I am, you should know who my husband is."

"I do indeed, ma'am."

"And you should know what he will do if I am harmed."

Davit's expression didn't change at all. Instead he simply set about unlocking the door to Sara's cell. "I have no intention of harming you, Mrs. Silver, unless I am ordered to by Lady Shani or Commander Jabarian. As it stands, your services are required."

"Oh?" Sara shifted, taking a step backwards as her cell door swung open.

"I am to escort you to the lower levels. Out of respect for both you and your husband, I am offering you the chance to follow me of your own free will."

"And if I should resist?"

"If you wish to put up a fight, you are free to do so, I would certainly understand. I will simply incapacitate you and then carry you. Truly, my lady, it is your decision."

It was obvious to Sara that, even if she managed to strike the guard captain and knock him unconscious, her restraints would make escape impossible. Every fibre of her being called upon her to fight, but instead she raised her chin as much as she was able with the weight around her neck, and nodded, "Very well, I shall follow."

"Thank you ma'am, I appreciate that." Davit stepped to the side and bowed his head, "This way please."

===

When the harbour guard night commander, Major Tanner, heard knocking on the door to his office, he sighed, rolled his eyes, and closed his book. At this time of night the only problems that he ever had to deal with were small injuries, floating logs that some raw recruit had mistaken for an enemy fleet entering the harbour, and sometimes the odd thief that had snuck in. Certainly the last thing he had expected to see when he opened the door was a General.

"G-general Kolvest, sir!" Major Tanner stammered, closing his mouth and snapping into a salute. "I didn't expect-"

"I need your office, Major."

"Of course, General!" The major held the door open as Conrad and Shani strode past him. "Right this way, sir, and ma'am."

Closing the door behind him, Conrad turned to Shani. "Alright, out with it. I don't have much time."

"There have been a few changes to the plan."

"Indeed. You've obviously made no progress with my son."

"Details, hardly important."

Conrad crossed his arms, his tail twitching as he glared at Shani. "Hardly important? It was what we agreed to!"

"It was. But things have changed."

"'Changed'? Do you take me for a fool?"

"No, not really, but that is beside the point."

"You do know I can call off this invasion in an instant and claim it was nothing more than a training exercise." Conrad aimed a finger at Shani. "Either you live up to your end of our bargain, or our alliance ends."

"It's far too late for that General," Shani said, shrugging her shoulders and walking around the major's desk before dropping into his chair. "And as for Sieg, he is no longer a necessary part of this plan."

"What do you mean?" Conrad demanded, surging forward as Shani leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the desk.

"Well for starters, I'm going to be King, not my brother."

Conrad froze, "What?"

"You heard me right. Once you start the war, I am going to kill Adelaide myself. When that happens, the choice of who to elevate to the position of General will be mine, after a quick purge of course. And assuming you continue to cooperate, you will have your choice of Generalships."

Shani carelessly picked up and examined the book the Major had been reading. "Well, except for the position of Intelligence General, Jabi has already laid claim to that one."

"That was not the deal!" Conrad roared, slamming his hands down on the desk. "I give you a war against the humans, and you bind the Kolvest and Chariot families together!"

"Yes yes, cementing your precious legacy. To tell you the truth, I was rather excited about that proposition, your son is more of a catch than I expected. But, it turns out he is also a better man than I expected, and certainly a better man than you. Getting him to abandon his wife has proven to be impossible."

"I've taken care of that," Conrad said, a hint of pride in his voice as he raised his chin. "I've put the Westerner in charge of the attack on Calmbirth."

"That must have been hard for you, talking to her face to face." A small grin worked its way across Shani's face. "It must have been tempting to wrap your hands around her throat and take care of the problem yourself."

"I have more self control than that."

"Well that, and she would have killed you with barely a thought." Shani licked her lips, "I've seen her fight... She is good."

Conrad's claws carved furrows in the desk as Shani's words kindled yet more rage in his chest.

"And what of your brother?" Conrad demanded. "Our agreement was that he would be king, not some... Assassin's apprentice!"

"Lyon is... laid up at the moment."

"Laid up?!"

"I shot him."

Conrad's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "You what?!"

"He discovered our plan, and left me no choice. He's certainly in no shape to challenge Adelaide."

Conrad's hand flashed down to his sword, "You've ruined-" But the moment his hand touched the hilt of his blade, suddenly Shani was on her feet, her own sword drawn, and the blade under Conrad's chin.

"Calm," she said softly, looking Conrad in the eye. "Take a deep breath and calm yourself, Lieutenant General."

"You're insane!" Conrad gasped, trying his best not to swallow as Shani's blade dug into his throat.

"Ah ah ah! I said calm." Shani made an exaggerated gesture of breathing in and out. "Everything is still going to be fine. You'll get your chance to slaughter the Templar. And if a grandchild means so very much to you, I can always order my guards to simply hold your son down."

Again Shani licked her lips as she looked Conrad up and down. "Or, if you play your cards right, perhaps I could give you a son, assuming you aren't all dust down there."

"I- how dare you!"

"It was merely a thought."

"You can't be serious about any of this!" Conrad glared at Shani, "Lyon was trained for the throne, bred for the throne!"

"And yet he refused. His role in this has changed."

"Then this effort is over! I started this to honour my son, and the others who fell against the Empire and the Templar! I threw away everything, my loyalty, my patriotism, my honour, so that we could once again have a King that honoured the sacrifices of our people!"

"Does this diatribe have a point?" Shani asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only this." Conrad's eyes narrowed, "I will not fight to put an insane creature like you in a position of power!"

"I think you are forgetting General, I have you at swordpoint."

"Then go ahead and kill me!"

"Hmm? Oh, you thought I was talking literally." With a casual motion Shani withdrew her sword from Conrad's neck and tossed it over her shoulder, the blade clattering to the floor.

"W-what are you?"

"I meant we own you." Quickly Shani's tone shifted, growing dark and threatening as she returned to her chair. "There is no backing out of this for you, 'General'. You've thrown in your lot with us, and if you back out... we'll burn you."

"You may kill me, but-"

"No, no you aren't getting this at all." Shani sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If you break faith with the Chariots, well yes, obviously we will kill you. But then we will move on to your wife, then your son, and then your brother and his wife."

"Your threats mean nothing!" Conrda sneered. "One word with General Kent, and the Chariot family is finished."

"General Kent can and will do absolutely nothing. Not while we have his wife."

Conrad froze. "You what?"

"She came for a visit and decided to stay. If General Silver makes a move against us, he will have to do it at the cost of his own. Also, last time I checked, you now control the Basikal Garrison."

"This.... this is not-"

"Sara Silver is in our possession, the Goliath fleet has docked, our troops have arrived, and our agents on the mainland are already moving." Shani tilted her head slightly, "Did you really think that you could back out of this now?"

"By the King... You really are insane..." Conrad stepped back from the desk.

"Whether you are correct or not, it changes nothing. You are in this now, General." Shani stood from the chair, all traces of humour and carelessness gone from her voice, replaced by an icy coldness that pierced Conrad's very soul. "You can either join us in helping to guide our nation towards a better, more secure future, or you can join us on the gallows."

Shani stepped up to Conrad and stood in front of him. Even though she had to look up to meet his gaze, Conrad felt as if Shani towered over him. "Retreat, as men like you are so fond of saying, is not an option. So stop your whining, be a proper soldier, and get your troops ready to move on our command!"

For the first time in a long time, Conrad felt real fear running up his spine. After a moment's pause he nodded, "Very well. But know this... I will not forgive betrayal against either me, or my own troops. Understood."

"Betrayal?" Shani shook her head and smiled, "General... what we are doing here is making certain they will never be betrayed again."

Conrad nodded stiffly. Despite keeping a stern look plastered on his face, he felt his heart plummet. An hour ago, he had been in command of a massive force and held the fate of all Basidian in his hands. And now, things were now well and truly out of his control.

"Now," Shani stepped past Conrad. "See to the loading of the ships. I have an errand to attend to."

===

With a soft grunt, Paul dropped Sieg into his bed. Sieg mumbled to himself and groaned as Paul rolled him onto his stomach and pulled a blanket over him.

"There ya go..." he muttered, patting Sieg on the back. "Sleep it off boy."

Wiping his brow off, Paul stepped back and sighed. "You know boy... you and your girl, you remind me of a Keidran I once met, this dog fella named Callin."

Paul dropped into a chair, watching Sieg as he slept. "Callin was the saddest little bugger I ever did lay eyes on. Sold into slavery as a pup, spent the first twelve years of his life on a sugar plantation. Good worker, good sailor. But I'll tell ya, no matter how far he got from that place, or the people who put him there... he could never escape it. Every sail on the horizon was a bounty hunter come to drag him back, every creak of the deck some slaver come to slap a collar on him. He never went home and he never settled down neither, could never find a woman he trusted not to sell him out. He let those years he lost poison all the years he had ahead of him. He died a slave, despite being free for almost a decade."

Paul looked down at his hands. "I suppose some hurts... they just can't be healed."

Leaning back in the chair, Paul stared up at the ceiling, "Never had children of my own... goodness knows I wouldn't have been around to care for them even if I had. Suppose I'm trying to make up for it, or maybe..." Paul sighed heavily, "Maybe I'm just sorry that you and your girl are hurting in the same damn way as that poor pup, and I still don't know how to fix it..."

Paul paused as the light from Sieg's window suddenly grew brighter, and the sound of marching filled the air.

"What in the hell?"

Paul got to his feet and stumbled over to the window. On the street outside were soldiers marching in formation and carrying torches, all in dark grey uniforms that Paul didn't recognize.

"Who the blazes are they?" Paul muttered to himself as he watched the group pass. "And where the hell are they going this time of night."

===

It took all of Sara's concentration not to fall as Davit led her down into the lower levels of the Chariot Manor. The weights on her legs, wrists and neck threw off her balance and made each stair an exhausting chore. It hadn't taken long for the shivering cold she had felt after being soaked in her cell to be replaced with panting, sweating exhaustion.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Davit said over his shoulder. "Then I'll make sure you have some clean clothes."

"Perhaps you would consider removing these weights instead?" Sara asked, trying her best not to allow any of the strain she felt into her voice.

"I will see what I can do. But for now, I am still willing to carry you if you like."

"No, thank you."

"Suit yourself."

"You know, you're being awfully polite for a dead man," Sara commented.

"Thank you ma'am, I am pleased to hear that. Ah, here we are."

Davit and Sara arrived at the bottom of the stairs and emerged into a small, round entry hall. Davit led Sara across the small room, over to a solid wooden door.

"This way, ma'am."

Trying her best not to pant in exhaustion, Sara made her way to the door and stepped through.

The room that Sara entered was dimly lit, and smelled strongly of herbs and ointments. Thick cotton curtains blocked out the windows. In the center of the room was a large bed, upon which lay Lyon Chariot.

Lyon's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be unconscious. His breathing was shallow, coming in short, rasping gasps. His face was sunken and sallow, and he had clearly lost a great deal of blood.

As Sara stepped into the room she was surprised to see a human woman standing beside the bed. The human wore a strand of glowing mana crystals around her neck, and her hands were wreathed in blue light, gentle tendrils of it streaming down from her fingers into Lyon's body.

Closing the door behind him, Davit gestured at the human. "Doctor Silver, allow me to present our other esteemed guest, Youlan Bertolt."

"Charmed," Youlan said, not looking up from her task, small beads of sweat running down her face.

"What's happened to him?" Sara asked, striding up to the bed as quickly as she was able.

"He was in a battle," Davit replied. "He lost. "

"Lacerations on his neck, abdomen, forearm and legs..." Sara muttered to herself, her fingers dancing across Lyon's body as if she were blindfolded. "Deep puncture wound on the left thigh... blood loss suggests that the femoral artery wasn't hit but... maybe some of the secondary vessels. And then there is this..."

Sara moved to Lyon's chest, where the bolt from the crossbow was still embedded. "The bolt has penetrated his ribcage, likely punctured his left lung judging by his breathing. His muscles..." Sara's eyes narrowed, "Dammit..."

She turned back to Davit, "What kind of head is on this bolt?"

"Needlepoint bodkin, I believe."

"And it went straight through his armour?"

"He was shot at point blank range."

Sara paused for a moment to think. "Well it's a good thing you didn't just rip it out. Unfortunately, the muscles around the impact have tensed so much they may have bent the head into a fishhook. If that's the case, getting it out is going to be very difficult..."

"Your task is to heal him as best you can," Davit said simply. "So long as he lives, you live."

"And if he dies you kill me?"

Davit shook his head. "My apologies ma'am, that's not what I meant. His death would merely mean that your usefulness would be as a hostage only."

"And you?" Sara turned to Youlan. "What are you doing exactly?"

"I'm using mana to keep him asleep and keep infection at bay," Youlan replied, her voice strained.

"But you aren't trying to bind his wounds?"

"I... don't know how."

"So you're not a healer then?'

"I've read books."

"But you've never treated anyone before? Let alone a Basitin?"

Youlan paused, "I... Not as such, no."

"Then just keep doing what you are doing and don't try anything fancy." Sara turned back to Davit, "I suppose getting my tools from the guild is out of the question."

"I'll see what I can do for you, certainly, but I'm certain you understand we can't simply go to the guild and ask for them."

"Fine. In the meantime get me a bucket of clean water, boiled as hot as you can make it. I will need at least three knives, preferably made of silver, and as sharp as possible. I'll also need clean towels, bandages, white sugar, at least one pair of tongs, a needle and thread, and the strongest alcohol you can find."

Davit bowed his head, "As you wish. Anything else?"

"Yes." With effort, Sara raised her arms. "Get these damn things off of me. I can't do anything, certainly not anything delicate, if I can't move my damned arms!"

"She'll cut my throat and yours if you give her half a chance!" Youlan called out.

Sara sighed and rolled her eyes, "Keep the ones on my ankles if you really must. Otherwise, if you aren't going to take them off, the best thing you could do would be to give me a hammer so I can drive the bolt home and finish him off quickly!"

For a long moment Davit simply stared at Sara. Sara recognized the gaze, after all her own husband had subjected her to it many times, the look of a soldier scanning for danger.

"I would ask for your word," Davit said at last. "That you will not harm Youlan, Master Lyon, or any one else."

Sara drew herself up, raising her chin, pride flashing in her eyes. "I, Sara Silver, swear on my honour, and my husband's, that I will do my best to save Lyon Chariot. I will take no action against you until that is achieved."

"Very well." Davit nodded respectfully. "Youlan, please release the restraints around Mrs. Silver's wrists."

Again Youlan looked up from Lyon, the light around her hands fading. She looked first at Sara, then up at Davit. "Are you... certain about this?"

"The word of a Basitin woman is sacred," Davit replied simply. "As is the honour of her husband."

"Fine." Stepping away from Lyon's side, Youlan approached Sara.

As Youlan drew closer, Sara was able to get a better look at her. She was young, no more than twenty five years of age, with dark skin and short light brown hair. Sara found herself drawn to Youlan's eyes, which were odd in that one was light brown, and the other a pale blue. But what drew Sara's attention even more was a brand upon Youlan's cheek, a cross with two horizontal lines held in a circle, the mark of the Templar.

"Hold out your hands," Youlan commanded, her face turning red as she noted Sara's focus on her brand.

Sara held out her hands and Youlan drew her finger down the thick metal cuffs. Moments later the metal cracked open and the cuffs fell heavily to the floor.

Sara nodded, massaging her wrists, "Thank you."

"Just don't make me regret it," Youlan growled. "I may not know much about healing, but I can defend myself."

"I will keep that in mind."

"If you two will excuse me." Davit bowed his head again. "I will return with your supplies as quickly as I can."

"Fine. Now..." Sara turned back to Lyon. "Let's see what we can do here."

===

When Alwyn awoke, she knew immediately something wasn't right, but was uncertain what it was exactly. Her ears twitched and her tail swung back and forth as she felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up. Every sense was on full alert.

The Hearth was quiet, only the sounds of light snoring and gentle breathing filling the air. Teela lay in her arms, sleeping soundly, every outward breath ending with a small whistle from her nose.

As carefully as she could, Alwyn pulled her arms free and climbed to her feet, carefully tucking a quilt around Teela as she did and planting a gentle kiss on her neck.

Taking hold of her broken greatsword, Alwyn left her nest and padded out towards the center of the hearth where a trio of guards were standing and talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Is everything alright?" Alwyns asked as she approached.

"Yes, priestess, everything is quiet," one of the guards replied. "It's just..."

"Just what?"

The guards looked at one another and then back to Alwyn. "The third shift went to relieve the second shift about half an hour ago, but the second shift still hasn't returned."

Immediately Alwyn felt a cold rush up her spine. "Have you sent anyone to check?"

"We sent Gaddy about ten minutes ago but he hasn't come back either. We were just discussing whether to wake you."

"Get everyone up," Alwyn ordered, drawing her sword. "And get the guards armed, now!"

"Priestess?"

"Now!"

Not ten seconds after Alwyn gave her order, the Hearth erupted in chaos. Dozens of unknown soldiers in grey uniforms and scarlet capes rushed into the central chamber from several of the main passageways. Those Hearth members in nests that were too close to the entranceways were attacked, brutally struck down with the shafts of spears or the pommels of swords.

In a nest near the back of the hearth, a young male was just reaching for a blade when an invading soldier lunged at him. The male was able to get his hands on his sword and desperately thrust it at the soldiers's chest. The blade bounced off the soldier's armour with a loud, scraping squeal. In response the soldier drove his spear through the male's chest.

With a cry of rage and grief, the male's mate grabbed hold of her fallen lover's sword and lunged forwards. She managed to drive the point into the soldier's belly, just below his armour plate. But before she could get to her feet, two more soldiers came up behind her and thrust their spears into her back. Her infant son yowled in terror as his mother reached out an arm, before collapsing to the ground and laying still.

"Protect the children!" Alwyn ordered, "Get them behind us!"

Even as she spoke, Alwyn could see it was hopeless. Most of her people had been taken completely by surprise and were either captured or fleeing in terror. The guards were either down on the ground or desperately fighting for their lives as more and more soldiers poured into the main chamber.

"Alwyn!"

Alwyn spun at the sound of Teela's shout. A soldier had seized hold of her, dragging her out of the nest, an arm wrapped around her neck in a chokehold, while another tried to grab her thrashing legs

Alwyn was a blur as she lunged, letting loose a ferocious cry. The soldier holding Teela barely had time to look up before Alwyn seized his arm and wrenched it free from Teela's neck. Alwyn hauled the soldier off the ground by his arm, before dashing him against the ground, his neck letting out a sickening crack.

The second soldier swore as he fumbled for his sword with one hand, and reached for Teela with the other. In one titanic blow from her greatsword, Alwyn cleaved the arm reaching for Teela from the man's body with a roar. The soldier took half a step back in shock before Alwyn brought her sword down on his head. The soldier's helmet caved as if it were made of foil and he crashed to the floor, lifeless.

Another pair of soldiers charged at Alwyn, spears raised. Alwyn dodged to the side as the soldiers both thrust their spears at her. Catching both spears under her arm, Alwyn shattered wht shafts as if they were mere twigs with a powerful swing of her sword.

She grabbed hold of the first soldier by the throat before he could even reach for his sword and threw him behind her. The soldier screamed as he sailed through the air and crashed to the floor in a broken heap a full ten meters away.

The second soldier managed to get her sword halfway out of its sheath before Alwyn pounced on her. The bones in the soldier's arm shattered as Alwyn tore her hand away from her sword.

"Get out of my home!" Alwyn bellowed, before lunging forward and sinking her teeth deep into the soldier's throat.

Blood dripping from her muzzle, Alwyn dropped the weakly gurgling soldier to the floor and rounded on another as he charged, sword held high. The soldier swung and Alwyn caught his blade, the edge biting deep into her palm. Ignoring the pain, Alwyn locked her grip and pulled hard, dragging the soldier towards her. As the soldier stumbled forwards and Alwyn drove her great sword through his chest, the weapon punching clear through his chest plate. With a ferocious bellow, Awlyn lifted the man over her head, preparing to throw him at a trio of soldiers that were advancing.

"Enough!" A voice behind her barked. "Stand down, or she dies!"

Alwyn spun round to see Jabarian standing behind Teela, a razor thin wire wrapped around her neck. Teela's eyes were wide with terror, her fingers clutching at the wire that was already digging into her flesh.

Dropping the impaled soldier to the ground, Alwyn put a foot on his chest and wrenched her sword free from his armour.

"Don't test me," Jabarian snarled. "I'm faster than you are."

Blood still dripping from her chin, and hands, Alwyn dropped her sword to the ground.

"Kill her, and I will rip you into pieces with my bare hands," Alwyn snarled through bloodstained teeth as a dozen soldiers surrounded her with weapons drawn.

"I am certain you would try."

"Alwyn, go!" Teela pleaded. "Get out of here! Run! You have to survive."

Any more words were cut off as Jabarian tightened his grip. "Shut up!" Looking back up at Alwyn, he jerked his head over to a group of Hearth guards who were still fighting. "Tell them to stand down, now!"

"Call your men off first!"

Pursing his lips together, Jabarian let out a shrill whistle. Immediately the invading soldiers stepped back and away, keeping their weapons raised but ceasing their attack.

"Now," Jabarian turned back to Alwyn. "Tell them to stand down."

Alwyn looked around the Hearth. Most of her people were pinned to the ground, weapons aimed at their backs. The Hearth guards were either wounded or dead, and the whole cavern was filled with the sounds of crying and screaming. A thick pall of smoke was gathering around the roof as several nests burned from knocked over candles and lamps. The few guards that remained were all staring at her, waiting for her orders.

"Enough!" Alwyn called out at last. "Lower your weapon."

At her order Alwyn's guards dropped their weapons and surrendered. The soldiers rushed forward and seized the fallen weapons as the guards got onto their knees.

Several soldiers stepped towards Alwyn, but froze when her eyes flicked over to them and her lips curled into a snarl.

"What do you want?" Alwyn demanded, glaring back at Jabarian.

"What do we want?" Shani's voice rang out as she strode into the central Hearth chamber. "Simple, High Priestess, we're here to collect on a favour you owe us."

End of Part 18