Chapter 17: Empty Victory
The sun moved ever so slowly that day as it inched its way across the sky, slower than usual it seemed. It fought and clawed, reluctantly giving up each and every inch of sky as it followed its ancient path across the heavens. It would loose its battle that day, as it would every day only to fight again the next morning.
I only hoped that tomorrow morning would bring a brighter mood to everyone and better times for Tania. We were on the eve of battle, I could feel it; I knew it was coming but I did not know precisely when. I could not get Felleona's last words out of my head, the demand that I leave before dusk. I sat and wondered what she might be planning to do and tried to think of ways to counteract her suspected plans. I still clung to the thin hope that she would heed my words and surrender before dawn. If I gave up that hope, I would order the attack immediately and not wait a moment longer. I only wanted this over and done with one way or another, preferably a bloodless solution but a solution nonetheless.
I spent a great deal of time talking with Yeoline, Chezeleste and some other Guards discussing battle plans. It passed the time but did little to ease the tension we felt. We were all wound up and ready to pounce, but had nowhere to pounce just yet. Some were used to this kind of tension and took it in stride, or somehow did not show it at all. I however was not used to this kind of tension and my nerves started to fray. More than once that day did I get into a senseless argument over nothing at all with people I knew and trusted.
Finally though, the day passed and the sun set below the horizon, giving us a dazzling display of colour that on any other day I would have greatly appreciated. My mind was elsewhere it seemed, for the day had ended and so began the night of wondering or second-guessing. Felleona's deadline had passed, dusk had settled and we were still here, as immovable as we were before light left the land. The question was what would she do, for that matter what would I do; did I really have any business leading the Guards into battle?
That night was the first time I would see battle, leading or participating and I hoped that it would not be a disaster. My greatest fear was not my death or even my loss in this battle; my greatest fear was wholesale slaughter of the innocent. I didn't want to see the ground of what was to be my home stained with the blood of so many young and unwilling participants. I didn't want to have to explain to the families of the dead why I thought their daughter deserved to die.
I guess I was a little worked up over this point, but every time I looked at one of those Disciples I saw Susan, my younger sister looking at me. She was as innocent as the day she was born and I couldn't bear the thought of her under the sway of The Mistress. I could stand the thought of her dead on a battlefield as a result of what I had done even less! So in a way I saw each and every one of those Disciples as a wayward sister, someone who should be saved from themselves and not killed.
It was pitch black and night by a few hours before anything happened. Everyone was tense and a little weary due to the hour and being on edge most of the day but stood their post, no less vigil. A few were catching a short nap while others took their turn watching for trouble. I was out for a short walk along the lines, trying to ease my troubled spirit and clear my head. I remember hearing the twang of an arrow being shot and seeing an odd light out of the corner of my eye. I looked up just in time to see an arrow that was on fire land in amidst the crops, near the outer edge of one of the nearby fields.
"FIRE" Shouted someone down near where the arrow landed as the crops caught fire.
Something else caught my eye in the black night sky. I looked up just in time to see another 'fire-arrow' flying through the night sky. Then another and yet another fire-arrow was shot from high on the walls of Kincaid. Now the arrows were landing here and there, seemingly everywhere, lighting spot-fires both in the crops and in amongst our lines. Small bushes and brushes were burning as the fire-arrows rained down from Kincaid all around us. Most of the fires were stamped out quickly, but our focus was not at the walls of Kincaid anymore. Our focus was amongst our lines as we tried to avoid the arrows and bring the spot-fires under control. There seemed to be no end to the fire arrows and it was after a few minutes that I noticed that we had not as yet retaliated in anyway.
"Return fire!" I shouted as loud as I could as I looked at a group of Guards cowering behind the defenses.
"Captain?" Asked a scared Guard who looked at me with wide eyes of fear and a tone of voice like I was insane.
"Fire at will!" I shouted down the line in one direction with my best commanding voice. "Shoot those bitches!" I shouted down the line in the other direction trying to inspire my Guards as I pointed my sword to top of the walls of Kincaid.
"Yes Captain!" The Guard who had been scared a moment responded with gritted teeth of both glee and determination.
In short order our archers were shooting back at Kincaid, however as you can imagine, our targets were much harder to hit. With the Disciple archers, all they had to do was hit a piece of ground here and there with no exact target. We were shooting at their positions of protection high on the walls of Kincaid. Still I hoped to let them know we would answer their challenge and hoped to keep them ducking for cover rather than shooting at us.
It was just then when one of my Guards were hit with an arrow and screamed as her clothes went up in flames. Shortly thereafter the Guards around her had the flames out and a Healer was tending her to her wounds, but the incident boiled my blood. I realized the obvious, that we were on the defensive and you don't win battles being on the defensive.
"Get the ram, we're entering Kincaid!" I said with a gleam in my eye with my blood still pumping from seeing on of my Guards fall.
"Yes Captain!" A sergeant gleefully shouted in reply. "You heard the Captain, lets move!" She said to a group of Guards standing near her.
In short order her and two-dozen of my Guards were charging toward Kincaid as fast as they could. They had with them a large battering ram fashioned from the trunk of a tree. Our archers intensified their shots to the walls of Kincaid, hoping to keep the Disciple archers from attacking the charging Guards. I wanted to be one of the Guards charging to Kincaid with the battering ram, but none of my Guards would let me. I didn't want to send anyone else into danger while hiding safely behind the lines, it didn't seem right.
"Lieutenant!" I said getting Chezeleste's attention and motioning for her to come near me.
"Yes Captain?" Chezeleste asked as she approached.
"Circle around to the other side and see what you can do from there. I'll meet you in the middle of the Courtyard." I said pointing to Kincaid with a smirk on my face.
"Yes Captain, I won't let you down." Chezeleste said with a determined look and a smirk of her own as she got on her horse and rode off in a rush.
It was then that I looked back to see the ram crash against the door of Kincaid with a loud bang. The great door shook but didn't yield, holding firm and doing its job of keeping out invaders. The noise was so great that it echoed off the mountain, and I was not the only one to notice the Guards at the doors of the Quad. The Disciple archers then shifted their focus from our lines to the ram at the door.
