Choose the Sky: A Medieval Romance (Swordcross Knights Book 2) (22 page)

“Want to inspire them?” Octavian asked in a low voice.

Luc nodded once. He turned to the assembled soldiers. “Listen, men! I don’t know exactly what we face, but remember that Trumwell Castle is yours. The village is yours. Stay calm if you can, and remember to defend yourselves as well. Our purpose is to defend what we have, not pursue. Above all, obey me. Does every man understand that?”

The answering shout was firm, though a little scattered.

“Are you ready to protect Trumwell Castle?”

The next shout was louder.

“Are you ready to protect your families and your homes?”

Now they sounded like an army.

Luc nodded in satisfaction. “Then we go!”

The knights and a few others were mounted—most of the garrison consisted of foot soldiers. So their progress was not quite as speedy as it might be, but not one man lagged behind. Octavian’s much-despised running drills proved their worth.

The village lay at the base of the hill, beyond a fringe of woodland past the lake. The plumes of smoke curling up into the grey sky were probably what first indicated an attack was underway, and as the group got closer, Luc heard shouts and screams.

He halted just outside the village, scanning the scene. The castle garrison had been noticed. Villagers shouted in mixed warning and relief. The attackers jeered.

Luc turned halfway in his saddle to give the orders. “Trumwell men! The red company will sweep the streets and homes. Gather the villagers and keep them safe. The blue company goes after the hedge-born dullards foolish enough to attack us. Don’t hold back. Sweep through west to east. Push the attacking force to the eastern green. Pin them by the brook.”

Octavian repeated the orders sharply, then called, “Red, go!”

Half the men plunged forward, seeking to save the residents.

“Blue!” Luc shouted. “The knights ride through first. Follow us and clean up!”

Octavian drew his sword. “
Deus la volt
.”

Luc nodded and drew his own sword. “Let’s show them how to fight.”

The knights signaled their horses, who were tense with battle-readiness. The horses sprang forward, eager to be moving.

Both knights had conducted similar maneuvers many times, and they’d fought together enough to be able to call one word signals and warnings to each other that kept them in sync and their attackers off balance.

The attackers were obviously little more than hoodlums, men who were tough enough to scare travelers or take on a farmstead. They were not prepared to fight trained warriors on horseback. Luc incapacitated a few, and sent the rest running.

He glance toward Tav, and saw that the other knight was having an equally easy time of it. Behind them, the garrison’s men found very few attackers to haul away.

“Something’s wrong,” Luc said.

Tav reined in. “What do you mean?”

“There are barely enough men here to cause more than a ruckus, and certainly not enough to actually raid the village.”

“Just a few thieves, then?”

“Thieves don’t start fires to get attention.” Luc looked back toward the castle. “This is a diversion.”

“From what? The castle?”

Luc understood his skepticism. It would take a large force to attack a castle with any hope of success. On the other hand, even a small number of men could potentially do some damage, if they had the right equipment and information.

“Round up every man with a horse,” Luc said. “The foot soldiers can follow. Have a few remain here and hold the prisoners—if they don’t all run off. But I’m sure the real attack is back at Trumwell.”

Luckily, it was only a short distance to ride back, since the village only existed because Trumwell stood guard over the whole valley.

The castle looked serene, but Luc wasn’t fooled. Something was about to happen, now that the main group of defenders had ridden out, leaving only a few men on the walls. The gates were shut tight, as they should be.

Only a complete fool would attack the front, so any force would be gathering in the woods, hoping to get as close as possible…

Then Luc knew where he needed to go. He called out to Octavian, explaining his whole plan in a few words. Tav nodded in comprehension.

The group of defenders split up, each half taking a long ride around the castle to meet at the north side, exactly where the old wood had been chopped down so recently.

Luc smiled in satisfaction when he saw a small force of men huddling near the edge of the existing trees. Everything in their movements suggested hesitation. Their plan relied on the old wood still growing close to the castle, and now they were uncertain what to do. Luc’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene. Someone had been expecting that stand of trees to still be there…because he’d last seen the land look like that.

“Gesu,” Luc muttered. He knew without a doubt who was behind this attack, even if he never laid eyes on him today. Haldan.

The attackers’ hesitation turned into alarm when Luc’s little squad bore down on them. Then another cry told him that Octavian’s force was visible too.

Anger drove Luc forward faster than was wise, but still, his side had the advantage now. He slammed into the little group with all the power a war horse at full speed could provide. The first man to encounter Luc’s sword didn’t even have a chance to scream.

Attack.
Mina’s heart dropped into
her stomach. This was what she’d always feared, ever since her father fell ill.

As soon as Luc heard the word
attack
from the messenger, his demeanor changed completely. He took a long breath, then turned to Mina and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Will you find my sister and keep her safe till I return?” he asked, as if he were requesting a particular dish for supper.

“Yes, of course,” Mina said.

“Go to the upper floor of the keep. The west facing chamber. Keep Eva and the rest of the women safe.”

She nodded. He stared hard at her for a moment, his own expression unreadable. Then he left.

He
left
.

Mina stood there for a moment, gazing at the door he’d gone through.
Keep Eva safe
. That was his concern?

Well, she’d spent enough time telling him not to be concerned with her, Mina admitted to herself. But still…a little concern would have been nice.

Eva. It was Mina’s duty to protect the young woman, who was a guest in her home. She sent word with a footman to find Eva and then ordered Constance and Margery to meet her in the highest room of the keep.

It was fortunate that the servants all understood the urgency of the situation. Footmen bolted doors and windows, and everyone moved through their tasks with relative calm. Luc’s insistence on training the garrison also meant the household servants relearned their tasks.

Only a short while after the first alarm, Mina and the other women were all in the specified room. On the other side of the door, two of the younger soldiers stood guard. Though if the attackers ever got as far as the top floor of the keep itself, it meant all was lost. Mina might as well have placed two yearling lambs as guards.

Inside the room, the mood was calm, but it would get worse the longer they were stuck here.

The steward entered, and cast his eye over them all. “You’re all here. Good. My lady, I trust you have the key?”

Mina nodded.

“You know what to do, then.”

She reached for his arm as Ancel was about to leave. “My father,” she began to say.

Ancel held up a hand. “Guards are with him. If there’s any hint that the walls could be breached, he’ll be moved to the keep. Not that the walls will be breached,” he added confidently.

“Tell the kitchen workers to begin heating water.” Any fight would bring injuries, and she wanted to be ready.

He nodded gravely. “I’ll return when any news comes,” the steward said. “You must protect yourself and the other ladies. My lord made it clear that if you were harmed, he’d take it badly.”

“Badly?” Mina echoed.

“His exact words were, ‘If my wife is scratched, I’ll behead everyone bearing a weapon.’”

“Oh.” Had he really said that?

“That sounds like Luc,” Eva said, from where she sat by the fire. “He’s always been possessive.”

Mina was nonplussed, but she didn’t dare pursue the matter, not with all the other people around to overhear.

Time passed, crawling moment by moment.

In the beginning, they all worked to pull clean rags into strips, anticipating the need for bandages. It was grim work, and in any case Mina knew that the castle already had a healthy supply, because it had been so long since there’d been any violence.

Soon, the women pretended to focus on needlework or knitting. Margery played with the chess pieces on the board, though she knew nothing of the game. Instead, she seemed to be turning the pieces into characters of some dramatic presentation. Then she cast them all aside with a heavy sigh.

“How long does a battle
take
?” she asked the air. She looked as distressed as Mina felt.

The women took turns looking out the windows every few minutes. The room had three windows, and its height meant that much of the castle’s grounds could be seen.

Mina hovered at the windows most often, though she could see nothing of the village or the land where the fight was taking place. Then she caught sight of two groups of soldiers moving swiftly from the village back toward the castle.

“Something’s changed,” she announced.

“It is over?” Eva asked.

“I don’t think so,” Mina said. “It’s our men, in two groups, but they’re going fast, as if they’re in a hurry to get somewhere el—”

A huge crash sounded. The women shrieked in alarm as the very stones of the castle seemed to shudder.

“What was that?” Constance asked anxiously.

Mina ran from one window to the next, looking outside to see what was happening. “If I didn’t know better...” she muttered. “Oh, no.”

“What?” asked Eva.

“Brace yourselves,” Mina ordered.

Another huge crash came, followed by another quaking of the castle floor.

“Someone’s made a catapult,” Domina announced.

“What?” gasped Eva. “
How?
”

“Good question.” Mina pulled the key to the room from her ring, crossing to the door.

“Where are you going, my lady?” Constance asked. “My lord ordered us all to remain here!”

“And so you shall,” Mina said, turning the key in the lock. “I’ll send more guards up to protect you.”

“But you…”

“Trumwell belongs to me,” Mina said, firmly casting her gaze at everyone in the room. “Now it needs someone to direct defenses from the wall, for the lord is outside on the field.” She pulled the door open and slipped through, locking it again on the other side.

She glared at the guards before they dared to raise any objection. “I’m sending more men up, if I can spare them,” she said. “Until then, remain here. People are depending on you.”

Both straightened their posture even more. “Yes, my lady,” one said.

Mina nodded and rushed down the staircase.

She emerged on the northern parapet, seeing Ancel huddled with a group of men in a sheltered spot at one corner of the walls.

She strode across the parapet walk to join them, too annoyed to bother ducking or concealing herself in any way. She knew her hair would serve as a beacon if someone was looking for it. Judging by a few surprised shouts from the ground, someone had indeed noticed her presence.

“My lady!” Ancel cried in dismay. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that archers are needed,” she said sharply. “How many men have we got within the walls?

“About twenty, my lady,” a young guard replied.

“I want to see ten archers on this wall within two minutes,” she said, “and five more on the western wall. Aim for wherever that catapult seems to be hidden—try just behind the cut down wood. If you have a chance to shoot at an enemy solider on the field below, do it.”

“My lady, you can’t be seen,” Ancel begged.

“A little late for that,” Mina said. She continued to move along the walk and through the various guard towers. After their initial shock, the soldiers at each point followed her orders without hesitation.

She kept an eye on the developing skirmish below, and noted where the heavy rocks seemed to be originating. Thankfully, it seemed there was but one catapult, and it had been assembled a little farther away from the walls than planned. The field below showed several rocks that hadn’t made it as far as the outer walls, let alone the keep. Only a few hits occurred, limiting the danger to the castle itself.

Yet there was plenty of danger for the men on the field below. Domina leaned over the wall, searching for one figure in particular. She spotted Luc riding his horse in large circles, choosing to engage opponents who seemed the most dangerous.

Her breath caught in her throat every time he raised his sword, and every time someone attacked him, Domina experienced a thin, vicious stab in her heart. The thought of Luc dead brought no joy, no relief...only pain.
I’m too young to be a widow. I’m barely a wife yet
.