Kings, Geezers and Bloody War (Chapter 18)

Hello my Steemits, how are you this week! Still hot a sunny here in Aussie-Land, why it is so hot the mailman combusted before my eyes! Mind you he did pour a can of petrol over himself after he admitted to me that he took a sneak peek at one of my writings. Now I will need to ring Aussie-land Post and get them to forcibly volunteer another Postie to deliver my mail, oh well, such is life. Now onward my pretties and read ->

Chapter 18

It had taken Ruff the night and half of the day to reach buildings that were abandoned close to the castle. He stole some food along the way as well as a few hours of sleep. But those hours were interrupted with dreams and nightmares of Motyl and waves of pent anger at his own guild selling him out.

It was rare that the guild would take a contract that was aimed at their own. If it was, the guild would flatly refuse the order and the client would look elsewhere. Only if the guild deemed that the client was grievously slighted by one of their members and that that member had gone rogue, would the guild gladly take the contract. But Ruff knew within himself that neither he, nor Motyl, had ever crossed that line.

Ruff woke once again, his fists smashing the ground in blind anger as the thought past through him. “What the fuck are they playing at?!” is all he could think through a face of frustration. He blinked for a moment, realising that the sun had finally set. He looked through the gloom of the early night at the lit castle, his brows creased with worry, both for Motyl and the situation at hand.

There were more guards than normal, obviously most had been pulled from street duty as their uniform was less detailed and less protected than the proper castle guards. Ruff scanned for a way through, as he did not trust the map. For all he knew, it was a fake, in case they had eluded the first trap.

Ruff left the vacant building and snuck across a small street to a storehouse that was very close to the wall. He stole a glance around the corner to see where that section of guards were. He swore under his breath, at a glance he saw that at least six were nearby, no more than ten feet apart, the wall was on triple guard no doubt.

Ruff did not have time to scout the rest of the wall for a gap in guards, it was a now or never suicide run, because he had no clue how much longer Motyl had to live, or even if she was still alive. He leaned back and looked to the sky to give a small prayer to whom ever will hear him. After a minute he shook his head in disbelief and swore at his gullibility to believe gods actually existed. He took a deep breath, nocked an arrow and rounded the corner.

Ruff cantered softly in the shadows down the ally way, his arrow aimed and ready to fly at the first guard. A shout broke the silence, Ruff stiffened and his heart stopped in his chest.

“To the wall! To the wall!”

The guard before Ruff came alert and as far as Ruff could tell, looked straight at him. Ruff had stopped breathing, his heart now went into overdrive, the bow and arrow creaked as he added more tension for a lucky shot. The other guards also peered out over the wall, they did not look his way but out over the city. Ruff was now confused as shouting came up the castle wall.

“Get to the wall, get to the fucking town wall now!” All the guards turned to the voice. More commotion started to arise around the streets as guards and soldiers started to also shout the same call. Ruff loosened the tension on the bow and listened. A rough burly man came into view on the wall and a guard addresses him. “What is happening captain?”

“Lord Cassell has quick marched his forces to our fucking front gate and is about to attack, you five come with me, you stay here. You men there..” the captain points to men that Ruff could not see “..all of you on me now!” The captain turns and sprints away, followed by all those he had called to his side.

Ruff waited a moment longer, to be sure that the guard was truly alone as all around, men rushed to the now besieged town walls. A thud came from a distant wall and Ruff knew catapults were in action, men would be dying, blood would be flowing. The lone guard strains to see over the castle wall at the action, Ruff aims and loosens the arrow. It drove up hard between the man’s chin and throat, through his brains and skull, and stopped at the top of his helm, raising it a little. He fell off the wall and landed on the ground with a thud that chimed in with thuds at the besieged wall.

Ruff clambered up the storehouse walls, threw a rope and hook to the castle battlement, it found purchase and Ruff swung to the wall and climbed up and over. After Ruff scanned the wall walkway he looked up to the sky and gave thanks. “Which ever one of you arseholes is actually listening, I owe you big time.” he turned and made his way to a keep doorway.