off-duty formality.
“Something is wrong. Earl Louson isn’t bothered enough about the border incursions. He feels no threat. When I’ve seen him in court, he’s more nervous than he is today.”
“This is his keep, so I would expect him to be more in charge, but I think I know what you mean. Go find Silver and tell him to rouse a double watch.”
Why Silver? She didn’t question the Captain and put on her weapons and her boots back at her room. It didn’t matter, the captain gave her an order and she would carry it out.
The troops were camped outside the keep’s walls in a large open field. She looked for the wagons and found Silver chatting with a few other soldiers round a fire. Most of the soldiers seemed to have found their bedrolls. She still couldn’t shake off the feeling of wrongness.
“Silver!” Restella called from a few paces away.
“Yes, Lieutenant.” He straightened up and buttoned up his uniform jacket. Restella looked at the men at the fire a little irritated at the grins on their faces. They all appeared to be sergeants.
“Captain Shortwell has ordered a double watch. I—”
Silver put up his hand. “The order is good enough for me, ma’am. You don’t have to justify an order, just answer questions if anyone is unclear. I am very clear and will put half of the men on alert, if you agree. The other men and I were just talking about us all feeling a little itchy being out here, if you want to know the real truth.”
“Very well. If you must know, and you obviously don’t care, I feel ‘itchy’ as well. I’ll leave you to it. Don’t delay.”
“I won’t, ma’am.” He straightened up and saluted. The other sergeants were already on their feet. “You know what to do, men,” Silver said to them. “Do you need an escort to the keep?”
Restella shook her head and headed back towards her bed. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, but even laying down would give her some rest. As she came up to the door to the keep, the guards who had let her out had gone and the two large oaken doors were wide open.
The glow of campfires still lit up the field, but Restella decided that she’d forgo sleep and man the gates herself. Once Restella pushed the gates shut, she struggled with the door bar and took the stone steps up to the top of the wall. She leaned against a flagpole and gazed out into the darkness. Glancing up at the sky, she noticed that no moon appeared to offset the darkness. As much as she wanted to report back to the captain, she would stay on the walk above the gate until the guards returned.
She ended up sliding down the side of a flagpole onto its base, just being able to peer over the battlement. Restella had no idea how much time had elapsed when she heard yelling coming from the camp. She began to rise when she heard the whistling of arrows with two of them hitting the flagpole above her, making it shiver.
The sounds of horses came closer and then curses as the riders milled about in front of the keep’s doors. A horn sounded in the distance and faint lights began to light up the keep windows. Restella heard metal scraping on the battlement and crawled over towards the sounds. She took out her sword, feeling more powerful with it in her hand and began to hack at the ropes tied to grappling hooks.
Fighting began to break out in the courtyard as Shortwell’s officers began to fight Earl Louson’s guards. The invaders began to climb up the walls when war horns began to blow closer. Fighting broke out below her as she fought by herself on the top of the keep’s wall. She didn’t have the time to do anything but fall into the rhythm of her sword. Part of her mind reacted to the attacks and another gagged at the carnage she inflicted on her enemy.
Lieutenant Gasolo ran up the stairs and helped her fight as the attempts at scaling the walls diminished. She looked over the edge to find Silver and the rest of the army pinning the invaders against
“Something is wrong. Earl Louson isn’t bothered enough about the border incursions. He feels no threat. When I’ve seen him in court, he’s more nervous than he is today.”
“This is his keep, so I would expect him to be more in charge, but I think I know what you mean. Go find Silver and tell him to rouse a double watch.”
Why Silver? She didn’t question the Captain and put on her weapons and her boots back at her room. It didn’t matter, the captain gave her an order and she would carry it out.
The troops were camped outside the keep’s walls in a large open field. She looked for the wagons and found Silver chatting with a few other soldiers round a fire. Most of the soldiers seemed to have found their bedrolls. She still couldn’t shake off the feeling of wrongness.
“Silver!” Restella called from a few paces away.
“Yes, Lieutenant.” He straightened up and buttoned up his uniform jacket. Restella looked at the men at the fire a little irritated at the grins on their faces. They all appeared to be sergeants.
“Captain Shortwell has ordered a double watch. I—”
Silver put up his hand. “The order is good enough for me, ma’am. You don’t have to justify an order, just answer questions if anyone is unclear. I am very clear and will put half of the men on alert, if you agree. The other men and I were just talking about us all feeling a little itchy being out here, if you want to know the real truth.”
“Very well. If you must know, and you obviously don’t care, I feel ‘itchy’ as well. I’ll leave you to it. Don’t delay.”
“I won’t, ma’am.” He straightened up and saluted. The other sergeants were already on their feet. “You know what to do, men,” Silver said to them. “Do you need an escort to the keep?”
Restella shook her head and headed back towards her bed. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, but even laying down would give her some rest. As she came up to the door to the keep, the guards who had let her out had gone and the two large oaken doors were wide open.
The glow of campfires still lit up the field, but Restella decided that she’d forgo sleep and man the gates herself. Once Restella pushed the gates shut, she struggled with the door bar and took the stone steps up to the top of the wall. She leaned against a flagpole and gazed out into the darkness. Glancing up at the sky, she noticed that no moon appeared to offset the darkness. As much as she wanted to report back to the captain, she would stay on the walk above the gate until the guards returned.
She ended up sliding down the side of a flagpole onto its base, just being able to peer over the battlement. Restella had no idea how much time had elapsed when she heard yelling coming from the camp. She began to rise when she heard the whistling of arrows with two of them hitting the flagpole above her, making it shiver.
The sounds of horses came closer and then curses as the riders milled about in front of the keep’s doors. A horn sounded in the distance and faint lights began to light up the keep windows. Restella heard metal scraping on the battlement and crawled over towards the sounds. She took out her sword, feeling more powerful with it in her hand and began to hack at the ropes tied to grappling hooks.
Fighting began to break out in the courtyard as Shortwell’s officers began to fight Earl Louson’s guards. The invaders began to climb up the walls when war horns began to blow closer. Fighting broke out below her as she fought by herself on the top of the keep’s wall. She didn’t have the time to do anything but fall into the rhythm of her sword. Part of her mind reacted to the attacks and another gagged at the carnage she inflicted on her enemy.
Lieutenant Gasolo ran up the stairs and helped her fight as the attempts at scaling the walls diminished. She looked over the edge to find Silver and the rest of the army pinning the invaders against
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