Ties of Empire by Caitlin Taylor

Author:Caitlin Taylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Caitlin Taylor
Published: 2019-12-01T19:17:42+00:00

Chapter 16

In the distance, a structure appeared. Pointed spires, black-and-red-tiled roofs, white walls with dark-rimmed windows. An ominous building nestled at the edge of an enormous lake. The approach to the castle was clear, a straight road leading through farms with little houses at intervals, all of them dwarfed by the gigantic castle on the horizon.

Jeffrey and Akoni, sitting on their grey horses, led the way surrounded by their crownsguard, all of them on horseback. Behind them, half their army marched in formation.

They halted at the flimsy metal gate, designed to keep out unwanted peasants while allowing a peek at the wondrous castle beyond. Two soldiers stood guard on the inside. It was not a gate built to withstand an attack by an army, no matter the amount of guards. Sycania had been at peace for hundreds of years, and where there had once been fortifications, there were only decorations now.

“Open the gates for your king,” Dean called to the two guardsmen.

Akoni let his gaze wander from one soldier to the other, then towards the castle. Silence encompassed them, broken only by the sound of hundreds of marching feet and clamour of arms and armour of so many men.

“Our lord isn’t home. We are under order not to open the gate for anyone.”

“Your king is not anyone. Open the storming gate.”

Akoni raised his hand, and Dean went quiet.

Gaze fixed on the soldier who had spoken, Akoni calmly said, “As I see it, you’ve two choices. You can open the gate and let us in, offering the kind of hospitality you would give any guest. Or you can watch my army break down your gates. What do you think they will do with you once they are done with the gate?”

“It is only a day’s ride to Nijun where our lord is staying. If you go there, you’ll be received appropriately.”

Akoni laughed. “Appropriately, he says.”

“Meaning with swords and arrows, no doubt,” Jeffrey said, a sneer on his lips. “Why don’t you send for someone a bit higher ranked than yourselves.”

“Why bother.” Akoni gave a sign, and they moved out of the way.

Several teams of soldiers jogged forward and set about dismantling the gate. The hinges were simple, and by lifting both doors, they managed to carry it out of the way, while the two guards ran off. Within minutes, the way was clear, and Akoni’s soldiers streamed into the grounds of the castle and worked on breaking open the front door.

Akoni and his mounted retinue rode just far enough into the grounds to have an unobstructed view but stayed out of shooting distance of the castle. Focusing on his magic, Akoni prepared himself, one hand stretched out.

As soon as the soldiers came into range, archers appeared at the windows to shoot at them. Their arrows flew a few metres then stilled as if they had lodged inside an invisible obstacle. Every single arrow shot halted without reaching its intended target.

Many of their soldiers cast nervous glances at the arrows and at Akoni.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.