Wrath by John Gwynne

Author:John Gwynne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2016-12-06T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTY

HAELAN

The sounds of battle and alarm echoed across the fortress as Haelan ran through the streets, Buddai and Pots either side of him.

What’s happening? Did Cywen’s plan go wrong?

He’d left Swain and Sif guarding Trigg, the half-giant bound wrist and ankle as they didn’t know what else to do with her. Cywen had gone earlier, saying she would be back with the rest of the prisoners, and that they should make ready to leave. That had felt like a very long time ago, and when the sounds of uproar echoed down to them and there was no sign of Cywen, Haelan decided he’d had enough of waiting.

He skirted the street that led to the herb garden and hospice, then slowed, smelling smoke and fire, hearing the sounds of battle, but the dogs ran on and so after a moment’s hesitation he followed and burst into a scene of madness.

The first thing he saw was dead bodies littering the ground, burned and blackened, some still smoking, then a fire blazing in the courtyard, all about it people locked in battle. One of them was Cywen, rolling on the ground with a Vin Thalun warrior. Buddai leaped towards them but the Vin Thalun was dead before he reached them.

Cywen staggered to her feet, looked down at the dead man as Haelan ran to her.

“You’re late,” he said. “I was worried.”

Hild saw him and gasped.

“Swain and Sif will be glad to see you,” he said to her.

“What?” she hissed.

“I didn’t want to tell you, for a host of reasons. Stab me later if you think I was wrong,” Cywen said to Hild as the older woman’s expression transformed between shock, joy and hope.

“What’s going on?” Haelan blurted, staring around. He saw prisoners fighting Vin Thalun, which he could understand, but there were also eagle-guard in the black and silver of Tenebral amongst the combatants, and they were also fighting Vin Thalun. Only a handful of paces away, one eagle-guard was in hand-to-hand combat with two Vin Thalun, though being outnumbered didn’t seem to be an issue for him. Even as Haelan watched, one Vin Thalun collapsed with blood spurting from his groin, the other falling as a shield rim smashed him in the mouth, teeth spraying. A quick downwards stab and then the eagle-guard was looking around, eyes fixing upon Cywen. He strode over.

“We have to go,” the eagle-guard said. “Balur’s diversion will be over soon, and we need to get to the gates before then.”

He’s on our side, then. What’s going on?

“How are you planning on getting us out of here, Veradis?” Cywen asked.

Veradis slipped a pack off of his bag, shook out a black cuirass and cloak, an iron helm, a scabbarded short sword and belt.

“Brought you all a change of clothes,” he said with a brief smile. “We’ll be walking out the front door.”

“Swain and Sif,” Hild said to them all, “where are they?”

“Back at the den,” Cywen said. “We were attempting an escape tonight, but not through the front gates,” she told Veradis.

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