The Chronicles of Protan (Book 1): The Shadowed Man

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Breeana maneuvered between the bush and darkness stealthily on her haunches. The unit assigned to her was stationed at the north end of The House of Yakuza. Their objective was diversion, as Connor’s unit was to penetrate the main entrance once attention was focused on the potential attack at the rear of the palace. It would have just been a matter of simple authoritative and legal action to cease the palace from Yakuza, with no bloodshed. However, Sar wanted the palace neutralized of any possible threats rising from the aftermath of Yung’s deception. Therefore, military units were dispatched instead of those of the law and order, or what was left of it in The Creek Realm. The units would eliminate security and arrest surrendering employees.

The north wall was tightly guarded due to the fact that the river that once flowed with deceivingly rough currents now laid bare. Once an ideal barricade from any type of attack on the palace, was now a menacing terrain with reeds that stood two metres high, and when darkness fell, it was difficult to tell reed from creature or native.

Breeana and her unit stayed out of sight as they approached earlier, undetected to the guards and archers on the towers and wall. They had come to a silent halt after they had counted their paces to a strategically determined area within the reeds, void of any traps set by Yakuza’s guards. Breeana sat still on her haunches, waiting, as her archers crept to their position. The colour of the reeds blended with that of the warrior bows in the miniscule amount of moonlight that shone through the dense cloud cover. A pack of twenty of the best archers from Sar’s army sat in a straight line, one knee to the dirt, targeting a victim, or a precise location for a grapple area for the hooks on the one hundred metre high wall.

They stood ready. Breeana watched them draw their arrows tightly. With a twig in her hand, she had been counting backwards from ten in her head as she watched them intently in front of her. As she reached nol, zero in English, she snapped it.

One by one, from left to right, the swishing of launched arrows could be heard flying from ground level. The first yell of agony came naturally from the left tower. Distant clanking sounds could be heard of the hooks hitting their destination. Breeana’s archers stapled the ropes to the ground, and continued to draw arrows from their quivers to fire. Confused, louder and multiple voices could be heard across the wall as orders were being barked. This was when Breeana signaled the archer closest to her with a tap on his shoulder.

He drew an oil-drenched, cotton wrapped arrow, and a partner close to him struck two rocks together to create a spark. Breeana crept over to her first lieutenant, and simply drew one of her dual katana swords. He drew his weapon, and so the rest of the line continued in an unsheathing chain reaction. Once it reached the last of the twenty, the first flamed arrow had fired to the left tower. Nineteen more followed in quick succession, lighting up the dark night sky momentarily with a brilliant orange flickering light. 

The smoke rising from the flame that lit the top of the wall, gave the signal for Connor and his unit to proceed, and they did so with precision, making easy work of the unprepared guards at the main gate, and swarming the palace interior with thirty swordsmen in tow. They made their way for the main throne room and dungeons.  

Guards and archers rained upon Breeana’s unit from the large rear gate of the palace, and from the wall above. Her unit charged them with her katanas leading their spearheaded attack. Most arrows swooshed by, others her and those by her side parried away with their shields and her blades. The arrows ceased after a matter of seconds, as Breeana’s accurate archers made quick work of them.

Breeana clashed with the first guard, crashing through his shield with a smash from her right sword, blocking his thrust with her left. A few grunting seconds went passed before she broke their power struggle, pushing his arms up, leaving his guard wide open, and plunged her swords straight through his mid section. She pulled them from him quickly, advancing on the next two spinning her body and swinging her weapons laterally. The power of the swing pummeled the two guards back, their velocity hurling them into six of their own. She stepped forward into a block of another attacking thrust, crossing her swords, pushing up and releasing his guard and kicking furiously, winding him and cracking a few bones on impact.