Duty

Chapter 58 Retaliations

...

It was the noise that woke up Joseph. Sleepily he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Had lord Iason returned already? It was highly unlikely. The fortification was a full day's ride and they had left only hours ago. Still, as steward, it was his task to check on the sounds. Perhaps there was someone in need.

Putting on a robe, he made his way to the gate.

Yes, there were clearly voices. Quietly he opened the small window in the gatedoor and peered out, but there was no one to see. With a frown he closed the window and opened the door instead. Cautiously he looked around. Morning was nearing and there was still fog in the air that made it difficult to see anything. He squinted his eyes. There. He could make out two shapes, trying to scale the wall.

"Hey!" he called out.

The two ignored him, so he called out again, taking a step further away from the gate.

What he saw then made his breath stock. It wasn't just the two men. He started counting. Ten, twelve, fifteen. All coming from the mist, carrying weapons, riding horses.

Balor had found them.

Joseph gasped and turned back to the gate when he heard a whizzing sound. Right after followed a blinding pain in his left shoulder. When he reached for it, his fingers came back red.

Joseph flinched and clawed his way back inside, forcing the door shut again. With his last strength he called out a warning before passing out.

...

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she was aware of were footstep outside her door and knocking.

"My lady!" Lykander called through the thick wood, "wake up! We are being attacked!"

Vara rushed to her feet and opened the door. "Attacked?" she questioned startled, "who?"

"Balor, my lady. Jospeh... Joseph is dead." He choked on the last words.

Vara shook her head and tried to process what he had told her. Boncini was under attack. Right when most of the soldiers were sent to aid the fortification. A day's ride from here.

"My lady," Lykander pressed.

"The gates," Vara said, "have they entered the gates?"

"Not yet, my lady. We are fending them off. All available soldiers are positioned, but without aid it is only a matter of time before our defenses are breached."

Vara ran a hand through her hair. "The village. What about the village?"

Lykander shook his head. "There is no way of knowing. We cannot get out at the moment to warn them."

She could feel the blood drain from her face. He was right. They were locked in. Boncini was only a small estate. It was by no means a fortress. "How? How did they know to attack us just when the soldiers have left?" But the answer was quite clear. Vara flinched. "The rider," she said, "where is he?"

"In one of the guestrooms, my lady," Lykander provided, "you don't think...?"

"Bring him to me," Vara said determined, "we will question him. The timing was too precise to be a coincidence. Gather the women and children and bring them into the main house. It will be safer for them here. "

Lykander bowed. "It will be done." He hurried away.

Vara closed her door and quickly got dressed. Time was of the essence now.

She had barely finished when Lykander and another soldier returned with the rider. He kneeled down at her feet and hung his head. "Forgive me, my lady. They took my son and my wife. They promised I would get them back if I lured the soldiers away from here."