Part 4: Final Call
Dux's trick had worked. Regis had won, and Tyrannus' champion now lay headless on the ground. Unfortunately, this of course meant that all terms of surrender were now null and void.
"Get them! Kill them! Kill them all!" Tyrannus was screaming bloody murder on the other side of the courtyard, held back by Custodia as she dragged him away. The rebels, however, had charged straight into the Vangen line.
Dux shouted orders over the chaos. Iron clashed against iron, as arrows sang in the sky above. Men screamed and died. But the Vangen were holding the line. For now, at least.
A rebel appeared in Dux's view wielding a stolen short sword. He slashed at Dux, stabbed at him with the grace of someone wholly unfamiliar with the weight. Dux batted the blade aside quickly and buried his ax in the rebel's chest. Deftly he ripped the weapon out and turned, catching another rebel in the neck, sending their head flying into the crowd.
Nido's tits, but there were a lot of damned rebels to cut through. The Vangen may have had superior tactics and arms but throw enough bodies into the mix, and something was bound to choke. Dux needed to act fast before the whole damn line collapsed.
Pulling out the warhorn, he blew three sharp notes, the sign to rally, hoping the sound would cut through the noise around him. "Regis!" He yelled before severing a rebel's arm from the socket. "Regis! Where are you, Gods damn it?"
Dux was given an answer shortly. Regis came barreling through the Vangen line. One hand wielding Giantsbane, practically soaked in blood. The other securing Magus over his shoulder.
Dux felt his stomach drop. Magus wasn't moving, his face deathly pale and caked with dirt and blood. He'd only caught a glimpse of what had happened between him and Aeturnus before Tyrannus had fouled up the whole thing. Shit had gone from bad to worse, it seemed.
"We need to get out of here!" Regis yelled before stabbing a rebel and kicking him away from the line. "There's too many of them!"
"Then get Gate Secondus open!" Dux ordered. Regis charged past, moving up with the auxiliary.
Dux returned to the line, banging his ax against his shield for all to hear. "Hold the line! Drive these cowards back! Show them what the might of the Vangen truly means!"
Another wave of rebels crashed into the Vangen line only to be cut down in droves. Dux shoved a body aside just as another rebel came barrelling in, only to tumble dead from an arrow to the back. Lady Kent's levies were undoubtedly pulling their weight right now. Out of the remaining Vangen, only a quarter knew how to use a bow effectively. Something Dux planned to rectify once everything was said and done.
The next wave of rebels came harder than the last. This time pushing the Vangen line back, creeping dangerously close to Second Gate's massive stone doors. So close that he could see the Vangen soldiers fiddling at the wheel lock to the gatehouse.
"What's taking so long?" Dux yelled.
"Chain's caught!" One of the men yelled. "It won't release!"
"Well, bloody fecking fix it!" Of all the times for a mechanism to fail, it had to be this one. Rebels to the front. Stone doors to the back, and the only thing separating Dux from life or death was a rusty chain. Just his luck.
Regis shoved the man aside, "We don't have time for this." He swung Giantsbane against the chain, and the rusty iron shattered instantly. The wheel lock buckled and began to spin violently. The counterweight above came crashing down moments later, wrenching the left gate open with a terrible grinding sound.
"Let's go!" Regis yelled as he charged through the opening, disappearing beyond.
"Fall back!" Dux blew into the warhorn again, filling the air with a long drawn out note. Step by step, the Vangen line began their withdrawal against the rebel horde. Dux held fast in the front, cutting down any gold masked bastard who thought themselves brave or stupid enough to charge him. The ground began to grow slick and congested with blood and bodies, the rebels having to clamor over the piling dead just to reach the Vangen.
A hand clapped Dux's shoulder. "Last line." A petty officer yelled over the din before disappearing behind the door. This was it then—time to call for a full retreat.
Dux twirled his ax in the air. "Form up to me! Form up!" The Vangen line folded back towards the door, first the left edge than the right with Dux in the center. "Move together!" Like a well-rehearsed Byzantian play, the soldiers moved in perfect unison as they retreated behind the door, batting away the rebel attacks with their shields.
Once they'd reached the other side, the line reformed, bottlenecking the entrance. "Hold the rebels back, brothers! Keep them at bay until I call for a retreat!" Dux yelled as he broke away and jogged towards Regis and the other Vangen at Gate Tertius.
Despite everything that had happened so far, Dux couldn't have been happier with the results. Aeturnus was dead, freeing the Vangen of any worry that the monster might have done to the other gates. Only Tyrannus and Custodia were left now, the former more of a danger than the latter, but the latter the only one left capable enough of leading the rebels effectively. Without Custodia, the rebellion was nothing more than a disorganized mob, something that Dux had used to his advantage.
Magus, though, Dux didn't want to think about it right now. He knew the consequences of getting involved. Knew what it meant to join the Vangen, and if it came down to it, knew when the ultimate sacrifice was needed. Dux would have done the same if it came down to it.
Screams could be heard ahead. The familiar spears of Hallan's men towered over the Vangen line in front of him. Why the hells were they outside instead of guarding the palace? Dux had given Lord Hallan and his Captain strict instructions. His question was answered quickly when orders were shouted, and the spears were leveled against the retreating Vangen.
"Hallan!" Dux realized too late as he pushed himself to run faster. "You traitorous snake!"
*
The descent back down to the palace gates was taking longer than Libro realized. The moment he, Civis, and Nox had seen the ballista bolt impact against the giant, they'd ran back as quickly as possible.
"Dux should be calling the retreat by now." Libro puffed as he ran down the stairs two steps at a time.
"Hard to say," Civis said between breaths. "Hopefully, our little surprise shook up the rebellion just enough to give Regis the chance to escape."
"He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."
"He's not the one I'm worried about," Civis retorted. "Did you even see the state Magus was on when Dux released him from the dungeons? He looked like he was one step away from taking a dirt nap, and he's down there in the thick of it right now."
Libro chewed at his lip. "I'm sure he's okay. Dux wouldn't let anything happen to him."
"Dux has no say in the matter." Nox said from the back.
"Well, you don't have to spell it out for us." Civis chastised.
"What did he say?" Libro asked, though judging from Nox's tone, it was nothing good.
"Trust me. You don't want to know."
Libro was practically gasping for air when he'd finally reached the bottom of the stairs. They were close to the meeting hall now, just down the hallway before them. Keeping pace with the others, he ran past the paintings he'd seen last time. The portrait of Elena's look-a-like was gone now, replaced with someone else. Even more so, the door to the room where he'd found the Empress was missing.
More tricks it seemed. Libro was already getting tired of them. Ever since he'd fallen into the Basba, the Empress had seen fit to taunt and tease, to build him up and tear him down as if he were a doll to be played with.
The thought made his heart twist in his chest. He looked down at the gauntlet, imagining it wrapping around the Empress's throat. It would have been so easy. All he'd have to do was reach out and—,
No. Libro pulled his hand back, not realizing he'd had it out, fingers clenched around nothing. No, he couldn't—wouldn't do such a thing. The very thought alone was reason enough to have his head put on a spike. He was just angry. And anger had a way of clouding his judgment. He needed to focus on the task at hand.
"Just past here." Civis charged up ahead past Libro, pointing to the curve in the hallway. "Then, we can link up with Lord Hallan and his men." Libro hastened to keep up with Civis, only to be lurched back along with him. They slammed into the nearby wall, held back by Nox.
"What are you—." Civis began to say, only to have his mouth clamped shut.
Nox held a finger to his lips. "Quiet," he said before cupping a hand over his ear. "Listen"
Civis' eyebrows bunched together with frustration, but he nodded wordlessly. Only then did Nox let him go. Slowly, Civis peered over the threshold.
"What's going on?" Libro whispered.
"Hallan's garrison is missing," Civis muttered towards him. "There's only a handful of his men with him. Looks like he and Lady Kent are arguing as well. I don't know, but I think Nox has the right idea. Something doesn't feel right."
Nox nodded in agreement. "Gut feeling?" he whispered.
"Perhaps," Civis said. "I have noticed some bad blood between Lord Hallan and Captain Dux lately. Wouldn't put it past him honestly, but at a time like this, though? What the seven hells is he even thinking?"
"What are you talking about?" Libro hissed, wishing desperately that the two would just speak in plain fecking Byzan for once.
Civis glared over at him. "Get the ink out of your ears bookworm and listen for once. We think Lord Hallan's up to something. Don't know, but something just doesn't feel right."
"Let me see." Libro ignored the jab and made his way over. He crouched low, taking a look past the corner. Indeed, what Civis had said was true. Only a small coterie of spearmen stood with Lord Hallan. The rest had gone off to who knows where. Lady Kent was standing nearby, her face as bright red as her hair. Even with some restraint, she looked damn near close to strangling Lord Hallan right then and there. The man in question had his arms folded, looking down at her and muttering something that Libro couldn't hear.
"See it now?" Civis hissed.
"Yeah, you're right," Libro muttered. "Something is definitely off here."
"What are they arguing?" Nox asked.
"I don't know," Civis peeled back, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "Simply running in would be a fool's errand, but if we're wrong about Lord Hallan, that could make things worse for us later on."
Libro didn't want to agree, but Civis was right. Though the Vangen had no qualms with politics, declaring Lord Hallan, a traitor to the crown, was not a smart move. He racked his brains for answers, trying to figure out exactly the best plan was when he noticed a familiar figure standing amongst Hallan's spearman.
"I have a plan," Libro piped up.
"Civis gave him an incredulous look. "Last time you had a plan, it nearly got both of us killed."
"That was then Civis," Libro looked up at him. "And this is now. For once in your life, I need you to trust me."
Civis opened his mouth to speak before he was cut short by Nox tapping him on the shoulder. "Trust, brother." He said, his familiar smile etched on his lips. Whether Civis did or not, he finally relented.
"Ah seven hells. Fine. Tell me this plan of yours."