Post by Ahryantah on Jul 13, 2004 15:07:16 GMT -5
The scene: Atro and Jay are out walking when they run into trouble.
***
Jay sheathed her dagger and stalked out of the tent, Atro following her. Outside, Atro spotted the two guards the emperor had assigned to guard him. He had not exonerated publicly yet, and there were still those who could recognize him and turn him over to Lindjer. Jay had scoffed at the guards, insisting that she was all the protection he needed.
The fact that she was probably right did not sit well with Atro at all.
“I’m hungry,” he said as soon as he saw the guards headed in his direction. “We could go to a tavern, get a drink?”
“It is forbidden for the Sun Guard to drink alcohol,” Jay sniffed.
“Of course it is,” said Atro. “Let’s just get something to eat, all right?”
Jay opened her mouth to answer, but whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a deep ringing that suddenly reverberated throughout the city. Jay jumped, drew a dagger, and twirled around.
“What was that?” she said.
“The palace bell,” said Atro. “It would only be rung if something bad had happened.” He thought of the emperor, who had gone to see Lindjer that morning. “I knew I should have gone with him,” he muttered.
The emperor’s two guards, nearly within reach of Atro and Jay, froze when they heard the bells, and turned as one toward the palace, giving each other looks Atro couldn’t decipher. Then he noticed that another two guards were headed in their direction.
“Hail,” said one of Atro’s guards, briefly striking his chest with his right fist. “What news?”
The approaching guards nodded at the gesture and one said, “Terrible news. The emperor is dead.”
Atro heard a loud gasp and looked at Jay, but her face was more grim than surprised. Then he realized the gasp had come from him, and now all four guards were looking at him. The world seemed to swim for a moment as Atro processed what he had just heard. The emperor was dead. What would this mean? He vaguely heard Jay calling him, and he blinked and managed to focus on the guards. “What happened?”
“Treachery,” said the new guard who had spoken before. He had bright red hair that spilled out from underneath his helmet. His silent companion, easily a head taller than even Atro, nodded stoically.
“What?” exclaimed one of Atro’s guards. He hadn’t bothered to learn their names, and neither had many distinguishing characteristics. “What sort of treachery?”
“Prince Ewo is now Emperor of Ceenta Vowei,” said the red-headed guard, ignoring the other guard’s question. “He has sent us here to carry out his first order.”
Atro, in a sudden moment of insight, knew what was coming.
“We are to arrest these two for the murder of Emperor Sheldon,” the tall guard finally spoke.
“How is that possible?” said one of Atro’s guards. “The both of them have been in our sight nearly the whole day . . .”
It happened quickly. The tall guard swung his pike, bashing both of Atro’s guards, neither of which were wearing helmets, over the head. They both dropped to the ground and the tall guard focused on Atro.
“Run!” Atro yelled at Jay, but she had already sprung into action. With a war cry she unsheathed two daggers and ran at the tall guard, easily dodging when he, seemingly surprised at the woman’s attack, swung his pike at her wildly. He howled in pain as one dagger sliced into his unprotected left arm, leaving a bright red line.
The red-headed guard drew his sword and Atro, looking around for a weapon and finding none, ran up behind him and threw a fist at the back of the guard’s head. The guard turned, swinging his sword, and Atro ducked, throwing himself to the ground.
He rolled away as the guard swung the sword at his head, and then another roar of pain reached his ears. The red-headed guard was on the ground, a dagger hilt sticking out of the back of his calf.
“Thank you, Jay,” Atro breathed, standing up. She was standing to the left of him, the thrown dagger already replaced by another from her belt. The tall guard was threatening her with his pike, keeping her a good distance from him. Jay spared Atro a glance and reached into her belt, tossing him a dagger.
“You’ve said you’re a knight, now prove your worth!” she shouted at him.
She thinks it’s all a game, Atro thought, catching the dagger neatly out of the air. In one motion he turned and brought the dagger down into the red-headed guard’s throat. Blood spurted, splashing the front of Atro’s tunic with red. He stepped back in shock as the crimson warmth permeated his clothing and stuck to his skin. He hadn’t known that was going to happen. Regaining his concentration, he looked back at Jay. The tall guard was still holding her off. Atro glanced at the dagger he had planted into the red-headed guard’s throat, but he could not bring himself to touch it. He saw the guard’s sword on the ground next to its former owner, and he reached for it. Intending to help Jay he turned toward the tall guard, brandishing the sword. Before he could act, however, Jay feinted left and the tall guard lunged at her. She neatly sidestepped him and got under his guard, within stabbing distance.
For one moment Atro believed they had won. One guard was dead, the other soon would be. But at that moment Jay hesitated, her dagger poised at the guard’s heart. The guard stepped back and brought his pike around, catching her knees. She fell to the ground with a grunt of surprise and the guard swung his pike, bringing the point to her throat.
“No!” Atro screamed as the guard moved to slash Jay’s throat. Atro positioned the sword, but he knew he wouldn’t get to Jay in time. In desperation, he remembered his prison escape and called Fire to the tall guard’s pike.
The ploy worked. The guard cried out in surprise as his pike ignited and an ember landed on his uniform sleeve, burning a hole through the material. He dropped the pike. Atro expected Jay to make her move, but she only lay on the ground, staring at him with wide eyes.
Atro rushed the guard himself, swinging the sword around to bring it down upon the guard’s head. The guard saw and ducked at the last moment, so that Atro’s swing went wild. Atro stumbled, his back momentarily to the guard, and the guard brought his arm down on Atro’s back. Atro cried out and fell to the ground, rolling over. Through pain-hazed eyes he saw that this seemed to have finally snapped Jay out of her hesitation, and now she was circling the guard again, one dagger held ready to throw.
Atro lurched to his feet, his right hand still gripping the sword. He noticed there was no one near the fight. The Fair goers had all withdrawn to a safe distance, and there was a wide circle of people clustered all around, watching the battle. Atro noticed that someone was trying to break through the clusters, and as they succeeded he saw they were more guards. He groaned, and positioned himself to challenge them. His heart sank as more and more guards kept coming. There were too many.
Then he noticed the insignia of the cedar tree on their brown uniforms. Not the emperor’s guards. The Councilor’s. Atro felt suddenly hopeful. It was their job to keep the peace. Maybe they had come to end the fight.
His hopes were dashed, however, as several guards came at him and at least a dozen more ran toward Jay. Atro swung his sword at the guards who came his way, but they quickly surrounded him, brandishing their own weapons. He circled, meeting each of them, but there were too many. Two guards he had his back to grabbed his shoulders and one in front of him quickly and efficiently disarmed him. Atro kicked out as the guards who held his shoulders latched onto his arms, yanking them behind him and clasping his wrists in chains. One guard swung his sword, smacking the broad end against Atro’s legs. Atro, in pain, stopped kicking, and the guards took the opportunity to chain his ankles.
He knew from Jay’s screams that she was still fighting. Fighting, and probably losing. The guards shoved him so that he turned and could see her. Five guards here holding her down, but she was struggling so hard they were having difficulty doing so.
“It would be easier to kill her,” one of the guards grunted.
“The Councilor wants her alive,” said another. “Kandel’s offering a substantial reward for her capture.”
Hearing this seemed to defeat Jay. She finally lay still, panting, and the guards shackled her wrists and ankles as they had Atro.
“Clear the way!” someone shouted, and a path formed as the spectators moved to either side of another group of guards on horses.
“Put them there,” said the guard at the head of the group, pointing to two riderless horses led by the other guards. He had a red stripe adorning his brown uniform, marking him as the captain. “Take them to the Court Prison.”
Atro was thrown unceremoniously over one of the horses like a sack. He heard a grunt as Jay was dumped on the other horse. The guards turned the horses around, and for a moment Atro and Jay were face to face.
“Some kind of knight you are,” she said, her eyes burning. Then the horse turned away and he did not see her again.
***
Jay sheathed her dagger and stalked out of the tent, Atro following her. Outside, Atro spotted the two guards the emperor had assigned to guard him. He had not exonerated publicly yet, and there were still those who could recognize him and turn him over to Lindjer. Jay had scoffed at the guards, insisting that she was all the protection he needed.
The fact that she was probably right did not sit well with Atro at all.
“I’m hungry,” he said as soon as he saw the guards headed in his direction. “We could go to a tavern, get a drink?”
“It is forbidden for the Sun Guard to drink alcohol,” Jay sniffed.
“Of course it is,” said Atro. “Let’s just get something to eat, all right?”
Jay opened her mouth to answer, but whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a deep ringing that suddenly reverberated throughout the city. Jay jumped, drew a dagger, and twirled around.
“What was that?” she said.
“The palace bell,” said Atro. “It would only be rung if something bad had happened.” He thought of the emperor, who had gone to see Lindjer that morning. “I knew I should have gone with him,” he muttered.
The emperor’s two guards, nearly within reach of Atro and Jay, froze when they heard the bells, and turned as one toward the palace, giving each other looks Atro couldn’t decipher. Then he noticed that another two guards were headed in their direction.
“Hail,” said one of Atro’s guards, briefly striking his chest with his right fist. “What news?”
The approaching guards nodded at the gesture and one said, “Terrible news. The emperor is dead.”
Atro heard a loud gasp and looked at Jay, but her face was more grim than surprised. Then he realized the gasp had come from him, and now all four guards were looking at him. The world seemed to swim for a moment as Atro processed what he had just heard. The emperor was dead. What would this mean? He vaguely heard Jay calling him, and he blinked and managed to focus on the guards. “What happened?”
“Treachery,” said the new guard who had spoken before. He had bright red hair that spilled out from underneath his helmet. His silent companion, easily a head taller than even Atro, nodded stoically.
“What?” exclaimed one of Atro’s guards. He hadn’t bothered to learn their names, and neither had many distinguishing characteristics. “What sort of treachery?”
“Prince Ewo is now Emperor of Ceenta Vowei,” said the red-headed guard, ignoring the other guard’s question. “He has sent us here to carry out his first order.”
Atro, in a sudden moment of insight, knew what was coming.
“We are to arrest these two for the murder of Emperor Sheldon,” the tall guard finally spoke.
“How is that possible?” said one of Atro’s guards. “The both of them have been in our sight nearly the whole day . . .”
It happened quickly. The tall guard swung his pike, bashing both of Atro’s guards, neither of which were wearing helmets, over the head. They both dropped to the ground and the tall guard focused on Atro.
“Run!” Atro yelled at Jay, but she had already sprung into action. With a war cry she unsheathed two daggers and ran at the tall guard, easily dodging when he, seemingly surprised at the woman’s attack, swung his pike at her wildly. He howled in pain as one dagger sliced into his unprotected left arm, leaving a bright red line.
The red-headed guard drew his sword and Atro, looking around for a weapon and finding none, ran up behind him and threw a fist at the back of the guard’s head. The guard turned, swinging his sword, and Atro ducked, throwing himself to the ground.
He rolled away as the guard swung the sword at his head, and then another roar of pain reached his ears. The red-headed guard was on the ground, a dagger hilt sticking out of the back of his calf.
“Thank you, Jay,” Atro breathed, standing up. She was standing to the left of him, the thrown dagger already replaced by another from her belt. The tall guard was threatening her with his pike, keeping her a good distance from him. Jay spared Atro a glance and reached into her belt, tossing him a dagger.
“You’ve said you’re a knight, now prove your worth!” she shouted at him.
She thinks it’s all a game, Atro thought, catching the dagger neatly out of the air. In one motion he turned and brought the dagger down into the red-headed guard’s throat. Blood spurted, splashing the front of Atro’s tunic with red. He stepped back in shock as the crimson warmth permeated his clothing and stuck to his skin. He hadn’t known that was going to happen. Regaining his concentration, he looked back at Jay. The tall guard was still holding her off. Atro glanced at the dagger he had planted into the red-headed guard’s throat, but he could not bring himself to touch it. He saw the guard’s sword on the ground next to its former owner, and he reached for it. Intending to help Jay he turned toward the tall guard, brandishing the sword. Before he could act, however, Jay feinted left and the tall guard lunged at her. She neatly sidestepped him and got under his guard, within stabbing distance.
For one moment Atro believed they had won. One guard was dead, the other soon would be. But at that moment Jay hesitated, her dagger poised at the guard’s heart. The guard stepped back and brought his pike around, catching her knees. She fell to the ground with a grunt of surprise and the guard swung his pike, bringing the point to her throat.
“No!” Atro screamed as the guard moved to slash Jay’s throat. Atro positioned the sword, but he knew he wouldn’t get to Jay in time. In desperation, he remembered his prison escape and called Fire to the tall guard’s pike.
The ploy worked. The guard cried out in surprise as his pike ignited and an ember landed on his uniform sleeve, burning a hole through the material. He dropped the pike. Atro expected Jay to make her move, but she only lay on the ground, staring at him with wide eyes.
Atro rushed the guard himself, swinging the sword around to bring it down upon the guard’s head. The guard saw and ducked at the last moment, so that Atro’s swing went wild. Atro stumbled, his back momentarily to the guard, and the guard brought his arm down on Atro’s back. Atro cried out and fell to the ground, rolling over. Through pain-hazed eyes he saw that this seemed to have finally snapped Jay out of her hesitation, and now she was circling the guard again, one dagger held ready to throw.
Atro lurched to his feet, his right hand still gripping the sword. He noticed there was no one near the fight. The Fair goers had all withdrawn to a safe distance, and there was a wide circle of people clustered all around, watching the battle. Atro noticed that someone was trying to break through the clusters, and as they succeeded he saw they were more guards. He groaned, and positioned himself to challenge them. His heart sank as more and more guards kept coming. There were too many.
Then he noticed the insignia of the cedar tree on their brown uniforms. Not the emperor’s guards. The Councilor’s. Atro felt suddenly hopeful. It was their job to keep the peace. Maybe they had come to end the fight.
His hopes were dashed, however, as several guards came at him and at least a dozen more ran toward Jay. Atro swung his sword at the guards who came his way, but they quickly surrounded him, brandishing their own weapons. He circled, meeting each of them, but there were too many. Two guards he had his back to grabbed his shoulders and one in front of him quickly and efficiently disarmed him. Atro kicked out as the guards who held his shoulders latched onto his arms, yanking them behind him and clasping his wrists in chains. One guard swung his sword, smacking the broad end against Atro’s legs. Atro, in pain, stopped kicking, and the guards took the opportunity to chain his ankles.
He knew from Jay’s screams that she was still fighting. Fighting, and probably losing. The guards shoved him so that he turned and could see her. Five guards here holding her down, but she was struggling so hard they were having difficulty doing so.
“It would be easier to kill her,” one of the guards grunted.
“The Councilor wants her alive,” said another. “Kandel’s offering a substantial reward for her capture.”
Hearing this seemed to defeat Jay. She finally lay still, panting, and the guards shackled her wrists and ankles as they had Atro.
“Clear the way!” someone shouted, and a path formed as the spectators moved to either side of another group of guards on horses.
“Put them there,” said the guard at the head of the group, pointing to two riderless horses led by the other guards. He had a red stripe adorning his brown uniform, marking him as the captain. “Take them to the Court Prison.”
Atro was thrown unceremoniously over one of the horses like a sack. He heard a grunt as Jay was dumped on the other horse. The guards turned the horses around, and for a moment Atro and Jay were face to face.
“Some kind of knight you are,” she said, her eyes burning. Then the horse turned away and he did not see her again.
