The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 37)
We rode through the day, stopping briefly to rest when the horses were too lathered to go any further. As the sun was falling behind the trees, we noticed a small amount of movement ahead of us on the trail.
“Is that your caravan ahead?”
“It could very well be. Sir Pitre, could you use your sight and see if it is them?”
I entered the Euphoria and reached out for my stone. I wanted all the help I could get to see everything. It was the caravan, but something was wrong.
“They are under attack! Let’s go!”
I spurred my horse into a sprint. The caravan was nearly a half of a mile ahead, and we would need all speed to get to them to offer support. As I got closer I could see that it was another ambush, but this time it wasn’t archers, it was soldiers with swords and shields. The caravan was outnumbered and was falling to the advance of the Raiders. When I was a hundred yards from the battle, I reigned my horse to a stop, dismounted and sprinted into the thick of the fight. I drew both swords as I ran, my father’s in my right hand and mine in my left. The blades sprang to life in my hands and they wanted to be fed. I slashed through the thick of the Raiders, and the blood flowed like rain as it flung from my blades. I could see Sir Jacob holding a line of Targen Knights in the front of the battle. I cut a path through the Raiders to him.
“Sir Pitre!”
The other Knights took notice when Sir Jacob called out my name. I stood along side him and we began to advance through the Raiders. With each Raider that fell, the line of Knights would take a step forward. I noticed a ruckus from the back of the Raiders. Raiders there were turning and falling to some unseen force. I began advancing in that direction, my blades slicing through anything that stood in my way. I began to see what was causing all the commotion. It was Sir Paljin and Rolf. They were hitting the Raiders from behind and doing a great deal of damage. They had the element of surprise and I was going to make sure they continued to have it.
“AAARRRRRRRRRRRR”
I let out a roar to gather the attention of everyone within ear shot. It worked. The Raiders moved towards me, focusing all their attention on what they could see and hear, and not what was sneaking up to take them from behind. I spun and twirled taking 5 men with my blades. I advanced further towards the unseen assassins, continuing to draw attention to myself instead of them.
I didn’t notice that I had left the side of Sir Jacob and was now standing in the middle of a scrum of Raiders. I had all their attention and they began encircling me and leaving me room. They didn’t want to come near my blades. I slowly turned with my swords at my side. I surveyed the look on each man that stood at the front of the scrum. Fear was in their eyes, but it was a double layered fear. They had no choice but to advance on me. If they ran they would die anyway.
“Come on then. I haven’t got all night.”
The scrum advanced at once. My blades spun to action. My sword blocked blades as my father’s sword opened large wounds in those that got close enough. Bodies began to pile up around me in a circle. Raiders began tripping over their fallen brothers to meet a fate equal to those that laid on the ground. Swords began coming from a higher point. I would spin low, and then raise into a spinning leap that would knock swords away and leave the bearers open to the blade that would follow.
On one of those leaps I began to see that the Targen Knights had encircled the encircled. They had joined Rolf and Sir Paljin and began taking them from behind.
I had lost track of time, but it seemed like hours when I finally saw the first Knight burst through the line of Raiders that had surrounded me. It was Sir Jacob. He bashed a man to his left with his shield and stabbed the man to his right through the side. Both fell to the ground. The rest of the Knights broke through shortly after. The Raiders were all slain.
“Sir Pitre are you alright?”
“I’d say that the Patchwork Knight is looking better than the rest of us.”
“PATCHWORK KNIGHT, PATCHWORK KNIGHT, PATCHWORK KNGHT!”
All the Knights were shouting before I even had a chance to answer. I looked around and it wasn’t just the Knights, it was also the villagers that had survived the attack. I found Rolf and Sir Paljin in the crowd. Sir Paljin was raising his sword and thrusting it with each word. Rolf looked confused, but began doing likewise.
I began to see the carnage that was lying around me. Countless men laid dead at my feet. I could see the blood splattered on the Knights that were chanting for me, and the look of a mixture of fear and relief on all those that had to stand by awaiting what would happen to them if I or the Knights had failed. I raised my swords high in the air to get the chanting to stop. It stopped almost immediately when my swords reached their full height.
“You are the heroes of this day. You saved these people from an attack from archers and then held off an infantry of Raiders. These people standing here are alive because of your efforts. I only arrived to help, and I wasn’t alone.”
I waved for Sir Paljin and Rolf to come stand beside me.
“Your very own Sir Paljin who took an arrow in his effort to find me, rode into this battle alongside me. I would also like you to meet Rolf. He was a Raider.” The crowd let out a gasp at the sound of this.” Do not fear. I captured him at The Crossing, and when given a chance to run, he stayed and helped me tend to Sir Paljin’s wound. He also rode into this battle alongside of me, and fought against those men that were attacking you. He has chosen not to be a Raider, and we should see him as one of us.”
When I finished I began the chant of “Rolf and Paljin”, it took hold with the crowd and their names could be heard for miles.
For chapter 38 follow link below.
