Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [92]
“Better get to sleep,” James announces when the song is finally over. “I’d like to get an early start tomorrow.” Some grumble about having to turn in, but most take it in stride. The only ones who don’t seem to mind are Cassie and Tinok, who readily lay down together. Cassie lays her head on his chest and quickly falls asleep.
James looks over and sees Tinok’s head up and he’s looking around.
“What’s the matter?” James asks him.
He gestures to Cassie sleeping on his chest and then whispers, “I gotta go pee!”
James tries to hide his amusement but fails as he just shrugs his shoulders at Tinok’s predicament.
He starts to get up and Cassie wakes up. “I’ll be right back,” he assures her.
She lays her head down on the ground and says, “Hurry up.”
In no time at all, he’s back and she lays her head down on his chest again.
James lies down and continues to chuckle as he begins to fall asleep.
Ahhhh!
A cry in the night startles James awake just in time to see Qynn fall into the fire with an arrow piercing his chest. Without thought, he causes a great burst of light to explode over the camp and in that brief instance, sees a dozen or more attackers approaching from all directions.
Everyone comes awake when the light bursts overhead.
“We’re under attack!” he yells as he gets up, trying to find the bowman.
Everyone bursts into action, the girls hiding under a wagon while the guys all grab their weapons and move to engage the enemy. With light to see by, the surprise the attackers held in the dark is now gone. The pit fighters rush to engage the attackers, wreaking havoc with skills honed by years in the pits.
James locates two bowmen who each get an arrow off before James has a chance to take them out. An attacker is rushing him and is almost upon him when a knife flies out from the camp, imbedding itself through the man’s left eye. He turns and sees Shorty standing atop a wagon as he lets fly another knife at an approaching attacker.
Scar and Potbelly are standing back to back as they hold off three attackers while Jiron and Tinok are busy slicing and dicing ones of their own. He looks to see Stig engaged with a large attacker wielding a longsword. Stig deflects the thrust of the man’s sword with his shield and then follows through with his mace, pulping the man’s face. Seeing Scar and Potbelly engaged with three, he runs over to render aid.
Scar, with both swords weaving a pattern of death, takes out one of the ones pressing him and Potbelly. Turning to engage the other, he watches as a hole opens up in the man’s chest, blood and gore spraying out his back. He looks behind him and sees James there with another slug as he prepares to take out another attacker. Between Potbelly and himself, they quickly take out the last of the attackers near them before Stig has a chance to join them.
Scar quickly looks around for another to engage but all he sees are dead bandits lying everywhere. Shorty jumps off the wagon and races over to where Qynn is burning in the fire and pulls him out. The smell of burnt flesh and hair permeates the entire area.
“Tinok!” he hears Delia’s anguished cry. He looks over and sees her cradling Cassie’s head in her lap, blood from where an arrow sticks out of her stomach rapidly spreading across her dress.
“Cassie!” Tinok’s cry echoes across the battlefield as he races over to her.
He drops to his knees, tears falling from his eyes as he looks to Delia. She just shakes her head.
“Tinok,” Cassie says weakly when she sees him there.
“Yes, my dearest,” he says, trying to hold back the sobs.
“I can’t wait to be your wife,” she says, distantly.
“You will be soon,” he says as he takes her into his arms,