"And have you dead on the side of the road?" She said, "I thought my mind was away from wandering to those ideas."
"I appreciate the thought, Trest. But this is not going to take a simple distraction. These are trained soldiers. Mordecai. If they'll chase after anyone, it would be because they thought you were a mage. And that is a death sentence, my friend. No, you will do no such thing." She continued on, her eyes not leaving Trest's face. Off in the distance of the gate she could hear Helen's voice raise, and the sounds of ramble begin to hum. They were listening, believing - It could mean a loss if they didn't, and many at Home had already lost so much. And Torri was damned they were going to lose more. Not today. Never today.
"We will find a way to deal with this. We have a couple hundred here, I won't be alone." But there among them were also women and children; the children hadn't been taught to fight, and neither would Torri allow it. The women on the other hand were just as good as the men, but some were parents - as were the men. This was one of the tough decisions she dreaded. Who would fight. They needed everyone able, no matter the cost.
Free Folk were begining to drain into the gate, and with them whatever belongings they could carry. Ruck sacks full of food, children carrying stuffed toys roughed with weather and travel. Some even packed up their fur tents and carried the material on their backs. These were her charges, Torri thought. Many saw her as they walked in, standing there in her fur and red hair. A stark contrast against the falling snow.
"Anyone not willing to fight, get inside the castle." She said, and gestured back towards the walls with a wave of her arm. A good portion of the Folk swarmed past, and what was left was perhaps a dozen unarmed men and women, and a kid about Jon's age.
"All right," She said, she would not judge these people willing to give up their lives for Home. They were brave souls, without a doubt. They were fires burning bright in darkness. And she would give it all to prevent them from being snuffed out. Baris, a large bald man with a thick mustache came up behind her pulling a wooden cart with him, supplied with weapons. Her ears caught the sound of the wheels squeaking, due for a new greasing, and the heavy thumps of Baris' feet against the freezing ground. A smile grew on Torri's face, wide but mirthless.
"You heard." She said.
"I heard." Baris nodded, "word doesn't have to travel far to reach my ears. Or anyone else. Jon told me, came running in all out of breath and I could barely get a proper word out of him. There's others coming, too."
She only nodded, she would let the relief she felt wash so eager over her face, her actions, her words. But she could not deny to herself that her heart was pounding fierce against her chest.
"We wouldn't leave you alone, Torri. We're all in this together." He said, and Torri knew he meant those words. Baris didn't say anything he didn't mean, that was a interesting quirk about the man. Often she went to him for advice, or when she needed a good kick in the head to bring her down from the clouds. If she had time, she would bring him into an embrace, like she did in normal circumstances. It embarrassed the man, but he allowed it.
Jon ran as soon as his mind acknowledged the word 'Mordecai' falling from the scout's lips. He was close enough to hear, and she did not care to keep quiet. His heart went to his throat, and his face paled to a sick white. The muscles in his legs tensed, and before he could think he found himself bolting away from the courtyard and Jinai, the ground crunching underneath his boots.
Mordecai. Mordecai. Mordecai!
He had never seen one in person, but he had heard stories. Many stories. They had filled him with a cold dread, and it all came rushing back as he ran. Jon made his way to the building beside the stables, and the horses whine in nervousness as he darted past. Out from the chimney black smoke rose from the structure. Without the magical protection of the wards around Home, it would have been seen from afar, as well as the others from the kitchens and fires outside the gate walls. Beacons. Leading everyone straight to them. In the face of Mordecai their protection could be taken away quicker than a lightning strike. He came in breathless, and wide-eyed, his hair stuck sloppy to the side of his face. Baris looked up at him from the forge, gripping onto the hilt of a hammer, below him on the anvil a red hot slab of steel glowed furious.
"What is it, boy?" He said. And Jon explained as well as he could, his tongue getting tangled on his words. Whatever little instinct that told him to seek out Baris had been correct. All Jon knew was that he was a reliable man, and seemed to know what he was doing all the time. Plus, he liked him. Anyone that called Jon 'boy' was Okay in his book. Baris told him to run and tell others, spread the word as quick as he could through the hallways, and he did. The word 'Mordecai' being enough to warn.
Afterwards Jon ran to grab his sword, feeling silly that he did not don it to begin with. What kind of Ranger was he? A stupid one. He fumbled with the clasp that wound the sheath strap around his torso, hands shaking enough to lose dexterity. Was he really that afraid? He didn't want to answer it, but he knew he felt like a child all over again, and if he told anyone, they would say he was one. When he managed to do up the clasp, he told himself he was a man of the Free Folk. Not a child. He would fight like they would. Die like they would.
I don't want to die. He couldn't help thinking.
The snow was falling heavier now, flakes were donning Torri's hair, and the cloaks of the Free Folk gathered in the Courtyard. She gazed at them with unwavering eyes, her lips pulled into a thin tight line.
"Those with military backgrounds, I want you take the front. You and you, you're appointed squad leaders, I believe in you to know when enter into the fray and when to pull out. The rest of you with little combat practice will hopefully not have to bloody your hands today. Now, can you fire an arrow? Good. Those that have some skill in archery take the look out posts and fire into the ground in front of the Mordecai when they come close as a warning shot. Most like this will not stop them, once our wards go, it will be obvious that there is magic afoot. A Mordecai's duty is to cull it. I want everyone to understand that it is either their lives or ours. We can't let them leave here alive."
It was a hard truth, but one that needed to be said out loud, even if in their hearts they knew it to be true. For the safety of Home, they couldn't let their existence be known to the Mordecai. It would be over for them. All of them. They had been harbouring unmarked mages who used their powers, they had magical wards - none of it would help deem them innocent in front of a grand court, if they were given such allowance. She doubted it.
"They're coming!" One in the lookout tower shouted. And Torri saw it to be true before the banners came into view from the gate.
Above them, it looked like the sky was cracking. Hairline fractures snaking its way through the faces of the dark clouds. In moments, light filled them like water being poured into a form. This was it. The pressure of the Bear was pushing against her instincts, ready to sate its blood-lust. A high pitched shriek erupted through the air, and the wards around them shattered falling down in pieces of fragmented light. She heard swords being drawn, and the losing of arrows.
She let go.
Torri's clothing tore away, and her body grew huge and filled out with fur. In moments, her screams died away and were replaced with unfettered growls that would shake the bones of any man. Her mind focussed on only one thing. Protect.
They were coming.
Jon had his bow in hand, and notched another arrow. There was at least a dozen men. He only saw one Mordecai donned in the armour of their cause. They rushed the gate, ignoring the arrows that he and the others on the lookout towers loosed. Jon couldn't keep his breath steady, all his shots were worthless and he was losing more than he gained. With his heart beating faster than he could ever imagine it to, he peered over the ledge and into the courtyard. The sound of steel rang together, and the great lumbering bear that was Torri had a man pinned under her paws, she had taken a grazing wound to the shoulder in the process - there wasn't even time to talk things out before the battle started, to barter their way out of the mess. As if they could, it was his own naive mind talking. There would be no mercy here. Not today.
Jon swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. He couldn't stay idle, and now the soldiers and the Free Folk were too close together, he couldn't risk hitting one of their own with an arrow. With his youthful abandon, and speed harrying his steps, he made his way down the lookout tower and drew his sword. The cold wind whipped around him, not held back by the walls of Home, but he couldn't feel it.
All he saw was the blood as one of the Free Folk was run through.