LIVE BY THE SWORD
Late Night of April 10 - Early Morning April 11
Written by Angmar
Standing in front of the men, The Captain gave them their last instructions before returning young Lord Atar to his father. Ceolwulf had been livid with rage when he learned that The Captain had no intentions of releasing the two women.
"Algund, you are a damned fool to hold the women," Ceolwulf protested. "There is no more certain way than this to have Lord Ashtum set his men and hounds upon our trail!"
The Captain laughed. "He will do that anyway, but by the time his men catch up with us, we will be far over the mountains in Dunland by the secret way that I have told you. Now the time for talking has come to an end. You, Mindon and Balrig are to take the Haradric whelp back to his father," he said as his cold eyes met Ceolwulf's blazing ones.
"Captain, do you not have one last shred of decency left in you!" Ceolwulf lashed out, his words as hot as his mood.
"Nay," he said. "If you continue your complaints, I will let the men share the women with me. Perhaps you would like to have Debanni. She is quite good sport," he sneered, "or perhaps you prefer the older one." His men laughed at Ceolwulf's embarassment. "Now learn your place, Ceolwulf. I am Captain of this band!"
"I curse the day I ever joined this band!" The Captain only looked at him and laughed again.
Atar was seated behind one of the outlaws and the group rode through the darkness of the next night to the clearing. The evening was very quiet, with not even the sound of a frog croaking in the brackish water of the stream to break the silence. Mindon and Balrig were assigned to hold the horses while Ceolwulf and The Captain led the lad to the clearing where he would be redeemed. The boy was defiant but silent as he had been commanded.
Ceolwulf touched the lad on the shoulder before they left the clearing. "I am sorry," he said, "sorry for everything."
The boy spat on his boots.
As he turned to follow The Captain out of the clearing, Ceolwulf thought he heard the sound of something in the dense woodland, but he pushed the thought from his mind. Silently, he and The Captain walked on the path out of the clearing when suddenly there was a rush amidst the trees and a voice commanded, "Atar, get down!"
Instinctively Ceolwulf's hand went to the hilt of his sword as an arrow struck a tree nearby and more arrows followed in a hail. He heard the sound of an arrow striking mail and The Captain gasped. "Run!" The Captain exclaimed, and his command was met by another hail of arrows and the sound of running feet behind. Ahead of him, The Captain stumbled to one knee, and then got back to his feet and, limping, started into a stumbling trot.
"Are you hurt?" Ceolwulf said in a whisper.
"Aye," The Captain said.
"Where?"
"My thigh!"
"Go ahead to the horses," Ceolwulf's voice was a quiet command. "I will catch up with you." Then turning, he faced their pursuers with sword drawn, the blade already glowing red, the hilt burning his hand.
Scarcely had Algund slipped out of sight through the trees when an attacker was upon Ceolwulf and sword clashed against sword. The madness was upon Ceolwulf once again as it always was when he wielded the sword. He quickly downed his assailant just in time for two others to be upon him. The sword cut through one of his attackers' arms like a knife going through butter, and his assailant fell groaning to the ground. His comrade's sword sliced perilously close to Ceolwulf's neck before the red blade felled him too. Ceolwulf stood waiting, his sword flashing in the pale moonlight, for the next assailant, but none were forthcoming, their courage lost at the sight of what had been done to their comrades and the fierce glowing sword in his hand.
Ceolwulf backed cautiously away on the path until at last he felt he was not being pursued. Then he turned his back and then he ran in the direction that The Captain had gone. When he reached the place where the horses waited, he saw The Captain mounted, hunched over the pommel of his saddle.
"There are more of them behind me," Ceolwulf said breathlessly as he mounted his horse. "Captain," he started to ask, but the other outlaws had already turned their horses and were riding away.
After they left the trees, the men urged their horses to a gallop and fled back to the camp of the outlaws where they knew fresh horses would be waiting for them. As The Captain tried to dismount his horse, he slid over the side of the saddle and fell to the ground on his stomach. Two men brought torches and by their light, Ceolwulf could see two arrows sticking out of The Captain's back and one out of his left thigh. Quickly Ceolwulf was off his horse and knelt beside the man. He and another outlaw rolled him to his side. "Long-bows," The Captain hissed.
"By Béma!" Ceolwulf exclaimed.
The Captain groaned. "There is no time to do anything for me. Run, all of you, and save yourselves!" Ceolwulf protested, and The Captain looked into his eyes. "It appears that you have just now become the leader of this band. Kill the Haradric dogs now for me!" The Captain gasped as he groped for Ceolwulf's arm. "And take the women... sell them in the slave market at..." his voice died away.
"I will take them to Rohan," he said quietly, "or to hell, whichever is closer." He walked away from the dying man and into the tent, where he found a frightened Debanni clinging to her mother.