Jeff Salyards - Veil of the Deserters

Advancing, the Brunesman changed his guard, raising his weapon above his head, and Braylar shifted his shield slightly as he started sliding to his right. The Brunesman altered the angle, moving with Braylar, and then came in fast, the axe rising a bit higher before coming straight down. Braylar had already stepped back out of range, but the Brunesman slowed the descent and then thrust the long weapon more quickly than I expected possible.

Braylar’s shield snapped down, pushed the tip aside, and I thought he might advance as well, try to close the distance in order to bloody Blood-sounder again. But the Brunesman had his axe up as he took another step in. Braylar was attempting to move out of range but couldn’t avoid the blow entirely-he had to block it with his shield, though he didn’t take the weapon on directly, but deflected it and then stepped back and to his right.

I took aim, seeing a brief opportunity, but as the combatants shifted I jerked the crossbow up as I squeezed the long trigger, fearing I would hit the captain, and the bolt flew harmlessly off into the distance.

Braylar continued to circle, just outside the Brunesman’s range, but also well outside his own range of being able to deliver any kind of blow. I wondered why he didn’t try to close the space-was it respect for the weapon, or the man wielding it? Was he simply measuring his opponent, pacing the blows and movement and looking for the right opening to exploit?

The Brunesman came in again, guard high, feinted a blow coming left to right, then changed course, cutting the opposite way as he stepped in. Braylar knocked it aside, stepped out of range and avoided the next blow completely, and then came forward fast. The Brunesman attacked, Braylar blocked, but the Brunesman turned his weapon and caught the back of Braylar’s shield with the curved point at the rear of the axehead, jerked it hard, pulling Braylar off balance slightly.

The captain slipped on the grass and fell to his knee.

He was scrambling to get back to his feet, but the Brunesman didn’t miss his opportunity. With surprising speed, the large blade rose and fell, and this time, being half on the ground, Braylar wasn’t able to slip the blow or merely turn it. The axe head came down and sent wood chips flying as it nearly shattered Braylar’s shield.

The Brunesman attacked again, axe blade quickly rising up and down, ready to cleave the captain in twain. Braylar rolled to his right, barely dodging the weapon as the axe bit into the earth like a plow head. The Brunesman brought it up to strike again, grass and dirt flying from the blade as Braylar got to his feet, retreating a few steps to shake the ruined shield off his arm and draw his suroka.

He crouched, Bloodsounder in one hand, suroka in the other. Neither seemed like they would do a very good job stopping the axe, especially if the arm holding the suroka was injured at all. The Brunesman started forward again, and while I’d seen the captain in trouble on the battlefield before, he suddenly seemed to be in more danger than ever. I looked around-the other Syldoon were fighting off Brunesmen of their own and no help at all, and Soffjian was squaring off with one as well.

I finished reloading and started running to try to get in a position to shoot my crossbow again, hoping I could find a good angle before Braylar got chopped into bloody bits.

The Brunesman swung the axe, thrust again, kept pressing forward, moving from one attack to the next smoothly, almost casually, as Braylar was on the defensive, stepping out of range or dodging the large but surprisingly fast weapon until he found himself losing room to maneuver as he nearly backed into the wall.

I thought I had a shot, raised the crossbow, sighted, and then it was gone. Cursing myself for hesitating, I ran closer.

The Brunesman stepped to his left, trying to keep the captain pinned, and then came in again, the axe moving in a blur. But Braylar rushed forward as well, getting just inside the axe’s reach-the Brunesman struck him in the side with the haft, clanking on the lamellar, and knocking the captain hard to his right. Braylar managed to break his fall by sticking Bloodsounder’s haft onto the ground, the flail heads trailing in the grass behind him, and looked up to see the axe at its height.

I was lining up another shot, sure it would be too late, when Braylar launched himself under the axe blow, rolling into the Brunesman’s knees, knocking the larger man backwards and bowling him over. The Brunesman’s helm bounced off the ground, and Braylar scrambled on top of him, knocking his arm aside, striking him in the face with the splinted vambrace three times, then pulling the coif aside just enough to drive the long suroka blade into the man’s throat.

He climbed off and was getting to his feet when another heavily armored Brunesman with a great helm and an oval shield and spear was there, thrusting. Braylar managed to knock the spear point aside with his suroka so it skidded off the lamellar cuirass, but the Brunesman pulled it back, and the spear head lashed out again and again, each time just knocked off line and missing the mark as the Brunesman advanced and Braylar scooted back into the wall.

I was raising my crossbow when I saw a blur behind the Brunesman and heard metal on metal. A throwing axe fell to the ground behind him and the Brunesman spun to face the threat, not knowing that his attacker was Mulldoos, ten paces away.

Not worrying about a perfect shot this time, I simply brought the crossbow up and loosed. The bolt struck the Brunesman in the shoulder, in the hauberk just outside the coat of plates, and stuck-the soldier jerked once right before Braylar jumped on his back, snapping the flail around the Brunesman’s neck and grabbing the chains on the other side.

The Brunesman was a head taller than Braylar, practically lifting the captain off his feet as he whirled and tried to shake him off, then let go of his spear with one hand and started elbowing Braylar.

Braylar crossed the chains and the flail haft at the back of the Brunesman’s neck, pressed his knee in the small of Brunesman’s back and drove the larger man forward, shaking off the elbows that struck lamellar and did little good. Braylar yanked on the haft and chains as hard as he could, trying to finish him off. The Brunesman reached back, tried to grab Captain Killcoin’s forearm, head, anything, before snatching a handful of mail sleeve and pulling, trying to get purchase.

Pulling the chains and haft, Braylar used his knee for leverage, choking with everything he had until the Brunesman suddenly struggled less. He clenched the mail sleeve one more time until he went limp, falling to his knees, great helm slumped onto his chest.

The captain tugged another time to be certain, then released the chains and let the body fall sideways to the earth. He shook his left arm, bent over for a moment as he looked over at Mulldoos, now right in front of him, and then back over his shoulder at me as I worked the devil’s claw.

Braylar shook his head once, straightened, and stepped back to retrieve his suroka from the grass.

We heard a piercing whistle blast, followed immediately by a second, and then the few Brunesmen who weren’t immediately engaged began running back to reclaim their horses.

The balance had tipped.

Mulldoos picked up his throwing axe, slid it back into the leather strap at the back of the belt. “Got to say, Cap, never seen you choke a man to death with that thing. Real original. Inspired even.”

While his face was obscured by the mail, there was no mistaking the grim smile he had behind it. Then Mulldoos asked, “Letting Gurdinn ride free?”

Braylar kicked his shattered shield as he watched the few Brunesmen mount up. “They left a portion of their force back in the forest. We don’t have the men to run them to ground. We have what we came for.” He looked at both of us again. “I do hope you aren’t waiting for gratitude.” He looked at me. “Either of you. I had things in hand.”