5 The Smell of Hope (1/2)
Fadelio looked over to his left, to the bearded southerner he would have to entrust his life to soon. Atau was armed with a stern look on his face and a heavy axe in his right. They had also fashioned improvised shields, a fancy term for wood planks, out of the donkey cart they had arrived on. Fadelio held onto his own, and increased his grip around the tightly bound leather strips. Then he looked out ahead, towards the golden light of morning which washed into the narrow cave.
After they had spent the night on top of that hill, they had packed up before the break of dawn and made their way here, into Fastgrade's secret stash. Once Brym had led them into the hidden cave, concealed halfway up the steep hillside, they had been blinded by the treasures on offer. Barrels upon barrels of Fastgrade's finest, the best selection of wines in the southern states. Behind it, they found precious gems, jewelry and most of all, gold. An entire chest's worth of coins, hundreds of them, thousands even. They were the last reserves the old man had laid aside for a rainy day. Despite the sunshine in his front, it very much felt like a rainy day to Fadelio. Their tail might have been shaken for a while by their fast disappearance, but they would soon follow their steps. This was what the duke had been after, the last treasure of the Fastgrade merchants.
Finally, the flies deemed themselves ready to show their faces. First came the smoke. A dark cloud flowed inside the cave and obscured the ceiling. His master had been right: In fear of an ambush, they had truly tried to smoke them out of the hideout, but had failed. The smoke stopped some ways above his head, before it began to flow back out of the opening up top. At this point, the duke's men only had two choices left: Either siege the cave and wait for the trapped merchants to starve, or get it over with and storm. Confident in their numbers and equipment, they had chosen the latter.
”On the name of Duke Herak of Balit, come out and hand over what is rightfully his! No harm will come to you! You have my word!” a raspy voice came from within the sunlight.
”You want our stuff? I've got a nice bit of metal for you right here! How about you come and get it?”
He could feel Atau's sarcasm wash over from his left, but he wouldn't laugh, and he wouldn't look. He was ready to fight, focused on the silhouettes which had appeared from above, their backs lighted by the sunshine.
”In that case you will learn how the Duke's men handle rebels! Charge!” the rough voice began to shout, answered by the war cries of his companions. Finally, the flies left the light as they stormed down the cave entrance. Finally, Fadelio could see them.
*Same as before. Swords and chain mail. No ranged weapons. Small, thin. Easy.*
The warrior turned his left foot forward, bent his knees and waited for the charge to hit his shield. The cave entrance was long and narrow, only enough for two men to fight next to one another, but they had to be careful. A few steps back and they would be pushed into the cave proper, where there was enough room for the duke's men to make use of their numbers.
As he thought about their plan, the screams in his front grew louder and louder, until a heavy impact exploded on the plank of wood and traveled up his shoulder. The cheap plank bent and splintered, but it didn't break. Good enough. With his heels dug into the sandy ground, the warrior halted the charge and pushed forward. Another shout rang from across the shield, this time tinged in surprise, not blood lust. Despite Fadelio's size, the men hadn't expected this level of resistance. How could they know that three of the four remaining Fastgrade merchants were cultivators of the highest grade?
Brought off his balance, the soldier had to halt the sword thrust aimed at his enemy's flank and stumbled back, desperate to steady himself. Without mercy, Fadelio swung down his axe. The soldier's eyes grew large as he saw his impending doom draw close, yet he was in the air, falling back into the sand, and incapable of reply. The heavy crunch of metal on bone and the soft resistance in his palm told Fadelio that the axe head had landed with precision and caught itself on a rib cage. Even if the man was still alive, he wouldn't be a threat any more.
A scream rose from his left, to match the one in his front. Not a voice he was familiar with. Seemed like the southerner had done his duty too. The duke's men had thought their work easy. After all, they had the higher ground and they could storm with speed, but in their arrogance they had dismissed their opponents, critically so.
”Back, back!” the raspy voice screamed from the entrance. Two of the remaining soldiers slid forward on the uneven ground, towards the two bleeding companions who were crawling back. They confirmed that the merchants wouldn't pursue before they dragged their screaming companions back out into the sunlight. Fadelio clicked his tongue in annoyance. He wouldn't be able to finish them off for now. Holding formation was more important.
”Eight left,” Fadelio said to his left before he spat on the ground. These weaklings were nothing. He could take down as many as he wanted.
”Don't forget the plan, mountain troll. The next wave won't be this easy. They're not that stupid.” The voice from his left was as annoying as it was right. Fadelio had no time to answer though. Again, the duke's men were coming. This time, they were more careful. They moved in slowly and stayed at a distance, poking at their shields.
The improvised protection was barely enough to help them hold against a charge. Already, holes and sprains had opened up within the wood. Worst of all, the swords of their foes were much longer than his axe. Now the soldiers could take their time and try for gaps in their defense, until they landed a hit or destroyed the shields. A storm up the hill would be suicide, so it wasn't an option. Neither was a retreat into the cave. With how careful the men were now, they would never storm in all at once, which was what Corco had been betting on. Luckily, Gerrit Fastgrade had stocked his secret cave well, for many eventualities. A sharp bang came from his right, followed by the stinging smell of gunpowder.
With a scream, the soldier to his front stumbled back onto the ground. Corco retrieved the matchlock rifle from Fadelio's shoulder and retreated back into the cave, no doubt to reload.
*No need,* Fadelio thought with a look at the duke's men.
Finally, they were angry enough to attempt a second charge. Again, two men stormed ahead, down the narrow entrance, and rammed against their shields. Again, he was pushed a few steps. This time however, he had no time to steady himself and hit back. Another impact followed soon after the first, to push him further, and then another. By the time the warrior had managed to halt his movements, he had been pushed most of the way into the cave. In anger, Fadelio swung his axe past his tattered shield. He only hit the air. The careful soldiers had stepped back fast to open up the distance again. Once again, they began their poking, like the annoying flies they were. Both Fadelio and Atau to his side were only a step away from opening up the path into the cave. Just one step and the soldiers could surround them.
*Three down, still seven left.*
They wouldn't stand a chance at seven to three. It turned out that the soldiers were well-familiar with battle. Even losing three of their own hadn't dampened their morale. It had only made them more determined.
*Can't take them like this.*
Unwilling, Fadelio followed Atau, who had already begun their planned retreat, and also took a step back to keep up.
”Drive them back! One more push!” again, the raspy voice, maybe their leader, shouted from behind the soldiers. Fadelio's eyes glanced up, at the cloth spanned over the entrance, as he waited for the signal.