Chapter 173 Death of a Warrior
In the air.
Olivia tried to focus on the search, but her mind was turbulent. She felt guilty about the dead from the battles. Today, she dropped weapons from the sky down upon the soldiers below. She had seen many of them fall to the ground. She was certain that some had died by her own hand. The count had written that she would have blood on her hands. A single image in her mind, sent by her Pegasus. transported her back to the present.
Hundreds of horses, bearing mounted soldiers, galloped northward. Aided by the keen eyesight of her mount, she spotted a battle unfolding to the north. As they approached, she realized that these were the warriors of the North, the army of Tatiana; the woman had been the first person to swear allegiance to her. They were almost surrounded in a small valley between two small ridges. She saw many bodies in another valley, to the south.
Olivia said to herself: Is she among these bodies?
In her mind, she received strange images from her Pegasus. She tried to interpret them in human language.
Little Feather: Look at the lines in the grass and in the mud. Look at the direction of the tracks and how the blades of grass are bent.
The queen: My princess, I do not understand.
Little Feather: My mother taught me. Look for the lines in the grass, the tracks imprinted in the mud or in the snow. The lines will guide you to the home of a tasty animal.
Olivia: Show me the lines!
In her mind, the young woman received the images: solitary lines in the grass leading to strange places, patches of mud bearing the hoofprints of a horse running alone, in the opposite direction from the battles. Many of these lines led to empty places. But some were different. She thought intensely.
The young queen: My beauty, if they were animals, where would you look for their den?
Little Feather: Over there, the lines draw near and lead toward the same places, like animals heading toward a lake, a river, or sweet pastures.
She saw in her mind a house on a small estate, north of the battles and the formations of soldiers. Behind the house stood a cart loaded with barrels, like those used for wine. Men in armor stood near the door. Others were stationed in elevated positions, observing the combat.
Olivia: Aurelio. My beautiful princess, fly quickly toward the city. Can you land on the big road north of the castle?
The young Pegasus: Yes, even in a storm.
The main road north of the Royal Castle.
The Blue Knights waited while others fought for their queen. The Unicorns were enraged and ready to kill. The commanders were surprised to see the queen land near them on a road barely wider than the wings of the Pegasus. They ran toward her, fearing that she was injured.
Esteban: My queen, are you well?
The Queen: Yes. I believe we know where Aurelio is. There is a farmhouse northeast of the Nest. My Pegasus spotted tracks, lines where many horses had galloped, entering and exiting. There was a wagon laden with wine and many men in fine armor observing the battles.
Rodrigo: Wine? They cannot have much wine left. The soldiers, were they dirty or clean?
Olivia thought of the images: Clean, wearing tabards that looked new.
Pedro: It is him. Where is this farm?
Esteban: Forgive me, my queen.
The tall man untied the cords of her vest and lowered her to the ground. He guided her toward a map on a wooden wall, held in place by four daggers. She looked at the map for a moment, searching for landmarks. Finally, she pointed to a spot marked with a small drawing of a house and a cow.
Rodrigo: Are you sure? The barn roof...was it green, like old copper?
With emotion, the queen shouted: Yes!
The Captain: I know that farm. My mother used to buy cheese from them when I was young. The roof is made of slate, and the green is moss.
Olivia: Count Esteban, there is something else. The warriors of your wife are in danger.
The man stood with his mouth open. His eyes revealed a mixture of emotions. Finally, he spoke.
Esteban: My wife is a warrior. She knows the importance of this war. We need to kill Aurelio.
The Queen looked at him with anger, but also with understanding: Captain Rodrigo, how many unicorns and knights do you need to destroy the Count and his captains? Could some of them jump north to aid the warriors?
Rodrigo: Yes. I will take a hundred unicorns and knights. He can take sixteen with riders, as well as those without men including the old man.
Olivia lifted the great sword from her back and offered it to the Count: By order of your queen, take this sword and save your wife.
The man took the sword made for a king and knelt: Of course, my queen.
The Queen: Put me upon my Pegasus. We need to show the others his location and look for two clearings for you to jump to.
A valley in the north.
Two hundred warriors, most of them wounded, defended the small southern ridge, and a similar number held the north. Men and women, armed with crossbows and spears, strove to protect the valley entrances to the west and east. Tatiana and Arkady led small groups of war chiefs to attack the knights who had breached the defenses.
They heard more horses approaching from the south. An oath sworn to a War Prince endured until death. Every man and woman knew that, soon, this would become reality.
From the west, a group of knights breached the defenses and approached from behind the lines along the southern ridge. The Puma and the Bear rushed toward them, alongside the other strongest warriors. The Bear leaped and tackled the captain; both tumbled to the ground. Only Arkady stood up after.
Tatiana seized the spear of another knight, dragged him to the ground, and cleaved a gaping wound in his chest with her axe. The other knights charged at her and her warriors with spears and long swords.
They killed soldiers and horses for half an hour before the knights withdrew to their lines, which surrounded the position of the Northerners. When they had a few minutes to assess the damage, their hearts sank.
The Puma had promised the opportunity to kill the cowards from the South who destroyed two tribes, including the children. She kept her promise.
Tatiana, a warrior from the North, killed six knights in this battle.
Her uncle Arkady killed ten before falling, riddled with wounds from spears and swords.
They could not spare even a single second for mourning. The next attack would come soon. Only the sounds of a bear paid tribute to a legend of the tribes.