Lords of Freedom 2 - Chapter 22
Introduction
Lords of Freedom is an exciting trilogy that includes adventure, realistic action, surprising insights, and a touch of romance. (Movie rights open)
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Lords of Freedom 2 - Chapter 22 - Hailey, Marius & The Guardians
Fog hung low over the meadow, swirling in the light mountain breeze, while morning mist made the multi-colored wildflowers sparkle like gems. Spanish moss hung from the flanking forest trees, and Hailey imagined she was riding through a fairy tale. Her mother had read stories to her as a little girl from a beautifully illustrated hardback book. The scene before her would have fit right in.
Then, a huge form appeared, moving amongst the trees; it stopped a few paces from the meadow fringe, revealing glowing amber eyes. Dark Star tossed her head with a nervous whinny, and Hailey reined her to a stop. Was it a bear? It had to be, she decided, and quite a large one at that. Dark Star danced a bit on her hooves
Wiyot, Dune Runner, and Tauri stopped their mounts as well, but they didn’t seem worried at all. Further, their horses remained calm, ears pricked forward, watching the looming creature.
When it emerged from the trees, Hailey’s breath hitched in her throat. It was an enormous tiger, black with faint grey stripes—nearly as big as the horses. The tiger padded forward, and amazingly, Tauri’s horse nickered a greeting.
The tiger yowled low in her throat, twice, and on the second, Dark Star settled down with a toss of her head. Then she, too, pricked her ears toward the approaching cat. Hailey looked over at the natives wildly.
“Meet Sheba,” Dune Runner smiled.
He, Wiyot, and Tauri had told Hailey about Xan, Hon, and, of course, Sheba—in particular, how well the black tiger guarded Safe Haven. Hailey had imagined a tiger just a bit larger than usual, though, and hadn’t expected to see Sheba until they reached Safe Haven.
“She seemed to speak to Dark Star,” Hailey breathed, stroking the filly’s neck. “Did you notice her settle down just now?”
The natives nodded, and Wiyot said, “She communicates with other animals as well as with Xan and Hon.”
“Xan and Hon even taught Rising Moon to understand her, to a degree,” Tauri added.
“I can’t wait to meet them,” Hailey said as Sheba reached the group.
The tiger regarded Hailey solemnly for a moment, then rubbed her head against her thigh. Hailey broke into a wide grin, reaching to scratch Sheba’s ears. With that, Sheba wheeled and bounded back across the meadow, vanishing into the forest.
“Come,” Dune Runner said, kicking his horse into a canter. “We’re nearly there.”
Birds chirped above as they rode through the forest, answered by squirrels as they raced up and down tree trunks. Ahead, Sheba could be seen, graceful and silent in her loping stride. The fog had thinned to a gauzy curtain now: a page of the storybook turned, Hailey thought.
They lost sight of Sheba for a few minutes, and when the tiger returned, she barred their way and softly growled. The four riders stopped, and Sheba drew a paw through the dirt, looking each of them in the eye briefly. Then she spun and loped out of sight.
“She wants us to wait here,” Wiyot said, brow furrowed.
“I wonder why,” Hailey said. “How much further is it to Safe Haven?”
“Four miles or so,” Tauri said.
Presently, fearful shouts filled the air from a distance. There was a roar from Sheba, then sounds of snapping branches, a few gunshots, and more roaring. Desperate screams erupted, and then silence.
The four riders exchanged glances. The natives nodded, seeming aware of what had transpired.
“What was all of that?” Hailey asked as Sheba reappeared, still snarling.
“You’ll see,” Dune Runner assured her.
They continued in Sheba’s wake for about a mile, where they reached a scene of carnage. It was a small troop of Kingmen scouts, a dozen perhaps, torn to shreds and lifeless. Sheba snarled again as she passed by.
Hailey gasped. This explained General Banastre’s missing scouts and couriers—Sheba had taken them out, one after the next. No wonder Safe Haven’s location remained a mystery.
The scouts’ horses stood grouped up and nickered at the arriving horses. As Hailey and the natives passed by, the Kingmen horses fell into step behind them—Sheba’s bidding, no doubt.
Amazed anew, Hailey said, “It's fortunate Sheba wasn’t shot in her attack.”
“It is, but not in a lucky sense,” Wiyot said. “Sheba bears protective armor invisible to the human eye. Arrows or bullets aimed at her stop in mid-air and drop to the ground. She is unstoppable.”
Sheba loped on ahead and was soon out of sight. The riders and Kingmen horses continued for a time; then, the great tiger reappeared. Moments later, three other riders moved into view: Rising Moon, Lindsey, and Marius.
Shouting each other’s names in unison, Hailey and Marius spurred their horses into swift canters. As the distance between them closed, they slowed and then stopped, side by side. Leaning in, they hugged each other as best they could and shared a tender kiss.
*****
Sometime later, Hailey stirred and blinked open sleepy eyes. She was curled in a comfortable bed that rocked ever so slightly. I’m still aboard the Kingmen ship? Did I dream of my escape and reunion with Marius?
She sat bolt upright, seeing a plush, comfy cabin rather than the dismal holding cell she’d endured. The Guardian ship, she thought, stretching with a yawn of relief. The space beside her was empty, though, which was disappointing but understandable.
Upon reaching Safe Haven, she’d eaten a simple meal along with Tauri, Wiyot, and Dune Runner. Marius, Lindsey, and Rising Moon joined them as well, though they’d eaten hours ago.
Hailey was exhausted, so Marius took her aboard the Guardian, where she bathed and slipped into fresh clothes, provided by Hon, she was told. Once she had a few hours’ rest, she’d meet Xan and Hon for an in-depth debriefing, Marius told her. She’d dozed off, cuddled in his arms, but at some point, he’d left the ship without waking her.
A knock sounded on the cabin door, and Hailey realized that was what had roused her. Sliding out of bed, she crossed the room and opened the door. In the corridor, a soldier waited, standing at parade rest.
He was tall and burly, with dark hair and matching eyes, holding his cap in one hand. His smile was charming, as was the way he inclined his head. “Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Knox, but Xan and Hon would like to meet you now, if you’re ready.”
On reflex, Hailey curtsied, though she was wearing a tunic over leggings. “Of course, I’ve been looking forward to it. Give me just a moment?”
“Certainly.” The soldier gave a curt nod.
Closing the cabin door, Hailey moved to the basin of water, washed her face, and brushed her hair. She slipped into the moccasins waiting at the foot of the bed, then hurried to the door.
She followed the soldier down the ship corridor, then moved past him when he stopped and ushered her ahead, up a flight of stairs. They crossed the ship’s deck and then climbed another shorter stairway that led to the bridge.
The room was paneled in polished oak with a matching floor, with a plush, slightly curved couch behind the wheel and a compass panel. There was a sleek oak counter as well, where maps and outlines of battle plans lay, as well as a drawstring pouch.
Marius was seated beside who could only be Xan and Hon, with Sheba lying regally at their feet. Xan was sandy-haired and clean-shaven with cunning eyes and a ready smile. Leaning up against the wall next to him was a curious staff. Hon was willowy but looked quite fit, with long blond hair spilling over her shoulders and bright blue eyes. Marius looked as dashing as ever, and the two exchanged a smile.
All three stood from the couch, and Marius dismissed Hailey’s escort with a sharp salute. Then he moved to take Hailey’s arm and draw her into the group. Sheba sat up, watching Hailey with clear interest.
“Hailey, this is Xan and Hon, of course, you’ve already met Sheba,” Marius said.
She nodded at the black tiger, then shook Xan’s hand firmly, smiling at his greeting to her: “A pleasure to meet you at last, Lady Fox.”
When she shook Hon’s hand, Hon pressed her left hand atop Hailey’s before letting go with a wink. Hailey felt her nerves settle at the friendly gesture and hoped suddenly for the two of them to get better acquainted.
Hon stepped to the polished wood counter and plucked up the drawstring pouch. “Everything from the pockets of the uniform you arrived in is inside.”
Hailey took the pouch with a word of thanks and opened it. Everything was indeed there, in particular, the fox tail, which she drew out.
Marius cocked his head. “Where did you get that?”
It must have been someone else who cleared the uniform pockets, Hailey realized, and grinned. “Mayor Yardley presented it to me at a town hall, shortly after General Banastre’s tag, Knox Fox took hold. He christened me Lady Fox at the meeting, in fact—like returning the general’s fire.”
Marius chuckled. “I wondered where your moniker came from; I supposed you’d come up with it. That’s just like old Yardley, though.”
Marius ushered her to the couch, and once everyone was seated, he said, “Why don’t you detail your abduction? Xan and Hon want to hear the tale from you directly.”
She did so, describing her friendship with Collette and the stinging anger she felt at being tricked and betrayed. She went on to recount the spies’ plan to lure Marius into an ambush, with Collette posing at Banastre’s battle camp as the captive Lady Fox.
“The soldier who brought my meals, Jonathan, was a barber in the kingdom and crafted a wig for Collette to wear so she’d resemble me and lure you into a hasty rescue. I saw her in the wig and thought you’d never fall for the deception, Marius. I knew it might fool others.”
“It fooled Lindsey,” Marius said, “Though Rising Moon saw through the ploy straightaway.”
Hailey chuckled at that, as Marius continued, “I think we should send discreet word to Mayor Yardley. When Collette returns to Leighford, which she no doubt will, he could have her and her cohorts arrested for treason. If they’re fickle, to any degree, we might gain some valuable intel.”
Xan raised a brow. “We’ll do that posthaste. Once we wrap up here, you can write out a message and dispatch a team.”
Hailey’s lips curled in a crafty smile; that would serve her would-be friend nicely; then she cleared her throat and said, “I also overheard that Banastre has cannons hidden around the camp perimeter, so once you and the rescue team reached a certain point, there’d be no way to retreat.”
“I have an idea,” Xan mused. “We shall start our own rumor—that Knox Fox believes General Banastre is holding Lady Fox hostage and intends to strike. He will indeed lead a charge on the battle camp, but the ambush will not go down as the general intends...”
Xan proceeded to outline his strategy, with Knox nodding in agreement. “That is a very good plan.”
“Now, Hailey,” Xan continued. “Tell us of your escape. Hon and I have heard snatches of it, and you were most ingenious and courageous. I’m sure Marius knows the whole story, but I imagine he wouldn’t mind a retelling.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Marius chuckled, motioning for Hailey to proceed.
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