No Man's Land

Things Get Odd

Ice and Blood

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I woke up with screams, and a smell of fire.

For a moment, clutching my pillow, I wondered if it was still the wedding celebration. I mean, in this world who knew how weddings were celebrated? But the voices coming from the common area sounded terrified, and there was a scream of pain.

I heard Troz’s voice echo in panic “I’m pulling from the ruby. I’m pulling from the ruby.”

I was up before I knew I was up, my brain lagging my body by at least a few seconds. Up and lurching. Check of decency, but in a long night tunic and what amounted to long johns I was more decent than I’d been at some diplomatic meetings.

I wanted a weapon. Any sort of weapon. I had an ankle knife. I’d solemnly strapped it on before going to bed, but let’s face it, if I you’re fighting at close range with a knife, things have got pretty bad.

I turned to run out, which is when my mind processed there was a bow and a quiver in the corner of the room. I had no idea why, but they seemed to have weapons lying around as decoration. Okay, and probably for hunting, too. Several swords and a spear in the common room.

Yes, of course I would prefer a modern weapon. Even a projectile gun. Any sort of weapon. But a bow had distance. And I’d gone on a bison hunt with dad when I was twelve, and we’d used bows. I could do this.

Outside…. The room in which the swearing and the cozy little party of yesterday had taken place was a total shambles. Mahar, Almar and Troz were hiding behind an upturned table. Facing them were a group of soldiers.  I tried to identify the uniform, but it wasn’t the one I’d worn, it wasn’t the uniform of the Britannia infantry. It was a dun uniform, with weird glittery marks of rank I couldn’t identify. Mercenaries.

But mercenaries with modern weaponry.

I smelled smoke. There were 20 of them, and they were firing. And—The cushions on the edge of the room were on fire. The cover to the place they kept food was on fire.

How were my companions not dead?

As I came into the light of the great room, five weapons trained on me, and fired.

The energy splayed and stretched over an invisible dome.  Troz yelped as though hurt. There was a red flare near his chest.

I didn’t understand any of this, but the bow was in my hand, the arrow was nocked.

It turns out that you didn’t forget how to shoot a bow. Well, not if your dad had taught you, before you were a teenager. I speared the nearest mercenary, then nailed two more before they had reacted.

Mahar -- Peaseblossom -- stared and made a sound, then took off running, bare feet slapping down the hallway. He came back with a bow and stood by my side. He was… He obviously had as much experience as I did at shooting. He was good.

I’m not going to say we hit every time, but—but Mahar gave a victory shout every time he hit which was immensely cheering. And then somehow, Almar was behind us, and shooting over our heads.

“I can’t keep the shield. The shield— I’m pulling from the ruby. It’s burning me.”

The shield faltered for a second, Almar screamed. I was out of arrows.

Troz screamed. It had a gritted-teeth feel, and the shield was back up. Whatever the hell the shield was. I was going to have to figure out what this magic thing was. It existed, but it couldn’t be magic. Or really psi, right? Because neither psi nor magic existed.

I grabbed an arrow from the quiver Almar had dropped. He stopped holding his arm, and grabbed an arrow.  Mahar was shooting but I couldn’t understand what he said.

Troz was shaking.  “The shield is going to drop.”

There were still ten guys in dun and gold standing. There were three of us. They had energy weapons.

“I’ll charge,” I said. I dropped the bow. Lousy mele weapon.  I grabbed a sword that was at my feet. I think it was Troz’s. I had my ankle knife in my other hand.

“We’ll charge,” Peaseblossom said, and I think Troz said “no”, but we were past it. As the shield flickered, and beams shot past us, and I knew we were going to die, there was no safe place. But hell, I’d never contemplated my death, but if I had it would have been with a gorgeous redhead by my side. Granted, I’d hoped of tiredness not energy weapons.

I started forward, and he jumped, shoulder to shoulder with me, and we were going to die.

The best we could do was charge in close and fast, before we died in a blaze of glory.

As we jumped forward, I heard a sound, and I thought we’d screamed, but then, somehow we were pushed aside, and the table flew past us. A heavy oak table built for eight. At least. Almar.

Well, that was a distraction in our favor.  Peaseblossom was charging. He somehow had his ankle knives out.  Lendir Almar ran past us, and did he have a sword?