The Archon's Apprentice by Neil Breault Read Free Book Online Page B

enemies. The tactics employed by the enemy varied from night to night: Sometimes they spread out along the camp and other times they tried to rush through all together. Being on high alert, the guard did not let any of these infiltrators close to camp.  
    The night before they reached the last village before they moved on to Enhurst itself, Perim caught a few minutes of rest when he could and waited for the alarm to be raised. He did not have to wait long before it came. He knew what to expect and did not hurry to see the dead anymore. When he reached the edge of camp he saw the same scene that had unfolded the previous nights. One of his men seemed to be examining a body very closely. There was nothing obviously different about this man compared to the others, so Perim walked over to his soldier.
    “What have you found?”
    “I know this man,” said the soldier.
    “What do you mean, you know this man?” asked Perim.
    “He lived in the next village. He was a baker. A lot of us who’ve been out here know this man.”
    “He tried to attack our camp. There is no excuse. Burn his body like the rest.”
    “But that’s just it, sire. He was a pacifist. He spoke quite boldly about it. All he cared about were his cakes and making sure people were happy with them. They were the best cakes I have ever eaten, sir.”
    Perim scrutinized the body. Through the bloody mess, he did recognize the man. He had made some of the most delicious cakes Perim had ever eaten. Had all of the attackers been villagers? He could not be certain who attacked them, but he could not doubt his resolve. Maybe some of the infiltrators had been villagers, but someone had changed them and led the attacks. So far no answers had been found and only more questions had been raised.
    “Tomorrow I want to capture one of the attackers. Maybe they can give us some answers.”
    ***
    Their arrival at the last village found much the same as the previous villages: no life anywhere and completely abandoned buildings. Perim held a brief meeting with his officers to discuss their plans for arriving at Enhurst. He excused his officers afterward, but Dryos stayed behind. Perim did not question why Dryos had not left. Eventually Dryos sat in a chair in the corner. Perim could not sleep and paced about his tent. He heard soft snoring coming from Dryos, as he had fallen asleep in the chair. Perim envied the General and wondered if he should sleep but knew there would be another attack soon. Instead of waiting for the alarm to be raised, he left his tent and walked around the camp. Where he should have found sleeping soldiers he discovered many had caught his insomnia while they awaited the inevitable. Every soldier saluted him as he walked by.  
    Perim’s runic armor had fully sheathed his body before the alarm finished sounding. He rushed to greet their captive but when he arrived he was surprised by what he saw. The infiltrators had chosen an opportune time to attack. The largest of the guard relief was happening, leaving only a handful of his soldiers actively watching for a few moments. Several enemies were dead, but Perim was dismayed that some of his soldiers were wounded and possibly dead as well. Just outside of crossbow range stood a young girl. He could not tell her exact age but did not think her out of childhood. She grasped the same style curved blade as all of the other dead enemies, but hers dripped with fresh blood. With a blank face, she darted forwarded.
    “Take her alive!”
    The nearest soldier attempted to throw a net at the girl. The net had not left his hands before she had ducked underneath and sliced through his neck. This did not slow her down as she rounded on the next soldier, leaping on him and stabbing her dagger into his chest. She jumped off his body toward Perim.
    The remaining soldiers quickly nocked arrows and let them loose at the girl. She deftly dodged each arrow and this brought her close enough to leap at Perim. He had been ready