Sorceress

Chapter 19:

All around me, I hear screaming, panic claws at my throat as I desperately look for Una and Allil. Viking warriors just come swarming in, and as sorcerer and sorceress are taken down, our strength slowly chips away. I see Dale to the left of me, holding Druga, crying. After a few moments, I realise that Druga is dead. I turn around and see our hopeless situation. A hawk settles on my shoulder- and I recognize it as the one that carried me to safety- he flies away, and I follow his path through the camp. I come to stop behind a massive brazier, the hawk flies away, and I notice Una guarded by two warriors in front of me. Sliding two daggers from my belt, I carefully aim, and release. One warrior falls to his knees, but the other catches the dagger in his hand. Before I realize, he throws it back at me, and sluggishly, I just manage to dodge it. I pick up my sword, and turn around to face him. He swipes at my feet, and I jump up to dodge. His sword comes whizzing down towards my face, and narrowly misses my nose. I thrust my sword at him, but he easily dodges. We attack and defend for what seems like an eternity. Finally, he swipes down on the leather guards protecting my hands, and cuts right through them. I drop my sword, and collapse to the ground. I am about to heal my hand, when the warrior's sword comes down to my neck. Kicking over the brazier as I roll on the muddy ground out of the way, it topples onto him, and engulfs him in flames. I whisper to my hand, and try to suppress the agony as the tendons reattach, the capillaries fuse together, and the bone grinds back into place. As soon as my hand has healed, I stumble to my feet, trying to ignore the nauseating pain still throbbing in my hand. I rush over to Una, and notice that she has passed out. My priority is to get her out of the battle, and find proper herbs to heal her injuries. Taking off my cloak, and softly placing it under her head, I use the last ounces of my energy to make her invisible from the Vikings, and stagger off in the direction of the stables. I follow the sounds of neighing, and find a horse tied to a tree, its companions having all been taken for the battle. I notice that this one was not taken because it belonged to a Celtic tribe they must have pillaged. Celtic horses will throw off any Viking.Stroking the horses grey mane, I grab a fistful of mane, and pull myself onto the horse. Grabbing a flint from my belt, I cut the cord attaching the horse to the tree, and canter to Una. As I attempt to put her on the horse, my arms fail me, and she slides back down to the ground, moaning in her slumber. Allil suddenly appears next to me, and with strong and steady arms, places Una on the back of the horse. "Go now," she whispers to me,

"Thank you Allil," I reply, pulling myself onto the stallion, and grabbing Allil's hand.

"Oisin and I will protect you as you leave the camp," she replies with a smile, then, as a new horde of Vikings march into the clearing, she releases my hand, and she hurriedly says, "GO!" I ease the horse into a gallop, and we fly out of the clearing, knowing fully well that I will not see any of my tribe again: the Vikings are swarming upon us like wasps from a nest, more and more coming. As I hold back my tears by biting my lip, I see Allil protecting us, right to the end, when the Icelandic noble shot an arrow through Oisin, and then her.