Chapter 242: Siege

Day 7 (Night)

“How many archers does the king have?” I asked Josepha. We were stopped just out of range of the dozen or so archers we could see lining the top of the walls surrounding the castle. At this moment, the full moon benefited them more than us and I dreaded the exposure I felt.

“The king has ten senior archers, but maybe a dozen more still in training,” he announced.

“Will they shoot if we advance? Even if it means hitting his own men?” I asked.

“Aye sir. Hostages, no matter who they are, will avail you no protection,” Josepha announced. “The King is a hard man and gives no quarter when challenged.”

“Do you spy him on the battlements?”

“I do not see him, Sire, but that does not mean he isn’t nearby,” Josepha warned. “However, I can see his eldest son studying us from the upper parapet. I believe he has spied his brother’s body.”

“Penny. Watch our flanks. I have no idea what this bastard may try, but I’m not in the mood to storm a castle tonight. I think I’m going to wait him out, “ I thought to everyone.

“That is ... until he gets hungry!” Hanna quipped.

“I just woke up our slumbering prince. Would you have someone help him out of the saddle and escort him up to Josepha and me?” I thought to Penny. “Don’t bother untying his hand just yet, though.”

It wasn’t long until Pipiti and Unevia approached leading the naked and bound prince. It seems his brother had left his spot on the parapet as well.

“Kip is making a circuit around the castle. He said he would be back here in a few minutes,” Unevia whispered in my ear as she passed. I smiled my thanks to her as I watched our noble prisoner.

“Sheila, would you bring a blanket?” I asked aloud after a few minutes. “Kip? Would you mind cutting his bonds?” I was aware that Kip had returned and was standing behind Unevia.

We stood there for a while in silence. No one in the castle or on the wall made a move and those surrounding me were silent as well.

Finally, I turned to the young prince and asked. “Now what?”

“If you kill all my archers, can you bring them back to life as well?” he asked.

“I guess...” I replied, “ ... If I was in the mood to. But seeing all those arrows aimed my way, I’m not feeling it. Why don’t you just call to you father and tell him to come out?”

“He would never do that! It would be too dangerous!” he replied.

“Okay. Have it your way,” I told him as I began to paralyze every male I could sense on the walls.

Moments later bows and arrows were falling outside the walls. I hoped that none of his archers were so overbalanced they fell over the parapet.

“Stop!” the prince cried. “I will call him!”

I paused, looking at him and waiting.

“LASSOS! BRING FATHER!” he cried out loudly. “The God of the Sun wants to meet with him!”

Lassos appeared at the castle gate. After much confusion and a running stream of dialog between the two brothers, I began to grow weary of the futility of my simple request. Scanning for the king, I found him and paralyzed him where he was. I hoped he was sitting down.

“Josepha. Go tell Lassos that their father is not dead. Tell him to check his eyes. And if he wants me to heal him, he must bring him to me right away. Do not leave my sight and return here after you deliver my message. Understand?” I asked him.

“Aye, my Lord,” he said as he hurried to the castle gate.

“Michael? I brought you a cup of coffee,” Abby told me. “And Allie is bringing you and Josepha camp stools to sit on. Should I bring Josepha a cup of coffee as well?”

I was amazed. Here I was, literally laying siege to a real live castle in a medieval land in the middle of the night and my mates come up with coffee and camp stools. I would have to do something special for them real soon.

“Ileana told us to do it and gathered the wood for the fire. Hanna and Rose dug out the coffee pot and coffee from our cart, and Barbara found the cups. Nicky is busy fixing you a sandwich. She said you didn’t eat very much of your supper,” Abby told me.

“And they would all like to spend a day at Kalani’s spa when we get back,” Vickie informed me.

“In that case, just go ahead and set it up for everyone when we return,” I thought to her.

“Including your administrative staff?” Adriana asked.

“Of course!” I thought back. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to my siege of the castle!”

We ended up waiting almost an hour which gave me time to teach Josepha about earth coffee. I was afraid he would find it unpleasant, but it turns out that Gerwayne has something similar but they don’t have it often because it’s difficult to come by.

Finally, four men dressed in ragged clothing came through the gate bearing a stretcher. Following them came three women.

“The King’s wives,” Josepha said quietly as we stood to greet their approach.

The stretcher bearers stopped in front of me and the three women confronted me across the paralyzed king.

“I don’t care who you claim...” she stopped suddenly in mid-rant simply because I had paralyzed her as well. I waited until she crumpled to the ground and then stared menacingly at the other two.

“Did not your mothers tell you to NEVER confront a god in anger?” I said as loudly as I could without shouting.

Fear froze their faces as tears began to leak from the taller one’s eyes.

“They do not know any better,” said a new voice. It was a pleasant voice and I found myself immediately searching for it’s owner.

“For they have never seen a god before. Neither do they worship any deity,” the owner of the melodious voice explained as she stepped forward. Then she knelt to check on the wife I had paralyzed.

“And you are...?” I asked.

“I am Aiziel, Sire. I am the king’s seer,” she proclaimed softly.

“I think I’m in trouble!” I thought to myself. “If I listen to her voice for much longer, I will become truly enchanted.”

Aiziel suddenly looked up at me, searching.

Several of my girls gasped in surprise also, then waited anxiously to see if she really could.

“I do not understand. She cannot move, yet her eyes are open and I can see her fear,” Aiziel said.

I immediately released the woman she was holding in an attempt to distract the young seer. I knew that look, but I did not expect to see it here, in this time and place. Then I quickly instructed the stretcher bearers to place the stretcher on the ground and then released the king from his paralysis as well. The stretcher bearers immediately shrank away from the royal crowd.

“They should be okay in a few moments,” I told the small gathering. Aiziel stayed beside the now recovering wife while the other two wives knelt to assist their husband/king.

Finally, the king made it to his feet. “I could hear every word, and see every movement, but I do not understand what was done unto me,” he said, shaking his head.