Skirmish

"How is Femel?" Adrien asked a maid. He stood right outside the door. The maid had just exited after serving him his breakfast.

"I just served him his breakfast, Prince Adrien. He seems a bit shaken up. He hasn't left his room since yesterday."

"Thank you, Ariana." Adrien entered the room.

"Femel!" he called.

Femel sat on his poster bed. He was surrounded by bunched-up white and black bedding. His crimson drapes were closed shading the room. The sole source of light came from the hall.

"Close the door," Femel said.

"Okay," Adrien said as he closed it.

Femel scooted to the end of the bed and picked up his plate. Breakfast was scrambled eggs with bacon and a bowl of oatmeal.

Adrien took a seat in the armchair to the right of Femel's bed and sat quietly.

After ten minutes of eating quietly, Femel said," Thank you for coming to see me." He wiped oatmeal off his chin. "I've been really scared."

"Your welcome," said Adrien," Are you feeling better?"

"I think I can continue my work soon."

"No, take as much time as you need. A threat like this isn't light."

Femel trembled.

"Femel?" Adrien leaned forward and reached out.

"P-p-please don't talk about it unless you have good news. I'm sorry I'm too much of a coward to want to talk about."

Adrien walked over to Femel and put his hand on his shoulder.

"You're doing fine, Femel. Take it one step at a time. I won't rush you. But I'll be sure to tell you when there's good news."

"Thank you, Adrien."

"No problem, buddy."

Lamelie had said," We'll disguise ourselves as pilgrims. There's a pilgrimage that'll hit this road soon. We'll join them before this intersection. That's where we'll meet the Lofyete carriage."

Axel picked the wax out of his ear. They were sitting behind some bushes and trees just outside the road. Pixie leaned over and peeked at the road. Why haven't they come yet?

Rianna and Lamelie were resting beneath some undergrowth. They had a clear view of the road, but before they saw anything Brian slid into camp.

With his camouflage suit, nobody noticed him until he removed the hood. To maintain absolute silence, he gave them a finger signal. "Group walking this way. Get ready." He tapped his hood.

A group of old and young people walked on the intersection. Some children and the elderly had joined too. But no one would notice an extra five youngsters who appear for a moment and leave the next. They entered one at a time taking breaks between them to disperse themselves throughout the crowd.

Then they walked for a half-mile. There was the occasional glance from someone who didn't recognize them as part of the group but no one questioned it. People would join pilgrimages all the time and then introduce themselves at dinner.

Lamelie hid her whole body under a gray cloak that went to her feet and used a hood to cover her head. She kept her head down until they reached the intersection. Now she looked up. She finally noticed the true beauty of the Varquezian woods.

All this time she had been focused on the mission. The opportunity to bask in the view as the sunlight streamed through the tops of the trees. Their leaves were almost golden. Varquez was famous for the trees whose leaves became gold in Autumn.

"I never thought I'd see this sight," Lamelie murmured," To think this is the country I came from."

Her attention switched to the site ahead of her. A carriage had stopped because a log blocked the road. It was the chaos surrounding the carriage that startled Lamelie.

A group of twenty armed bandits was engaging guards and servants in a skirmish. The pilgrims halted and a few rushed forward to help the wounded.

Lamelie paused. Risk the mission or let people die. Screw it.

"Axel! Pixie! Fire the outliers. Everyone else, operate contingency plan Aphelius."

Axel and Pixie whipped out their bows and aimed at the closest bandits. Axel shot one in the chest and he collapsed. A burly bandit noticed and broke away from the group. He charged towards Axel.

"There are archers!" he yelled and held up his buckler shield, dragging his axe behind him. Axel's arrow ricocheted off the buckle shield and he got ready to draw his sabre. But Pixie positioned herself at an angle. The man was eight steps away. Pixie drew back the bowstring. Five steps. The right moment. She released the arrow and the bandit collapsed.

"Thanks, Pixie. Nice headshot." But now a group of bandits had broken away from the main group and followed the man's footsteps.

Lamelie directed Rianna, Brian, and Iris to focus on the carriage.

Lady Victoria of Lofyete was probably inside.

Brian moved like an assassin. He slid past several bandits, slicing the right arteries. Five of the bandits collapsed. Rianna drew her rapier and stabbed at the bandits who charged at the back of the carriage. Lamelie checked the doors of the carriage.

Rianna held back any bandits who tried approaching the carriage. Brian had cleared the area of any bandits.

Iris faced five of the bandits on the other side of the wagon. One of them turned tail and ran away. Pixie drew back the bowstring and aimed. As the man fell, Iris charged. One swung his sword. But she blocked with her sword and elbowed him in the face. As she pulled back, she stabbed him in the stomach and then focused on the others. She kicked one of the men back. The other bandits attacked at the same time. She pulled back and let the full force of the man fall forward and he fell in the way of the other bandit.

Suddenly the men collapsed and the one in the back couldn't get up. Iris smirked. Her throwing knives had done their job. She walked up to the breathing ones and with a quick stab from her scimitar killed them.

The pilgrims watched in stunned silence, afraid to approach any of the six. Twenty men had died in five minutes.

Lamelie peeked in through the carriage windows. No sign of a noblewoman.

Axel and Pixie ran up to the carriage. "We have to move fast. Those were Vic de Tono's bandits." Axel explained the situation. Vic de Tono's brother Marcus de Tono was probably nearby hunting down his brother. A clash with either of them could end the mission.

"Understood."

Lamelie swung open the doors. No noblewoman. The carriage was spotless.

"Where's Victoria Lofyete?"