Raid
by Covarla

Raid

by Covarla

"That is the craziest idea on the face of the planet," Alawn hissed. He looked over the embankment again at the army camped on the plains below. "There's no way we'd even be able to get close, let alone pull off such large scale sabotage."

"Not without a little help we won't," the mage answered, grinning broadly. The redhead poked his head over the top of their hiding place for one brief second. "The river flows right up into the center of the camp, and it's not guarded at all. We can go in through there."

The fighter sighed softly, wondering if he'd ever be able to convince his lover that not everything was possible, no matter how much magic he used. "For one thing, it's winter. That river is damn near frozen, even if there isn't ice on the top. No one would be able to swim in that without losing a limb or two to the cold. Secondly, neither one of use can hold our breath long enough to swim all the way from this part of the river to the camp without getting detected." Alawn met the mage's eyes calmly as he pointed out the multiple flaws in the plan. "Plus you know I swim like a rock. And there's no way I'm letting you go in there alone."

Despite all his reasons, Kay didn't look the least bit daunted. "That's where my new spell comes in," he pointed out enthusiastically. "It'll let us just walk along the bottom of the river as if it were a street. Not even the current would affect us. We won't even get wet."

Alawn looked skeptically at the brunette. "I think I want to see this in action before I agree to your plan," he said cautiously, starting to slide down the rough bank towards their camp. "But if it does work..." His mind was already rushing ahead, planning out every possible move. There was so much that could go wrong and he had to prepare for it ahead of time. Or at least prepare as much as he could. If the spell actually worked...

"It will work." The brown haired mage assured him confidently. "I've tested the new spell on a few objects. Oddly, I haven't been able to get anyone to agree to test it in the river." Little wrinkles formed at the edges of the mages eyes as he laughed.

"That could be because of you habit of neglecting to tell your 'volunteers' what exactly they're testing," Alawn pointed out. He scanned the lines of low tents as the moved, but didn't see the man he was looking for. The winter wind tousled his red-brown hair and sent a chill down his back. "At least there's no bloody snow yet," he mumbled under his breath.

"It's been a dry winter," Kay said, though whether he'd heard the comment or just naturally guessed what was on his mind Alawn wasn't sure. It had been like that since they'd become friends. More so when they'd become lovers.

"The weather witch's work?"

"No, Saria says it's natural."

"Good." Alawn spotted the Lord's tent, his steps quickening naturally. "I'd hate to think we were throwing snow all over some poor farmers just for a minor border dispute."

The guards he'd posted around the Lord's tent came to attention as soon as they spotted him. With a short salute one of them pulled the flap open. Stepping inside the tent felt like stepping into the sun. The four braziers that were scattered around the large tent were more than enough to warm it. Within moments their heat had started to seep into his chilled skin.

Lord Asher sprang to his feet as soon as they entered. "Captain!" he called, nervously darting forward. "Do you have a plan?"

"I think so," the fighter said, resting a hand reassuringly on the short man's shoulder. "Kay has come up with a plan that should end this without any bloodshed. If all goes well, Lord Duach will find it too expensive to continue this little war of his."

The brown haired lord smiled softly, his relief plainly written on his face. "Half of those men are conscripts, some from farms that are technically on my land." The man pulled out a much abused handkerchief to mop at his face. "They'd be slaughtered if they fought." The lord slumped back down in his chair. "Though, if it weren't for your men I would have to do the same." The small man's face crinkled up. "Curse that greedy Duach," he spat.

The quiet Lady Eilen moved behind her husband's chair. With the touch of her hand on his shoulder, the Lord's face calmed. Slowly their fingers twined in a quiet show of affection. "Thank you for helping us," the Lady said, her voice soft and musical.

Alawn smiled at the couple. Bowing, he placed a hand on Kay's shoulder. "It will likely be Kay who you're thanking if all goes well," he said warmly. Turning slowly, he braced himself to go back out into the cold. "If you'll excuse me." He bowed once to the lord who'd hired him. "There's not much time until sunset."

* * * * *

The water really didn't look that cold. It wasn't moving very fast either. Slowly Alawn approached the water. He couldn't tell if Kay's spell was in place, but the mage had assured him that it was. Alawn stopped at the bank of the river to lower one booted foot into the water. It didn't feel like it was getting wet. Pulling his foot back out, he examined the boot. Completely dry. Kay's spell seemed to be working as the brunette had said it would. There was really only one way to tell for certain.

Taking a deep breath Alawn strode into the wide river. He kept moving until the water was swirling above his head. There didn't seem to be any leaks in the spell's protective barrier. Cautiously, he drew one breath and then another. He could breath, even with the murky water all around him.

Looking around him, Alawn marveled at the view. There were all kinds of plants along the bottom of the river. Here and there shadows moved through the water as a cloud floated past the sun. Above him he could see the big round orb of the sun, wavering in the water. But he'd have plenty of time to gawk at the scenery later. Now, he had to get his troops ready.

"It works," he said when he reached the shore again. The mercenaries he'd picked out to participate in the raid heaved sighs of relief in near unison. "You've all got until sunset to get ready. Dismissed."

"Just like I said," the mage proclaimed, grinning. The brunette laid a hand on Alawn's arm. "Not a drop of water on you, no bad effects from the cold, and able to breathe." Kay practically bounced with enthusiasm. His eyes sparkled as he spoke. "The spells stay active out of water, so I won't have to recast. Their mages won't even catch a whiff of magic until we're already on our way back!"

"As wonderful as it would be to pull this off without the enemy even noticing our presence, I still want you to be very careful while we're in the camp. I don't know what exactly is involved in calling in sprites, but there's always the chance that even if their mages don't notice the magic, some one could stumble upon us," the mercenary Captain pointed out calmly.

The hours until sunset seemed to flow away in a rush of preparations. The whole camp was made ready just in case something went wrong and Alawn's team needed to be rescued. Alawn, Kay, and the five men he'd picked out to come with them were dressed in warm clothes meant to blend in with the darkness. One of Kay's spells blurred their figures, making them even harder to spot. They were armed lightly, just enough to protect themselves without hindering movement. All of the five men he'd picked were experienced in sabotage, though Alawn didn't think that the opportunity for the kind of massage sabotage Kay had planned would ever appear again.

The river at night was different than it had been during the day. During the day the sun had shown down through the water making everything visible, but at night the moon's glow only seemed to make the riverbed glow ominously. The river was deep and wide. Its course stayed nearly straight and even from the point it cut through the steep hills and out into the plains were Duach's force had camped for the last few nights.

Alawn stayed low to the ground as he began to crawl up the steep bank. There wasn't a sound behind him, but he trusted that his men were following. No one in the camp around them was paying the slightest bit of attention to the river. In the distance he could hear voices of men gathered around one of the camp fires, but here there was only the sound of the wind on the water and the faint light of a torch several yards away.

It was a short dash to the first of the tents. The red-brown haired fighter crouched down in the shadows, his senses alert. A flicker of shadow let him know one of his men had crouched near the next darkened tent before darting further into the camp. Alawn counted the forms as the moved past him. It seemed like an eternity before the last of the five had passed him. More tense moments passed until Kay joined him in the shadows behind the tent.

Time seemed to stretch on as they waited. Footsteps passed by once out in the small 'road' between the rows of tents. Alawn tensed his body, ready to spring into action. He was ready to move if the light sprang on in the tent or to attack if they were seen. The footsteps moved on, however. Slowly his body relaxed again, or at least relaxed as much as he could in the midst of an enemy camp.

The second time he heard footsteps it was one of his own men. In his arms the man carried a burlap sack. The man slipped into the shadows of the tent across from Alawn, setting the sack down carefully. Silently, the brown clad man snuck back into the camp. Soon enough the other men started to arrive, moving in the shadows of the tents with the utmost care. The redhead waited until his men had stolen a suitable amount of supplies before signaling for them to go on to the next part of the plan.

A simple wave of his hand was enough to let each man know that it was time for them to find the enemy's armory. There, they were to destroy as much of the enemy's armor as possible. Simply cutting the laces of the breastplates and breaking a few key chains in the suits of mail should be enough, he thought. If there were time, or if the armory were guarded, he'd instructed his men to turn the horses loose. Really, the little acts of sabotage would be no more than annoyances when taken singly, but when everything was over, the enemy's camp would be in such a mess that it would seem like the gods had cursed Duach's campaign.

Once he'd judged that enough time had passed for his men to have destroyed a significant amount of equipment, the Captain signaled for Kay to begin his spell. There was only the faintest whisper of sound as the mage whispered the archaic words that would call forth the spirit forces that were the key to their plan. Behind him the mage would be calling forth energies, his attention focused in the strange realm that magic came from. Alawn kept his body perfectly still in order not to break his lover's concentration. His own brown eyes scanned the area around him. There wasn't any sign that the enemy's mages had noticed anything, but there rarely was any warning when magic was involved. The sounds from the camp fires didn't change. Perhaps this crazy plan would go off perfectly.

At first, he thought it was his imagination when the small wisp of light moved past him. He blinked, but the bobbing light was still there. It was joined by a second, and then a third before moving off into the camp. A few yards away the torch flared. Flames sprang from it, arching towards the nearest tent. Small wisps of fire jumped from tent to tent. As the fire spread into the camp, Alawn noticed the first of his men hurrying back towards them.

One quick burst of movement was enough to carry him to the pile of supplies his men had stolen earlier. In another second he had his belt knife out, slashing the top sack. The whole camp seemed entirely too bright by the light of the raging fires, adding a new sense of urgency to his movements. He handed the first sack to Kay, practically pushing the mage towards the river. A simple splash was enough to tell him that the mage had thrown the sack into the river, and should already be heading back upstream towards their own camp. As each of his saboteurs arrived, he handed them a similar slashed sac. His senses stayed alert for the sound of people heading towards the river.

They were only half way through their relayed dash to and from the river when he heard the first shout of alarm. With a wave of his hand he signaled his soldiers. Carrying the bag of grain he'd had ready, he followed behind them as they dashed for the river. Alawn hadn't expected Duach's guard to be armed, or able to organize themselves so quickly in the chaos. The first arrow that grazed his arm took him by surprise. He didn't wait around for the second. Sliding down the steep bank, he held onto the bag of grain. He let its weight speed his descent into the water, releasing it only when he was fully submerged. Running up the riverbed, he thanked the swift current for carrying away any arrows that might have been fired in after him.

* * * * *

"That could have gone worse," Kay pointed out as he sank down onto the thick mattress of their bed. The brunette lay back, sighing. "It's good to be back in 'quarters."

Alawn nodded as he arranged his suit of field armor on its rack. "It could have gone much worse," he agreed. "I'm not sure what your spell did over in Duach's camp, but your fool plan worked." The redhead stepped aside to dodge the pillow Kay threw at him. Smiling, he continued to unpack their saddlebags. "I don't think those conscripted farmers would have fought for Duach if he'd offered them bags of gold. No tents, ruined equipment and supplies, and the first hints of an incoming snow storm. It's no wonder a third of them all but fled the camp." Alawn grinned at the victory as he hung his weapons back up on the hooks he'd put up in his room only a few months ago.

"Why'd you only take half of the money Lord Asher offered?" the mage asked, his voice soft.

"It wasn't an expensive campaign," the Captain pointed out calmly. "For a winter campaign, it was remarkably simple. The weather held until after Duach signed the peace agreement. There was practically no combat, which meant no casualties and very few wounded. We didn't even have to travel far. It barely cost us anything." Alawn turned, examining the room for anything else that needed taken care of. Everything seemed to be safely stored. "Besides, the Lord will need to the money to strengthen his own territory. Technically, some of the supplies we destroyed belonged to him. We don't need the money as much as he does. There's always the chance that one of his other neighbors will try to expand their border, or Duach will break the agreement." Alawn shrugged. It wasn't his problem anymore. Not unless the Lord Asher hired his Company again.

"How'd you get to be a mercenary Captain with such morals?" Kay teased. The mage held out a hand, drawing Alawn to him with a strand of magic.

Laughing, Alawn fell onto the bed. "I've told you before," he said, running a hand through the other man's brown hair, "not all mercenaries are cold hearted bastards. There are just as many good men in the Companies as there are bad, if not more."

Slender arms wrapped around him, pulling him on top of the brunette. Kay's eyes were swirls of emotions. Not taking his eyes off of the blue orbs, Alawn kissed his lover. The smile never left his lips as the kiss deepened. "I've found the best of the good ones," the mage stated, his voice thick. The redhead started to reply but was cut off by another deep kiss. Not that it mattered. Within minutes he'd forgotten what he was going to say. There were more important things to focus his attention on.