Page 63 of Highland Slayer
“A horse!” Lares shouted, already trying to open the carriage door. “Bring me my horse, Kal!Now!”
“No time,” Kaladin said. “Stay in the carriage, Papa!”
He was already charging toward the incoming wave of men. At the rear of the column, Lucan gave the order to engage, and suddenly, over two hundred men were rushing out to meet the onslaught.
It was chaos.
Fortunately, Kaladin was wearing his usual battle protection. Anyone participating in an escort always wore full battle dress for moments just like this—unexpected attacks. Therefore, hecharged into the fray with complete confidence, swinging his sword, kicking men who got too close.
He noticed quickly, however, that Caelus was at the gatehouse of the abbey, demanding that they take Zora. When he wasn’t shouting at them, he was fighting off attackers, with Zora screaming because she was vulnerable and terrified. That brought Kaladin, pushing through clumps of fighting until he reached Caelus and Zora.
“Estevan!” he bellowed. “Open the gates!”
Estevan was on the gatehouse overhead, looking down at them as women on either side of him launched crossbows into the fighting. There were bolts flying overhead, their sickening song filling the air. But Estevan didn’t answer—instead, he lay on his belly, reaching over the side of the wall walk and extending the end of a rope.
“Grab the rope!” he shouted. “They willna open the bloody gates and chance letting the enemy inside, so grab the rope. I’ll pull her up!”
Truthfully, Kaladin and Caelus understood why the gates had to remain shut. It was their fear for Zora that was making unreasonable demands. With Kaladin and a few other soldiers shoving back any attackers, Caelus managed to right Zora on the saddle and help her stand up. The rope was dangling overhead, almost out of her reach, and she was terrified she was going to fall even with Caelus steadying her legs. Estevan lowered the rope as much as he could, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Zora began to weep.
“I canna reach it!” she cried.
Estevan could see that. He was sick to his stomach with what was going on, desperate to help his family, but this was the best he could do because Mother Michael refused to open the gatehouse to them. He understood that from a defensive standpoint, but as the brother who was watching his familybeing attacked, he was struggling. There was coiled rope near the gatehouse’s second floor, used to repair the rope that raised and lowered the portcullis, so he grabbed a length of it with the intention of pulling Zora to safety. But it simply wasn’t long enough.
He had to think of something else.
Suddenly, Anaxandra was next to him.
“Lower me down,” she said, grabbing the rope from him and proceeding to tie it around her waist. “Lower me down and I’ll take hold of her. But you’ll need help pulling us up.”
Estevan didn’t argue with her. He didn’t have time. She already had the rope around her waist and was ready to descend. He shouted at Titan, who had just emerged from the stairwell onto the wall walk, and the man nearly killed himself running over to help. Rodion was down in the bailey, watching the postern gate, so it was just the two of them, but they easily lowered Anaxandra. With a battle going on around them, she grabbed Zora by the hands. With a little more effort, Estevan and Titan managed to pull both Anaxandra and Zora back to the wall.
Weeping loudly, Zora threw her arms around Estevan, who hugged her briefly before peeling her off him and turning her for the stairwell.
“Get off the wall,” he told her, trying to protect her from the bolts that, having been launched at the enemy, were now starting to fly back at them. “Come, lass. Hurry!”
He half pushed, half pulled Zora to the tower. He then helped her down the stairs and into the bailey, where Estevan pointed at the sanctuary, all the way across the ward.
“See those doors?” he said.
Zora was sniffling, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “Aye.”
“Go there,” he said. “Run. Bang on the doors and tell Matty tae admit ye. He’s inside.”
For once in the entirety of her life, Zora did exactly as she was told. Estevan watched her run, her red hair blowing behind her like a banner, until she reached the doors and began pounding. He could hear her shouting to Mateo, and the door abruptly flew open with Mateo on the other side. He looked at Zora in surprise, but when he saw the chaos of the bailey, he pulled her in as he came out. The door slammed behind him as he ran in Estevan’s direction.
“Where do you need me?” he demanded.
Estevan frowned. Mateo still wasn’t well, but at least he wasn’t feverish any longer. He’d tried to keep him in the sanctuary, but it was clear the man wasn’t going to stay put with a battle going on.
Not that he blamed him.
“Do ye fell well enough, Matty?” he asked.
Mateo had his sword on his hip. “Tell me where you need me to go.”
That was his way of saying nothing short of death would keep him from aiding in this attack. That was the determination of a knight. Estevan’s frown turned into a smile, though it was a wry one. Wry because he understood Mateo’s attitude perfectly.
