CHAPTER 23
They hid in a nearby dear park while an unusual amount of fliers entered and exited the castle. Instead of fearing an attack, the fortress looked busy organizing one.
The two dozen quads who came with Susan seemed surprised she ceded leadership to the new kid. Few had ever killed anyone, and only Emily seemed eager. The prospect of attacking several hundred people in a damn castle unnerved most of them.
Billy made it simple. "I should be able to slip in with my baby face. Position yourselves as close as possible to the guards and kill them when you hear the first blasts so that they can't leave the ramparts to overwhelm me. Then blast the biggest threats."
No one paid attention to the twelve year old as he strolled through the open gates. He crossed the courtyard to where everyone gathered in the Great Hall. He felt naked with his face uncovered.
The Great Hall justified its name. The warriors gathered around several tables in the middle. Billy walked over, taking in the high ceilings and rows of large windows. A few dozen followers heed Aidian's call and gathered behind him. Someone big bumped Billy. He turned to look up at a burly guy who desperately needed a bath. Well, needed a bath more than most Englishmen.
Aidian explained his plan while gesturing to a huge map. The foul-smelling bully bumped him again, giving Billy an idea.
Billy pointed his hand wands behind him, making sure they did not slice the bully. He extended them, retracted, extended, and retracted sideways as the first groups yelled out in pain and fell. He now sliced through those between him and the quads along the tables twenty meters away. Then Billy, clutching his chest, pointed at the barbarian behind him and yelled “traitor!” He yelped like a girl losing her virginity and collapsed on the floor among the other wounded. Anyone who saw his baby face dismissed him as harmless.
The bewildered mercenary stood alone, fallen bodies all around him. An athletic quad pop into the air. His shots flew over Billy into the bully, smashing him across the floor.
"Help the wounded," someone yelled. Billy slid his hand into the bloody back in front of him and smeared his cheap overcoat with blood. He heard Aidian argue with what had to be his shrill domineering wife. Everyone else seemed preoccupied with the wounded, so Billy limped to position himself.
They all heard a firefight start near the battlements. A herd of quads ran towards the huge oak door. Billy ran even faster, slashing at them from behind. Those who turned towards the cries of pain were the next to die. It shocked Billy how long it took them to figure out someone was killing them. When he heard a volley from the quads behind him, he popped up without even turning around and watched a dozen fireballs explode into the fools he was cutting down. Billy took advantage of so many quads with their backs to him, moving unpredictably above them while fireballing the survivors. The enemy had helpfully concentrated themselves near the doorway to make avoidance difficult. Those in front went down in flames, exposing the rest to incredibly hot, impossibly large balls of fire. The inferno ignited the solid oak doors, preventing easy escape.
One of the many tiny fireballs shot from behind Billy struck him hard enough for him to notice. He popped sideways to put the burning people between him and the remaining enemy, which also gave him a new angle to blast enemies. One quad hurt so bad he cried at the top of his lungs like a colicky baby until Billy moved his stream of fire right into his mouth. Several quads flew at him, but not in any coordinated way. Billy easily avoided their short swords, while giving them fatal wounds. Another dozen ran -- not flew -- closer to blast him, but he evaded their fire and hurled fireballs at them like lightning bolts. The few who popped up were nailed in the air, which flung their flaming bodies towards the cowards in the back of the hall.
With his back to the wall and ceiling, Billy studied the tactical situation. He killed or injured about half. Over one hundred still remained, but half of them were backing away instead of massing to swarm him. They looked more scared than he, despite the numbers. Mongols spoiled him. This was easier than target practice.
"Good morning, cousins!" he cheerfully called out, as smoke from people on fire spread like an English fog. It took them a surprisingly long time to guess who he was. He assumed Aidian was a combat veteran who’d think quickly on his feet. Apparently, not so much.
"You're that bitch's bastard!" a richly dressed lady shouted.
"Your assassins cut my father down in the street without warning," Billy shouted. "So I challenge you all to a duel to the death!"
Aidian's wife and youngest son reacted far quicker than Aidian. The kid, a few years older than Billy, failed to weave in time. Billy's blast obliterated him and covered his mother's face with burning flesh, who screamed in horror until Billy sliced her head off. It bounced towards Aidian’s feet, who stared at it in horror.
Aidian’s brothers charged. Billy rose to give himself enough room to dodge. His cousins, however, had less success evading his much wider, hotter, and faster blasts. Billy took out both two-wanders to concentrate on Aidian. They both went to blades, their swordfight criss-crossing one end of the great hall.
"Did you know about the assassins in Frankfurt?" Billy demanded.
"Only if they're the same soldiers I sent to Budapest." Aidian answered hotly.
"It was you!" Billy backed away and sent an ax straight to Aidian's groin that struck deep enough to reach his belly button, something that his mother should have done years ago.
Something then hit Billy in the low back and he smelled his own burning flesh. He instantly changed direction to avoid the next blast and shot a wounded quad on the floor, engulfing him in fire.
If they all attacked en masse, they may have won, but more went on defense than offense, as if hiding behind tables would save them. Those tending the wounded only delayed death.
Billy swept the Great Hall from his end to the other, not leaving anyone alive behind him. He poured fire at the densest clusters of enemies who ironically huddled together for safety. Most foolishly stayed on the ground, though they could move several times faster in the air than on the floor. Those who launched themselves did not attack as a group. He could stay outside of their lethal range, but they could not stay outside of his. In a matter of minutes he killed everyone in the Great Hall.
Next, Billy flew from window to window and shot at whoever in the castle had their backs to him. The size and location of the Great Hall rendered most of the castle within range. Even those farthest away didn't see the blasts coming.
The women and teenagers fought aggressively. He saw Emily pop down under a quad to slice off a leg, then blast him as he fell. The scene made Billy rock hard.
He expected a battle, but instead found a massacre. There could be no peace as long as they lived, so he torched the royal palace, the barracks, and the sleeping quarters, burning dozens of people alive.
"Collect their wands before they grow cold," he shouted to his family.
Having kicked ass, Billy found the Matriarch taking names.
"Except for John's wife, who’s probably on her father’s estate, we got everyone important. You burned several kids in the palace, who were probably the children of Aidian’s brothers. Congratulations," she said, keeping her tone neutral, "you exterminated John's line like he tried to exterminate yours."
Billy didn’t pretend to feel remorse. "Then no one should contest Richard for the crown, which may save thousands of lives. Please send someone to tell the king the good news and ask him to send me a decent suit of body armor. Then come to the vault to see if they left us any goodies."
As his family took the valuables off the dead, as was their right as victors, Billy flew to the northern face of David's Tower to find the arrow slit gone. Instead he blew open the door in the bottom of the tower, rather than find the key, then blasted the hinges off the ancient vault. When Susan arrived, she screamed in joy at the sight of the jewels.
"John has more money than the trea
sury," was the Matriarch's first impression. "Richard is going to need all this to fix the country."
"No," Billy answered. "I'd rather lend him whatever he needs. Instead, divide this among everyone who fought with us today, according to how many enemies they killed. I don’t need a share.”
This kid just made her family rich. "Sure, Billy."
“Haul the valuables to safety and find us more quads so we can ambush other enemies as they come here.”
The Matriarch was not used to being ordered around, but wasn’t going to bite the hand that fed her. “You remind me of your father.”
The compliment startled the boy. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“You’re welcome.”