The collision was so violent that it took him a minute to regain his senses. Getting to his feet, he searched the gloomy spaces for whatever had hit him. Within seconds an arm encircled his neck from behind and a hand began forcing his head forward. Recognizing a chokehold, he knew that unconsciousness was seconds away. Lightning quick, he reacted with his martial arts training. He lifted his feet off the ground, hooked his toes behind the assailant's knees, and arched his back. Both he and the attacker fell backwards. The man uttered a loud whoof as they hit the ground. The chokehold was broken by the fall, but the arm remained around his neck. He reached up to grab it, but an elbow strike to his temple sent a lightning bolt through his head. He shook it off and twisted, trying to face his adversary. Then a woman's voice called out to them.
"Childs, stop!" Taylor cried in a low voice as she jumped into the melee. "It's Matt!"
Matt felt the arm around his neck relax then release. He got to his knees and stared at a black humanoid blob silhouetted against one of the huts. It moved forward and extended a hand. Matt took it and was pulled to his feet. In the next instant Taylor had her arms around his neck, face buried in this chest. Matt returned the embrace, his chin resting against the top of her head. He took a deep breath, smelling her hair.
"I knew you'd come," she choked. "I was waiting for you when Childs came." She put her hand against his face and stroked it.
"I love you, Taylor. Nothing could have stopped me," he replied.
"We don't have time for this," Childs interrupted. "We've got to get out of here. Now!"
Matt released Taylor and said to Childs, "I was following Kasdan when I ran into you. He was on the street, about a hundred feet ahead of me." A melee broke out in the distance just as he said it. They heard men shouting and a woman screaming.
"He's found the guards," Childs said, alarmed. "You take Taylor and get out quick," he ordered Matt.
Puzzled, Matt asked, "Found who? What's…"
"Move!" Childs hissed between his teeth. "She can explain after you're out of here. I'm going back."
Taylor grabbed the Marine's arm. "No, Childs, you can't! There's too many of them!"
Childs disengaged her hand and gently moved her toward Matt. "I have to, Taylor. It's what I do. Now go!"
Taylor grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek. Without further words, Matt seized her hand, pulled her away, and took off at a run toward the gate.
The need for speed trumped caution, and they reached the wall in less than five minutes. Ignoring the guards, Matt boosted Taylor up, then pulled himself up and over. When they were a mile away, he turned to see if they were being followed. The sky over the Fir Bolg fort glowed red.
"There's a big fire in the town," he said to Taylor. "I hope Childs is okay."
"So do I," she agreed. "We owe him a lot."
"He's a member of a three-man search and destroy squad sent here by Apache Point specifically to kill Kasdan," Matt told her. "Dr. Durant must have somehow found out that he was still alive and had managed to transport to this time era looking for us. I don't know any of the specifics, but I can guarantee we'll find out when we get back home."
"A three-man squad? Where are the other two?"
"A lot has happened since he kidnapped you, babe. I'll tell you about it after we get across the river. The Vryanians are already forming there to prepare for battle. Let's get going. It's pushing three o'clock. Keep a sharp lookout behind us. We won't be safe until we're on the other side of the water."
"If you're talking about Kasdan, I doubt he'll get by Childs."
"Don't sell him short. That hate of his managed to get him through five thousand years of time to try and kill us again. A few miles of Irish sod and one Marine may not be enough to stop him now." He took out the walkie-talkie that Kriss had loaned him.
"Kriss, do you copy?" he said into the radio.
After a few seconds a tinny voice answered. "I hear you, Leahy."
Matt informed him of what was going on, and that Childs had stayed behind. "Also, there's a big fire in the village," he added.
"Roger that. We're in a patch of woods northeast of the town. We can see the flames from here. Are you sure Childs is still there? We've been unable to contact him since the fire started."
"Affirmative. He insisted on staying behind to go after Kasdan."
There was a long pause then Kriss answered. "Roger that. Kriss out."
A half-hour later Matt and Taylor reached the river and waded across. After they had gone another hundred yards, a powerful blue light suddenly bathed the area around them. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it. An apple-sized ball hung fifteen feet in the air, lighting the ground around them in a hundred foot circle. They shielded their dark-adapted eyes with their hands. In less than a minute, a Vryanian picket stepped into the lighted circle and stood looking at them.
"It's Matt Leahy and Taylor Griffin!" Matt shouted. The man walked closer, scrutinized them for a few seconds. They saw that he was holding one of the wands in his hand. "You are not Fir Bolg," he observed.
"No, not Fir Bolg. Please notify Dbarr that we are here," Matt said.
The Vryanian stood motionless for a few seconds, as though listening to something only he could hear then put the wand back through his belt. Matt and Taylor both let out a breath.
"Please accompany me," he said in a more friendly tone. He looked at the blue ball and held out his hand. They watched in awe as the light dimmed, and the ball floated down into his palm.
"I'll never get used to this science stuff," Taylor whispered to Matt as they followed the Vryanian.
Kasdan flew into a red rage when he entered the hut and found Etar and the guards tied up and Taylor missing. He ran to where they were lying and jerked the fur off their heads. The men stared up at him, eyes wide with fear. Slowly, he drew the big hunting knife from his belt and cut their bonds. They got to their feet.
One of them, a man with long brown hair and dark eyes, said in a trembling voice, "It was the woman, lord. She tricked us into coming into the hut where an evil spirit waited for us. We saw nothing. The spirit took us from behind and rendered us unconscious. When we awoke, we were bound together beneath the skin."
A sneer came over Kasdan's face. He felt hot blood rising. Without a word the knife flashed up and slashed the man's throat. The other two attempted to flee, but he blocked their way. The second man died instantly as the knife drove through his heart. He caught the third one by the hair as he tried to dodge around him. Grabbing him by the waist of his hide pants, he lifted him over his head and smashed him down against his raised knee. The man's spine snapped like a twig. He shivered and stared up at his murderer. Death came within seconds.
The killer stood like a stone statue. He rolled his eyes back in his head and screamed in rage. Etar lay staring at him, eyes wide with terror. He walked over to her, lifted her gently, and stood her on her feet. In one cut the big knife slashed her bonds. "What happened here, Etar?" he asked in a low voice.
The girl swallowed hard. "It is as the guards said. A black spirit came through the wall and forced the woman to call the guards. The rest you know."
For a moment he stood there looking at her with a blank expression. "What did this spirit look like?" he asked.
"He had no face, lord, and he was so black that he was hard to look at."
Kasdan cocked his head sideways and stared at her for a few seconds.
Etar glanced at the knife at his side and trembled as a snarl came over his face.
"You are lying," he accused. Without warning he drew back and smashed her in the face with his closed fist. She flew backwards like a bag of cotton and slid through the fire. Sparks and burning embers rose upwards to the thatch ceiling and walls. The dry material ignited instantly. In less than a minute the entire hut was a blazing inferno.
He stood there looking at the unconscious girl for a few seconds then walked out. As he entered the street the roof fell in, sending fiery smoke into the
night sky. He stopped and listened, but no sound came from within. The fire was beginning to spread to the adjacent huts. Shouting men, screaming women and children ran out into the streets. Dozens of others were coming from every direction, some carrying containers of water to throw on the fire. Without further thought, Kasdan turned away from the conflagration and headed toward Eochaid's dwelling.
As Matt and Taylor followed the Vryanian, the radio at Matt's side came to life. "Leahy?" came Kriss' voice.
Matt retrieved the radio. "Yes. Go ahead, Major."
"Thought I'd let you know that Childs is with us. He says to tell Taylor that everyone they left behind in the hut is dead."
Taylor's heart jumped into her throat. "Ask him about the girl."
Matt looked puzzled, but complied. "Taylor wants to know about the girl."
This time is was Childs' voice that answered. "Her, too, Taylor. By the time I got there it was all over. I took a chance and looked into the hut from the hole in the back. It was too hot to go inside, but it was pretty bad in there. I didn't hear any shots, so it must have been knife work. Kasdan killed them all, then set the hut on fire."
Tears of fury came to Taylor's eyes. She clamped her teeth together and shook with rage. "Give me the radio, Matt," she said. He gave it to her. "What about Kasdan?" she asked Childs.
"Nowhere to be found. A couple of the other huts were also burning. Made a lot of light. I had no choice but to get out."
"Thank you, Childs," she said in a low voice. "It hurts to hear about the girl. She was an innocent victim. But most important, I'm glad you're okay."
"Copy that. You made it across the river?"
"Yes."
"Don't worry. One of us will get that psycho before it's over. Childs out."
Taylor handed the radio back to Matt. "I hope he's right," she said with impassioned feeling. Knowing she was upset, Matt did not reply. Possessed of a strong character and proud spirit, he knew she would overcome her anger in her own time.
As they continued to Dbarr's command post, they observed that the Vryanian forces, consisting of about two thousand men, were being formed into groups by their commanders in accordance with Jake's battle plan. The river where the confrontation was to take place was about a quarter mile away. By daylight, the balance of their forces would have arrived, making nearly eight thousand. At that time, they would move to the river and wait for the Fir Bolg to arrive.
Dbarr still maintained hope that they could settle the issue peacefully, but Matt doubted it. With Kasdan in their midst, the Fir Bolg would not be permitted to resolve anything by talking.
Dbarr, Tykel, and Sedan were waiting for them in a small dome near a copse of oaks. Dbarr went directly to Taylor and put his hands on her shoulders. "Thank Providence that you are not injured," he said in a fatherly tone.
"Thank you, Dbarr, but Providence had nothing to do with it. I have a couple of rescuers that made it happen. Unfortunately, there was a price."
Dbarr did not question her strange response. He could sense from her demeanor and tone that something personally regrettable had occurred. Instead, he turned to Matt and said, "Jake is on his way here. He wants to go over our plans once more."
Just then they heard a loud voice shouting commands outside the dome. Jake had indeed arrived. The big Ranger walked into the dome. When he saw Taylor, his face broke into a huge grin. "Sweet Mother of God, you're safe!" He rushed to her and engulfed her in a bear hug. Having almost smothered her, he pushed her to arm's length. "Let's have a look at you! Are you hurt?"
Taylor laughed. "No, Jake. And I'm glad to see you, too."
Jake turned to Matt. "You have any trouble?"
Matt nodded. "Some." He explained what had happened.
"Looks like our military friends have made up for delaying us," Jake said. "Where are they now?"
"I don't know, but I suspect they're on the ridge by the river."
Jake pursed his lips and nodded. "I'd bet on it." He turned to the two generals and said, "Let's get lined up. The rest of our forces are on the way. I want you to contact the transport vreels and remind them that they are to show no lights when they arrive. Let's give our opponents at least as much credit for intelligence as we give ourselves. If I were their king, I'd already have a few pickets deployed on the other side of the river."
"The order has already been given," Sedan told him. "However, I will repeat the instructions right away."
"Good. Now, let's get everything prepared. We'll move to the river and be in place just before dawn."
The four men walked out, leaving Matt and Taylor alone. Matt turned to her and enfolded her in a tight embrace. He could feel his heart flutter as he held her.
"You don't know how worried I was that something might happen to you before I could get there."
"Yes, yes, I do," she answered as she took his face between her hands and gazed at him. "I had no doubt that you would come for me. I thought of nothing else, but I was afraid that you would be so worried that you'd throw caution to the wind and walk into some kind of trap that Kasdan might have set for you. He told me that when this was over, one of you would be dead. If I had had the means, there would have been no tomorrow for him. I would have killed him at that moment."
Matt kissed her, and held her close again. "He's right, babe. One way or another, there won't be a tomorrow for one of us."
Chapter 27
Moytura
The Vryanians were assembled at the river and prepared for battle an hour before dawn. They were dressed in their usual uniform-like clothing: knee length boots, tunics, and kilts that reached to the boot tops. They wore no armor, helmets, or greaves. In mass they presented a splendid appearance, glowing silver in the gray light.
The front was a thousand feet long, fifty yards back from the water. Jake formed them into twelve squares of four hundred men, fifty across, eight ranks deep. Greeks, Romans, Macedonians, and other armies of the Mediterranean world, including those commanded by Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar would use this square formation, later known as a phalanx, in the far future. All of the Vryanians carried round, silver shields three feet in diameter, each one overlapping the shield to its left creating a solid wall of metal. In later centuries the tactic would be known as a shield wall, an alignment almost impenetrable by enemy infantry. Each man was armed with a spear six feet long with a three-pronged metal tip. An original Vryanian design, the coming battle would mark the first use of the famous trident in the ancient world.
The commanders, stationed at the left end of each front rank, were armed with antimatter wands, known to the Fir Bolg as swords of light. Two hundred more men, shaped into a wedge formation, were stationed on the extreme left end of the squares to prevent enemy flanking movements from the open side of the plain. A ridge on the west side butted against the river, protecting the Vryanian right flank. The slope was covered with dwarf oak and blue laurel, where Alan Kriss and his men lay hidden just below the skyline.
In addition to the frontline troops, eight vreels, each equipped with two heavy versions of antimatter wands, were concealed behind a low rise a half mile to the rear. Certain special equipment had been added to their usual compliment of instruments and lights. Jake had ordered the Vryanian version of loud speakers to be installed on their roofs. At the proper time, a strange form of alien music would be played through the speakers to frighten the barbarians and raise the spirits of the Vryanian infantry. It was a new tactic for this time period, but in the far future, Irish and Scottish soldiers would be stimulated into a warlike frenzy as they followed the bagpipes into battle.
The vreel pilots had received specific instructions as to their part in the confrontation: they were not to move until they received direct orders from one of the generals at the front. At this order, they were to carry out a certain preplanned attack designed to be so overwhelming as to ensure victory and end the unwanted war before it progressed into mass casualties.
Matt, Jake, and Taylor had br
eakfast with Dbarr and the generals. Their mood was somber, each dreading the upcoming conflict. When the meal was finished they walked out together and stood viewing the Vryanian formation in the gray predawn light. The squares were positioned twenty feet apart except for the center two, where the space between them widened to fifty feet. Matt and the others were to be stationed in this fifty-foot opening, where they would be clearly visible from the opposite side of the river. No soldiers would be in front or in back of them. Their position, obviously open to attack, was an integral part of Jake's strategy. They were the bait.
Matt, ever vigilant in precarious situations, said in an appreciative tone, "I see they're using tridents instead of spears."
"Yeah, it's their own invention," Jake said as they walked between the phalanxes to their places. He glanced at Matt and Taylor, seeing their obvious worry. "It'll all be over with very soon, guys," he said with his usual alacrity.
"I wish I felt as confident as you do," Taylor remarked. She gave him a guarded stare. "By the way, where is Rael? I haven't seen her since we arrived."
"She's with the vreels," Jake answered. "You know she's one of their best pilots, and I wanted only the aces for what they have to do."
"I hope this works, Jake," Matt put in. "A lot of lives depend on it."
"The strategy is sound, Matt." He sounded a little testy. "If everybody does their job, there won't be any major problems. And I don't see how that maniac can resist the bait. After all, that's all he's thought about for a couple of years now."
Matt glanced at Taylor, who was looking in the other direction.
Jake saw him looking at her. He knew Matt feared for her safety. "I understand your apprehension, Matt," he said. "But remember what I said about history and myth being on our side. Besides, she's a top-notch lady. I'd hate to have her against me."
Matt gave him a wry look, then laughed aloud. "I remember your history lesson, but I don't remember our names being mentioned in any of the books."
"I'm glad you brought that up," he said. "You might get a little surprise when you two get back to Apache Point."