57. Chapter 57 - Ash

The man had me around the neck, with a hand clamped on my mouth.

Across the room I could see my spike under my bed, where he had kicked it — I had been so shocked by the drone that I had dropped it and now it was too far away. Fine. I could actually get away from this guy, with an elbow to his ribs, because he was holding me poorly, but I wasn't sure what waited for me outside and he had no gun for me to steal.

With the battle raging outside, I was safer in here, for now, but then a loud explosion, closer than the last, happened. Men were yelling, and then the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire — footsteps outside as men ran by, an even louder explosion, a man running, a yell, and then the door of my room shoved open and Lochie, gun drawn, aimed right at the man. "Let go of her!" I was so freaking glad to see him.

I swung my elbow back, hard, and as my captor doubled over, brought his head down and connected it to my knee. Lochie said, "Och, well done!"

It hadn't really been well done, my knee was bound by my skirts, but when the dude weakly tried to grab my legs, I shoved him back. He stumbled against the wall and held his hands up cowering.

Lochie passed me a gun. "Take this!"

My heart was racing. He took his helmet off and jammed it on my head. "Follow me!"

I fell in behind him and we emerged from the building. I saw men on one side of the yard, behind a wall, firing at the other side — in the direction we were headed. Lochie yelled into his radio, "Cover us!"

His brother Magnus stood and fired behind us as we raced that way and then directly behind us, another explosion and the firing stopped as we scrambled to Magnus's position.

He said, "We good?"

I nodded.

Lochie said, "Aye."

Magnus asked, "Where is Asgall?"

I shook my head. "The man who visited me...? He... I don't know, he's not here — he came once, yesterday, and I haven't seen him since."

"Och nae, we arna goin' tae get him!"

Lochie said, "Ye'll hae tae confront him elsewhere, for now we need tae get from this hellish place." Gunfire sounded, Lochie ducked.

There was an explosion. The gunfire ended. Magnus said, "We're headed tae the gate, then our horses."

I nodded. "Let's do this."

Lochie patted the top of my helmet. "In front of me."

Crouching, we ran toward the gate, I kept my eyes scanning the yard and the walls, keeping up with Magnus, hearing the bursts of air coming from Lochie's nose as he ran. I saw a man on the wall. "Wall!"

Lochie turned and fired three times. I wished I had given him back the helmet. He was tall, and looked exposed, it freaked me out, but then an explosion hit that section of wall, and a board flew toward us, hitting me, hard. I screamed and dropped my gun, stumbling to the ground, dislocating my shoulder — That was going to hurt.

Lochie scooped up my gun and nudged my back, "Up, go, Ash, run!"

I raced toward the gate, making it there, holding my arm. Lochie rushed up, then Magnus said, "Go!" He turned, and bolted out the gate as an explosion hit the opposite wall. We ran. Lochie caught up to me and ran alongside me, occasionally looking back over his shoulder, slowing and firing, then catching up again. Until we made it to the two horses. I had never ridden a horse before. Magnus mounted his and brought it around behind ours. Fraoch rode up on another horse and, with Magnus, blocked our horse from the walls as Lochie swung his rifle to his back and put his hand on his horse's reins. "Up!"

I tentatively grabbed a strap, and jumped but didn't come close. I grabbed the saddle, but my hand slipped. With one arm I frantically tried to jam my toe in the stirrup — Magnus yelled, "Guards're coming through the gates!"

I felt Lochie's shoulder on my ass heaving me up and over, I flopped onto the saddle — the pain in my shoulder making me see stars — I put out my good arm to keep from sliding head-first off the horse, but then there was a strong hand on the back of my thigh, holding me secure. The saddle shifted as Lochie lowered himself beside me. "Ash, hold ontae m'thigh, we hae tae go!" I gripped my arm around his thigh, my face pressed against his tunic, my legs dangling on the other side, and Lochie spurred the horse into a gallop. I shrieked as the horse rumbled under me, my ass in the air as I bounced up and down on my stomach. I clamped my eyes tight, Oh no, oh no.

Lochie held onto me with a forearm clamped across my back. All around me I could hear a rumbling of horse hooves as we raced across the fields. I raised my head to see — we were headed into the woods. Then we were in the trees, the shade making it cool and dark.

Magnus said, "Ye hae a vessel, take her tae Balloch! Take m'horse with ye." He jumped from his horse and began pulling packs from the side.

Lochie said, "Where are ye goin'?"

Magnus said, "As we discussed, I need tae go take m'throne."

"Tis what we discussed?"

"Aye, tis my throne, he canna hae it."

"But ye will need yer horse?—"

"I might need tae use the Trailblazer, I doubt Asgall used it past 1296. I canna put Dràgon through it — Fraoch ye comin' with me?'

Fraoch dismounted his horse. "Och nae, we hae tae use the Trailblazer?" He grabbed a bag off his horse. "Fine I will come, stop beggin' me."

Magnus placed the horses' reins in Lochie's hand. "Men are coming, go go go!" He and Fraoch slung bags over their shoulders and scrambled up the hill, deeper into the woods.

Lochie said, "Let go m'leg, Ash, I'm slidin' ye down." He directed my feet to the ground, gently, but I still stumbled when I hit land and fell back on my ass, holding my arm. "What is happening, Lochie! What is going on!"

My arm hurt. I was so scared — "Are they coming?"

"Aye, they are right behind us."

He dropped to the ground and wrapped all the reins around his forearm. Crouched right in front of me, he pulled a small device, about the size and shape of a Red Bull can, he held it, and looked at me. "I ken ye are frightened, Ash, but we are goin' tae jump, hold ontae my arm."

I shook my head. "Don't want to."

"Hold on!" He twisted the machine.

I shook my head again, he dropped his knees on both sides of my hips, sitting on me, pinning me down, put an arm around the back of my head, holding me to his chest and said, "Hold on, daena be frightened..."

And then there was the worst pain I had ever felt rolling up my arm and spreading down my back — I began to scream.