Sarrask watched with mounting horror as Queen Rylla pushed her way through the Styphoni ranks. Her big bodyguard, Xykos, was slashing everything in sight with his great sword but was still several horses removed from his charge. Moving his horse through Styphon's Temple Guard was like navigating a fast moving stream over cobblestones. Sarrask swung his saber to cleave a passageway until it lodged in a Guardsman's shoulder so firmly he couldn't remove it. Then he dropped it and used his mace.
Rylla was now only two or three bodies away, using her guns like clubs until one was knocked out of her hand. The Red Hand appeared to know who Rylla was and now only hands were tearing at her. Quite a few got bruised knuckles and broken fingers as a result. Xykos and the Queen's Beefeaters were caught in the tide of battle and were two horse-lengths removed from their Queen.
Sarrask knew he had to reach her before the Guardsmen tore her from her horse and all was lost. How could he face Kalvan if he returned with Rylla missing, or worse, a prisoner of the Red Hand and Roxthar's Investigators? Sarrask literally pulled one Guardsman off his horse, silencing him with a smack with his mace.
About half a dozen of his own Guardsmen and two of Rylla's Beefeaters were at his side when he reached the Great Queen. She was half off her horse, but still fighting like a she-panther. Sarrask saw one Red Hand take a kick to the jaw that must have loosened every tooth in his head. Then Sarrask had the Queen by the back of her back-and-breast, and yanked her onto his own horse. He took a couple of hard elbows to the breastplate before she recognized him for a friend. He wasn't surprised to see dents the size of fists in his breastplate when he got her situated behind him on his mount.
"Why did you save me?" Rylla screamed.
Sarrask turned and slapped her hard across the face, hard enough to send her helmet with the white owl plumes tumbling.
She reddened and then straightened up. "You have saved me from an honorable death. Why?"
"There is no honor on Roxthar's racks or in his hot irons. Did you think they would kill you? No, your death would be slow, horrible and with no honor."
Rylla shook her head, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. "I am sorry. You are right, Sarrask. I don't know what possessed me. Find me a horse so I can kill more of our enemies."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Sarrask answered. Not that he had the slightest intention of letting Rylla out of his sight, or off his horse, until this Ormaz-spawned battle was over. The Saski bodyguard and her Beefeaters had now formed a circle around Sarrask and their Great Queen and for the first time in a quarter candle he could afford to take a deep breath.
Xykos rode up on his lathered horse, his face dripping with sweat. His great sword was battered and covered with gore. "Praise Dralm and Yirtta Allmother-the Queen lives!"
One of the Queen's Beefeaters cried, "I saw Sarrask single-handedly rescue Great Queen Rylla from the Red Hand!"
Xykos made a quick bow. "Prince Sarrask, I owe you my honor!"
Queen Rylla grabbed his cheek and bussed him, crying, "My paladin!"
Heads turned as the combined Queen's and Saski bodyguard cheered.
Sarrask lowered his face so no one would see how inflamed his cheeks had become. Someday he would savor this moment, but not now. He had to find Great King Kalvan and help him salvage what could be saved from this disaster.
From the looks of things, Sarrask would not be returning to Sask and his current sharp-tongued mistress, who was beginning to leave him longing for his late wife-something he had never dreamed possible. Things could be a lot worse! As long as Kalvan was alive and healthy, Praise Galzar, there would be many more battles and much glory to be won-that is, so long as they got out of this great murthering mess!