With an exasperated look and a heavy heart, Miguel approached the window, where he stealthily peered out to see if he had a line of sight on the ballista.
Direct line.
He proceeded to clear his arquebus as best as he could of the remnants of the previous shot, scraping the inside of the barrel several times with the ramrod until he was satisfied, and loaded another of the "apostles" from his bandolier.
—Come on, stay focused. We'll think about what just happened later —he told himself—. Breathe, breathe, breathe… Fire.
BOOM
And with the sound of the shot, the man operating the ballista fell. Ivan's men now had the time and space to close the gap again and capture all the ships that had attempted to set sail, detaining their crews.
…
Everyone walked down the stairs without saying a single word. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Turning left to head toward the center of the village, which was finishing being evacuated and burned to the ground, he came across a dying little dog. A stray arrow had pierced its snout from one side to the other.
Desperately trying to pull the arrow out, the puppy kicked its legs without going anywhere. Blood was pooling, and it was losing strength.
—I'm sorry, friend —Miguel said, drawing his sword—. Truly, I'm sorry.
He ended the animal's suffering once and for all.
…
—Report, Commander —the lieutenant said, standing before Miguel.
—Go ahead —Miguel said lazily, sitting on a barrel to escape the sun and the heat that could be felt even several yards away from the village center.
—We have taken control of the entire village. We have the Chief's treasury, the takings from various shops, precious metals from the ships, and even a few gold items from the local church.
—Good work, especially with that last part; I hadn't thought of that —Miguel said, coming out of his trance a bit.
—Thank you, Young Master. In other news, we have found pine resin, pitch, wood, and linen, so we can replenish our supplies of Molotov cocktails.
—Good to hear.
—And, we have the entire fleet of barges with their crews ready to sail, should you give the order to advance downriver by ship.
—Ummm, it's a solid option… Fine, we'll go by water. Have them take us to the next port, and we'll attack it from within with all the troops. Let five men take the loot back to the camp at the northern tip of the Narico forest. Gather some horses to come with us on the ships. We depart in one hour.
—It shall be done as ordered, my lord —the lieutenant said, but he remained in place—. My lord, what is to become of Guard Andrés?
Miguel stood up from the barrel and looked at Fernandez.
—He nearly raped a woman, Fernandez.
—I heard, my lord.
—And he knew explicitly that he shouldn't. He even asked me, damn it, if this whole operation was necessary. What a hypocrite!
—...
—Convene an ad-hoc military tribunal.
—As you wish, my lord.
…
—The ad-hoc military tribunal of the special unit of guards assigned to escort the civilian convoy to the eastern section of the county grounds is now in session. At the request of Young Master Miguel Cortés, and under his total command of the operation, this tribunal will not be one of inquiry and judgment. Instead, the inquiry will be conducted by the Young Master, while the judgment will be rendered by Lieutenant Fernandez Gonzalo, tactical commander of the unit.
—Guard Andrés Pino, commander of the first military intelligence squad of the County of Pastto, is called to the stand to appear.
Andrés entered, stripped of all his weapons and with his hands bound. Despite not wearing a guard's uniform, the difference in his posture and gait was evident, that of someone burdened by such accusations.
—Mr. Prosecutor, what are the charges brought against Guard Andrés Pino?
—Your Honor: military insubordination and attempted sexual abuse on the battlefield.
—I see. How do you plead, Guard Andrés Pino?
—... Guilty, sir.
—Understood. Any prior statement from the Prosecutor before proceeding with the verification of the legality of the Guard's admission of guilt?
—Yes, Your Honor. This prosecution wishes to bring to light the evident state of "Rage and Intense Pain" of which Guard Andrés was a victim. Eyewitnesses state that the conduct leading to the offenses discussed here originated from an assassination attempt against the Son of the Count, the supreme commander of the military forces in this mission. Therefore, an overreaction to a situation of such magnitude is foreseeable.
Furthermore, Guard Andrés's record is irreproachable. Therefore, the prosecution kindly requests that the sentence be a period of probation regarding his status in the guard force for a minimum of six months. If the Guard's performance and loyalty are deemed satisfactory during the designated period, then the investigation will be expunged.
—A five-minute recess is decreed for the decision. Everyone, clear the room.
…
—Resuming the aforementioned judgment hearing. This ad-hoc Judge finds the measure requested by the Prosecution to be reasoned and proportional. Therefore, administering justice in the name of Count Alban Cortés of Pastto, this court decrees:
-To suspend the military criminal proceedings against Andrés Pino for a minimum term of six months.
-To reinstate the aforementioned guard into the military intelligence forces.
-To decree that if, at the end of the probationary period, no reasonably grounded motives are found, these proceedings shall be terminated.
This decision being final, let the case be archived.
…
—Alright, gentlemen —Miguel said—. We move out in thirty minutes. All personnel ready.
—Yes, sir! —the rest replied.
…
Second Village on the left bank of the Colorado River, in the section belonging to Baron Heinrich.
Camouflaged as a merchant fleet, nearly 180 guards arrived in the vicinity of the second village about three hours later, in the late afternoon. The second village was smaller than the first, and the surprise attack overwhelmed the defenders in less than thirty minutes. All the houses were burned, and valuables were looted.
…
Third village. The smallest of them all.
The guard forces, dressed as bandits, cut through like a knife through butter, as there was no palisade and hardly any guard presence in the village. Only a handful of the defenders had chainmail; the rest wore only gambesons. They all surrendered without a fight and were tied up in a cargo warehouse—the same one used to imprison the ship crews when they disembarked for combat.
…
Fourth village.
The guard's men, having stolen several wagons from the previous village, drove them for a while until they were halfway to the last village. They rested the night both on the ships and within a defensive circle. Before dawn, they ate their rations and unloaded the treasures from the ships into the wagons. They set fire to those ships and directed them toward the port facilities of the last village, igniting everything around them.
They used the wagons to scale the wall when no one was watching and set fire to everything in their path. However, due to the proximity to the Baron's manor, they did not loot thoroughly—only the chapel and the chief's house. All the captured enemies were released.
…
Total casualties for the guard: eight guards, including dead and maimed.
Loot collected: valued at at least 1,200 gold coins.
Miguel de Cortés gave the order to regroup at the camp and depart for the Pastto's east border village.