The next morning, Ameila was awakened by someone knocking loudly at the door.
"Highness! Highness!" Shouted a male voice. "Highness! Please wake up!" Grumbling, Ameila dragged herself out of bed and over to the door. Standing in the hallway was a Seyrun Knight in chain mail. A Heavy mace was in his hand and a cut made a straight line across his right cheek. "Highness!" He gasped. "Praise be to N'thoth!"
"What is it?" Ameila demanded.
"All of Sailoon has gone mad Highness! The PMS chapter house was set on fire and everyone within is being burnt at the stake! You must flee!"
"Give me two minutes." Ameila snapped, slamming the door.
When she opened it, she was dressed in a loose shirt, pants and military boots. Her sword was belted at her side and she wore a hooded cloak. "Let's go."
"Yes highness." Said the Knight. "Lady Inverse and Baron Gabriev have established a fortified position near the stable entrance and the Seyrun knights have secured the gates leading out towards the North gates. Horses are waiting." Ameila nodded.
"We'll fall back to the Seyrun chapter house outside of town. At that point, we can dig in and send a message to the Mother house at Daer."
"I think not Highness." Said Sendar. He and Cordelia stood in the hallway. Both were dressed in mail coats and military style doublets, pants, and boots. Each one had a sword at the waist.
Ameila's attention was focused however, on the crossbows they held. Instinctively, she dropped into a fighting stance, her arms positioned so as to best protect her belly.
"What's going on here Sendar?" She asked.
"You are being removed." Cordelia said, her eyes alight with fanaticism. "Your child shall be raised in the glory of Ceiphed's holy light and lead us forth in bringing His holy word to the world!"
"Praise be." Sendar added, his eyes also glowing with the same light.
"Run highness!" The knight said as he started forward at a run, the mace his hand held high.
He was two steps away when he went down, twin crossbow bolts in his throat.
Sendar and Cordelia drew their swords and found a very angry Ameila, Flare Arrow ready to go.
"You can't take us both down Ameila." Sendar all but purred. "We're too close." Ameila's answering smile was cold.
"Maybe, maybe not." She said. "I've spent the past five years using the Flare Arrow under combat conditions. I'm pretty fast with it. Maybe I can get it off twice, before you reach me, maybe I can't." Unable to help herself, Ameila finished with a famous question that haunted people for the past 20 years.
The question was from a play about a City Guardsman who used his crossbow to solve too many problems.
"So I guess the real question is," Ameila said softly. "Is if you feel lucky? Well? Do you?"
What they felt would never be known as at that moment, their chests exploded in a spray of blood as twin bangs rang out. Standing in the hallway junction behind them was the rest of the sorcerers and the one called Koume. She had a metallic device in her hand and a thin stream of smoke came out of one end.
"Queen Ameila." Said the tall green haired woman. "We must flee."
"But."
"There is nothing we can do. Their souls were already lost when they approached you."
"There's an escape route down by the stable entrance." Ameila said.
"Then that is where we will go."
When they arrived, Lina, Gourry and a group of Seyrun Knights had rigged a small wall out of furniture and were using it as cover.
"Ameila!" Lina called. "You're safe!"
"I got lucky." Ameila said and turned to the nearest knight. "Status report!"
"We have secured the stables and the route leading to the North Gate out of the city!" The Knight said. "A carrier pigeon has been sent to the Mother house at Daer, notifying them of your arrival."
"Very good. Who's in charge?"
"Chapter house Governor Sir General Edmund Highness!" Ameila nodded. She had known Edmund all her life.
"Where is he?"
"Outside in the stables highness!"
"Good. Inform him to prepare to leave and see to it that extra horses are saddled for my friends.
"Yes Highness!" The knight shouted and ran out.
"I hate this." Ameila muttered. "Its too damn early in the morning for a coup."