Free Arrowland by Paul Kane Page B

Jeffreys.
    "It's okay, I think they were here to help. It's connected to how I got away from the castle last year." Gwen saw that they didn't understand, and shook her head. "You know what; I'm not even going to try to explain. What's happened has happened. But these people obviously aren't friendlies. And they aren't going away anytime soon."
    "How long can we hold out for?" asked Jeffreys.
    "Food-wise, a week. Maybe two," Darryl informed them. "It's ammo we're running short of. Graham brought back a few more supplies, but not nearly enough. If those guys keep pushing and have more than us..."
    "They obviously want something ," Jeffreys said.
    Andy sighed. "Yeah: us, dead. And they might just get it, too."
    Gwen glanced across at her son, playing without a care in the world. "That's not going to happen." She walked towards the door, then opened it, ignoring protests from the people inside. Gwen strode across the village to the front wall and climbed the ladder. Taking hold of her rifle, she crouched down on the ledge. Gwen stuck her head up over the top, and it was then that bullets raked the wall, causing her to duck again. "All right," she whispered to herself, "if that's the way you want to play it." She swung around and returned fire with the M16, targeting the flashes. "You like that, eh? All right, have some more then." Her teeth were clenched as she fired round after round, until eventually the rifled clicked empty. Still she kept her finger pressed on the trigger, breathing hard.
    There was silence outside. The only sound she could hear was the pumping of her heart in her chest. The hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she almost turned the weapon on whoever it was.
    "Gwen, that's enough." It was Andy, his expression full of concern.
    "No, I-"
    He took the rifle from her. "They're camped out. It's a waste of our ammo."
    She stared at him, then said quietly, "We can't let them take us, Andy. Not again. We have to fight back." Gwen looked down and saw that some of the others had followed her out of the meeting. She saw the worried faces of Darryl, Karen, a half dozen more. Some of them knew what it was like to be invaded, some had no idea - yet.
    Andy took hold of her, attempting to rest her head on his shoulder. "It's okay. We won't let that happen." Then it was his turn to tense up.
    She pulled away. "What?" Gwen followed his gaze, peering at an angle through the gap in the wall.
    "I think you winged one," he said.
    He was right. One of the shooters had broken cover, staggering about in the open. He was clutching his leg, rifle falling from his hands.
    "We need to get to him, get him inside," Gwen told Andy. If they could question this guy they might get a few answers.
    "You can't be serious?" said Andy.
    "I am, and I know exactly the way to do it."
    For the first time that day, Gwen broke into a smile.

Chapter Five
     
    She hadn't done bad for herself, she had to say. Though, obviously, she'd seen it coming.
    And while most little girls' childhood fantasies revolved around living in a castle, it had never been hers. This had been an adult fantasy, something that occurred to her later in life when she realised it actually could be achieved. She'd always been a realist, even from an early age.
    What attracted her the most was not the fantasy life of living here, but the fact these surroundings fitted her persona perfectly. A medieval backdrop to match her outlook. Yet she was also a dichotomy, because however much she loved the old fashioned nature of where she now resided, she was still connected to the modern world. The castle had power, it had running water; all right, people who would run and fetch her water. It was protected by the weapons of the 20th and 21st century: tanks, jeeps, machine-guns and mounted rocket launchers. Her men might well carry the swords of their ancestors, had changed their names according to the old Celtic ways, but they were also armed to the gills with guns.
    It made her laugh to