Chapter Twenty-Seven

Darcy heard Mr. Collins’ exclamations and could take them as nothing but a confirmation that the desired connection the neighborhood had been speaking of was now formalized. He could not bring himself to believe that Miss Elizabeth loved that man, but she did care deeply for Longbourn and its people. She must have accepted an arrangement that would please her family, while allowing her to maintain her care for the estate and tenants. Regardless of the reasons, it put an unhappy end to the internal dispute he had been suffering for weeks. He had no choice.

He fled the ball before the dance had ended. He had been intending on asking Miss Bennet to dance, in the hopes they might be able to recapture the friendly impertinence of their earlier interactions. But now he could not force himself to endure the agony of dancing with the woman he loved when she was promised to another. He left the house through the front door, ostensibly to check on the militia troops stationed near the gate. In truth he needed to be free of the cage that Netherfield had suddenly become. If he had no obligations holding him in the county, he would have flung himself into the air and flown all the way to Pemberley, there to bury himself in balm of familiar places and his dear sister’s arms.

The tall gentleman could see the bulk of the platoon split into three squads. One was guarding the gate. One was marching the perimeter of the cleared grounds. And one was posted in front of the house. The temporary command post was just off the lane, halfway between the house and the gate. He stalked to the small brazier around which Captain Denny and his sergeants were clustered for warmth. A small marquee had been pitched to keep any rain or snow off the small table and several chairs that were more comfortable than Darcy felt was appropriate for an active guard post.

“Anything to report?” he asked brusquely. Captain Denny hesitated for a moment, looking at the civilian resentfully.

“Nothing yet, sir,” answered an older man with sergeant’s stipes. “But the night’s young. The last guests arrived less’n an hour ago. If there’s gonna be trouble, I wouldn’t expect it ‘til …”

A fusillade of gunfire poured from the woods to the west, most of which seemed to be aimed at the command post. The sergeant speaking was the first to fall. Darcy felt at least two balls hit him, but while they holed his evening clothes, they bounced off his dense skin. A round snapped the tent pole, bring the covering to the ground on top of the company commander. When another shot hit the brazier, knocking it over and scattering hot coals on the oiled cloth, flames danced up, spreading their light into the yard.

In the distance he saw a tree trunk fly out of the woods to strike the patrolling squad. Bright blades of light lanced out of the sky to cut down the squad in front of the house. A familiar flying woman poured flames onto the roof of the house, setting it ablaze. At the gate, men started to scream and fall.

The crown magistrate took to the sky, his eyes glowing as he adjusted his sight to brighten the night. He started sending pulses of gravity at the ExtraOrdinaries, knowing the gunmen would have to reload, giving the troops a moment to recover from the surprise, if he could keep the gifted assailants from pressing their advantage. He succeeded, as he became the focus of attacks from three sides.

# # # # #

When the gunshots sounded and the flame lit up the night, Elizabeth turned away from the sounds and began scanning the back gardens for the squad she knew was supposed to be patrolling. She found them under silent attack by the same six-armed man and several other men with blades and guns. As the attackers were avoiding firearms, it was obvious they were trying to be stealthy. She could see at least one of the attackers was able to use levitation to hold several of the troopers. She had no other indications of gifts among the attackers.

Thinking quickly, she turned to her cousin, “Mr. Collins,” she hissed in a whisper, “I need your coat.”

“What? What’s going on?” she could hear the edge of panic in his voice.

“Your frock coat, it’s black. I need it, now.”

“Lizzy!” her mother squawked.

“I … I …what …” he stammered, his eyes getting wider as he perceived the chaos growing around him.

Elizabeth grabbed the shoulder of his coat and spun him out of it. “Take them and go inside,” she commanded her friend. “Tell your father we are under attack from two sides. It is the ExtraOrdinaries. I’ll try to hold them here.”

She threw the black coat over her pale dress and vaulted over the balustrade. She alighted silently on the graveled pathway and bounded towards the attack, scooping up several stones as she ran. She stopped in the shadow of a topiary and flung the first projectile. It struck the apparent levitator.

Moving to the other side of the shrub she pelted another attacker. Unfortunately, this was enough to make a target of her. Several of the invaders decided to forgo stealth and fired muskets at her. She managed to avoid being hit, but she also had to trade concealment for speed as she moved into their midst.

Her gift was usually limited to only affecting those she could touch. With some effort, she was able to force a connection at a distance. But the effects she could achieve were very limited. In this case, she cast out a field that caused those near her to suffer spasms in their limbs. It was not enough to disable them, but it threw off their aim, and in some cases caused them to drop their weapons.

“Fall back and regroup,” she called to the troopers. While she was not one of their officers, she had been guiding them on patrols for two weeks. They were used to listening to her.

The six-armed man came at her, blades flashing. She found he had armored his wrists to prevent her previous method of disarming him. Instead, she managed to land a strike to his sternum, sending him flying back into the mass of his compatriots. Before they could untangle themselves, she had already disappeared into the night.

She had to keep them focused on her, while the troopers retreated and readied their counterattack. Or until reinforcements arrived from the house. She just hoped they hurried.

# # # # #

Charlotte rushed to her father through the milling crowd of panicking creatures who were so recently ladies and gentlemen enjoying an evening of fellowship and simple entertainments. “Father, Eliza is outside holding off an attack in the gardens. She says they are attacking elsewhere too. It is the ExtraOrdinaries.”

“Colonel!” Sir William called out, pitching his voice to carry over the hubbub in the room. He knew he should have taken control; he was the familiar authority for their neighbors, but in battle he reverted to his early days as a subaltern and sought the orders of higher command. He saw Sir John coming out of the card room, his left sleeve pinned below his elbow.

“What is the situation?” the Colonel barked to his second in command, as Major Francis came from the other direction.

“Miss Eliza is in the gardens fighting an unknown number of ExtraOrdinaries,” the Mayor responded. “She reports that there is a second attack. That is probably the origin of the sounds from the front yard.”

“Darcy is out front,” Captain Cleveland added. “Denney and several others are down, but we still have the numbers in front.”

“The house is on fire,” Bennet broke in. “We cannot stay here. We have to get the guests and servants away.

“On foot, in the night?” Mr. Collins demanded. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Feel free to stay, Reverend,” Captain Cleveland laughed. “I hope you’re fireproof; bullet proof as well, if they make it into range.”

Sir William noticed that the crowd had stilled and were listening to the leaders of the community discussing their fate. Mr. James, the rector of the church in Meryton, joined the discussion. “I am fireproof and may be able to extinguish the blaze before it spreads. I’ll go to it now.”

“Good man,’ the Colonel praised. “We need to split our forces to meet our different objectives. Mr. Bennet, you will lead the non-combatants out of a side exit and through the woods to Meryton. Major Francis, you will use your stealth to coordinate with our squads. Send the squad in the woods to protect the refugees. Have the other flank the enemies in the garden. Sir William, Mr. Bingley you go help Darcy out front. Cleveland and I are out back. Does everyone understand their orders?”

Sir William nodded along with the others. He turned to Charlotte, “Come with me.” He led her to the closet in foyer, where the butler had stored the guests’ coats and cloaks. He quickly found his and pulled the two small pistols he had in the pockets. “Your gift will protect you. Take these and guard your mother and sister. You know how to use them.”

“Yes, Father. Please be careful.”

“And you. You’re a good girl and I’m proud of you.” He pushed her towards where Bennet was organizing the others. He smiled. As Mayor, that task probably should have fallen to him, but he admitted that he was relieved that his was a more straightforward endeavor. All he had to do was face the enemy in bloody battle. He had a lot of experience at that.

He ran towards the sound of the muskets.

# # # # #

William Collins made the mistake of glancing out a window overlooking the back garden. His gift allowed him eyesight closer to what a bee sees than most humans. Part of that was the ability to discern more details at a glance than most people could, as well as seeing better in low light situations. His quick glance out the window showed him a sight he would never forget. Cousin Elizabeth, his intended bride, was disemboweling a man with bestial talons sprouting from her gory fingertips. Everything about her, from her hunched posture to her snarling countenance to her torn and bloodstained raiment, gave such an impression of feral cruelty that all thought of her as a potential partner in service to Lady Catherine fell away.

“Mr. Collins,” Miss Lucas called for his attention, then gently laid a hand on his arm. Without his coat, William could feel the warmth of her touch though his shirt sleeve. “We must join the others. There is an exit in the breakfast room that is closest to the woods. This way, please.”

“Thank you. Please, lead the way.”

“Oh!” She handed him an overcoat. “This is my father’s. Please wear it. It is cold out and you are without even your frock coat. I am afraid I was not able to procure your scarf or hat.”

“This is most thoughtful of you, Miss Lucas. I am in your debt.” William donned the coat and found it was a close fit. He ran his hand over the fine wool and smiled at the back of the knight’s daughter.

“No! I will not go traipsing through the woods at night like a gypsy. Call for my carriage. I’m going home.” The hostess, Miss Bingley, a most stylish and correct lady, was right in her declaration that the plan put forward by Sir John seemed most improper. William agreed that a carriage sounded much more the thing.

“Do as you will, good lady,” Cousin Bennet said calmly. “But the grooms and drivers have fled, with the horses as the barns have been set ablaze.” He pointed towards where they all could plainly see a flickering light over the hedge. William could only assume that was the direction of the stables, not having been to Netherfield before.

“If you believe your gifts, wealth, or position will protect you from these madmen,” Cousin Mary chided, “I think you are in for a short, but profound, disappointment. But come. Remember the Bard … he must needs go that the devil drives.”

“Or more cogently, remember your Tacitus … He that fights and runs away, May turn and fight another day; But he that is in battle slain, Will never rise to fight again.” Cousin Bennet quoted as he moved people through the door. “It is our time to ensure the possibility of future battles.”

As William made his way across the open space, he looked towards the sound of the battle in the front of the house, he spotted Cousin Jane, dark cloak wrapped around her shoulder trailing after Sir William and Mr. Bingley. He knew she was highly gifted, but hoped she knew what she was doing. Her example forced him to realize there was more he could be doing. He reached out with his gift as they moved. He found a hive not far into the woods and connected with the queen. He called the swarm and asked them to fly sentry, informing him of anything that threatened the column. They fed him flashes of what they saw in the night.

Miss Lucas had made her way to the lead. She had a pistol in hand. Her mother was glowing with a gentle light that made it easier for those near her to find their way. They did not realize that there were three armed men waiting in their path.