Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 191: Niko to the Rescue

"Yaah!" Niko shouted as he kicked his horse into action on seeing Indy’s fall.

He flew towards her, jumping off his horse as it galloped and running alongside it briefly as he scooped up his girl and threw her across the horse’s neck. He jumped back into the saddle and pulled her backwards, so she lay across his lap as they flew towards the jump.

Indy looked towards the barricade, her heart in her mouth as they approached it again, and this time, she was lying on the horse not even sitting up.

As they galloped past Indy’s now riderless horse, Niko reached out and poked it in the haunch with an arrow tip, spurring it to race ahead of them like a rocket and fly over the barricade this time, streaming to the front of the herd where Delphi caught its reins and kept on galloping with the frightened horse in tow.

"Oh my God," whispered Indy as they sailed over the barricade, her eyes were tightly closed.

Niko had a tight hold on her and she barely moved as they landed smoothly and galloped on down the road.

He dragged her into an upright position and helped her put a leg on each side of the saddle.

"I’ve got you baby girl, don’t be scared. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Are you okay? Did you injure yourself?"

She shook her head. She still couldn’t feel anything. Her heart was beating too hard, and the adrenaline was masking any injuries she might have suffered.

"Good girl. You’re okay. Can you take the reins for me sweetheart? I just need to slow these guys down a bit and get them off our hammer."

She nodded. Still too shaken to talk.

Indy tucked her feet under Niko’s legs, so they stopped banging about outside the stirrups, and she took over the reins, urging their horse to catch up to Loveday, who rode second from last.

Niko turned to face backwards, shooting arrow after arrow. Indy heard cries from behind them as soldiers were struck and fell from their mounts. Those soldiers in pursuit who weren’t hit by an arrow started to peel off from the road, moving into the cover of nearby houses.

Niko remained facing backwards and shot at anyone who moved, until finally, there were no soldiers at all left in sight and they’d put a good distance between them.

He turned back to face forwards temporarily, to make sure they were keeping up with the horses that only carried a single rider, happily wrapping his arms around Indy as he took the reins from her, tucking her tight against him as they galloped. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

She felt safe in his arms. She honestly wished she could just stay there and ride with him all the way back to the boat. She almost wished he hadn’t forced her own horse across the jump, so she had an excuse to stay like this.

"You doing okay now, sweetheart?" he asked with concern.

She nodded and gave him a quick smile to show she had recovered her nerve, even though her tailbone was really starting to throb now, and one of her wrists was very sore.

"Good girl. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. There’s nothing we can’t handle."

"I know Niko," she said, "thank you for rescuing me".

She turned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He grinned like a madman, leaning forward to return the favour.

He silently thanked her silly mount for baulking at that easy jump and throwing her straight into his arms.

----------------

Bo knelt before the Emperor’s bed; his nerves were stretched to the extreme with what he was about to do.

"Hm," the Emperor said, keeping his eyes shut.

He had little interest in this man. The only reason he had been admitted to see him while he was recuperating was because he said he had information about the rebels.

All he could recall of the soldier was that he was the sole survivor of the Honour Guard that chased his harem women over to the Mainland. Apparently, he had been knocked out cold by a tubiàn snake and thus survived a swarm attack where the others all perished.

The assassin, Pittman, and his team had disappeared into that same Bermuda Triangle. Only the tracker had returned, who Major Pittman apparently told to wait out the battle because he couldn’t fight to save himself. That turned out to be the smart move. It seemed that being a coward sometimes paid dividends...

"What is it, Private Ren?" the Emperor asked impatiently.

Bo noticed that the man was heavily bandaged.

News of the attack on his life at the Salamanca Markets was leaking like crazy, despite the regime’s best efforts to close it down.

They would have been better off spinning it as unhinged and minor, rather than denying it when there were so many witnesses, reflected Bo.

"You received your next military posting somewhere in the capital, I take it?" the Emperor asked him.

"I did, thank you for your generousity, Your Majesty."

"Why are you back here then? And why couldn’t you just tell my eunuchs whatever it is you want to tell me, like they asked you to?" he said menacingly. "This had better be important. I believe my Chief Eunuch has told you the consequences if it’s not?"

The Emperor’s Chief Eunuch had advised him that Private Ren had been particularly insistent that he had something important to tell which he would only pass on directly to the Emperor, and no amount of prodding or threats had been able to persuade him to reveal his ’secret’ in advance of a personal audience.

"Yes, Your Majesty, he has," Bo agreed, recalling the threat to take his tongue if his information was not valuable.

He remained on his knees, right where the Emperor had deliberately left him.

"Well? Go on then, what is it that’s so important that you must tell me in person?" said the Emperor wearily.

"It’s about the tracker, Bill Rutherglen, Your Majesty."

"What about him?"

"Well, I’m sure Your Majesty knows more about this than I do, but on the street, there are rumours that some of the former Honour Guard have rebelled..." he trailed off, waiting for the Emperor’s reaction to this clearly unwelcome rumour.

"We’re aware of the rumours, yes," he said with displeasure, without confirming or denying them.

"Your Majesty might already have reached the same conclusion, but I thought I had best come here to make sure. Clearly if there is any truth in the rumours, then Bill Rutherglen is also a rebel, Your Majesty."