by Candy Rae
Kath watched the long columns of men approach from her place on the settlement parapets. Matvei leapt up beside Kath. He had no need to use the ladders provided for the humans. As Stuart MacIntosh watched him leap, he was relieved that he had taken Afanasei’s advice and dug out the ditch in front of the palisades. If Matvei could jump that high and with such obvious ease it would be an easy matter for any attacking Larg to perform the same feat from without. The ditch was also filled to the brim with boggy water. It was an obstacle to be reckoned with and any attacking force should find it very difficult to negotiate.
In the distance he could see the tawny-brown mass of the Larg army as it swarmed across the level ground from the beach, heading directly for the woods. To his immense relief, none detached themselves from the main force to augment the human contingent marching in measured tramp towards the settlement. It was, he realised, a huge army. Jim was not exaggerating when he had said that he would likely be facing ten thousand.
To his consternation he saw the silhouettes of what he recognised as catapults being manhandled towards them. These were not in the reports. He hoped that the anti-fire substance with which they had painstakingly covered the walls would work. The houses and other structures within the settlement were not so coated. If the convict army used lighted ammunition they could be in a good deal of trouble.
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