It took the five of us only a few minutes to move a fair amount of the grain sacks into the center aisle, where we stacked them against the existing bags on each side. Sabina stood in one of the stalls out of the way and watched us sullenly as we hurried to angle both walls toward where I intended to meet the enemy. I made sure to leave a gap between the two barriers large enough for only three men to stand side by side.
Bastin must have finally decided that Sabina wasn’t coming out, for the soldiers began to advance toward the doors in a slow shuffle, walking shoulder to shoulder with their shields locked. I could hear many of them calling encouragement to each other and laughing, sounding very cocky and sure of themselves. I grinned, knowing that if all went well, that would quickly change.
I studied our defenses, and my grin slowly faltered. The improvised wall we’d built was four bags deep and just over my waist in height. Would it be enough? I wondered, starting to second guess myself. I would have liked the wall higher and wider, of course, but in truth, I hadn’t expected we would be given as much time to prepare as we’d had. The wall would have to do. Now it would be left up to our blades and the skill of Baine and Tyris to hold them until Odiman arrived.
I motioned to the stalls behind me. “Baine, Tyris, one to each side,” I said. “Wait for my signal and make every shaft count. Whatever happens, don’t let any of those bastards flank us. Jebido, I want you on my left. Niko, you take my right.” I took out my Pair Stone and kissed the smooth surface. “May The Mother watch over you all.”
“You’re Sun worshipers!” Sabina said, looking at me as if I were a horse turd that she’d just wiped off one of her shoes. “I knew there was something wrong about you.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” I growled at her in annoyance. “I suggest you get your head down and stay put. Things are about to get bloody.”
The enemy soldiers passed through the doors and were less than thirty paces away, advancing with a steady clomp, clomp of booted feet. Most carried square, steel-rimmed shields and wore long mail shirts covered by red surcoats with a roaring bear's emblem on their chests. They began taunting us and banging their weapons against their shields. I felt my pulse begin to quicken. There is no sound quite like the ring of a steel blade striking against a shield as men bent on your destruction bear down on you. It’s both intimidating and intoxicating at the same time.
Most men fear the fury and madness of a shield wall. Some will soil themselves, heave up bile as they wait, or stand shaking as hot piss rolls down their boots. Jebido said to me once that a shield wall is as close to the horrors of The Father’s inferno as a man can get in this world, but I have to say, I’ve never agreed with him about that. I have always rather enjoyed it.
I held Wolf’s Head tighter, feeling the comfort of the leather grip in my hand as I fought the urge to hurl my body forward and take the fight to the enemy. I glanced sideways at Jebido, knowing that there was no man I would rather stand shoulder to shoulder with than him. We’d been through so much together, and as always, I was grateful that The Mother had put him and Baine in that wagon with me. Jebido grinned when he saw my eyes on him, clearly reading my thoughts as he pushed his helmet down firmly on his head. I smiled back and took a deep breath, certain that I could smell the hot blood coursing through the veins of the men advancing on us. In another moment, I knew that blood would be spilled in the dirt at our feet.
The soldiers finally reached a point roughly ten paces away from where we waited. I glanced at Baine and my friend nodded in understanding, his face dark with purpose as he stepped out from behind the column, his bow raised. Baine’s bowstring thrummed, hurtling a spinning shaft into the right eye of a hulking brute of a man in the front row. The man sagged and dropped without a sound even as Baine nocked a second arrow and sent it flying after the first. I could hear Tyris’ bow humming to my right as another man twisted and fell with a cry.
I waved Wolf’s Head at the approaching men. “Come meet your deaths, you ugly turd suckers!” I screamed.
My challenge seemed to break the disciplined hold on the soldiers. They began to surge forward, cursing as they became entangled with one another as they quickly ran out of room. Some of the attackers along the edges tried to leap over our sack wall and outflank us, which I had been expecting. But, by leaving the shield wall’s protection, it left them vulnerable to arrows, and Tyris and Baine quickly brought them down.
A short man with a crooked eye wearing a lopsided leather helmet reached me first. He bellowed, bashing his sword against my shield with fierce, single-minded determination over and over again. I stayed hunched over and let my shield absorb the blows, waiting, then I cracked Wolf’s Head hard against his ankle when he paused to take a breath. The man screamed, automatically reaching for his injured foot as I swept the edge of my shield up into his face. He fell backward, spurting blood, only to be replaced by another man who hissed and spat curses at me. Jebido stabbed past my attacker’s shield without hesitating, ripping through his mail. The soldier’s curses turned into a whimper as he folded limply to his knees in front of me. I snarled down at him, then kicked him hard in the face, knocking the dying man back into the second rank behind him.
After that, it became a more cautious, strategic battle of cursing, sweating men crammed into a tight space, hacking and stabbing at each others’ shields, waiting for that momentary opening that could seal a man’s fate. I could smell the foul stink of sweat and fear all around me and the sweet, coppery odor of freshly spilled blood as it soaked into the dirt floor beneath my boots.
The soldiers had quickly given up trying to get over the sacks to get around us after seeing how deadly Tyris and Baine could be. Instead, they surged forward like a battering ram in a tight wedge formation, trying to push us back from our wall with their combined weight. We were holding them for the time being, but I was tiring quickly, as were my men. Niko suddenly dropped to one knee beside me with a surprised sounding grunt. I thought we’d lost him, but then he forced himself to his feet and returned to the fight. I noticed a wet gash along his left side, but there wasn’t time to worry about it as an ugly bastard with missing teeth and dented armor arrogantly pushed himself to the front of the wedge.
He pointed a war hammer at me. “Enough!” he shouted. “You and me right now to settle this.”
The man was big and stupid looking, so I grinned mockingly at him and nodded my acceptance. We had just gained some time and some much-needed rest for my men. My opponent smashed his shield against his chest, working up his courage, then he ran toward me, swinging for my head. The move was quick and powerful, but unimaginative and precisely what I’d expected. I automatically lifted my shield to counter him as I started to cut Wolf’s Head toward his midriff. I saw the ugly soldier’s face light up in triumph, and I realized with a sinking feeling that I had just made a mistake. He wasn’t as stupid as I had thought.
The soldier broke off his attack and whirled with breathtaking speed, ramming his shield viciously into the armpit of my upraised arm as he kicked out at my exposed shin. I winced as the steel reinforced rim bit deep into my flesh, feeling the entire length of my arm go numb as I tried to twist my leg out of the way. I managed to dodge most of the force of the kick, though there was still enough strength left in it to stagger me. I had to lower Wolf’s Head to maintain my balance, and with a dead shield arm, I couldn’t block the killing blow that I knew was coming. I did the only thing that I could think of and I lunged forward under his downward swing, catching the bastard in the face with the crest of my helmet. I felt the soldier’s nose collapse beneath my metal helm and he squealed, falling back as he pawed at his face. I planted both my feet firmly in the dirt and swept Wolf’s Head up, cutting the man’s jugular as blood sprayed over me in a wide arc before he fell.
“Come on!” I screamed, as the rest of the soldiers hesitated and unconsciously backed away from me. My face and armor were drenched in blood and I could feel the madness of battle on me. I would hav
e charged all of them right then and there if Jebido hadn’t physically held me back. “Is that the best you can do?” I shouted. I shrugged Jebido off and spit on the man I’d just killed. Then I laughed in contempt. “Are you men, or are you babes still suckling at your mothers’ withered tits?”
Bodies lay strewn all around our make-shift wall, helping in their own way to add to it as Lord Branton’s soldiers stood watching us in silence. There were no shouts of confidence or laughter coming from them now, only the sounds of ragged breathing whistling through their teeth. I laughed again as the soldier who had inherited the point of the wedge slowly shifted away to face Niko instead of me, dropping his eyes as another reluctantly took his place.
“You!” I said, pointing to the new man with my sword. I could see that he was more boy than man despite his size and mail, with barely enough whiskers on his chin to call it a beard. I had known women with more hair on their chins. The boy stared at me over his shield with wide, frightened eyes. I could see that he was visibly shaking. “The pain will be horrible,” I promised him in a deep growl. “Whatever you have heard, I promise you the pain will be a hundred times worse than that. I’ll make sure of it.”
The boy shuddered as the soldiers around him began to bang their shields unenthusiastically, working up the courage to advance. I saw the boy turn his shield just a fraction, opening himself up. I smiled grimly, knowing what was about to happen. Tyris’ bow instantly thrummed from my right and an arrow appeared in the boy’s neck just below his left ear. He gagged, his eyes widening in surprise as he clawed at the shaft before he fell face down on top of the bodies at his feet. Then the others charged.
“We can do this!” I shouted as the three of us braced for the impact. “These whoresons are one scratch away from running!”
Jebido, Niko, and I stood shoulder to shoulder in the gap with our shields overlapping as the wedge crashed into us full force. It was agony for me to keep my shield arm up, but I just ground my teeth and absorbed the pain. To lower it now meant certain death for all of us. My shield was vibrating on my arm as hungry weapons searched for a way past it while my boots began to slip on the vomit, blood, and shit-caked floor. I cursed as the three of us were slowly being pushed backward and I leaned forward, bent almost double as I dug my boots in, trying to gain traction. I could hear Jebido and Niko grunting in effort on each side of me as they fought to hold on. I knew in another moment the enemy would be inside our make-shift walls—when that happened, it would be over.
“Hadrack!” Jebido gasped with his sweat-covered face bare inches away from mine. “We’ve got company!”
I took a quick peek over the heads of our adversaries and I groaned. More men were running into the granary. There is only so far stubbornness and bravado can take you in this world, I realized. It was time for us to retreat. I opened my mouth to order us back to the tunnel just as I heard the clatter of armor and weapons coming from behind me. I took a glance over my shoulder and grinned in triumph as Odiman and his men appeared through the gloom.
“It’s about time!” Niko grunted between clenched teeth as he blindly stabbed over his shield. An answering blade came back, probing for vulnerable flesh. “No you don’t, you bastard,” Niko said as he chopped the sword away.
“I hear you washerwomen need some help!” Odiman shouted. He waved to his men and pointed at the soldiers. “Kill the bastards! Kill them all!”
Odiman dashed forward and leaped onto our wall, balancing himself on the sacks of grain as he hacked down at the pressing bodies. More men continued to pour through the hidden doorway, swarming over the bags on either side of us as Lord Branton’s soldiers began to fall back in disarray.
“Enough,” I said as Niko started to follow. I put my hand on his shoulder and glanced at Jebido. “Take a moment, you two. Let Odiman handle this. You’ve earned it.”
Niko lowered his sword and shield with a weary nod. “Oh sure,” he said. “The bastard shows up now just when we were getting the upper hand.” He winced as he gingerly probed at his wound. “I’m sure he’ll take all the glory afterward, too.”
“He can have it,” I replied. “The sooner we take this town and find Rorian, the sooner we can go home. That’s all I care about.”
Jebido sheathed his sword and leaned over with his hands on his hips, breathing heavily. He looked up at me after a moment. “A shield wall is a young man’s game, Hadrack. Please remember that the next time you ask me to stand with you.”
“Nonsense!” I said. “You were as fearsome as I’ve ever seen you.”
Jebido snorted, waving a hand at me as I turned to watch the battle unfolding along the granary aisle. Lord Branton’s soldiers had fallen back initially from surprise, but now they had regrouped and were pressing Odiman and his men, giving as good as they were getting. More reinforcements were joining them from the street, but more of our men were also coming from the tunnel. I could see men wielding pitchforks and hoes in amongst the enemy soldiers now, and I knew that some of the townsfolk had joined in the fight as well. The battle for Springlight would be won or lost right here, I thought grimly.
“My lord,” Niko said, nodding toward the tunnel door. “Putt and Sim are here.”
I turned. “What news of Malo?” I asked as my men joined us.
“Beating the bushes for Rorian like a man who has just lost his last Jorq,” Putt said. “So far, there’s no sign of him or anyone else.”
I whistled for Baine and Tyris to join us, then frowned as I saw Sabina’s pale face peek out from behind a sack of grain in one of the stalls. I’d actually forgotten about her. I debated going to talk to her just as sudden shouts rose from behind me. Three of Odiman’s men were pushing their way out of the hidden doorway as they stumbled weakly into the granary. The men collapsed to the floor on their hands and knees, coughing and gagging, while behind them, I could see thick black smoke pouring out from the top of the door.
I felt a jolt of fear surge through me as long fingers of crackling fire poked through the smoke, licking hungrily at the wooden doorframe. I could hear screaming coming from deeper inside the corridor just as the building's back wall suddenly shuddered, shaking the floor beneath my feet. The roof of the passage caved in with a boom, cutting off the screams and sending dust and debris hurtling our way. Putt cursed loudly in surprise as a chunk of wood struck his helmet with a clang. I shouted for my men to fall back as fire erupted from the entrance in a hungry ball, enveloping the soldiers kneeling there before sweeping upward along the planks. I winced at the screams coming from the burning men as the entire back wall erupted in flames that surged impossibly fast toward the ceiling.
“We have to move!” I shouted, using my shield to ward off the heat. “Everyone out now!”
The granary was quickly filling with smoke, but both sides battling near the doors seemed utterly oblivious to the danger as the flames rapidly reached the crossbeams and started to creep toward the support columns. I knew we didn’t have much time before the granary came crashing down on all our heads.
I hurried over to Sabina and grabbed her hand, dragging her after me as I focused on the sunlight coming in through the doors. Thick black smoke was rolling along the ceiling and then curling downward menacingly like the fingers of hungry spirits. I could see Odiman cursing and fighting within a confusing swirl of shields and swords ahead of me. I shouted to him in warning, but my words were lost in the noise of the battle.
I finally gave up on the House Agent and ran for the right wall of the granary, where I could see a small gap had opened up in the ranks of fighting men. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jebido five steps behind Sabina and me before we were enveloped in a thick blanket of smoke. The light was gone instantly, with nothing left to guide us through the darkness but terrified screams and the sounds of the roaring flames. I clutched Sabina’s hand tightly, shuffling forward like a blind man and swinging my shield in front of me as I searched for a way out. My eyes were burning as if a thousand tiny knives we
re being thrust into them all at once, and finally, unable to take it anymore, I forced my eyelids closed. I’d have to trust in my other senses to get us through.
I made it another few feet before my lungs started to feel as though they were about to explode inside my chest. I began to cough uncontrollably, and I could hear Sabina coughing hoarsely beside me. I gripped her hand tighter, determined not to let her go just as my shield banged into someone in front of me. I sensed whoever it was swing at me and I raised my shield without thinking, feeling the other man’s weapon clang against the metal rim. I dropped to my knees, pulling Sabina down as well, surprised that there wasn’t as much smoke near the floor. I lowered myself down onto my stomach, dragging Sabina along with me. The air was still foul here, but preferable to higher up. I desperately drew air into my tortured lungs as my attacker continued to swing his sword wildly above me. I couldn’t see anything but his boots, but I could see the smoke swirling above my head with every swing as he searched for me in panic. I waited until his boots had turned away from me, then I drew Wolf’s Head and stabbed upward. The man screamed and I felt him shudder on my blade, then he fell heavily to the floor less than two feet away from me. I hadn’t had time to worry whether I was fighting friend or foe, and I was greatly relieved to see that the dead man wore Lord Branton’s bear emblem on his chest.
I turned to Sabina, who was trembling uncontrollably with her body pressed tightly against mine. “Are you all right?” I managed to say hoarsely out of my ravaged throat. She looked up at me and nodded weakly. I heard Jebido calling out my name from somewhere within the dense smoke. “Here!” I croaked. I cleared my throat and spat, then tried again. “Jebido, over here! Get down! The air is better near the floor!” I waited for Jebido and the others to crawl to us and I tapped each one on the helmet as I counted. Everyone had survived. They were covered in soot, with the odd burn here and there, but other than that, seemed intact. I coughed and swept smoke from my face, realizing even at floor level that it was getting harder to see and breathe now. I pointed ahead into the wall of smoke. “I think the doors are that way somewhere. Stay low and follow me.”
The Wolf On The Run (The Wolf of Corwick Castle Book 3) Page 6
