The corporal gave me a long, disbelieving look and said, “You can say that again. How many can you take?”
“No more than three.”
It was already getting pretty crowded up there. I stood in the center, protected to the waist by the folded sides of the wagon, my arms gripping the two scorpion bolt throwers. On either side of me knelt a villager with a crossbow, the teenaged kid on my right, a powerful-looking woman on my left. Another crossbowman rode in the front next to the boy. A couple of axes and shields were passed up to them and they looked about as ready as they ever would be. We could only get two more aboard comfortably, so the Greycoast spearmen, with their silver hauberks and curved body-sized shields, clambered up into the back, one at the tail, one next to the woman. I glanced around and saw Lisha watching. Renthrette must have reached Mithos by now, unless she’d been cut off by the raiders.
Don’t think about that.
Garnet appeared by the side of the wagon, looking down at me from Tarsha’s back.
“Ready?” he said.
I glanced towards the advancing Shale horses.
“No,” I whispered. “But let’s go anyway.”
Lisha called out, “Will, you go first. You’ll need the lead time. Head directly between the fronts and attack whichever side gets closest to you. Don’t get stuck between them or we’ll never escape. Pull to one side and watch what Mithos does. Don’t let them split our force, for God’s sake. Do as much damage as you can and get out!”
I released the axle clamps, and the wagon rocked unsteadily. The spearmen held on to the sides and glanced at each other, suddenly confronted by the reality of what we were about to do. I looked at the boy in the driver’s seat and said, “Did you get all that?”
He nodded. There was a momentary pause in which I took a deep breath.
“Go,” I said.
SCENE LVII
Desperate Measures
With a shout and a whip crack to the horses, the wagon surged away from the Empire troops behind us. In the back I stumbled and hung on as we picked up speed. On our right sat the raiders, waiting, while on our left the massive banners of Shale grew steadily closer. Between them we went, as fast as the horses would take us, the noise of our heavy wheels filling our ears. The wind stung my eyes and great columns of dust and grit plumed out from the wagon’s sides and rear. A few seconds later came a cry from behind us, and we turned to see our cavalry charging after us, gaining all the time.
Suddenly the raiders responded, recognizing the attack for what it was and turning their horses towards us. There was a moment’s confusion, and then the scarlet wave was united and moving towards us again, kicking their steeds into a fast and heavy charge. We were already too close for them to use their bows, so they lowered their lance tips and aimed them at our hearts. Suddenly I could hear nothing but battle cries and the low, dragging roar of horse hooves on the hard ground.
On the left, the Shale cavalry, the two hundred who would fight from the saddle, broke into a full charge. There was no longer any doubt whose side they were on.
And we were going to get trapped between them and the raiders.
“Pull to the right!” I roared at the boy. “Cut across their front line.”
With a sudden lurch the wagon swept round and across the path of the raiders. Our cavalry escort split, Lisha taking the irregulars with us, Garnet holding the Greycoast cavalry back. The raiders came on.
We scrambled to the opposite side of the wagon on our hands and knees as the floor kicked beneath us. When I stood up the enemy were less than a hundred yards away and closing fast on the wagon’s side.
Wait, I thought. Wait. . .
“Shoot!” I shouted.
I squinted down the grooves of the right-hand crossbow and squeezed the trigger. The bolt appeared in the breast of a raider and threw him backwards and out of the saddle. On either side of me the other crossbows snapped, and I think another rider went down. They came closer, growing huge and distinct in just a few seconds. I shot again, moving so hurriedly and clumsily to the other crossbow that I didn’t even see if I’d hit anything. The others were fumbling for