the steel rim, another glanced off the boss at the centre of the shield. The third went through shield and chain-mail to embed itself in his bicep. He gasped in pain, but he kept moving, unable to stop, even to break off the shaft.
The first blow on his shield ripped the arrow free, and Hain howled as he thrust forward, off-balanced by the wound. The spike of his axe missed its target and he slipped sideways onto one knee, but the welcome sight of Sergeant Deebek charged into view in the next moment. The westerner dropped screaming, Deebek’s spear lodged in his armpit, and Hain struggled back to his feet.
On they fought, through the shadowed cleft and back out into the pale morning sun as they reached the larger upper level. There were more soldiers there, but the Menin went through them like butter, cutting a bloody path until the overwhelmed defenders threw down their weapons and the Menin were able to stream down the other side of the rampart into the town beyond.
Hain paused on the rampart, ordering a pair of soldiers to corral the prisoners. He dropped his shield and checked his arm, which was bleeding freely. Cursing, he unhitched the chain-mail and shoved his fingers underneath. The wound was shallow but wide.
‘Private, wrap this tight,’ he ordered, pulling a piece of cloth from around his neck. As the man was doing as ordered Hain paused for breath and looked at the prisoners they had taken.
‘Piss and daemons,’ he muttered, ‘I know they’re smaller here than back home, but this lot’re the fucking dregs.’
The soldier looked up as he pulled the rag tight. ‘Aye, sir, and not much fight in ’em either.’
The flow of blood stemmed, Hain set off after his regiment. There was a wide killing-ground where the steps opened out at the base of the earthworks, but not enough defenders to plug it. They had retreated to defend the towers and the gates attached to them, the thin lines of soldiers already looked outnumbered. He searched around and found his regimental banner in the thick of the fighting at the northern tower. By the time he got there, there were barely a dozen shields defending the fortified door to the tower.
Hain inspected the gate while his men killed the last of the enemy. He was trying to work out how to drop the drawbridge and admit the rest of the army, but as far as he could see it was controlled by a mechanism on the top, bound by steel clamps and far out of reach.
‘That ain’t openin’,’ Deebek opined, appearing as if by magic at the captain’s side. ‘Cables’re cut.’
He pointed to the right of the steel clamps and Hain realised he was right; the drawbridges were never going to be dropped without significant work.
Hain turned and looked at the neat garrison town enclosed within the four ramparts. The only movement he could see was that of the Chetse warriors charging down the streets and kicking in doors to root out the remaining defenders. What he didn’t see was civilians, fleeing, screaming, fighting, or any of the above. There was a strong smell of tar in the air, but a noticeable absence of panic.
‘Town’s been bloody emptied,’ he muttered.
‘No surprise; they know they’re on the front line.’
‘But where’s the rest of the garrison? This was too easy.’
There was a splintering sound as the door to the tower began to give way.
‘Get that door open,’ Hain bellowed, suddenly desperate to see what was going on outside the ramparts.
The soldiers redoubled their efforts and hacked furiously at the door, and in half a minute it was sufficiently weakened that they could break it down. The men inside didn’t put up much of a fight - most threw down their weapons, and any who didn’t were easily dispatched.
As soon as he could Hain was up the spiral stair and onto the upper level, looking down at the earthworks and the troops beyond.
‘Karkarn’s horn; never trust fucking scryers when they’re sure they’re right,’ he growled, thumping his fist against the stone wall. ‘There’s the rest!’
Out of the tower window he could see a mass of enemy troops, the best part of a division, he guessed, surrounding the minotaurs, while a second division advanced towards the hastily retreating Menin cavalry. Their speed of attack had been turned against them.
Most of the rest of the army were already at the ramparts, following the order to get as many men inside as