sheltered behind this, the great Udalyn wall, at the far northern end of the valley. Great walls of sheer rock loomed at the valley's end beyond the wall, broken only by the plummeting roar of the Yumynis Falls. The Udalyn were trapped in there. Getting them out was just a matter of time.
There was a squeal and crack as another catapult fired. “A glorious sight, is it not?” Usyn said to Heryd, his eyes tracking the rock's flight through the air. Thud.
Heryd nodded. “Aye, my Lord. Do you know your father's price for them?”
“Fifteen pieces each,” Usyn said smugly. “Made and transported from Larosa itself. The Bacosh are truly masters of war. It would be a grand thing to campaign there.”
“Aye, it would, for such a holy cause.” Heryd's lips pursed, considering the great doors. “The pagans build well. Doubtless those doors have been reinforced behind. We may splinter the timbers, yet not break through. Worse, we litter our approach with rocks. Men may trample each other in a crush, assaulting such a space under archer fire.”
Usyn stared at the doors, now clearly weakening beneath the catapults’ combined assault. He had not considered Heryd's concerns. It angered him. “Why did you not say so earlier?” he said harshly.
“My apologies, my Lord,” said Heryd. “I was sleeping. The terrain was difficult, I lost a hundred plus men.”
“We are thousands!” Usyn said angrily. “Our friends from Banneryd are riding to assist us in Taneryn, once here they can relieve our forces from Ymoth instead, and then we shall be more. This battle must be won before the southern pagans realise what is happening! I cannot tolerate further delays!”
“Aye, M'Lord,” Heryd agreed. He pointed to a spot further along the wall. “I suggest we divert half the catapults and begin a new point of entry. The stone wall shall take longer, but to guarantee a successful assault, I would like another entry point at least, perhaps two.”
Usyn considered, broodingly. Udys Varan continued to speak ill words of him with the captains and nobles, he was certain of it. The Hadryn Shields were sworn by oath to family Telgar, but their captain was a cousin to the Varans. The bulk of the army were militia, and no less capable for that, as in most of Lenayin…but their allegiances were divided amongst the noble families and their respective towns and regions. He had cousins and uncles amongst those serving, yet they afforded him little comfort. Some spoke angry words of Udys Varan and implied the new Lord of Hadryn weak in not dealing with him more sternly. But the soldiers respected the seasoned Udys, clearly more than the untested heir of Telgar. Usyn felt trapped, and increasingly resentful.
“Deploy the catapults as you see fit,” he said finally. “Should we not also breach the wall on the west of the river?”
“No, M'Lord,” said Heryd. “That would force us to divide our forces to either bank, and the pagans have destroyed the last bridge. The Udalyn have no point of exit on that side, let's keep them bottled up and not expose ourselves to a flanking assault.”
“As you will,” said Usyn, shortly. Heryd sipped at his tea, unruffled by his lord's tempers. Usyn regarded him for a moment. Yuan Heryd Ansyn. Family Ansyn had long been allies of the Telgars. Usyn's mother had been an Ansyn, the sister of Heryd's father. Some suggested Heryd's daughter for a match with Usyn. Usyn disliked the notion—the girl was pallid and spotty. But he wondered what her father thought. “Some of the men say that I am too young to command this effort,” he said now.
Heryd swallowed his tea and shrugged. “None can choose the time of their father's passing,” he said. “Family Telgar have ruled Hadryn since the Liberation. The turn was always yours, my Lord.”
“Our ascension was challenged by some,” Usyn said darkly. “Many Varans feel the great lordship was rightfully theirs and that King Soros made a mistake to grant it to us.”
“Not I, my Lord,” said Heryd, fixing him with a pale blue gaze. A big man, with blond hair beneath his helm and a heavy, honest face. “Family Ansyn has been an ally to Family Telgar since before the Liberation, and always shall be.”
“And Family Varan?” Usyn asked bluntly.
“Family Telgar won the great lordship through valour in battle,” Heryd replied. “Your ancestors slew many of the Cherrovan, and then many more of the traitorous pagans in the cleansing to follow. Clearly your blood was chosen