[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Great General, and the Protectorate.
Also, they were men who were mentally disciplined enough to retreat without
running away. They were men who had prepared themselves and their followers
for this day. Though, originally, they had expected the Protector herself to
be entering their killing zone.
Chapter 116
Taglios: Outrageous Fortune
Page 277
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The passage through the barbican seemed a maze from inside, though there were
only a half dozen turns. From above it did not look that bad. Until huge
blocks of stone fell out of the walls, blocking the way ahead of and behind
the Captain, trapping her, her staff and another dozen men.
The falling blocks initiated a train of mechanical events, the first of which
was the launching of a storm of poisoned darts. Horses screamed and men
cursed. And, as I sent my flying post downward to try to get the Captain out
of there, burning oil sprayed from ports in the walls.
So this was how they had planned to get rid of Soulcatcher.
The heat drove me back. The black Voroshk clothing could not stand up to much
of that.
Sleepy had chosen to place herself at the middle of the invading column. Which
meant our forces had just been split in two.
A massive counterattack was sure to develop.
I pushed myself up beside Arkana, who was numb with the horror. "Get ahold of
yourself! I want you to find Suvrin. Tell him I'll take charge on the city
side. He can build steps to get the rest of the men past that mess. He can use
the lumber meant for siege engines. Go on! Get going!"
Once again I did not have to whack her to bring her out of her stupor.
Once again Mogaba had dealt us one off the bottom of his deck. This time our
chances of surviving did not look good.
We should have been prepared for it. He had told us that there were
arrangements in place.
Sometimes you just do not hear what is being said.
I checked the sun before I reached the ground.
We would have to hang on for a bit longer than what inspired me with optimism.
"It won't be long," I insisted to the commanders on the ground. "We need to
put ourselves into a position to hang on until nightfall. Once darkness
comes... "
"The Unknown Shadows."
"The Hidden Realm."
Shouts. A scatter of arrows fell.
"Push a company along the wall that direction," I directed. "I want those
steps under our control when the others start joining us." I had to show an
optimism I did not feel. I hoped Suvrin would press his half of the attack.
No man could question the courage of the soldiers from Hsien. They mauled the
City Battalions badly. They mauled reinforcements from the Second Territorial.
Unfortunately, the City Battalions and Mogaba's Second Territorial elite
mauled them right back. It did not take long to see that Sleepy might have
taken too big a bite. The Great General seemed to have plenty of reserves,
though he was parsimonious when it came to investing them.
Page 278
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Vigorous support from Arkana, Shukrat and Tobo kept us from being overwhelmed.
Once Tobo woke up enough to begin thinking more than mechanically the tide
began to turn. Once he recalled that he was good for something more than
dropping rocks and fire-pots. Once he added his sorcerous skills to the girls'
weaker ones we got stinging insects, painful worms of fire, lemon and lime
snowflakes that pitted armor and flesh.
Nevertheless, the enemy kept us confined until darkness came.
Darkness always comes.
Chapter 117
Taglios: Night and the City
The Great General took charge of the riverfront defenses personally. He found
morale abysmal when he arrived, accompanied by reserves from the Second
Territorial. The long succession of military disasters had the soldiers
suspecting that defeat was inevitable and that they were being wasted in a
hopeless cause.
The Great General himself led his own lifeguard in a counterattack of such
fury and finesse that the enemy soon lost everything that it had taken them
all day to capture.
The invaders got no support from above. The Great General interpreted that to
mean that they were in desperate straits at the South Gate.
There was not a lot of communication between forces. Nobody knew what anybody
else was doing, really. The best anyone could do was cling to the plans and
hope the enemy did not get too much enjoyment from his advantages.
Mogaba's opponents tried reinforcing themselves with recent recruits. That did
them little good. Those men entered the fighting in groups too small to make
any difference.
The last attackers fled in the barges they had used to make their initial [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Great General, and the Protectorate.
Also, they were men who were mentally disciplined enough to retreat without
running away. They were men who had prepared themselves and their followers
for this day. Though, originally, they had expected the Protector herself to
be entering their killing zone.
Chapter 116
Taglios: Outrageous Fortune
Page 277
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The passage through the barbican seemed a maze from inside, though there were
only a half dozen turns. From above it did not look that bad. Until huge
blocks of stone fell out of the walls, blocking the way ahead of and behind
the Captain, trapping her, her staff and another dozen men.
The falling blocks initiated a train of mechanical events, the first of which
was the launching of a storm of poisoned darts. Horses screamed and men
cursed. And, as I sent my flying post downward to try to get the Captain out
of there, burning oil sprayed from ports in the walls.
So this was how they had planned to get rid of Soulcatcher.
The heat drove me back. The black Voroshk clothing could not stand up to much
of that.
Sleepy had chosen to place herself at the middle of the invading column. Which
meant our forces had just been split in two.
A massive counterattack was sure to develop.
I pushed myself up beside Arkana, who was numb with the horror. "Get ahold of
yourself! I want you to find Suvrin. Tell him I'll take charge on the city
side. He can build steps to get the rest of the men past that mess. He can use
the lumber meant for siege engines. Go on! Get going!"
Once again I did not have to whack her to bring her out of her stupor.
Once again Mogaba had dealt us one off the bottom of his deck. This time our
chances of surviving did not look good.
We should have been prepared for it. He had told us that there were
arrangements in place.
Sometimes you just do not hear what is being said.
I checked the sun before I reached the ground.
We would have to hang on for a bit longer than what inspired me with optimism.
"It won't be long," I insisted to the commanders on the ground. "We need to
put ourselves into a position to hang on until nightfall. Once darkness
comes... "
"The Unknown Shadows."
"The Hidden Realm."
Shouts. A scatter of arrows fell.
"Push a company along the wall that direction," I directed. "I want those
steps under our control when the others start joining us." I had to show an
optimism I did not feel. I hoped Suvrin would press his half of the attack.
No man could question the courage of the soldiers from Hsien. They mauled the
City Battalions badly. They mauled reinforcements from the Second Territorial.
Unfortunately, the City Battalions and Mogaba's Second Territorial elite
mauled them right back. It did not take long to see that Sleepy might have
taken too big a bite. The Great General seemed to have plenty of reserves,
though he was parsimonious when it came to investing them.
Page 278
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Vigorous support from Arkana, Shukrat and Tobo kept us from being overwhelmed.
Once Tobo woke up enough to begin thinking more than mechanically the tide
began to turn. Once he recalled that he was good for something more than
dropping rocks and fire-pots. Once he added his sorcerous skills to the girls'
weaker ones we got stinging insects, painful worms of fire, lemon and lime
snowflakes that pitted armor and flesh.
Nevertheless, the enemy kept us confined until darkness came.
Darkness always comes.
Chapter 117
Taglios: Night and the City
The Great General took charge of the riverfront defenses personally. He found
morale abysmal when he arrived, accompanied by reserves from the Second
Territorial. The long succession of military disasters had the soldiers
suspecting that defeat was inevitable and that they were being wasted in a
hopeless cause.
The Great General himself led his own lifeguard in a counterattack of such
fury and finesse that the enemy soon lost everything that it had taken them
all day to capture.
The invaders got no support from above. The Great General interpreted that to
mean that they were in desperate straits at the South Gate.
There was not a lot of communication between forces. Nobody knew what anybody
else was doing, really. The best anyone could do was cling to the plans and
hope the enemy did not get too much enjoyment from his advantages.
Mogaba's opponents tried reinforcing themselves with recent recruits. That did
them little good. Those men entered the fighting in groups too small to make
any difference.
The last attackers fled in the barges they had used to make their initial [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]