Golden Sword

Chapter 18

A stunned Paradisian camp lay silent for four days. On the morning of the fifth, however, workmen could be seen engaged in building new towers. The enemy was not about to give up, despite massive losses in men and equipment. The castle garrison buried its dead, treated the wounded and readied itself for the inevitable next assault. Keika watched her opponent's actions carefully as they prepared for their next attempt. She knew it wouldn't be like the last.

Once started, work continued twenty four hours a day, as before, and the tower structures quickly took shape. Within ten days they stood completed. This time, however, they were of much more substantial construction. They were walled with thick wooden planks covered with fresh animal hides, something her ballistae could not completely penetrate. There would be no easy slaughter of trapped Knights this time. On their tops had been built a roofed gallery with openings and screens for archers to seek protection behind. And to cap their massive structures, the trebuchets had been reassembled on the roof and stocked with copious ammunition.

On the morning of the eleventh day after the disastrous first assault, both sides were ready to go at it again. Once more they stood facing each other at a distance. As the sun rose on another clear day a bugle was blown and men and machines started forward once more. She noted that the number of horses and men assigned to move the monstrous towers had been doubled in size.

The defenders were ready. Containers of oil had been refilled, there was plenty of ammunition for all of the missile weapons......and once again, Keika had another surprise waiting for her foes. The ballistae had been repositioned for this battle and seven of them now sat at the locations of the winches. Huge, four pronged grappling hooks had been made of iron and attached to the wire ropes, or cables in the winches and a length of cable from each had been hauled out and draped over the curtain wall. The grappling hooks were then attached to specially altered fire bolts which were stocked near the winches. Jack's trebuchets were already engaged. She had them both directed at the tower attacking the western wall to the right. That would double the odds of repeating their success in the last engagement.

Although no longer as deadly when attacking the towers, the ballistae could still deliver repeated bolts at the enemy archers in order to kill or suppress them. The trebuchet crews on top of the massive towers were relatively exposed, and the machines were less accurate when used from the moving tower. Their placement there had been a mistake. The enemy had seemed strangely reluctant to use the heavy artillery against the castle, but she thought that she knew why. They wanted to capture the castle intact, so that they could begin to use it immediately, just as they had Crown Point. That was another mistake and had cost them dearly. They had underestimated her and the Mercedian defenders......and they still hadn't learned a full lesson. She was about to teach it to them.

While everyone else crouched behind the protection of the stone walls, Keika and Valerie stood atop the gate tower and watched the slowly approaching hoard, as they kept pace with their creaking machinery. The sun rose further in the sky as they crawled forward. When they had reached two hundred yards Keika picked up an arrow out of the nearest basket, took aim and let it fly. It struck a warrior helping to carry one of the ladders and he fell, requiring another to take his place. Valerie soon joined her and together they picked one warrior off after another. At one hundred fifty yards she signaled for the ballistae to open up directly into the enemy ranks. Now it started to become bloody again. Bolts ripped repeatedly through their lines, killing over and over. Bodies of dead men trailed behind the advancing army. If anything, however, there was never any doubt of their enemy's bravery. They continued to move forward into the withering fire without hesitation.

Something made her glance up. It was as if a shadow had passed over her spirit. Looking across the field of battle she saw him. He was hard to miss. Between the camp and his army stood the Bishop.......watching......and he was looking directly at her. She could feel his anger and hatred. This was becoming personal. Well then, if he was to be watching her every movement, she would oblige him with a good show. Keika smiled. What better audience could she ask for?