Golden Sword

Chapter 19

A heavy fog clung to the ground in the first rays of the sun. From the watchtower Keika watched across the misty expanse of the battlefield. Except for distant crows, everything was dead quiet. It was eerily beautiful. Invisible at the moment, underneath the soft, filamentous blanket of white lay the unnumbered dead. The enemy camp was only partially visible, seeming to be submerged in a murky, whitish sea, with only their tops being hazily visible. As had happened after the first repulse, their camp was silent and still the next day. They did not know, however, that the situation of the defenders was now critical.

Trailed by Val and Ani she turned and walked away to join the others. During the staff meeting in Jack's office, everyone agreed that the next assault on their walls would be one that they could not stop. They simply no longer had the numbers to man the walls and force them back. They would continue to hold the castle until forced out, but preparations would be made now for the retreat. The defense of the castle had already met their goals, to delay the enemy and to sap the strength of their army at these walls. There was no sense in everyone dying to maximize the number of enemy dead. They would all be ready to depart when the word was given. She had the ballistae burned to ashes. There could be no chance of them being captured and having Otani technology copied.

A token defense would be in place until the last moment and they would kill as many additional enemies as possible, but before their foes reached the walls, the retreat would be called. Jack seemed very quiet, much more so than normal, but they all were a little somber and that was understandable. She worried about him....but then she worried about them all. Hopefully everyone would make it through this final phase of the siege and see each other again on the other side of the escape tunnel.

Keika had been surprised at the bravery of the two reporters and gave them exclusive rights to her interviews from this time on. Like everyone else they had proven themselves, and would be among the first group out.

If inactivity were any indicator, they had apparently dealt a severe blow to their enemy. Nothing happened for one week. At the end of that time new troops could be seen arriving in the camp. They had called in reinforcements and replacements. A new construction was then spotted facing the western wall. Soon it was clear that this time the enemy would be constructing a colossal trebuchet. This was one capable of hurling boulders large enough to bring down the castle walls. The enemy was no longer messing around. They were determined to take this place and were willing to damage it to do so. Their next plan was not to go over the wall, but through it. While this was under construction new formations continued to arrive over the next few days. Surely, in this age of limited manpower, they had to run out of troops sooner or later.

Dreary, rainy weather welcomed the dawn of an early August day. The sun was nowhere to be seen and it didn't look like it would be showing up any time soon. Drumont Castle had held out now for twenty nine days under intense pressure as the enemy lined up for the final time. Over twelve thousand of their soldiers, including a high percentage of Knights and archers, had been lost. They were determined to take the castle this time. Workmen had finished yesterday with the enormous trebuchet and it was well supplied with ammunition. With weak sunlight beginning to pierce the gloom, the monster let loose with its first missile, which landed well short of the target. Soon, however, with correction, the trebuchet began to hit the same section of the curtain wall with regularity. As troops on both sides watched, the massive rocks the castle wall was built of began to fracture and crumble under the pounding. After a time the section of wall collapsed all together and the enemy had the breach they wanted so desperately. A bugle sounded and the Bishops army started forward to take the opening and penetrate into the castle. The defenders began to fill them with arrows as soon as they passed one hundred yards. At fifty yards the Paradisians broke into a run, oblivious to their losses, and closed on the breach in the wall. Before they had gotten there, the arrows surprisingly began to slacken.....and then ceased all together. Once those in the lead of the advancing troops got around the blazing timbers that the Mercedians had thrown up into the breach to clog it......there was no one. Unopposed the Paradisians poured into the now defenseless castle.