Conflict and Courage (44 page)

The sixth of
the original ‘Children of the Wolves’ was dead.

The Larg
commander appeared to think that, if he threw enough kohorts up the
path, the press of Larg would swarm the defenders under. By now
they were concentrating their attack up the path; their trial
climbs up the cliff faces had proved fruitless and expensive.

Francis
positioned his strongest and unhurt fighters at the most vulnerable
points but they were getting tired now. Not even the stalwart Lind
could fight effectively for hours at a time with no rest.

Francis’s eyes
were bloodshot and his body felt like lead.

Still the Larg
came, even through the night.

By the morning,
the Larg now knew that some Lindar reinforcements were on the way
but that they were making slow time. There were long-ranging Larg
raiding parties throughout the countryside and the Lindars were
being forced to fight their way past them.

The relief
force was also taking pains not to expose their real numbers,
revealing just enough and no more. The plan was that the Larg would
not know how many Lindars Susyc Jim had mustered. The Larg must
believe that their invasion had been a surprise and that only a few
Lindars and Vada were near enough to come and help therein lay the
north’s hope.

The Lindars of
Lind were homing in from the west, gathering together into one
large army as they came. Francis knew the Vada Ryzcks and the duty
Lindar were running as fast as they could from Argyll. He and Larya
were leading the Vadathian pack Lindars from the north with the
Tenth Ryzck now that Aoalvaldr had been dealt with.

At least
thought Francis as he hacked at yet another slavering face, the
inhabitants from the stronghold were safe; the pirates had
retreated and were rowing back downriver, their mission aborted. To
his relief the human regiments of Murdoch had not ventured beyond
their barricaded beachhead.

When would the
relief come? They had held the Larg at the Keep. How much longer
could they?

He watched as
yet another fighting pair went down, luckily they managed to
scramble away as Louis and Ustinya fell on the vicious brute that
had managed to get over the wall and despatched him. He watched as
the duo scrambled out of the way, Duguld and Ganya he noted,
recognising them by the glint of the trumpet attached as usual to
Duguld’s belt, he hoped the young man would make it out of this
alive.

“All right
lad?” he called over.

“Yes sir,”
Duguld yelled back, “just winded a bit. We’re both fine.”

But they were
close to being overrun and Francis and Asya knew it.

By this time,
out of the two hundred and thirty-two vadeln-pairs who had begun
the defence, a full forty were dead and there was hardly a fighter
left who was not wounded.

They still had
food and water thanks to Geraldine’s foresight but that was not the
problem. The Larg would not let up. Eventually, enough would get
over the walls and swarm them under.

It was with
despair, at the end of the second day, that they watched another
kohort arrive at the foot of the path, a fresh kohort, newly landed
and eager to overrun them.

“If we get out
of this,” said Louis Randall to Cherry, “I’m going to marry you at
once and to hang with anything else.”

“Deal,” said
Cherry with a brave smile, but she was not feeling very brave.
Tamsin and Aclei were dead and she and Tamsin had been friends
since their first days as junior cadets.

“The sun’s
going down,” shouted Geraldine to Francis at the other side of the
Keep, “perhaps they’ll wait until morning.”

“I wouldn’t
count on it. That kohort is fresh, raring to go, they’ll not wait,”
he answered.

“We’ve managed
to hold out two days,” said Geraldine, “given the others a chance
and at least the children at the stronghold are safe.”

The two
remained quiet, thinking about their families, convinced that
neither would be alive to see their own children growing up.

The Larg began
to move up the hill.

“It has been an
honour serving with you Francis,” said Geraldine, taking a firm
grip of her sword.

“The honour is
all mine Geraldine,” Francis answered as he readied himself for
what was to come.

* * * * *

Jim and Larya,
riding hell for leather, heard Asya’s desperate plea.

: They cannot
hold out much longer :

: Don’t think I
don’t know it :

: We will be
with them before sun sets. We cannot wait for those from Argyll and
Lind. If we wait Asya and the others will be dead :

: Ask the Susas
when they will reach the Keep :

Larya kept on
running as she tried to make contact. Jim rode on her back praying
that the news would be as he hoped, for all their sakes.

: The Lindars,
at sun high tomorrow :

: And those
from Argyll? :

: Moon height
:

: So be it
:

: So be what?
:

: Tell Ryzcka
Kim to get in position on the east bank of the river, to rest the
night and to attack at dawn tomorrow, no point before, it’ll be
confused enough without the added problems of darkness :

: Lindars?
:

: They know
what to do without me telling them :

: Us? :

: As you have
been at pains to point out, Francis, Asya and the rest will be dead
if we wait until morning so we will rest for a short while and
attack at sunset, the sun will be setting behind us and we’ll come
at them downhill out of Mackie’s Ridge :

He called for a
halt.

He sensed the
tension among his miniature army. He could hear faint sounds of a
trumpet blaring out from the Keep. Jim did not think the Larg had
spotted them. The Larg were not expecting an attack from the north.
After all, was not Aoalvaldr supposed to be dealing with any stray
Lind or vadeln-pair approaching from the stronghold?

: Jalkei Lindar
approaches, we wait for them? :

Larya was well
aware that Jim wanted a co-ordinated attack from east and west. The
yellow striped Jalkei’s Lindar had set out before other rtaths and
was ready and waiting, hidden from sight in the woods some miles
distant from David’s Keep.

: We cannot, we
have to hit them now before it is too late. Tell Lindar Malkei to
drop Duchesne’s men on the ridge head. They can form up and move
downhill behind us. Vada in front and Lindars on either side. Cadet
vadeln-pairs to the rear as arranged. We shall attack on a wide
front :

“That’s it,”
said Jim aloud, tightening his helm, “time to go, no point
waiting.”

Tara’s fingers
fumbled with her own helm. Her hands felt sweaty and her stomach
was in knots.

: Stay calm
:
advised Kolyei.

: Calm?
:
Tara’s mind-voice was a panic-stricken squeak. She knew as
well as Jim that they were outnumbered, impossibly so.

: What will
be will be :
was his philosophical comment : Radya sends good
luck :

: Thank the
Lai they aren’t at the Keep :
was Tara’s heartfelt
response
: but what chance have we got? :

: We have
hope :
he answered.

The northern
army did not know of the hatred that existed between Aoalvaldr and
Bvdmaldr. Aoalvaldr, before his death, had not seen fit to warn
Bvdmaldr of the empty stronghold. Even when the Vadathian Lindars
had surrounded him and he knew he was about to die, Aoalvaldr had
not considered warning his archenemy.

Bvdmaldr
erroneously believed Aoalvaldr was running south to join him, had
assumed that all was well and that his hated rival was successfully
dealing with any enemies coming from the north.

So the first
Bvdmaldr knew of the danger was when Cmvldr reported enemy movement
north of the ridge and even then he was not worried. He ordered
Cmvldr to lead his kohorts forward to deal with it. It could not be
the Lindars from Lind, it must, he decided, be a small group
accompanied by some of the hated Vada. He relaxed.

His shock at
what Cmvldr reported was tremendous. With dismay he ordered all but
one kohort of those surrounding the Keep to go to Cmvldr’s
assistance.

Jim’s small
army was ready. In the middle were Jim and Larya, surrounded by the
Tenth Ryzck, two ranks deep. Behind them were Wilhelm and Mislya,
the cadets and some vadeln-pairs not of the Tenth Ryzck gathered in
during the run south. It was their job to defend the rear with the
infantry.

The Avuzdel and
the un-partnered Lind who had accompanied them ranged round the
Lindars on the left and right wings, ready to fight off any Larg
who decided to try and outflank them.

Jim was
thankful the ridge was so long and high. To call it a ridge was a
misnomer; rather it was a long low cliff-face, flat on top and made
of shale, the self-same shale that formed the surface of the hill
at the Keep.

Kolyei warned
Tara a heartbeat before the order was issued.

: Halt :

: Prepare :

There was a
jingle of weapons and equipment as they took their final
positions.

Tara looked
over at Jim and Larya and took a deep breath, trying to stave off
the panic at the thought that she was taking part in yet another
battle. This time she and Kolyei would be right in the middle of
it.

Tara tried not
to think about the cadets behind her with Weaponsmaster Wilhelm and
Mislya. They were not much older than she had been nine years
before when age thirteen she had been the youngest soldier in the
northern army.

Kolyei sensed
her unease.

: Steady Tara.
This is not your first battle. We came through last time and it
will be so this :

: I’m scared
:

: Only the
foolhardy are not scared :

: There are so
many of them :

: And the four
best and most experienced Lindars are with us. We will come through
this together. I promise :

Tara and Kolyei
waited as Tarmsei led the Afanasei Lindar forward four paces. The
Larg bounded uphill towards them.

“Hold
positions,” shouted Jim, “keep together.”

Kolyei moved
sideways to stand behind Richard and Dahlya. The man spared Tara a
wry glance.

“Dahlya says
the attack on the Keep has eased off. They know we are here and
send greetings.”

“Thank the
Lai,” was Tara’s fervent reply. They were not too late; their
friends were still alive. She swallowed, gripping her sword with
resolve.

There was a
deep-throated growl of defiance from the Lind and their human
compatriots.

“
For
Freedom
.”

Larya gave the
order and they began a measured trot down the hill, strides
lengthening as they surged forward. Tara rode with them, murder in
her heart. She and Kolyei were in the back ryz of the Tenth with
some of the more unpractised and every other vadeln-pair who could
fight. Left behind were Duchesne’s infantry and Wilhelm Dahlstrom’s
cadets. The Lindars to her and Kolyei’s right and left were already
engaged with the front ranks of the kohorts.

* * * * *

Wilhelm watched
the fight on the slope beneath him.

“Afanasei
Lindar is holding,” he shouted out then glanced to his right.

“There’s a
kohort moving round,” he yelled out.

Mislya passed
the order and Duchesne’s infantry drew closer together, edged to
the right and braced themselves. The cadets stood firm.

The sound of
battle eddied below them, then the Afanasei Lindar began to back up
the slope. The ridge was defensible, the jagged rocks and boulders
at the top would make it difficult for the Larg to get enough
warriors high enough to use their weight and strength to most
advantage.

: Larya says
Jim has decided that we must regroup up the hill. We have drawn the
Larg from the Keep. All but one of the kohorts have moved away from
there and are in the gulley between us :
Mislya told
Wilhelm.

: What does
Asya say? :
asked Wilhelm.

: There are
only enough Larg remaining to make sure they do not come out :

: Good :

: Mission
accomplished? :

: Indeed. We
have baited the trap. Now comes the difficult bit. We have to hold
them off until Vada and Lindars arrive from Argyll and rtathlians
:

: Can we? Hold
them off? :

: We
must
:
insisted the Weaponsmaster.

* * * * *

: Tara?
:
queried Peter of Radya as the Eighth Ryzck galloped west from
Argyll towards the river.

: Kolyei’s mind
is closed to me :

: Are they?
:

: Fighting?
Yes. I sense that much :

* * * * *

Francis
wondered if the Larg waiting at the bottom of the path to David’s
Keep expected the defenders to come out but nothing was further
from his mind. They were all exhausted.

Duguld looked
down at the battered trumpet at his side. Unfastening it he raised
it to his lips and blew a scale in a vocal display of relief and
thanksgiving.

* * * * *

At Mackie’s
Ridge more kohorts had flung themselves into the attack and Jim’s
little army were hard pressed to hold their position. They began to
be forced back paw by bloody paw.

Tara and Kolyei
retreated with them.

Although it was
growing dark and there was no let up until the sun began to set
behind the trees. At last the Larg retreated to the base of the
hill. The four Lindars and the Vada had watched in disbelief as
first one kohort and then another disengaged and fell back.