|
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
animals. The rising sun lit up the further hills, shafted through the billowing powder smoke and made
something ethereal and beautiful out of it, the defenders seeming to be flat silhouettes in the fiery reek.
The gunners of the lighter pieces depressed their guns to maximum and began firing down into the packed
masses below, whilst the arquebusiers were holding fire, waiting for Andruw s order.
Scaling ladders thumping against the battlements. Grapnels, ropes and a shower of crossbow bolts that
knocked down half a dozen men in Corfe s vision alone. The ladders began to quiver as the enemy
climbed up them.
Hold your fire, arquebusiers! Andruw shouted. A few nervous men were already letting loose.
Faces at the top of the ladders, black as fiends from hell.
Fire!
A rippling series of explosions as two thousand arquebuses went off almost as one. Many ladders
crashed back down in the press below, unbalanced by the death throes of the men at their tops. Others
remained, and more of the enemy continued their climb.
Fork-men, to the front! the order went out, and Torunnans came forward bearing objects shaped like
long-handled pitchforks. Two or three of the defenders would push these against the scaling ladders and
send them out in a slow, graceful arc, packed with men, to swing down into red ruin in the massed ranks
at the foot of the walls.
The assault paused, checked. The noise of men shouting and shrieking, the boom of cannon and crack of
arquebus were deafening.
Have they no strategy at all? Andruw was asking Corfe. They re like a ram butting a gate. Do they
reckon nothing of casualties?
They don t have to, Corfe told him. Remember what Martellus said? Attrition. They are losing men by
the thousand, we by the score. But they can afford to lose their thousands. They are as numberless as the
sand of a beach.
They stood near the gate that was the main entrance to this part of the fortress. The sun was rising rapidly
and a rosy-gold light was playing over the scene. They could see through gaps in the smoke to where
fresh forces were already being marshalled on the hills beyond. The Merduk guns were being brought
into play now, but they were firing high. Most of their shots seemed to be falling into the Searil, raising
fountains of white, shattered water.
So they use explosive shells, too, Andruw said, surprised.
It was something the Ramusians had invented only twenty years ago.
Yes, and incendiaries. I hope we have enough firefighters.
Fire is the last thing we have to worry about. Here they come again.
A fresh surge at the foot of the walls. Crossbow bolts came clinking and cracking against the battlements
in a dark hail. Men fell screaming from the catwalks.
Another assault, the ladders lifted up and thrown down once more. The ground at the bottom of the
fortifications was piled with corpses and wreckage.
I don t like it, Corfe said. This is too easy.
Too easy!
Yes. There is no thought behind these assaults. I think they are a cover for something else. Even Shahr
Baraz does not throw his men s lives away for no gain.
There was an earth-shuddering concussion that seemed to come from beneath their very feet. Almost the
entire gatehouse was enveloped in thick smoke through which flame speared and flapped.
They ve blown the gate! Andruw cried.
I ll see to it. Stay here. They ll make another assault to cover the breaching party.
Corfe ran down the wide stairs to the courtyards and squares below. Torunnan soldiers and refugee
civilians were running about carrying powder, shot, wounded men, match and water. He seized on a
group of a dozen who possessed arquebuses and led them into the shadow of the gatehouse.
There in the arch a fierce fire was burning, and the massive gates were askew on their hinges, white scars
marking the shattered wood. Already the Merduk engineers were swarming through the gaps and a
hundred more were clustered behind them. It was like watching dark maggots writhing in a wound.
Present pieces! Corfe yelled to his motley command, and the arquebuses were levelled.
Give fire!
The volley flung back a score of Merduks who were clambering through the wrecked gates.
Out swords. Follow me! Corfe cried, and led the Torunnans at a run.
They stepped over wriggling, maimed men and began slashing and hewing in the burning gloom of the
arch like things possessed. In a few moments there were no Merduks left alive inside the gatehouse, and
those trying to force their way through the battered portals had limbs and heads lopped off by the
defenders.
The fire spread. Corfe was dimly aware of men with water buckets. He hacked the fingers off a hand that
was pulling at the broken gate. Then someone was tugging him away.
The murder-holes! They re going to use them. Out of the gateway!
He allowed himself to be hauled away, half blind with sweat and smoke. The Torunnans fell back.
Immediately the Merduks were squirming through the gates again. In seconds a score of them were on
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plmew.pev.pl
|