(eng) Myke Cole - Sacred Throne 02 by The Queen of Crows

Author:The Queen of Crows [Crows, The Queen of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

9

RABBIT IN THE SNARE

The Emperor is a mighty fortress, a shield that guards us. Yea, though mine enemy is vast beyond counting, 10,000 before me, and 20,000 behind. Yea, though my foe bears a glittering sword, and his countenance is terrible to behold. He shall not come nigh to me, or to my family. For a mighty fortress is my Emperor, and none shall pierce His walls.

—Writ. Ala. IX. 4

It didn’t take long.

By nightfall, the first outriders were circling the walls, just beyond bowshot, their gray cloaks clinging to their shoulders, sodden by the cold rain that had begun to fall just after Wolfun set the watches. Heloise could see the sentries racing along the parapet from the front to the postern gate, long before the alarm was raised.

“What in the shadow of the Throne are you doing!” Samson called up to the tower astride the front gate.

“Keeping an eye on them,” Sigir snapped back. “Or would you rather have them put up a scaling ladder right under our noses?”

“I’d rather them not see our garrison scurrying around trying to keep an eye on them, and assuring them we don’t have enough beating hearts to cover our own walls!”

“When you are the Maior,” Sigir shouted, “you can call the tune. For now, it’s me and Wolfun up here, and you resting your fat ass below.”

Samson cursed and looked up at Heloise, but she only shook her head. “Let them lead their men.”

The horn sounded a moment later, and Samson followed Heloise up the ramp to the parapet walk atop the wall. The walls seemed pathetically low now that she stood on them. Wolfun’s men were busy building out wooden embrasures over the battlements to add height, but Heloise still thought it would take little more than a fire ladder to mount them.

More gray cloaks were emerging from the woods, until twenty or thirty sat astride their horses just beyond the treeline, flails across their shoulders, looking up at Heloise and whispering to one another.

“The Order aren’t armed for a siege,” Samson said. “They’ll have to send for the army.”

“It won’t take long,” Sigir said. “Until then, they are enough to invest us here.”

Wolfun leaned on his spear, grunted. “Worth a sally? While there are still so few? You made short work of the brothers here.”

“The brothers here,” Heloise said, “were surprised and on foot. These are mounted and ready. It’s too dangerous.”

“Heloise Factor!” Tone’s voice drifted up to them. “How in the Emperor’s holy name did you manage to get that monstrosity up on the wall?”

“She is a Palantine,” Barnard shouted back. “The Emperor reached down His hand and lifted her up!”

The Pilgrims laughed at that, a soft patter that blended with the raindrops. “Well, no matter,” Tone laughed, “we’ll have you down soon enough. I must say, you have surprised us all. Taking an Imperial town is a bold strike, indeed. But I suppose I must thank you. You have put the rabbit into the snare, and let us bottle you up.

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