Warrior Heroes by Benjamin Hulme-Cross

Author:Benjamin Hulme-Cross
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472904393
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2014-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Finn stumbled out of the tent and looked around him. Adam had disappeared and there was no sign of whoever he had been whispering with. An arrow hissed into the ground next to Finn making him jump and he quickly set off for the keep at a sprint.

He reached the doors and began hammering on them as hard as he could. There was no answer. All around him he could hear the crunches, crashes and cries of battle. Of course they won’t hear me, he thought. What do I do? He looked back at the outer wall and saw Thomas running along it, carrying a burning torch and heading for a cluster of men a short distance from the gatehouse.

Finn’s only thought now was to reach someone who would listen to him about the danger Eleanor was in. He sprinted over to the steps of the outer wall and bounded up them, the pain in his arm forgotten as a familiar mixture of fright and adrenalin numbed his nerves.

But as he reached the battlements he saw why the cluster of men had come together. Barely a metre away from the wall was the wooden tower that he and Arthur had seen the soldiers constructing the previous afternoon. The top of the tower was a little higher than the outer wall and several men were crammed inside it, all protected by a thick wall of wood. Some burning arrows were lodged in the timbers but so far none of the fire had taken hold.

Finn stood transfixed as all hell broke loose. A section of the tower clattered down like a drawbridge to make a platform linking the tower to the battlements. A group of soldiers thundered across it wielding swords, battleaxes and maces, swinging left and right at the defenders and forming a line of defence that protected their siege engine. The fighting had become even more savage than on the previous day and countless men toppled off either side of the wall.

Unarmed, Finn could do nothing but watch as the battle raged before him. More men had appeared on the platform of the siege engine and were preparing to leap over the battlements to join their comrades. But before they could, Finn saw Thomas lean out from the battlements and lob something at the platform. A shout went up from the attackers as the platform went up in flames and they were beaten back. One by one the first wave of soldiers to cross the wall were picked off until none of the enemy remained inside the wall. Tar pots were being handed round and were flung at the tower, the insides of which were now exposed by the lowered platform. Very soon the whole tower had become a roaring inferno.

Finn hunched down behind the battlements and made his way towards Thomas, who was being congratulated by a weary-looking Sir Godfrey. But before Finn had time to speak the Sergeant roared “Battering ram! Archers ready! All other men to

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