Doc Ardan: The City of Gold and Lepers by Guy d'Armen

Author:Guy d'Armen [d'Armen, Guy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Coat Press
Published: 2013-08-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Under Siege

Doctor Ardan sprinted back inside the cave.

“Get up! Natas’ henchmen have found us!” he shouted as he ran towards the fire.

While Louise Ducharme hurriedly got up from their makeshift bed, Francis dumped the water that they’d stored in a broken vase over the still smoldering flames.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t help to protect them, as the horsemen had already had a clear enough view of the light’s location.

Ardan coldly assessed their situation. He noticed three blocks of stone near the entrance to the cave. Together, they would serve to almost completely block the opening.

“Help me move these,” he called to Louise.

The young woman realized that they needed to move quickly to protect themselves.

Together, the two companions were able to move the three large rocks into place. Although the barricade had been rapidly improvised, it would at least have the effect of temporarily slowing down the attackers. They hoped this would buy them enough time to put together some useful defensive strategies.

“It would be nice to have a rifle right about now,” joked the scientist. “Too bad, we’ll just have to make do with what we’ve got available.”

The riders had arrived outside the cave. However, since they were unsure of what defenses their quarry might possess, they held back before attacking. It was true that the defensive position of the two fugitives gave them a strategic advantage.

“Make sure you take careful aim,” whispered Ardan.

Finally, one of the henchmen who was braver than the others, surreptitiously climbed towards the rock-covered cave mouth. He couldn’t have possibly realized that Louise Ducharme could clearly see his head outlined by the Moon which had moved higher up in the sky. In the protective darkness of the cave, the young woman kept her bow perfectly aimed, using the large stone blocks to help hold her arrow steady.

Then, she released the bow string and the arrow flew from it with a whistle. A cry of pain rang out; the man had been hit directly in his right eye!

“Good shot, Louise!” shouted Ardan.

Horrible cries were now coming from the Kirghizes. The companions of the injured man were clearly threatening the two scientists. But they had decided they would do anything to keep from falling back into the hands of Natas and had prepared another surprise for their adversaries.

It was Ardan’s turn to prove his skills. He targeted a an attacker who was slightly behind the wounded man. His arrow flew straight and fast, burying itself in the target’s cheek. The victim screamed out like a wounded animal and fled, holding the arrow’s shaft with both hands as if he wanted to pull it from his face.

“That makes two,” said Louise.

Deciding that prudence was called for, the Kirghizes clearly decided to retreat to a safer distance.

“I wonder what they’re planning,” murmured the young adventurer.

“They’re probably consulting on the best way to come after us,” answered Ducharme. “It’s too bad we can’t see them now. I think they’re over to the right.”

The horsemen had obviously decided to no longer attack the cave directly from the front.

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