EV B2 Chapter 12:

I couldn't see much from the gate, but I could hear the hoof beats much more clearly. There were definitely a lot of horses coming our way, clattering down the long path toward the center of the gate.

There were two approaches to the castle. The first was the cliffside stairway that led down to the beach that we had come up. It joined the road about 200 yards away from the gate. The other was a long, well-maintained road cutting through gently rolling hills. From that direction, I could see a dust cloud rising in the distance.

I stepped back inside and ran up the stairs along the wall. Astrid followed closely behind me.

"Do you think they heard the alarm bells, or are they coming to take the castle anyway?" she asked. I took a second to think about it. It would have been incredibly bad luck if they were here anyway, but I couldn't rule it out. Also, how much range did the bells have on them?

"Probably the bells," I replied as we reached the battlements.

From the top of the wall, I could see more clearly. Cresting one of the distant hills, a rank of five horses trotted forward, banners snapping in the breeze. The green field on the flag bore a pair of crossed swords before a shield, with a lion rearing and roaring behind it.

"That must be the local lord coming to defend," I muttered.

"They're a little late," Astrid said dryly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I don't think this place would normally be a target, though—not for how they're used to fighting. Normally, holy places are left alone during most local wars. I bet they are used to warring with their neighbors, who probably have the same faith."

Astrid grunted in response, and we both looked out and considered the problem.

"You think this is the castle's usual occupants?" I asked her. "The ones you ran into when you got this far with your old team?"

She leaned over one of the crenelations, narrowing her eyes. "Maybe. The coat of arms does seem familiar."

I quickly strode toward one of the bells and slammed the pommel of my sword against it three times, letting it ring after each strike. The sound echoed out, sharp and urgent. Hopefully, they would work to alert us just as well. I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Enemies approaching! At the gate!"

Hopefully, many of the other raiders got my message. But I didn't have time to stop and make sure.

"We need a barricade for the door," I told Astrid, and we ran together toward one of the nearby outbuildings. It looked like it had been some kind of chapel, a place for quiet prayer and contemplation, separated from the rest of the monastery. That peace didn't last long.

I grabbed one of the long wooden benches and heaved it onto the floor. The bench cracked apart at the joints, and one of the longer planks—several inches thick and even wider—broke free. Picking it up, I rushed past Astrid as she pried at the other board that had been making up the seat.

Back at the gate, I slotted the plank into place where a locking beam should have gone when we first got there. Why no one had done that when we attacked, I didn't know, but I hoped it would hold longer than we needed. A few moments later, Astrid appeared behind me, struggling with her own thick beam. She slotted it into place on top of mine with a grunt, and we both stepped back.

The courtyard was growing busier. Several other raiders had made it outside—some climbing the walls, others spreading the word that we were under attack.

Astrid positioned herself on the wall, bow in hand.

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"Don't fire yet," I ordered, climbing up beside her. "But if they get too close and don't try to speak, start picking them off."

She gave me a sharp nod and dashed off. I turned and headed back down to gather more barricade materials.

With the help of some of the raiders, I dragged tables, chests, and other pieces of furniture out into the courtyard. We stacked them in front of the gate, layer after layer. Even if the enemy managed to break through the gate, they would waste valuable time clearing the obstacles. More importantly, they wouldn't be able to charge their horses in, forcing them to dismount and fight us on foot.

As I worked, I heard the sharp twang of Astrid's bowstring, followed by a scream and the panicked whinny of a horse.

Apparently, they weren't interested in talking. Not that I was surprised.

When I was satisfied with the barricade, I climbed back up to join Astrid on the wall. Below us, the scene was a chaotic mess. Horses milled about, and men scrambled to regroup. One of their banners lay on the ground, splattered with blood.

"What happened?" I asked.

I wasn't sure why they hadn't attacked after Astrid shot one of them—especially since I'd told her only to fire if they looked ready to attack us. I glanced over at her and caught her sheepish expression.

Ah. That explained it. She might have been a little quick on the draw.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "Okay. Never mind. Let's just deal with them. Did you count how many there were?"

Astrid nodded. "About fifty horsemen. And maybe a hundred, a hundred twenty infantry a little ways back." She pointed, squinting toward the horizon. I would only see a smudge of the infantry—they were trying to catch up. The horsemen must have rushed ahead as fast as they could. Something told me that would have been a really bad idea if we were a conventional force. How much were the gods cheating in this challenge?

I trusted Astrid's perception more than my own, though I also knew things could sometimes be deceiving from a distance. Still, the obvious choice seemed clear: grab the loot and make for the ships. The only other option was to try and fight twice our numbers on the horse when they were getting reinforcements soon.

Looking around the courtyard, most of the raiders were already there. The surviving monks, tied up and praying on their knees, looked utterly defeated. I hoped, for their sake, that they were also smart enough to stay silent.

Clapping my hands loudly, I called out to the gathered raiders to get their attention. "Okay, listen up! We've got a small force blocking our return to the boats. If we wait much longer, a larger force is going to show up and reinforce them. Has everyone got enough loot?"

The responses were mixed. Some raiders nodded, satisfied, while others grumbled that they needed more time to find what they wanted.

I paused, weighing our options. Forcing our way out was one choice—we could push past the soldiers, get to the ships with at least some loot, and be gone before reinforcements arrived. On the other hand, we could fight them off here and hold the castle. But what would be the point of holding the castle? It wasn't like we could keep it for long.

Turning back to Astrid, I gestured toward the infantry in the distance. "How long till they get here?"

She paused, tracking their pace. "Twenty minutes," she said after a moment.

"All right. Five minutes to grab whatever you want!" I shouted to the men. Several raiders immediately dashed off, heading back into the buildings.

While they were gone, I started organizing everyone else, preparing for a quick escape. We adjusted the barricades so we could move them out of the way quickly but still leave them in place long enough to slow the enemy. Astrid and a few others with bows kept watch from the wall, eyes sharp on the force assembling outside.

Once the looters started returning, I lined them up and made sure they were ready. With everyone gathered, I climbed back up onto the wall to address the bowmen.

"Okay, you four," I said, pointing to the raiders who had decided to bring bows. "You're going to be the last ones out. When we open the gates, I want you to aim for the second-furthest rank of the enemy. Hit them as many times as you can—try to get them to panic and break formation. Once we've created a path, we'll charge past them and down the steps. You'll come behind us."

I hesitated, hating what I was about to say, but I knew it was necessary. "If you have to, aim for the horses. That's going to be the most dangerous part—if they try to ride us down. But once we're on the stairs, the horses won't be a problem. Got it?"

They nodded, grim-faced.

Satisfied, I climbed back down. I deemed it had been close enough to five minutes.

"If anyone's still left behind," I bellowed, "you'd better catch up fast, or you'll be stranded here!"