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The Bow of Haladan Part XIV
The slingers sent their bullets whizzing at the giants behind the
wall, they aimed high above the heads of the men who climbed up, but
these troopers were still being swept aside despite the covering fire.
Kyle stood behind the last rank of Waddard's men, the wall loomed
high above his head. More scaling poles went up and others were being
pulled over the top to drop down on the farther side. Something bounced
near to Kyle's feet, he glanced down and looked into a soldiers face,
the features contorted, unrecognizable, he turned away. His signalman,
Dediulin, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. A body came
crashing down, a headless trunk still spraying blood, it landed where
Kyle had been standing.
The world was a swirling blur, Fintan rolled to one side, he lay
along the edge of the wall, the giants feet had stomped a goblin flat just
inches from his head. He reached to his waist but his sword was gone, the
sheath empty at his side.
Five giants were on this side of the wall, a quick glance told him
that none of his men had made it across alive. He needed a weapon, a green
severed arm held a short spear, not much use against the giants, but he
could do nothing with bare hands. Fintan scooped it up and had to use its
haft to help raise himself to his feet, he swayed, the world went black
around the edges, and then it cleared. Knees buckling, he leaned back
and as a ponderous leg went past Fintan jammed the spear deep into the
giants thigh.
A stone struck Hraesveglur's head near to his eye, his hand went
to his face and as he staggered back a burning pain went through his leg,
he roared with shock and outrage. The giant stumbled into the path of a
swinging club and was knocked from off his feet. His fall shook the bridge
and sent old mortar in a dusty cloud down into the stream.
The wall was free of giants along the span that Hraesveglur had
guarded, the troopers took advantage of his absence and ladders came down
upon the giants side of the bridge. Men died with every stroke of club or
staff but kept on coming, new troopers rose to take the place of those who
had been brushed aside.
Kyle was the first of his command to reach the top, the last of
Waddard's men had thrown themselves at the giants. Broken bodies and
lifeless corpses were scattered about both sides of the wall, a dozen men
had been thrown or knocked over into the waters below.
A giant stood before Kyle using a long tree trunk like a spear to
prod him back over the wall. Its smiling face was shattered by a lead
sling bullet, two teeth like clay dinner plates exploded and the giant
choked, then spat out the deformed leaden ball in a spray of yellow
fragments of tooth and a large quantity of blood.
Kyle grabbed the tree trunk and tried to stab his sword into the
giants throat, but his blade went along its chin and cut free a
hand-sized chunk of ear instead. The giant pulled back and dragged Kyle,
still holding onto the tree trunk, from off the wall. The extra unexpected
weight pulled the staff from the giants hand, it landed on the ground,
Kyle following after.
The shock bounced him from the tree trunk and sent him rolling
across the ground. He passed through a giants legs, beneath an upraised
foot and ended up against the side of Hraesveglur as the giant
chief thrashed about, still half blinded from the slingers well placed
shot and the unlucky blow from another giants club.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)