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The Bow of Haladan Part XV
Kyle twisted away, he half stood, but before he could completely
gain his feet, a flailing arm slammed him back against the ground. Spots
of light twinkled behind his closed lids, he coughed and felt the sting
of blood against a cut lip. His hand felt numb and looking at it he was
surprised to see that he still gripped his sword.
A giant lashed out with a vicious kick at a trooper who had made
it to the far side of the wall. He'd slid down the scaling ladder and
jumped aside, just in the nick of time, the huge foot smashed the ladder
to bits. A trooper halfway down fell like a stone, a wooden rung still
clenched in his hand. Another who had just turned around and stepped off
the wall was grabbed by his fellows and hung with his feet dangling
over the edge. Suddenly he was whisked aside, a giant had him by the legs
and gripping one in either hand the monster pulled him apart like the
breastbone of a chicken. The giant flung the gory halves aside, they
sailed over the bridge and into the water with a splash.
A soldier howled in anger and launched himself atop the giant as
it laughed. His sword clattered on the stone and the man, berserk with
rage, clawed and scratched at the giants face. With monstrous teeth the
giant bit down and severed an arm, the man did not even realize his loss
but plucked a fist full of eyelashes from the giants face. As a huge hand
reached up and broke the soldiers neck he raked his nails across the
giants eye.
The giant roared, it held the troopers body by the neck, forgotten
in one hand while its other rubbed at its injured eye. It staggered
blindly toward the wall and half a dozen swordsman jabbed out, three
blades struck. A sword slashed open a two foot cut across its arm, another
sunk in a hands breadth between its ribs, but the third blade went up and
in, beneath its arm and deep within the giants chest. The huge arm that
rubbed at its eye went numb and dropped lifeless to its side. The giant
gasped and stepped back, away from the stinging blades. The sword beneath
its arm was stuck fast, the trooper tried to pull it free but was dragged
forward instead and fell from the wall, his companions could not save him.
Fintan was weaponless once again. Huge legs and feet pounded all
around him and his head still swam. A scaling pole clunked down and his
men followed close after.
"Hold this steady." Fintan yelled to the first trooper down. The
man was wild with battle lust and fear, he did not listen but ran
screaming toward the giants. One moment he was there, the next a giant
club bashed into him from the side and sent him hurtling through the air.
Fintan grabbed the next trooper down and yelled the same to him.
"Hold the ladder!"
"Yes sir!" the trooper replied, shocked to find the captain still
alive.
"You won't need this." Fintan pulled the sword from the startled
troopers grasp.
"My sword!" the man cried.
"Scavenge another, there will be plenty unattended." Fintan yelled
back. He ran toward the nearest giant, he did not have to go far. Without
looking up he swung his sword and slashed it across the leg, but did not
stop. The heavy cloth took most of the blow, but the giant stopped and
tried to hit the captain as he ran. The blow rebounded off the stone and
missed its mark. Fintan turned about and slashed the giant again. Two
troopers came up from behind, one drove his sword in above the monsters
belt and pricked its side, the other stabbed the giant in the calf. A back
hand blow knocked the trooper away with a broken jaw, but the distraction
let Fintan come rushing in. He struck two solid blows against the giants
knee, the first merely skinned the cap, the other came across the side and
split the bone with a meaty sound. Behind the giant, the one trooper left,
pushed in his sword and drove the blade deeper into the giants side. The
sword pierced the kidney, the giant gave a shudder and tried to turn, its
wounded knee gave way. Its fall was slow, a mighty arm went out against
the stones, Fintan swung his sword with both hands and tried to chop it
down.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)