‘Let us get back to the wall,’ he said. He closed his eyes and walked blindly through the ranks of the spirits. By the time he reached the tunnel mouth he was shivering. The other men with him said nothing.
No one looked back.
He joined Rek on the wall and the battle continued. Moments later, during a brief lull, Rek shouted: ‘What’s happening in the tunnel?’
‘Druss is there,’ replied Orrin. Rek merely nodded and turned again as fresh Nadir warriors breasted the ramparts.
Bowman, bearing short sword and buckler, fought beside Hogun. Though not as skilled with the blade as with the bow, he was no mean warrior.
Hogun blocked an axe blow – and his sword snapped. The axe head crushed his shoulder, burying itself in his chest. He hammered the broken sword into the belly of the axeman and fell with him to the ground.
A lance licked out, spearing the Legion general’s back as he struggled to rise. Bowman’s short sword disembowelled the lancer, but more Nadir pressed forward and Hogun’s body was lost in the mêlée.
By the gate tower Joachim Sathuli fell, his side pierced by a thrown-spear. Rek half-carried him beyond the ramparts, but had to leave him, for the Nadir had almost broken through. Joachim gripped the spear with both hands, sweat breaking out on his forehead, and examined the wound. The point had passed through just above the right hip, and broken the skin of his back. The head, he knew, was barbed and there would be no drawing it out. He gripped the spear more firmly, rolled to his side then pushed it further into the wound until the whole of the spear-head cleared his back. He passed out for several minutes, but the gentle touch of a hand roused him. A Sathuli warrior named Andisim was beside him.
‘Remove the head of the spear,’ Joachim hissed. ‘Quickly!’
Wordlessly the man took his dagger and as gently as possible levered the spear-head from the shaft. At last it was done. ‘Now,’ whispered Joachim ‘pull the shaft clear.’ Standing above him, the man slowly withdrew the spear as Joachim grunted against the agony. Blood gushed out, but Joachim ripped his robe and plugged the wound, allowing Andisim to do the same for the hole in his back.
‘Get me to my feet,’ he ordered, ‘and fetch me a tulwar.’
Beyond the walls of Eldibar, within his tent, Ulric watched the sands fall in the huge glass. Beside him was the scroll he had received that morning from the north.
His nephew Jahingir had declared himself Kan – overlord of the north. He had slain Ulric’s brother, Tsubodi, and taken Ulric’s mistress Hasita as hostage.
Ulric could not blame him and felt no anger. His family were born to lead and blood ran true among them.
But he could not dally here and so had set the glass. If the wall had not fallen by the time the sand ran out, he would lead his army north again, win back his kingdom and return to take Dros Delnoch on another day.
He had received the message about Druss holding the tunnel and had shrugged. Alone once more, he had smiled.
So, not even Paradise can keep you from the battle, old man!
Outside his tent stood three men bearing rams’ horns, waiting for his signal. And the sands flowed on.
On the wall of Geddon the Nadir broke through to the right. Rek screamed for Orrin to follow him and cut a path along the ramparts. To the left more Nadir gained the ramparts and the Drenai fell back, leaping to the grass and re-forming. The Nadir swarmed forward.
The day was lost.
Sathuli and Drenai waited, swords ready, as the Nadir massed before them. Bowman and Orrin stood beside Rek, and Joachim Sathuli limped towards them.
‘I’m glad we are only offering you one day,’ grunted Joachim, clutching the bloody bandage wedged into his side.
The Nadir spread out before them and charged.
Rek leaned on his sword blade, breathing deeply and saving what was left of his strength. There was no longer the energy inside him to promote a baresark rage, nor the will.