Read Online A Charge of Valor by Morgan Rice - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Morgan Rice
Tags: Fiction, Science-Fiction, adventure, Fantasy, Magic, YA), series, Action, Fantasy - Series, SciFi, Monsters, dragon, epic fantasy, teen, teenage, sorcerer, juvenile, sword
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turned to the others; he had never seen these brave warriors, who he had fought with through so many conquests and battles, ever as elated as they were on this day. They could all now breathe a collective sigh of relief. Against all odds, they had pushed back Andronicus’s men. Their risky plan had worked.
For the first time in as long as Kendrick could remember, he actually felt optimistic. Maybe, he thought, they could hold this city after all; maybe they could actually hold out against Andronicus. Here they stood, in the last remaining free sliver of the Empire. Right now, it was theirs. And no matter what happened in the future, on this day, Andronicus could never nullify the victory they had achieved.
As the men fanned out across the courtyard, relaxed their guard, collected their wounded, celebrated, embraced, as more and more citizens of lower Silesia ascended to see for themselves the victory that had been achieved—suddenly, something happened. Their world was shaken by a tremendous crash, one strong enough to make the ground beneath them shake. It was the sound of metal meeting metal. Followed by an animal’s enraged scream.
Kendrick turned and was horrified to see that the Empire had wasted no time in regrouping, this time with a huge iron battering ram. They were smashing it into the gates, the only barrier left to defend the city from the masses. The gate bent in half, and the ram bent it again and again, and before their eyes it buckled and gave way.
The Empire cheered.
But they did not charge through. Instead, even more ominously, they stepped aside. They made way, and their came another animal scream.
Kendrick was awestruck to watch an elephant charge through the gates. It raised its huge feet and trampled Silesians as it went, shaking the ground.
His men, stunned, quickly regrouped and did their best to fight back; they fired arrows and threw spears. But these all bounced helplessly off the animal’s hide. Silesians died left and right.
Following on the elephant’s heels were the Empire soldiers, racing through the open gates.
“ ATTACK!” Kendrick yelled to his men, trying to rally them to meet the Empire’s men before they got too deep into the courtyard, while dodging the racing elephant.
It was a futile effort. This time, Andronicus’s men poured in fast and furious, and Kendrick’s men were too busy dodging the animal. Within moments, Empire soldiers fanned out across the courtyard, killing Silesians in every direction.
Still more soldiers continued to pour in, an endless stream, unstoppable.
Kendrick raised his sword as an Empire soldier slashed down at his face, blocking and spinning around and slashing the soldier in the stomach. He stepped forward and blocked two more blows—but then felt himself kicked hard in the small of the back. He fell to his face.
Kendrick spun to see a soldier raising his boot to bring it down on his face. As it was halfway down, his friend Atme arrived and jabbed a spear in the soldier’s stomach, preventing him from crushing Kendrick’s face with his boot.
Kendrick gained his feet, grabbed his sword, and spun around and faced off with two more soldiers. But before he could even swing, he was tackled from behind by a third. Then a fourth.
The Empire men came from everywhere, descending like a swarm of locust. So outnumbered, there was little Kendrick and the others could do. Beside him, Atme, too, fell. All around them, he watched his men share similar fates.
Kendrick did not go down easily: he fought viciously, killing two of the four men pinning him down. But yet another one raised his gauntlet and smashed it down on Kendrick’s face, connecting with his temple. There came a great ringing of metal in Kendrick’s ear as he hit the ground, his head splitting. The soldier came down for another blow but Kendrick grabbed a mace from the ground and spun around and managed to crack the soldier across the head, knocking him back.
But no sooner had he
For the first time in as long as Kendrick could remember, he actually felt optimistic. Maybe, he thought, they could hold this city after all; maybe they could actually hold out against Andronicus. Here they stood, in the last remaining free sliver of the Empire. Right now, it was theirs. And no matter what happened in the future, on this day, Andronicus could never nullify the victory they had achieved.
As the men fanned out across the courtyard, relaxed their guard, collected their wounded, celebrated, embraced, as more and more citizens of lower Silesia ascended to see for themselves the victory that had been achieved—suddenly, something happened. Their world was shaken by a tremendous crash, one strong enough to make the ground beneath them shake. It was the sound of metal meeting metal. Followed by an animal’s enraged scream.
Kendrick turned and was horrified to see that the Empire had wasted no time in regrouping, this time with a huge iron battering ram. They were smashing it into the gates, the only barrier left to defend the city from the masses. The gate bent in half, and the ram bent it again and again, and before their eyes it buckled and gave way.
The Empire cheered.
But they did not charge through. Instead, even more ominously, they stepped aside. They made way, and their came another animal scream.
Kendrick was awestruck to watch an elephant charge through the gates. It raised its huge feet and trampled Silesians as it went, shaking the ground.
His men, stunned, quickly regrouped and did their best to fight back; they fired arrows and threw spears. But these all bounced helplessly off the animal’s hide. Silesians died left and right.
Following on the elephant’s heels were the Empire soldiers, racing through the open gates.
“ ATTACK!” Kendrick yelled to his men, trying to rally them to meet the Empire’s men before they got too deep into the courtyard, while dodging the racing elephant.
It was a futile effort. This time, Andronicus’s men poured in fast and furious, and Kendrick’s men were too busy dodging the animal. Within moments, Empire soldiers fanned out across the courtyard, killing Silesians in every direction.
Still more soldiers continued to pour in, an endless stream, unstoppable.
Kendrick raised his sword as an Empire soldier slashed down at his face, blocking and spinning around and slashing the soldier in the stomach. He stepped forward and blocked two more blows—but then felt himself kicked hard in the small of the back. He fell to his face.
Kendrick spun to see a soldier raising his boot to bring it down on his face. As it was halfway down, his friend Atme arrived and jabbed a spear in the soldier’s stomach, preventing him from crushing Kendrick’s face with his boot.
Kendrick gained his feet, grabbed his sword, and spun around and faced off with two more soldiers. But before he could even swing, he was tackled from behind by a third. Then a fourth.
The Empire men came from everywhere, descending like a swarm of locust. So outnumbered, there was little Kendrick and the others could do. Beside him, Atme, too, fell. All around them, he watched his men share similar fates.
Kendrick did not go down easily: he fought viciously, killing two of the four men pinning him down. But yet another one raised his gauntlet and smashed it down on Kendrick’s face, connecting with his temple. There came a great ringing of metal in Kendrick’s ear as he hit the ground, his head splitting. The soldier came down for another blow but Kendrick grabbed a mace from the ground and spun around and managed to crack the soldier across the head, knocking him back.
But no sooner had he
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