Read Online Doom's Break by Christopher Rowley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Rowley
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the men. Heuze screamed at the officers. Polluk went white-faced with indecision and fear.
The head had disappeared again, back into the dim recesses of the forest.
"I don't care what the fornicating thing is. Get your men into those trees and find those monkeys."
"Yes, sir."
Once again the men set off, and this time the head did not appear. On into the trees they pressed, until they came to a ravine with a small stream at the bottom. The slopes were steep and strewn with boulders. The formations broke up as they scrambled down.
Then the head reappeared, upstream a little ways. This time it showed itself only for a moment and then vanished.
Everyone froze.
"It's up there," a soldier said.
"Silence in the ranks!" roared a captain.
The men were frozen. They hunched forward, spears in hand. The archers nocked arrows and prepared to fire. Everyone expected an attack from the thing.
Nothing happened. A long ten seconds passed, and then Heuze bellowed at them to get moving. Once again they obeyed, scrambling through the streambed and up the far side. Still there was no sign of the enemy, nor of the huge head and neck.
Heuze paused, undecided. To go farther into the unknown, unscouted woods was foolhardy. He knew what that might lead to. The chance of slaughtering a few hundred monkeys was not enough of a lure.
"All right," he said at last. "Turn them around. Let's get back to that siege tower and dismantle it."
"Yes, sir." Polluk was visibly relieved. The men were quite happy to turn about and retrace their steps, and in just a few minutes they were moving back through the woods.
Back across the gulley they went, with some chatter about the damned "beast" and its probable sexual habits. Officers yelled at the men to shut it, but still the chatter went on, though in whispers and grins.
They recrossed the wider meadow and returned to the scene of the siege tower. The carpentry team had been hard at work. Piles of neatly cut beams and planks were stacked at the bottom of the siege tower.
Orders went down the line. They would work in their usual units, five men making a squad. One man would carry all their shields and spears. The others would take up the beams and planks and lug them back to the fort.
In a few minutes a steady line of men, paired off to carry the beams, headed through the woods toward the fort.
Heuze was still puzzled. Why had the monkeys reduced their forces around the fort? Had they gone somewhere else?
With a little help from Combliss, he got back to the cleared space in front of the walls. He accepted Combliss's aid now without grumbles. His stump was far too sore for that.
Once he was out of the woods, Heuze noticed that something strange had happened. "The gate is shut. Who told them to do that?"
"No one, sir," said Polluk.
The men carrying beams were still marching toward the gate, expecting it to be opened at any moment.
Heuze also noticed that the imperial banner was no longer waving above the gate tower. "Who told them to take down the banner? I want to celebrate our triumph, damn it!"
With sickening suddenness, the top of the stockade filled with dark figures. Bows bent and arrows came hurtling out into the ranks of the men bearing timber.
Screams of rage and then terror broke out in the ranks. Beams were dropped hither and thither as the men scrambled back.
Heuze stared, dumbfounded. "The sodomistic monkeys have taken the fort," he breathed, scarcely able to believe it. "While we were out chasing that will-o'-the wisp in the forest, they captured the fornicating fort!"
"So it, uh, seems, sir."
Heuze flung his hat down into the dust and stamped on it with his peg leg, ignoring the sudden spurt of pain from his stump. "How in the name of the Great God did your men let this happen?" he roared at Polluk.
Polluk's eyes flashed in outrage. He was being blamed for this?
Heuze, for once, had the decency to look away and swallow his next words. Indeed, it was hardly Polluk's fault. He'd
The head had disappeared again, back into the dim recesses of the forest.
"I don't care what the fornicating thing is. Get your men into those trees and find those monkeys."
"Yes, sir."
Once again the men set off, and this time the head did not appear. On into the trees they pressed, until they came to a ravine with a small stream at the bottom. The slopes were steep and strewn with boulders. The formations broke up as they scrambled down.
Then the head reappeared, upstream a little ways. This time it showed itself only for a moment and then vanished.
Everyone froze.
"It's up there," a soldier said.
"Silence in the ranks!" roared a captain.
The men were frozen. They hunched forward, spears in hand. The archers nocked arrows and prepared to fire. Everyone expected an attack from the thing.
Nothing happened. A long ten seconds passed, and then Heuze bellowed at them to get moving. Once again they obeyed, scrambling through the streambed and up the far side. Still there was no sign of the enemy, nor of the huge head and neck.
Heuze paused, undecided. To go farther into the unknown, unscouted woods was foolhardy. He knew what that might lead to. The chance of slaughtering a few hundred monkeys was not enough of a lure.
"All right," he said at last. "Turn them around. Let's get back to that siege tower and dismantle it."
"Yes, sir." Polluk was visibly relieved. The men were quite happy to turn about and retrace their steps, and in just a few minutes they were moving back through the woods.
Back across the gulley they went, with some chatter about the damned "beast" and its probable sexual habits. Officers yelled at the men to shut it, but still the chatter went on, though in whispers and grins.
They recrossed the wider meadow and returned to the scene of the siege tower. The carpentry team had been hard at work. Piles of neatly cut beams and planks were stacked at the bottom of the siege tower.
Orders went down the line. They would work in their usual units, five men making a squad. One man would carry all their shields and spears. The others would take up the beams and planks and lug them back to the fort.
In a few minutes a steady line of men, paired off to carry the beams, headed through the woods toward the fort.
Heuze was still puzzled. Why had the monkeys reduced their forces around the fort? Had they gone somewhere else?
With a little help from Combliss, he got back to the cleared space in front of the walls. He accepted Combliss's aid now without grumbles. His stump was far too sore for that.
Once he was out of the woods, Heuze noticed that something strange had happened. "The gate is shut. Who told them to do that?"
"No one, sir," said Polluk.
The men carrying beams were still marching toward the gate, expecting it to be opened at any moment.
Heuze also noticed that the imperial banner was no longer waving above the gate tower. "Who told them to take down the banner? I want to celebrate our triumph, damn it!"
With sickening suddenness, the top of the stockade filled with dark figures. Bows bent and arrows came hurtling out into the ranks of the men bearing timber.
Screams of rage and then terror broke out in the ranks. Beams were dropped hither and thither as the men scrambled back.
Heuze stared, dumbfounded. "The sodomistic monkeys have taken the fort," he breathed, scarcely able to believe it. "While we were out chasing that will-o'-the wisp in the forest, they captured the fornicating fort!"
"So it, uh, seems, sir."
Heuze flung his hat down into the dust and stamped on it with his peg leg, ignoring the sudden spurt of pain from his stump. "How in the name of the Great God did your men let this happen?" he roared at Polluk.
Polluk's eyes flashed in outrage. He was being blamed for this?
Heuze, for once, had the decency to look away and swallow his next words. Indeed, it was hardly Polluk's fault. He'd
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