and dark-brown pods that dangled like earrings.
‘It’s like Eden,’ John said.
‘And you can be sure there’s a snake somewhere in here,’ Tybaut grumbled. ‘Just waiting to strike.’
At that moment a long howl of pain came from somewhere off to their left. They all froze, and John dropped his hand to his sword hilt. More cries of agony pierced the silence, joined now by loud shouting.
‘What’s that?’ Rabbit asked, his nose twitching.
‘Pick up the pace!’ Ernaut ordered from where he rode just behind John.
Tybaut and One Eye moved ahead at a jog, and John hurried to keep up. He could hear shouting all around him now, growing fainter as the walls on either side rose high above them. The path turned sharply to the right, and as they rounded the corner they stopped short before a five-foot-high barricade of logs, laid across the trail.
‘Christ, what’s next!’ Ernaut complained. ‘Let’s get this moved!’
Tybaut and One Eye put their shoulders against one of the logs, and John stepped forward to join them. They strained, but the heavy log did not budge.
‘By God, it’s heavy,’ One Eye cursed.
‘We could go over the top,’ John suggested, ‘and pull the logs down from the other side while you push from this side.’
‘Do it!’ Ernaut ordered.
John managed to pull himself up to the top of the barrier and dropped over to the far side, followed by Rabbit, Tybaut and One Eye. They immediately went to the barricade and grabbed hold of one of the logs. ‘On three!’ John shouted. ‘
One
,
two
,
three
!’ The log shifted, then rolled free. John and the others jumped back as it fell with a loud thud.
‘Only a dozen more to go,’ Tybaut grumbled.
John grabbed hold of the next log. One Eye, however, was in no hurry. He had wandered over to the side of the trail, where the branches of a fruit tree hung over a mud wall. He plucked one of the oblong, fiery-orange fruits and sniffed at it.
‘Get back to work, One Eye,’ John growled.
‘Cool it, bath-boy,’ One Eye replied, leaning back against the wall. ‘It’s cursed hot, and I’m hungry.’ He took a bite of the fruit. It was golden and pulpy inside. One Eye closed his eye as juice dripped from his beard. ‘Sweet Jesus!’ he sighed. ‘It’s delicious.’ The words were hardly out of his mouth when the iron point of a spear burst from his chest. He dropped the fruit and stared down at the bloody spear tip. A second later the spear was withdrawn, and One Eye collapsed, dead. There was no sign of any attacker.
‘Christ! What was that?’ Rabbit shouted.
A scream came from the far side of the barricade, then another and another. ‘It’s an ambush!’ John cried out, drawing his sword and crouching behind his shield, his back to the barrier. He pulled Rabbit down beside him.
‘Where are they?’ Tybaut demanded. Sword in hand, he went and knelt beside One Eye. He touched the wound in One Eye’s back, and then looked up to the wall. John followed his gaze and noticed that there were dozens of round holes, each just wide enough for a spear to fit through. ‘The wall!’ Tybaut whispered. A spear shot through one of the holes, catching him in the shoulder. He cried out in pain and scrambled backwards. Another spear shot out from the opposite wall, catching him in the back and dropping him.
‘We’re going to die,’ Rabbit whimpered. ‘We’re going to die!’
‘Your shield!’ John snapped, and Rabbit raised his shield just in time to deflect yet another spear. ‘We’re not going to die, follow me.’
John climbed up to the top of the barricade and pulled Rabbit up after him. The ground on the far side was littered with dead and wounded men. Ernaut’s horse had been killed beneath him, and he lay pinned beneath it, screaming for help. Four knights were hurrying forward from further down the column. An arrow struck one, dropping him, and the others hugged the walls, only to be cut down by the spears. As John watched,
‘It’s like Eden,’ John said.
‘And you can be sure there’s a snake somewhere in here,’ Tybaut grumbled. ‘Just waiting to strike.’
At that moment a long howl of pain came from somewhere off to their left. They all froze, and John dropped his hand to his sword hilt. More cries of agony pierced the silence, joined now by loud shouting.
‘What’s that?’ Rabbit asked, his nose twitching.
‘Pick up the pace!’ Ernaut ordered from where he rode just behind John.
Tybaut and One Eye moved ahead at a jog, and John hurried to keep up. He could hear shouting all around him now, growing fainter as the walls on either side rose high above them. The path turned sharply to the right, and as they rounded the corner they stopped short before a five-foot-high barricade of logs, laid across the trail.
‘Christ, what’s next!’ Ernaut complained. ‘Let’s get this moved!’
Tybaut and One Eye put their shoulders against one of the logs, and John stepped forward to join them. They strained, but the heavy log did not budge.
‘By God, it’s heavy,’ One Eye cursed.
‘We could go over the top,’ John suggested, ‘and pull the logs down from the other side while you push from this side.’
‘Do it!’ Ernaut ordered.
John managed to pull himself up to the top of the barrier and dropped over to the far side, followed by Rabbit, Tybaut and One Eye. They immediately went to the barricade and grabbed hold of one of the logs. ‘On three!’ John shouted. ‘
One
,
two
,
three
!’ The log shifted, then rolled free. John and the others jumped back as it fell with a loud thud.
‘Only a dozen more to go,’ Tybaut grumbled.
John grabbed hold of the next log. One Eye, however, was in no hurry. He had wandered over to the side of the trail, where the branches of a fruit tree hung over a mud wall. He plucked one of the oblong, fiery-orange fruits and sniffed at it.
‘Get back to work, One Eye,’ John growled.
‘Cool it, bath-boy,’ One Eye replied, leaning back against the wall. ‘It’s cursed hot, and I’m hungry.’ He took a bite of the fruit. It was golden and pulpy inside. One Eye closed his eye as juice dripped from his beard. ‘Sweet Jesus!’ he sighed. ‘It’s delicious.’ The words were hardly out of his mouth when the iron point of a spear burst from his chest. He dropped the fruit and stared down at the bloody spear tip. A second later the spear was withdrawn, and One Eye collapsed, dead. There was no sign of any attacker.
‘Christ! What was that?’ Rabbit shouted.
A scream came from the far side of the barricade, then another and another. ‘It’s an ambush!’ John cried out, drawing his sword and crouching behind his shield, his back to the barrier. He pulled Rabbit down beside him.
‘Where are they?’ Tybaut demanded. Sword in hand, he went and knelt beside One Eye. He touched the wound in One Eye’s back, and then looked up to the wall. John followed his gaze and noticed that there were dozens of round holes, each just wide enough for a spear to fit through. ‘The wall!’ Tybaut whispered. A spear shot through one of the holes, catching him in the shoulder. He cried out in pain and scrambled backwards. Another spear shot out from the opposite wall, catching him in the back and dropping him.
‘We’re going to die,’ Rabbit whimpered. ‘We’re going to die!’
‘Your shield!’ John snapped, and Rabbit raised his shield just in time to deflect yet another spear. ‘We’re not going to die, follow me.’
John climbed up to the top of the barricade and pulled Rabbit up after him. The ground on the far side was littered with dead and wounded men. Ernaut’s horse had been killed beneath him, and he lay pinned beneath it, screaming for help. Four knights were hurrying forward from further down the column. An arrow struck one, dropping him, and the others hugged the walls, only to be cut down by the spears. As John watched,
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