The Daughters Daring (The Daughters Daring & The Enchanted Forest Book 1) by Steven J. Thompson Page B

to the guard next to him, over the sounds of battle. That was when he heard the whistling sound of the ogres’s catapult fire coming directly for him! He ducked for cover but was still caught in the blast.
         The duke was stunned, and his ears were ringing. He was lying in boards and debris from the guard house. A boulder from the catapults had landed next to him. The impact had smashed a section of the guardhouse, throwing men and debris in all directions. The guardsman, who he had been giving orders, lay unconscious nearby. In his haze, the duke thought the battle might be lost.
         Then he felt many hands lifting him up and brushing him off. He opened his eyes to see several townsfolk around him. They had armed themselves with gardening tools or whatever weapons they owned or could get hold of.
         “What are you doing?” the duke asked.
         “Defending the city!” said one who was clearly a farm worker. “It’s our home, too.”
         Behind the farmer, a blacksmith was handing out swords and poleaxes from a small cart. Several of the men had hunting bows. As they stepped forward, more citizens were showing up to fill the ranks.
         Tears of pride stung the duke’s eyes. “All right, men! In the name of the King, I commission all of you as Highcynder militia! Those of you with arrows get on that wall and return fire! Pole arms behind the gate! The rest of you, fall in behind them!”
         The duke's heart swelled as the citizens ran to their positions like trained soldiers. They were brave, but they had yet to face a real shockwave of attacking ogres. The first few rounds of catapult fire were mostly meant to find its range and scare the occupants within.
         As the duke expected, the ogres hit the wooden doors with a battering ram. They smashed into the solid wood again and again. The hinges started to falter. It would not be long before the ogres broke them down.
         With a great burst of dust and splinters, the doors came off their hinges and crashed to the ground. A wave of ogres poured through the open gateway, wielding axes and curved swords, screaming their vicious battle cries.
         The ogres were a formidable sight, standing half again as tall as men and twice as wide. They were armed with large, menacing weapons and clothed in full battle armor. Their faces were covered in war paint and their long hair braided behind their shoulders. The duke could see terror in the faces of his militia. If he didn't act quickly, they would retreat, and the city would be lost.
         “Defend The Shining City!” the duke yelled, as he threw a spear into the chest of the first ogre. “For Highcynder!”
         “For the King!” the others yelled, regaining their resolve to defend their home. They charged forward and met the ogres head on.
         Duke Daring led the charge, sword swinging. If the ogres were to take the city, he would not make it easy for them. If this was to be his last stand, he would fight with honor and courage.
         With several swings of his sword, he cleared a path to the gate. The other fighters fell in behind him, pushing the ogres back! For a moment, the duke thought they might succeed in finding a makeshift barrier for the gate entrance. That moment did not last.
         With an echoing roar and an enormous crash, a section of city wall exploded inward, throwing the duke, several villagers, and even a couple of ogres to the ground. Before them stood the ogre king, with a huge hammer in one enormous hand, and he appeared ready to destroy another section of wall.  He was twice the size of a man. The other ogres looked small beside him.
    “This could take all day,” the Duke said.
    
         Emily and Elizabeth rushed through the upper levels of the cave. It was dark and they had lost precious time finding a torch to light their way towards the surface. The sound of battle between the spider-witch and the goblins