Trials by Pedro Urvi Page A

men above the walls listened attentively to the Prince’s speech, their bodies straight, their chests swelling, their chins raised high, their spirits recovering their lost strength and eroded trust.
    “Men of Rogdon, today we’ll finish off the invaders. Their blood will bathe our walls, they shall all die, to the very last of them!”
    A lone “Hurrah!” was heard on the wall.
    Several more followed, timidly at first, then gaining intensity.
    After a few moments the whole wall burst into cheers and shouting.
    The soldiers, heartened by this speech, cheered while the enemy advanced like an unstoppable force that would reduce the wall to rubble.
    With the enemy a hundred paces away, Prince Gerart drew his sword and raised his arm:
    “It’s time for death to fall on the enemies of our nation!”
    Two thousand bows were raised among the four thousand defenders.
    “Send them to hell!” cried Gerart, bringing his arm down in the signal to attack.
    The sky above the pass turned black as two thousand arrows flew towards the white attackers.
    Immediately, as if they made up a single organism, the ten thousand Invincibles of the Ice lifted their round shields to protect themselves.
    The Rogdonian arrows carried death to the invaders, but most of them hit the shields. As they advanced toward the wall in an orderly manner without breaking formation, the defenders went on launching volley after volley against the enemy. Success was scant, though, as the arrows bounced off the sea of shields.
    The enemy reached the wall, and as on all previous occasions, ladders and hooks appeared on the damaged battlements. The first Norghanians began to climb the wall while the defenders kept firing on them as they climbed, with shields covering their heads. Ropes were cut and ladders overthrown, but almost immediately they were replaced by new ones and the Invincibles of the Ice climbing them were impervious to the fierce Rogdonian defense. When the first of them reached the top of the wall, the fight turned fiercer. Bows were replaced by swords and the fight turned brutal, with complete desperation.
    It made Lomar cringe to see how formidable those soldiers were. Their fame was certainly well-deserved, their ferocity and swordsmanship superb. Everyone who managed to set his foot on the wall easily killed several Rogdonians before falling pierced through, outnumbered. One of them came to stand in front of Lomar a couple of steps away, an Invincible of the Ice… He was not as big and strong as the others they had been fighting against lately. This one was smaller and looked nimbler. But what really worried Lomar was that self-assured look: resolute and lethal.
    Lomar stepped forward to confront him. The Norghanian half-closed his eyes and glanced at him with cool confidence. Lomar thrust quickly, and the Invincible deflected it with a skill that left him feeling seriously worried. He attacked again, but the warrior blocked his attack and countered like lightning. In a desperate attempt to evade the enemy’s sword Lomar tripped and fell. This man was a master swordsman whose movements were agile, balanced and fast: nothing to do with the huge brutal warriors with axes they had been fighting so far.
    The Norghanian was stepping forward to finish the kill when two Rogdonian comrades in arms intercepted him, Lomar took advantage of this move to get back on his feet and joined in the fray. The first soldier fell with his neck severed by a single stroke. The second was blocked by the Invincible and stabbed through the heart with a master-thrust. Lomar took advantage of this and delivered a lightning stroke that went through his enemy’s stomach. The soldier freed the sword and shook his head at Lomar, showing his reproach for that treacherous move. Lomar was ready to finish him when he saw another Invincible reaching the wall. Without thinking, he delivered a savage kick which made the man fall on to the attacking wave of soldiers. Then he went