Trials Read Online Free Page B

going to let those filthy Norghanians take the eastern wall, are we?”
    “Over my dead body, sir!” one of the soldiers said.
    “In that case, follow me! Charge!”
    Lomar picked up a tear-shaped Rogdonian shield, then with a dozen brave soldiers charged against the enemy, who had almost completely taken over that section of the wall.
    They fought frantically against their brutal adversaries. Lomar hacked and stabbed everywhere, protected by the shield from enemy axes and swords. They managed to advance, clearing a good part of the section through valor and pure rage, but Lomar had to stop when he realized to his chagrin that he only had four men left. He turned his head for a moment and saw to his relief that reinforcements were arriving on the parapets. The stairs were clear. Suddenly a brutal axe-stroke on his shield threw him on the ground. A Norghanian stood over him, ugly as a toad
    “Well, well, well, look what we’ve got here, a Lancer! Today’s my lucky day. I thought I wouldn’t get as far as killing ten, and what do you know, the tenth is a Lancer without a horse. Today the Ice Gods are smiling on this Soldier of the Thunder.”
    He raised his axe to finish Lomar off.
    One of Lomar’s brothers in arms tried to help him with a stroke to his enemy’s stomach. The Norghanian saw it coming and thrust it aside, then delivered a mighty kick which hurled the poor soldier off the wall. His desperate scream echoed as he fell.
    Lomar watched from the ground as another comrade fell wounded, struck by a short axe thrown with brutal strength.
    He crawled backwards and saw the last of his group facing another adversary. The brave man tumbled off the wall, caught by a powerful sweep of the enormous enemy’s shield.
    Lomar managed to get back on his feet.
    The three Norghanians looked at him and burst out laughing uproariously.
    “These Rogdonians are as light as a leaf in the breeze,” said the one on the right.
    “The Lancer is mine,” said the ugly one in the center.
    Lomar felt fear for the first time in his life. The fear of someone who knows he is not going to survive. A paralyzing fear. Until that moment he had always known how to get out of situations; he had never doubted he would win and defeat his enemy. But now he felt lost, he could never fight those three at the same time, it was impossible. He thought about turning and running away from them, but they would surely catch him in the back with a short axe. With a knot in his stomach, trying as best he could to control the terror he felt in this impossible situation, he raised his shield and cried:
    “Come and get me, you Norghanian swine!”
    The impact of the axe on his shield was so brutal that Lomar had to take a couple of steps back. The three men moved forward, and the one in the middle attacked again. This time Lomar saw it coming and deflected the axe-blow with his shield. Then he thrust with his sword and caught the brute in the armpit. The wound was deadly, there was no way he could stop himself bleeding to death. But the Norghanian, without even flinching, attacked once again, delivering blows right and left with his war axe. Lomar protected himself as best he could with his battered shield.
    At last the warrior’s energy was spent. He raised his axe for a final time, breathless. Lomar covered himself. But the Norghanian missed his step and fell sideways into the courtyard of the fortress.
    “Pity,” said the warrior on the right. “He owed me money, that son of a bitch.”
    “Yeah, pity,” said the other. “I kinda liked old toad-face. A good fighter, but a terrible singer when he’d had too much to drink.”
    Lomar dropped his broken shield and picked up a dagger from the ground. His arm and his whole left side were numb from the devastating blows, but the pain did not matter, his hour had come.
    A voice sounded at his back.
    “Although I believe Lomar could very well deal with two skunks of the snow as evil-smelling as you two, I