Page 19 of The Bells of Triumph
It didn't take long for everything to be ready. The siege tower needed less work than Finn had originally suspected. With two carpenters and a blacksmith, they were able to rig it well enough that it worked as intended.
Signaling with his hands, Finn sent the groups of men to take up their places. He, alongside several other men, silently pushed the tower into position, creating enough space for the archers to draw their bows. They stopped once they knew that the ladder inside would be able to reach from the tower to the wall of the ramparts, creating a clear path for the warriors to join in the fray at just the right time.
Only once everyone was stationed just so did Finn light the torch and let out a deafening bellow. It was the beginning of a long and loud fight, but one that his entire being had itched to be a part of. Campbell's men, as planned, gathered along the ramparts, hurling insults right alongside their arrows.
“Keep it up!” Finn called out to his own men. “Dinnae stop shooting until yer quivers are empty.”
“Who are ye?” The captain of Campbell's men shouted towards the tower, his eyes covered with sleep. “What do ye want from us?”
Finn climbed up through the tower and shoved his way forward, making sure that the guard could see his face before answering.
“We are Rolland's rebels, and we are here to take Glenkirk back from Campbell the Tyrant! We will nae stop until each and every one of ye is dead!”
His taunt enraged the captain, who then ordered for every man to come to the ramparts. Just as he had hoped, Campbell's men amounted to less than half of his own. While numbers were not the only important part of winning a fight, it would certainly go a long way in helping them.
“Now!” Finn screamed, signaling the rest of his men to invade.
He watched with glee as Campbell's men soon found themselves outnumbered by the rebels, from inside and out of the castle. Arrows continued to fly through the air, one striking the man standing next to Finn in the chest. A handful of others within the tower fell, but Finn didn't have time to stop and mourn for them now. Death was the price of war, and it was one he had been willing to pay.
“Across the ladder,” Finn ordered. “We must get within the walls before they can shut us out!”
On his command, the men started to make their way from the siege tower and onto the castle walls. Finn, refusing to be left behind, sheathed his sword and did the same. As soon as he was on two feet again, he pulled out his blade and began swinging. His boots splashed in the puddles of red that gathered on the stone floor, but Finn paid it no mind.
Despite their smaller numbers, it quickly became evident that the Campbell men were far better trained than the rebels. It was a reality that Finn knew to be true, but he had hoped that they would be able to outnumber the guards. He felled one man and then another, his chest heaving and muscles burning with effort. But when he went to find a third, he came up empty.
“Is that it, then?” Archibald asked, his own brow covered in sweat.
“It would appear so,” Finn answered, sucking in air to slow his heart rate.
Those close enough to hear Finn's declaration let out a halfhearted cry of victory.
“Now is nae the time to celebrate,” he snapped. “Ye forget that we still have much work to be done. Invading the castle was only the first step in our plan.”
Moving through the chaos, stepping over bodies and trying to avoid the worst of the gore, Finn pushed his way to the center of the ramparts. He looked down to see servants huddled together, women crying and soothing each other.
“We have lost some of our own,” Archibald commented somberly.
Turning his head, Finn glanced down to where Archibald's eyes had landed. Samuel's lifeless body lay on the ground, blood still flowing from his neck.
“Take a group of six and go through the castle. I want to ensure that every Campbell guard here is either dead or thrown into the dungeons. They cannae be allowed to escape and head towards Murray Castle. Campbell cannae be made aware of our victory here until the castle and the village are both secured.”
“What are we to do with the dead?”
“Leave them for now. We will deal with them when we have time for it. We cannae afford to allow ourselves to become distracted with such trivial matters right now. Go, do as I say.”
Archibald sniffed and then spun on his heel, taking half a dozen men with him as he went.
“The rest of ye, split up and take to the forest. Ye will need to cut down the trees at every entrance to the village, to block anyone from coming and going. Dinnae return to the castle until it is done.”
He waited for the others to leave as well, and then he turned his attention to the servants still cowering in the courtyard beneath him.
“I want it to be kent to all who can hear me,” he announced, his voice echoing over the all too empty hallways, “that we come here to free these lands of Campbell and all those who stand with him. We are declaring nay more for the Murray Clan, starting tonight. Each and every one of ye will be imprisoned and interrogated until it is made clear as to where yer loyalties lie. If ye are on our side, then ye will have nothing to fear. Ye will be allowed to continue on with yer work as ye normally would. However, those who stand with Campbell will be kept in the dungeons until it can be decided what we are going to do with ye.”
He watched the faces of the servants grow pale with fear and smirked. That was his intended effect.
“Now, dinnae make this harder than it has to be. Follow my men in an orderly fashion. We will see to ye as soon as we are able.”
From his perch, Finn stood and watched as his men moved throughout the castle, collecting the rest of the guards and the handful of servants, leading them away and solidifying Finn's victory.
