Page 54 of The Refuge

Immediately, the flames caught. Wood and thatch flared. Smoke boiled up.

Rhodri shouted again and another volley of flaming arrows reached into the sky with a loud rushing sound like a hundred birds taking flight.

“Fall back!” Rhodri commanded, and his archers retreated through the ranks of Malcolm’s men. Garbed like Rhodri in the colors of the woods, they vanished into the trees.

The king turned to look behind him at his men, a pleased expression on his face. “That should draw them out.”

Behind Steinar and the king’s guard, hundreds of warriors fanned out awaiting orders.

They did not have to wait long. Shouts from the castle filled the air. Villagers scattered in panic, trying to escape the battle to come.

The palisade gate flew open. A stream of mounted knights spewed forth, their helms gleaming in the midday sun and their swords raised in challenge as they flowed onto the wide grassy slope leading to the river.

Malcolm ripped his sword from its sheath and gripped his red and white shield. His voice lifted in a ringing shout. “Albani! Albani!”

With a slither of steel, hundreds of swords were yanked from their sheaths. Warriors’ shouts echoed the king’s war cry, the Gaelic word for Scotland.

Malcolm kicked his horse into a charge.

Duff raised his fist into the air and the army of Scots charged forward to follow their king and the Mormaer of Fife as they rushed to meet the Normans.

Steinar rode hard behind Malcolm. The familiar excitement surged through his veins just as it had in his prior battles, only this time he had a king to protect.

Malcolm was a strong fighter, moving swiftly through the Normans, slashing left and right, cutting down knights with his powerful sword and using his shield as a blunt weapon to knock heads and block blows.

But the Norman knights and men-at-arms were well prepared. Swords clashed as they fought with skill and vengeance. The clash of metal and men’s grunts rang in Steinar’s ears as he fought to guard the king.

From the trees, an occasional arrow hissed by Steinar’s head as one of Rhodri’s arrows struck home in the body of a foe. Only the Welshman could have launched the precise shots that were too difficult for other archers to make without hitting one of their own. Only he would take such a risk and succeed.

Steinar hugged the king’s left side, keeping one eye on the king and one on his own flank. Mounted mail-clad knights came at them from every side only to be beaten back in the clash of steel.

The fighting surged around Steinar with the force of a raging sea. Knights cut down men on foot. Horses fell, screaming and thrashing, taking their riders down with them.

Pikemen grunted with the effort of spearing the fallen into the mud like fish in a shallow stream. The sound of men dying filled the air.

A shout rang out in the midst of the tumult as a group of Norman knights turned their horses toward Malcolm, pointing to the crown on his helm. “’Tis the Scot king!”

Steinar spurred his horse, blocking their charge, putting himself between the Norman swords and the king.

Colbán rushed to Steinar, adding his strength to the fight.

The sound of clashing steel was all around them.

The Norman horses reared and plunged as they drove into the midst of Malcolm’s protectors.

Artair stood his ground as firm as an oak tree and Steinar sent up a prayer of thanks for the horse’s steadiness.

Two of the knights engaged Colbán, drawing him away, but Duff remained steadfast by the king as the two battled on together side by side. Steinar dropped back to guard the king’s rear flank, cutting a deep gash in the neck of a knight who tried to come at Malcolm.

Normans surrounded Duff, one knocking him from his horse with a powerful blow, leaving the king’s right side exposed. A mounted knight lunged into the gap, swinging his sword like a harvesting scythe, sweeping the king to the ground.

Malcolm sat up, stunned, shaking his head. Blood welled on his hosen and ran down his leg.

The Norman slid from his saddle and raised his sword for the killing blow.

Launching himself from his horse, Steinar hit the knight with the full force of his body, pounding his shield into the knight’s helm.

The Norman staggered, but recovered and turned again toward Malcolm.