Page 201 of War Queen
He laughed.
“I bring two thousand through the tunnel to help reinforce from within,” she said. “The rest of the army will wait until the cover of night, then attack the enemy from the outside.”
Mikael nodded. A fair approach. She wouldn’t have been able to bring all forty-five thousand through the tunnel anyway. Warriors poured into the stronghold. Hundreds. “To the wall!” Katya ordered, and they raced to join their brothers-in-arms against the attack on the wall.
Mikael spotted Bhastian, captain of the Crest. He’d been with Salara, and now he stood beside Katya. “Salara sent you to get the army?” Mikael asked him.
Bhastian nodded. “Yes, Salar.”
His heart nearly burst with pride. He was just grateful she was safe now. “And she’s returned to Mercia?”
Bhastian stiffened. His hesitation sent a wave of dread through Mikael.
“She’s returned to Mercia?” he asked again.
“No, Salar. She’s gone to call the Northern army back to you.”
Mikael’s chest seized. He should be happy about the possibility of aid from the Northern army. But that meant Salara would be with them. Not in Mercia. Not away from the battle. Not safe.
No.
But before he could protest, shouting rang through the tunnel, and they all spun toward it.
“What’s that?” Katya asked to no one in particular.
“Rael!” came shouts from the men in the tunnel.
Mikael ripped his sword from his scabbard again. “Rael’s in the tunnel!” A weakness—the entry from the outside to the tunnel, while far from the stronghold, wasn’t well hidden. It came out among the barren rocks in the low of the hills. Rael must have spotted them enter—two thousand men were hard to hide, even for the Shadowmen—and followed.
His blood pulsed hot, ready for the battle that was coming. His Kharavian warriors were still inside the tunnel, but instead of continuing into the stronghold, they turned back to face the enemy.
Katya scanned her eyes around the room, then back to the tunnel. “This door won’t hold them out, even if we bar it.” The darkness of worry filled her eyes. “If they get inside, Bahoul will fall.”
“We have to collapse the tunnel,” Bhastian said.
They snapped their gazes to him.
“Our men are still in there,” Katya said.
“And they’ll help me do it.” Bhastian pulled up his battle-axe. “It’s the only way. We can’t let them through.” He barreled back into the tunnel. Bhastian—Soren’s trusted man.
“No!” Katya yelled as he raced to the thick wooden beam that framed the sides and swung his axe against it.
“Bring it down!” Bhastian bellowed. Another warrior with an axe struck another beam.
She tried to go after him, but Mikael grabbed her. As painful as it was, it was worth the lives of fifteen hundred men for Bahoul to remain strong. It was worth Bhastian’s sacrifice. The rest of the Kharavian army still remained just beyond the battle and would attack at nightfall. They had to hold until then. It was these decisions that crushed him the most.
It took Bhastian four body swings for the beam to cave and fall. The warriors beside him took out two more beams. Some dirt and small rocks fell from the top. It wasn’t enough.
“Bhastian!” Katya cried.
He moved to the next beam and swung with everything he had, again and again. Then he gave one last look back to them, his fist to his chest, before the rush of rock collapsed on top of him.
A tear streamed down Katya’s cheek.
Mikael panted back the pain of the loss. They would all fall. Even him. And he accepted this. He had to make the most of the time he had left.
He had to focus on the battle. The war.
