part0045

P rince Lewis sat on top of a barrel inside an infirmary tent. He’d been shot in the leg, shoulder, and side. Lucky for him, the gut shot wasn’t critical. He still breathed. He should have been dead.

Iris wound cotton straps around Lewis’s muscular frame. “Those things, those bullets, are nasty. They tear holes out of the back end of you.” She grimaced. “Never seen the likes.”

“Yeah, they tumble,” Abraham said. “They are designed that way. Nasty stuff.”

“You come from a very vicious place,” Lewis said. His face was beaded with sweat. “I feel like my entire backside has been ripped out.” He had a bullet in his hand, one that they had removed from the tanks. “How can a little thing do so much damage?”

“It’s called gunpowder. At least, that’s a more primitive word for it.”

The only other persons in the room were Pratt and the Guardian that had carried Prince Lewis back to the Wall. That rider had short brown hair and long sideburns. He was young and unscathed.

Lewis pointed a finger at the young Guardian. “Alshon, I owe you a great debt, dragging me out of the jaws of death.”

“What happened, Prince?” Pratt was standing in the corner of the tent with his arms in front of his chest. “You looked like death warmed over when you arrived.”

“Well, if that’s how death feels, then I don’t want to die.” Prince Lewis took off his bloody gloves and tossed them away. “We were only a few miles north of the House of Steel’s front gate, trotting through the passage between the high hills. Without warning, the bushes erupted with the bright glow of fireflies. The horses jumped and bucked. That maddening popping sound sent the beasts kicking into a frenzy.

“The barbarians charged out of the brush with those weapons firing. I’ve never seen men so big. They almost make Pratt look normal. Tattoos. Piercings.” Lewis grimaced sharply and eyed Twila. “They screamed maddening bloodcurdling chants. One group fired those strange weapons, and the other group came upon us with axes.” He dipped his chin and said, “None of us saw it coming.

“Horses went down. Guardians tumbled after them. I had enough wits to tell them to ride for the castle. To stay and fight would have been a slaughter. I spurred my horse in the same direction. One of these bullets, or more, took it down. I went down with it. I came to my feet, sword in hand. I made quick work of two Gonds trying to brain me with axes, but I was cut off from the others.

“I was about to chop off the head one of those long-eared Gond when those nasty metal hornets tore through me.” Lewis rolled the bullet through his fingers. “I’ve felt pain but never pain like that. I thought it was over. That moment was my last duel.” He paused and looked at the others in the tent. “I swore off the King’s Armor. But I’m swearing it back on again. It’s the only thing that saved us from being cut to ribbons. Hmph. Then I was cut off from the others. The barbarians continued to swarm. Somehow, Alshon pulled me out of the flames of Sheol. I don’t remember much until we made it back here. It is fortune that we had a horse between us and they didn’t.”

“How many?” Pratt asked.

“The ones carrying the rifles”—Lewis shrugged—“dozens, at least, but I fear there are many more. I fear the barbarians are invading the House of Steel. We need troops. We need to get back. Even the Guardians’ finest will be outmatched by those…” He clenched a fist. “Weapons!”

“Will the king be able to hold out very long?” Abraham asked.

“The House of Steel has the strongest fortifications in all of the world,” Pratt argued. “They can hold out forever.”

“Don’t be a fool, Pratt,” Lewis said. “Where there is one Gond, there are ten more. There might be thousands that we missed. You know that. The castle has two hundred Guardians and fifty Golden Riders. The bulk of our armies are here, at the Wall.” He eyeballed Abraham. “Speaking of which, how have you fared against the iron chariots?”

“Nine down, one to go,” he said.

Lewis gave Pratt a doubting look. “Is this true?”

Pratt nodded. “I saw it with my own eyes. But the Shield of Steel is severely damaged.”

“There will be more tanks,” Abraham said. “It’s only a matter of time. I won’t be able to stop the next round. Do you want me to stay here, or do you want me to go to the House of Steel and help fight?”