Chapter Fourteen #2
As it turned out, we arrived an hour or so earlier than that, and we saw at once from where we stood in the trees beside the walled city that Fethalos was still under siege.
The ogres waited on the slope of a low hill outside the gates, their tents up and their horses corralled there.
Most of their camp seemed to be asleep, even though the hour was late in the morning.
I wasn’t surprised at that, thinking of them as savages that had no discipline or military training, but Fionn quickly disabused me of that notion.
“They were probably up late harassing the city, and they’re in no hurry.
In their minds, they have plenty of time, and they didn’t know help was coming.
Don’t discount them because of their savagery.
They may be uncivilized, but they know very well how to fight and can be a powerful force when they form like this.
They may look brutish, and they are, but don’t let their appearance fool you.
They’re intelligent and they can be fierce and cruel in battle and utterly ruthless. ”
Their camp was large and covered by a pall of mist, a miasma of woodsmoke, sweat and the breath of so many ogres and their beasts.
We could see some of them stirring, but if we were going to attack, this would be a good time, before those waking up could rouse the others and be ready to defend themselves.
Fionn must have come to the same decision, because he soon turned toward me.
“Time for you to make your way to the back of the line and find your guards. Stay close to them, and don’t engage the ogres in battle. Remember to use your sword only in defense.”
“But Fionn, I…”
“No,” he replied harshly, glaring at me. “Don’t argue. Do as I say. The attack is about to begin, and I have no time for this. Find your guards. Now!”
Stung by his harshness, I wheeled Bramble around and rode back toward the end of the line of mounted knights.
I felt as if I didn’t need any damned guards, but as I rode toward the back of the column, two of Fionn’s soldiers turned their horses to join me and ride along with me.
Once there at the back, we were joined by two of the older, well-experienced knights who had come from the Gorian capital with us.
The four of them surrounded me and one of Fionn’s men leaned toward me and in very bad Anglo-Saxon English, he reminded me that I was not to engage and could only draw my sword in self-defense.
I flushed and nodded curtly at him, feeling embarrassed, though I knew he was only saying what he’d been ordered to say.
We stayed back inside the tree line as the others rode or ran out toward the ogre camp with wild cries.
I could see how much it cost my guards to stay with me when they so desperately wanted to be in the middle of the attack.
Finally, when I could no longer stand it, I told one of the knights who had spoken to me to go fight with the others and to tell the other three knights with me to do the same.
He turned on his horse after a few seconds of staring at me and spoke to Fionn’s men, who angrily shook their heads and with gestures and a lot of arguing, told the other two that they could do as they liked, but they were staying where they were.
At least that was the general gist of the conversation, I thought.
The two Gorians angrily spurred their horses and rode out toward the battle on the slope, and one of Fionn’s men reached for my reins to prevent me from going with them.
I suppose they were too well-trained or else too afraid of what Fionn would do to disobey his orders.
I didn’t argue or urge them any further, because even though I felt humiliated and angry, I was afraid of him and of what he’d do too.
In the end, the battle was relatively short and vicious.
When the men inside the walled Gorian city realized reinforcements had arrived, they charged out to fight alongside the other Faeries, as the soldiers on the wall sent out a hail of arrows toward the ogres who had managed to break free and try to get away.
I wondered why they hadn’t shot their arrows before, but as they soon seemed to run out, I knew they must have been saving them for a final battle.
The first volley had killed those running for their horses, at least, forcing them back to face the mounted knights who quickly cut them down.
A cloud of dust soon hung over the ogre camp, which was filled with screams and loud shouts.
Any ogre who had been able to escape the knights on horseback soon found themselves in a pitched battle with the foot soldiers.
Using their swords, axes and halberds, the soldiers cut the ogres down.
Soldiers armed with pikes followed, thrusting their weapons into the seething mass of the devils that lay on the ground, their ghastly white faces made even more bleached and stark from the loss of their lifeblood.
Soon there were none left except for the wounded and dead among the ogre horde, and the few who had managed to escape into the forest. Apart from those who’d been wounded, we had only suffered a few casualties.
It was, of course, a different story for the Falians inside the city walls.
When those casualties had been counted, the loss was over a hundred men, women and children over the course of the previous two attacks.
Worst of all, some of the soldiers and the civilians inside had been carried off to the ogre camp.
During the clean-up at the ogre’s hill, Faery bones, along with a few half-eaten and charred body parts—including those of Faery children—had been discovered chopped up and cooked over their campfires.
After that horror, no quarter was given to the few captives and wounded ogres, and no burials were allowed for any of their dead.
I heard later that King Fionn had said, “Let them rot where they lie. It may act as a warning to any others like them who may think to come to our world and threaten our peace.”