Chapter Eighteen #3
Annys stepped over to her and patted her on the arm. “That is why your clan sent ye away, isnae it.” Big Mary nodded. “I am nay certain what he means by saying ye have some gift but if ye have warnings about things, I should think ye had best heed them.”
“If Geordie has been wounded then the battle has resumed.” Harcourt gave Annys a brief, hard kiss. “Ye should stay back, Mary,” he said as he started out the door only to sigh when the woman rushed right past him.
“How odd. Geordie and Big Mary. I best go and join the others in the hall,” Annys said as she walked past him and disappeared down the hallway.
Harcourt shook his head and hurried to get to the walls, going through the door in Annys’s bedchamber to save time.
He had just reached the area close to where Geordie stood guard when he saw Big Mary tie a bandage on the man’s upper left arm.
If the wound was deep and painful, they had just lost their best archer.
He was only steps away from them when Big Mary took up Geordie’s bow.
“What do ye think ye are doing, woman?” demanded Geordie.
“Taking your place until ye can do it again. Quiver?”
Geordie moved his arm so that she could reach the arrows more easily.
Big Mary readied the bow and Harcourt could see the strength in the woman’s arms as she drew back and then sent the arrow into the advancing men.
He cursed softly when a man fell, a curse echoed by Geordie.
One arrow, one dead enemy. Harcourt looked at Big Mary in amazement tinged with admiration.
“It appears we have us another archer,” he said and almost laughed when Geordie removed his breastplate and put it on Big Mary.
“Dinnae get your fool self killed,” Geordie said as he headed down from the walls.
“Late in the day to attack,” Harcourt said as he took up his post by her side.
“Then t’will be a short battle.”
Harcourt kept her as shielded as he could while she efficiently took down soldier after soldier in Sir Adam’s army.
Twice they crouched behind the wall huddled under shields as Sir Adam’s remaining archers tried to end the new, clear threat presented by Big Mary.
And there was no question that she was indeed a threat.
Harcourt instinctively wanted to get her off the walls and back inside the keep where it was safe, where the other women were, but the warrior inside him recognized what a useful weapon she was.
It was evident Geordie did as well, or at least knew there would be no arguing with her, for he returned with his newly bandaged arm, a lighter bow, and a quiver full of arrows.
Without a word, the man stood by Big Mary’s side whenever she rose to her feet to end the lives of more of Sir Adam’s men.
The light of day began to fade as they fought and Harcourt knew it would be their last battle.
There were too many empty places on the wall, the men still able to fight now having to watch larger and larger areas.
He prayed they could keep Sir Adam’s men out of the keep until the dark of night drove them back to their camp.
Then he would order everyone to grab what they could and leave.
Suddenly the noise on the field began to fade, starting from the back of the attacking army and moving to the front in a slow wave of silence.
Harcourt looked for what had caused it and began to swear viciously.
Behind the army that was already defeating them appeared even more soldiers.
These were mounted men, each wearing pieces of armor and mail they had undoubtedly taken from the bodies of some defeated foe.
At least twenty of them sat on their heavy warhorses behind Sir Adam’s men, swords in hand.
It was hard to see through the many shadows cast by a setting sun but Harcourt suspected there were more men behind the ones he could see.
Then the one mounted on a huge gray gelding gave a signal to the others and started to ride forward, his men keeping pace on his flanks.
Ten more mounted men came out of the shadows to join the arc of steel and warhorse moving toward and around Sir Adam’s army.
The first of Sir Adam’s men they reached were swiftly cut down, surprise and uncertainty making them slow to see the threat.
The others immediately began to fight, or, in the case of any who were outside that arc, run.
Shock held Harcourt silent for a moment. This was all he could have hoped for yet would never have expected to get. Although it was obvious these men were not allies of Adam’s, Harcourt could not be sure they would be allies of him, either.
Then the man on the gray gelding bellowed out, “For Glencullaich and Sir David!”
The battle quickly grew even more fierce and bloody.
Seeing only an ally now, Harcourt ordered his men down off the walls even as Nathan ordered someone to open the gates.
Once in the bailey and the gates had finished opening, Harcourt led them out to attack the enemy from behind.
Their enemy was now pinned between two groups of men eager to kill them.
For the first time since he had seen the army at the walls, Harcourt could taste victory and it was sweet.