The cavalry troopers were smart, and their aim was good. Lesser men might have fired into the block of pikemen at the door, but Workman and his eight men all fired at the palace windows, and nearly every quarrel hit flesh or bone and dropped a crossbowman. Their volley was far too small, and they knew it and flattened themselves behind their mounts.
On the portico Ednis and his officers screamed, “Shoot, shoot!” and the answering volley streaked across the courtyard. Half the Orzan crossbowmen reacted to Tennea’s and Dahlia’s startled mounts as they plunged across the courtyard, riddling the poor animals, and bringing them down, but there were enough quarrels left over to hit every horse in Workman’s barricade. Most were killed, but three of the beasts were only wounded, and they lunged t
