Chapter 10
The first attack came before they reached the parapets. Tovin heard the thunder of siege engines and then the stone around them shook as the machines unleashed their artillery on the castle walls. He staggered in the stairwell, Berik falling away behind him as another volley struck. Keep Amery safe, he prayed, pushing his way through the servants scrambling down the steps. Please let him stay out of harm’s way.
At the parapets, Tovin looked down over the northern face of the castle and frowned at what he saw. The night below him was alive with bonfires, their shadows flickering in the light and the trees. He couldn’t tell how large the army was, how many men he was up against, what weaponry they had…splashing in the moat told him their border had been breeched, and as he stoo
