Charlaine stared across the river. "That"s a lot of boats," she said, "and they"re getting ready to cross."
"Is there nothing we can do?" asked Marlena.
"Not without siege engines. Even if we had crossbows, we"d find it difficult hitting anything at this range."
"But once they start crossing, they"ll be vulnerable, won"t they?"
"The baron only has one company of archers, which won"t make much difference against that many vessels. Besides, the empire will likely place their own archers in the bow of each boat to dissuade us from such a course of action."
"So, we just watch them cross?"
"We are Temple Knights," said Charlaine. "Our strength is in our ability to manoeuvre in formation. How do you propose we do that along a shoreline?"
"Wait until they land, then hit them on the riverba
