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But even with the wagon redoubt, gaps loolers, the Quman outnumbered thee of arrows

Five Quaps, where Thiadbold hi with shields raised The enemy fired at the men’s feet, all they could see except the tips of their hel forith an arrow quivering in the sole of his boot He hurled his spear, taking one of the Qued forith hied three of the riders down to the ground, where they died in a flurry of blows The last one fought his horse round, thinking to flee, but old Gotfrid had readied his throwing ax, and he threith all his ht The rider slu out froh split plates of laroup of Lions tried a similar sally, but as they lurched forward, their leader was caught in the eye by an arrow Dismayed, his companions scra It seemed like between one breath and the next, fully a third of the Lions lay dead or dying and most of the others ounded several times over But they would never surrender They endured the stor for that moment when their spears and axes could bite But there were so aps now, too many to hold

"Look," said Heribert, but Anna had already seen it

Rain swept toward them over the treetops

"Let , her voice muffled within the oak hollow Her set out

The Qued them back while others attacked Old Gotfrid dropped his shield so that he could concentrate solely on his spear work His spear point snapped Quht men in their vulnerable throats He did not hesitate to strike horse or rider He was a veteran who did not waste his energy He did not throw half the blows of the younger Lions, but each one counted Gotfrid’s companions defended hie he would do if they could keep hile rider bore down on Thiadbold’s group, which held a gap between a wagon and a cart The ox which had once filledfrom numerous arroounds The horse had been cut free and had bolted away As the Qule rider struck at Thiadbold Thiadbold caught the blow on his shield and pressed in, driving his sword deep into the horse’s belly The rider kicked him in the head as the horse collapsed Another Qu Thiadbold in the side Thie it, as Matto, Surly, and Everaded in with their swords They traded a fierce exchange of blows, but Everwin staggered back, his face covered in blood Den, who still had an arrow protruding froht, as did Johannes, and Chustaffus with his one good arm

Then it was hard to see, orto rain?

The reht step Captain Thiadbold was back up, accounting himself well; hisher hand in the reesture, a circle drawn around her Circle of Unity

Reo in the cathedral in Gent, when the Eika prince had let the the way her voice had choked in her throat when, in Steleshame, she had heard Count Lavastine’s heir tell her that he had once given a wooden Circle, such as hers, such as the one the Eika prince had worn at his throat, to an Eika prince But she had not spoken; she had not asked, to see if it were the same prince She had not closed the Circle

That hy God had punished her

In tenLions would close in on her position, and then they would have no farther to retreat Heribert raised his staff, ht, with the ine He looked brave enough, but it was obvious frolanced at her "Try if you can to be taken prisoner, with the princess," he said in a low voice "If you ever see hi"

Raindrops spit on her face Out in the clearing it had begun to rain harder, but Qu undisturbed

So far away, as in a drea a retreat

The Qu to kill them all