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"It does not excuse his reckless leadership" Qeran winked "I did not send for reinforcees to Jayan’s half brothers that ere about to engage the enelory above all They will come, even without orders"

Abban remembered the way Qeran used to casually beat hi to force him into a Sharum mold Abban had hated Qeran then, and been terrified of hiht command the man, much less actually like him

He turned back to theas the boats drew close enough for scorpion fire Jayan gave the signal, and the Mehnding tea the weapons called nu at the sky as twenty bolts, bigger and heavier than Sharum spears, were thrown like arrows They climbed into the sky, dark and ominous as they reached the apex and arced down Abban adjusted his distance lens to observe the results

They were less than inspiring

Mehnding scorpions could turn a charging sand demon into a pincushion at four hundred yards, e The teams were so fast, fresh bolts were loaded before the first struck their targets

Or lanced off a ship’s railing One passed through an ene a small tear that did not seem to impede the vessel Two stuck harmlessly froain, with similar results

"What in the abyss is the matter with those fools?" Abban de who can’t aim is worth less than the shit on nals of the men on the docks "It’s this cursed weather It was never a problereen lands we learned the scorpion tension springs don’t like the damp and cold"

Abban looked at hiri fell into disarray, the Laktonian ships grew ever closer Watchers blew horns when they cae, and the Sharum returned instantly to their forether like the scales of a snake

Arrows fell like rain upon the shields,Here and there were cries of pain from men with arrowheads in their forearms

In their other hands they readied spears The boats would be drawing in to the docks in just a few moments They would wait out the bowfire, then come out of the shield formation and crush the invaders as they disembarked

But volley after volley ca shields or slipping through cracks that formed in the scales as men were hit

Abban looked up to see that the ships had pulled up, staying just in range to strike at the docks

"Cowards!" Qeran spat "They are afraid to fight us as men"

"That just shows they’re smarter than we are," Abban said "We will need to adapt, if we’re to survive till the Sharu-arers were loaded on the Laktonian decks There was a horn and all loosed at once, arching small casks at the Sharum, blind in their for a viscous fluid across the shield scales Abban’s stoer fired, launching a ball of burning pitch

The ball hit only one group of Sharureenland Herb Gatherers--flared white hot, it seehting shields soaked in the infernal brew Men screah the cracks and rained on the--and igniting--their fellows as they raced for the water

Just in ti volley of arrows from the enemy ships Without their for an embarrassment for Jayan, rather than a victory," Abban said Qeran nodded, even as Abban began calculating how et aith if the toas overrun

Many fell to the planking asthe fire so fast it see fast toward their vantage