The king could see that Jax would not be swayed. Not that he had expected he would be, but he had been hoping to intimidate or coerce de Velt enough for the man to want to compromise. He knew now that it had been a stupid hope because Jax de Velt had never compromised in his life.
They were at an impasse.
“Very well,” John said, turning for his horse. “You only have yourself to blame for what happens next.”
“The same could be said for you.”
Annoyed, John was finished being polite. He leapt onto his horse and roughly turned the animal around, galloping back towards his encampment with his entourage.
Jax watched him fade from view.
“Reinforce the walls,” he muttered to Julian and Ashton. “Inform Tristan of what has happened and reinforce the postern gate. That’s the only…”
“Attack!”
The shout came from the kitchens, where the postern gate was. Men started to rush in that direction but Julian and Ashton stopped them, ordering them to hold their posts. Jax began torun towards the kitchen yard with Julian and Ashton on his heels.
“Damn,” he hissed. “A ruse. That whole conversation was a ruse while they made their way to the postern gate. Get the men to their posts– everyone on the walls.Go!”
Julian and Ashton split off, with Ashton heading to the gatehouse and Julian rushing for the troop house to empty it of any men who might be inside. But those men had heard the shouting and were already spilling forth just about the time a hail of arrows sailed over the walls, straight into the bailey.
Very quickly, the quiet morning had turned deadly.
It was an all-out assault. Julian was nicked by a bolt, which clipped him in the shoulder, but he saw at least a dozen men go down with nasty bolts sticking out of them. He picked up the one that had hit him, inspecting it. They were big, freshly hewn bolts with enormous iron tips, newly fitted and forged. He could still smell the acrid heat from the forge on them. As he eyed the bolt, puzzled, another heavier barrage flew up and over the wall.
The shields, for the de Velt men, began to come out.
Tossing the bolt to the ground, Julian rushed to the armory to collect his shield. He also collected as many as he could carry, the only protection against the rain of arrows that were now bearing down on Pelinom. He had to find his father to make sure the man was protected and he rushed out of the armory, tossing shields to men as he went. A third wave was launched, heading straight for the battlements. He could see soldiers hiding behind the crenelations as a sea of bolts poured through any openings in the wall.
“They’ve got an army of archers!” Ashton bellowed down from the wall when he saw Julian approaching. “They just emerged from the trees. Hundreds of them!”
Julian mounted the ladder to the walls, meeting Ashton halfway and handing him one of two shields he still held.“They’ve been hiding for two days?” he demanded. “Those bolts are fresh, Ash. I inspected one and the tip is newly forged.”
Ashton was grim as he took the offered shield. “It makes sense,” he said. “They probably spent them all on the last few battles and had to replenish their arsenal. No wonder the past two days have been quiet. They were waiting for their archers to refill their damned quills!”
Another round of bolts flew over the walls, this time aiming for the bailey. Most everyone was already under cover except for the men who had been hit and there were several. They were trying to drag themselves to safety but most of them were bad off. Holding his shield over his head, Julian came off the ladder and ran for them.
The first man he grabbed had a big bolt in his chest. He was only half-conscious as Julian grabbed an arm and began to pull him towards the troop house. He had only taken a couple of steps when he began to hear his mother shouting for him.
“Julian!” Kellington de Velt was standing in the now open door to the keep. She was waving frantically at her son. “Bring them in here! Hurry!”
Enraged, Julian ran across the bailey, dragging the man behind him. “Why did you open the door?” he shouted. “Papa will be furious with you!”
Kellington ignored him. She was a strong woman, tough as few were, beautiful and intelligent. Only a woman of such strength and character could have survived marriage to The Dark Lord. Not only survived but thrived. Jax and Kellington had a love story for the ages. She stood aside as Julian brought the soldier to the door where servants took over and dragged him inside.
“Hurry, Julian,” Kellington commanded, pointing to the wounded men in the bailey. “Bring them all in here.”
Julian didn’t have time to argue with her. He was angry that the door was open, but he supposed she had a point. They had wounded now, where they hadn’t had any for two days, and his mother and sisters were prepared to tend them. He rushed back towards the wounded, grabbing another man, when he suddenly looked up and saw his father carrying one man over his broad shoulders while towing another man by the arm. As his father ran past him, Julian grabbed another victim by the wrist and began to run after his father.
“Papa!” he shouted. “Take my shield. You must protect yourself.”
Jax dumped the man on his shoulder into the waiting arms of servants while still others pulled the man in his grip inside. He turned to Julian as the man rushed up dragging a body.
“No shield,” Jax said, composed and focused as he always was. “It will only slow me down. These men must get inside.”
“Jax, listen to him,” Kellington said, bordering on scolding. “Use a shield to protect yourself. If they are firing bolts, then…”
She was cut off when another barrage flew over the wall, striking the sides of the keep. Jax pushed his wife inside the door, out of the line of fire, before rushing back to the wounded. More soldiers were dragging their colleagues inside now, some of them carrying shields to protect themselves, but it was chaos in the bailey of Pelinom. Men were shouting and running everywhere. Julian was behind his father, trying to shield his man from another hail of bolts.
