The five nobles huddled together, within the camp’s largest tent, looking with a fearful expression towards Duke Ryan, however even he wasn’t in any better constitution.
“Who can tell me, what kind of new weapon it was that they had used? They are far better than crossbows, and they don’t seem to be throwing the stones like with a catapult,” the Duke began to speak, while glancing at Rene, ”You also stood at the forefront, tell me what did you see?”
“My Lord, I… couldn’t see anything clearly,” Rene answered, “I only know that every time this roar could was heard, our men would fall in batches, especially when it sounded for the last time, it seemed like the rushing knights had been hit by an invisible wall. Furthermore I also saw how their heads and arms were split from their bodies, it was just as if …” he thought for a moment, “we were like an egg dropped from the height of a city wall.”
“Was it the power of a witch?” Count earl whispered frightened.
“No,” answered the Duke, “My knights were wearing a God’s Stone of Retaliation, so the power of a witch couldn’t have hurt them! We weren’t attacked by witches, in front of those stones, they are nothing more than an ordinary woman.
“Oh, that’s right, sir,” Rene suddenly spoke up, as though he was remembering something. “Before I heard the loud bang, I saw how carts which stood in a row, they had a huge iron pipe, it emitted a red light and a cloud of smoke.”
“An Iron pipe? What red light and what smoke? Doesn’t that sound like the ceremony barrel?” Count Elk asked with much doubt in his voice.
The Duke, of course, knew what a ceremony barrel was. Previously they were only used by the King at the beginning of major celebrations, but today nearly every Lord would use them. Even he had two ceremony barrels made out of bronze in his castle, they were used to light up snow powder. But that sound when compared with today’s breathtaking thunderous noise, couldn’t be further apart.
“The ceremony barrels would never be able to kill knights,” Count Honeysuckle said. “No matter what the Prince used, it was powerful enough to defeat us all. So what should we do next?”
Hearing this, Duke Ryan glared in his direction, the sound of the word “defeat” was especially ear-piercing. “We haven’t lost,” he insisted. “A battle alone doesn’t decide a war. We only have to reach the stronghold, there I can put another force together, while at the same time I will also cut off trade from the Redwater River.”
Without any food supplement, Border Town wouldn’t be able to survive for another month, and as soon as he dared to bring those villagers out, my knight will rush at them from all sides and in the end, defeat him.
Eventually, the victory would become his, just as had he wanted, but the loss he had already suffered couldn’t be made up with just such a small town… his dream of taking over the North turned out to be only a bubble.
“But my Lord, the fleets crossing over the Redwater River aren’t only coming from us, there are also ships from Willow Town, Fallen Dragon Ridge and Redwater City. If we cut everything off, wouldn’t…” Count Honeysuckle clearly wasn’t convinced.
“I will buy everything; it doesn’t matter to whom they sell. As long as they receive their money they will be satisfied,” said the Duke with a frosty voice, “Now everyone should head back to their own tent’s and go to sleep, tomorrow morning we have to rise early and ride further down the road with the knights. Everyone who doesn’t have a horse will stay behind to lead the mercenaries.
