Silence
Anonymous Me
Donovan Blackmoore (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)
Keeping the ladders away from the walls had been an all day job. Donovan spent his time racing to and fro on the walls. He occasionally had time to release an arrow. Before another ladder would come to the top. At one point a man was almost ready to climb over the wall and he barely got there in time to stab him and push the rest of them over. The blood on his cheek had dried and he watched with a few of the men till he was sure that the siege on the wall had stopped for the night.
All around the wall was the carnage. With stone walls there wasn't a chance of burning them down, but there was still a chance of disease spreading and he doubted that the king would try to retrieve the bodies. The best would be to pour tar over the edge of the walls on the bodies during the night and in the morning light them on fire. It would stink to high heaven, but they would be able to prevent ladders from raising for several hours and perhaps a day. Arrows could only do so much and as long as he was here to manage the wall he was going to do his best to win this war. Never had the Fortress fallen and he wasn't about to give it up because so many men had piled outside the walls. They couldn't take the wall down. It had never been done before.
Walking past Shade he nodded to her. At least she had kept her end of the deal and remembered who she was with during the fight. There were a surprising number of wounded to care for and Adran already looked to be wore out. "I agree with Shade. You need to eat. I'll do what I can for the men in the meantime." His usual snarky smirk came to his face. "Used to be the healer here till a real doctor arrived."
Donovan started with the men that were most likely to fight tomorrow. One of them had an arrow stuck in his leg. It was deep enough it was better to try and push it through rather than pull it out. Kneeling next to the man he had him roll to his side. Donovan put the foot of the injured leg between his knees to stabilize the leg while he worked on it. "Take your glove off and bite into it." Soon as the man was ready Donovan grabbed the arrow by the shaft and pushed until the tip of the arrow broke through the additional muscle, skin, and the clothing. The little man wiggled the head of the arrow off the end of the shaft and then pulled the wood from the man's leg. "You keep that one and send it through an enemy. They won't pull the arrow out without losing the head in the next man." Gradually a smile came to his face. "I'll get that bandaged up for you." There wouldn't be enough medicine to treat them all and he knew it. So it was all about fast patchwork and that was something that Donovan could do well enough.
Moving along to the next man he knew he would have to push it through again and this time the arrow wasn't worth saving so he broke the shaft off so he wouldn't pull the feathers through the wound. Setting the broken arrow aside he grabbed more bandages and wrapped them around the victim. When Adran returned to his duties Donovan took a break to get something to eat for himself.
It had already been a long day and yet he had a feeling that tomorrow would be longer. Wouldn't be long before the groans of the wounded would blend, but for tonight he didn't get as much sleep as he hoped. Perhaps before dawn he would take the tar or oil to pour over the bodies below. For now he needed his rest before it as his turn to take watch on the wall.
Keeping the ladders away from the walls had been an all day job. Donovan spent his time racing to and fro on the walls. He occasionally had time to release an arrow. Before another ladder would come to the top. At one point a man was almost ready to climb over the wall and he barely got there in time to stab him and push the rest of them over. The blood on his cheek had dried and he watched with a few of the men till he was sure that the siege on the wall had stopped for the night.
All around the wall was the carnage. With stone walls there wasn't a chance of burning them down, but there was still a chance of disease spreading and he doubted that the king would try to retrieve the bodies. The best would be to pour tar over the edge of the walls on the bodies during the night and in the morning light them on fire. It would stink to high heaven, but they would be able to prevent ladders from raising for several hours and perhaps a day. Arrows could only do so much and as long as he was here to manage the wall he was going to do his best to win this war. Never had the Fortress fallen and he wasn't about to give it up because so many men had piled outside the walls. They couldn't take the wall down. It had never been done before.
Walking past Shade he nodded to her. At least she had kept her end of the deal and remembered who she was with during the fight. There were a surprising number of wounded to care for and Adran already looked to be wore out. "I agree with Shade. You need to eat. I'll do what I can for the men in the meantime." His usual snarky smirk came to his face. "Used to be the healer here till a real doctor arrived."
Donovan started with the men that were most likely to fight tomorrow. One of them had an arrow stuck in his leg. It was deep enough it was better to try and push it through rather than pull it out. Kneeling next to the man he had him roll to his side. Donovan put the foot of the injured leg between his knees to stabilize the leg while he worked on it. "Take your glove off and bite into it." Soon as the man was ready Donovan grabbed the arrow by the shaft and pushed until the tip of the arrow broke through the additional muscle, skin, and the clothing. The little man wiggled the head of the arrow off the end of the shaft and then pulled the wood from the man's leg. "You keep that one and send it through an enemy. They won't pull the arrow out without losing the head in the next man." Gradually a smile came to his face. "I'll get that bandaged up for you." There wouldn't be enough medicine to treat them all and he knew it. So it was all about fast patchwork and that was something that Donovan could do well enough.
Moving along to the next man he knew he would have to push it through again and this time the arrow wasn't worth saving so he broke the shaft off so he wouldn't pull the feathers through the wound. Setting the broken arrow aside he grabbed more bandages and wrapped them around the victim. When Adran returned to his duties Donovan took a break to get something to eat for himself.
It had already been a long day and yet he had a feeling that tomorrow would be longer. Wouldn't be long before the groans of the wounded would blend, but for tonight he didn't get as much sleep as he hoped. Perhaps before dawn he would take the tar or oil to pour over the bodies below. For now he needed his rest before it as his turn to take watch on the wall.