"Here they come again," announced Kasrin.
"Drat," I muttered.
Speransky leaped to his feet and returned to the earthworks, his eyes gleaming.
"More mounted infantry," Kasrin noted. "Prepare javelins."
I won't bore you with the details of the second or third assault. We survived, and more lives were lost. Fael sustained a minor scrape on her left leg, and I received a bruise on my forehead that knocked me down. It could have been fatal if I hadn't been charging my opponent; she struck me with the flat of the blade. Things became blurry for a while, and I lost track of her, but then it was over. While awaiting the fourth assault, we received orders to retreat. Speransky was displeased, but I was relieved.
Kasrin handed me a new cap since I'd lost mine in the last assault, and Fael, limping beside me, teased that the bandage around my forehead made me look like a true warrior. I responded with some less-than-polite suggestions.
