Alexander barely had time to take in the chaos around him before he was in the thick of it. The Baron's soldiers had breached a section of the outer barricade, pouring through the gap like a flood. The defenders met them with steel and fury.
Tyrell was already engaged in the melee, his spear driving through the throat of an enemy soldier before he spun to parry another blow. Elias fought with his usual ruthless efficiency, his blade flashing as he cut down an opponent and kicked another into the mud.
"Push them back!" Alexander roared, his voice cutting through the clamor of battle. He ducked under a wild swing, ramming the butt of his spear into the attacker's gut before finishing him off with a precise thrust.
Marcus, wielding his massive club, swung with all his strength, caving in a man's helmet as he fought to hold the left flank. Nearby, Gareth's hammer crushed the knee of an enemy trying to climb over the rubble of the damaged barricade.
But for every enemy they cut down, two more seemed to take their place.
Silas pulled back to the second line of defenses, watching the battlefield with a calculating gaze. "We can't hold the outer wall forever. We need to fall back before we're overrun."
Alexander ground his teeth but knew he was right. "Elias! Tyrell! Marcus! We're pulling back to the second line! Get the men inside!"
The defenders began a controlled retreat, fighting as they moved back toward the inner barricade. The heavy wooden gate had already been reinforced, and as soon as the last of their men were inside, Gareth and his team shoved the barricade into place, sealing them within the heart of Emberhold.
The enemy surged forward, trying to press the advantage—only to be met with a hail of arrows from the archers positioned on the second wall. The narrow choke points forced them into kill zones, and for the first time in the battle, the Baron's soldiers hesitated.
Alexander climbed onto the wall, his breath heavy as he looked out over the battlefield. They had lost ground, but the enemy had paid for every inch of it in blood.
The siege was far from over.
The Baron's Response
From his position on the ridge, Baron Lucius Valtor observed the retreat with cold satisfaction. "They're learning," he muttered. "But it won't save them."
Darius, his second-in-command, frowned. "They're entrenched now. That second wall is going to be difficult to breach."
The Baron smirked. "Then we break them from the inside."
He turned to one of his officers. "Send the infiltrators. And prepare the next wave."
A New Threat
Inside Emberhold, the defenders were tending to the wounded and reinforcing the barricades when an alarmed shout rang out.
"Saboteurs! Inside the walls!"
Alexander whirled just in time to see a group of disguised men emerging from the shadows, weapons drawn. They had been hiding within the settlement, waiting for the right moment to strike.
One of them lunged at Gareth, but the blacksmith was faster, bringing his hammer down with a sickening crunch. Tyrell tackled another, wrestling for control of the knife aimed at his throat.
Alexander drove his spear into the ribs of an infiltrator before kicking the body aside. "Find them all! Secure the settlement!"
The battle inside the walls was brief but brutal. The infiltrators had managed to set a few fires, but they were quickly extinguished. When the last of them was slain, the damage was minimal—but the message was clear.
The Baron had been planning this attack long before the battle began.
"We have to outlast him," Silas said grimly, looking at the exhausted defenders. "If we can hold until he bleeds himself dry, we might have a chance."
Alexander exhaled, gripping his spear tighter. "Then we hold."
The Baron wouldn't stop. Neither would they.
The siege of Emberhold raged on.