Chapter 59: The Worst of Knights (Kallian)
When it was completely dark, Kallian and Jory stood at the bridge outside the gate in order to see when the undead would leave the castle. The elf was unhappy that of all those who were supposed to fight at the mill, it was the deserter who went to the bridge with her. Even Sten would have been a better company.
- What, are we going to be silent? - Jory asked.
- What should I say? I said enough in the afternoon. You disgust me.
- I've already apologized to you!
- Our mages and Alistair may have bought into your repentance, but you won't fool me. Those three grew up in safe conditions, but I grew up in the streets of the alienage, so I understand people better. Shem knights serve their shem masters, but you can't even do that, since you escaped from Ostagar like a coward. You are the worst of knights.
- I have a family! I could not die as ingloriously as Mhairi died!
- You know, I have a family too. Life left me no other option but to become a Grey Warden, but unlike you, I didn't run away!
- And I won't run away. I deserted once, and I won't desert again. That's why I'm here.
- Look!
Kallian spotted rougly twenty fast-moving undead, half of them armed with daggers and maces.
- Bombs! - the elf shouted.
The knight began to fetch her the bombs. Kallian threw them one after the other, finishing off the running dead and getting them off the bridge. After several explosions, there was no one on the bridge.
- We've disposed of these ones. How many more bombs do we have? - Kallian asked.
- Just one, - said Jory.
- We'll save it for the last resort. And now to arms!
The elf and the knight took out their weapons and went forward. Another, even larger group of the undead came out of the castle. Jory ran and pushed the first corpse off the bridge. Kallian stabbed the heads of living corpses with her daggers, and some of them fell. Even though they both fought well, they needed to retreat.
- There are too many of them! Let's go to the others! - Kallian said.
She and Jory immediately ran across the bridge back to the gate, where the knights, Dwyn, his mercenaries, and Sten were waiting for them. As soon as they got there, Sten and Perth closed the gate.
- What happened out there? - Dwyn asked.
- What do you think? There are about six dozens of them. Hold the gate! - Jory ordered.
All the defenders stood up to the gates, hoping to keep them from the advancing dead. Holes began to appear in the gates, through which the corpses pushed their claws, daggers and maces, trying to hurt someone with them. As the men held the gate, Kallian stabbed the limbs of the dead.
- I still have the bomb! - the elf said.
- We won't keep them here forever! - Jory replied. - Perth, Dwyn, lead your people to the mill!
- And what will happen to you? - Perth asked.
- We are the Grey Wardens, we can handle this.
- And I'm not a Grey Warden, but I'm not afraid of anything, - the Qunari continued.
The dead punched a large hole in the gate, grabbed one of Dwyn's mercenaries and dragged him to their side of the gate. The rest had to hold the gate, listening to the death cries of the unlucky human. The four knights retreated first, running towards the mill. Dwyn and the surviving mercenary ran after them. Keeping the gate has become even more difficult. Kallian took out the bomb.
- Here! The gate is gone one way or another, - she said. - Put a bomb in the foundation and the gate will explode, along with most of the dead. There is one "but".
- What "but"? - Jory asked, holding the gate with one hand and cutting off the undead's hand with the other one.
- One of us must stay and hold the gate until the last. If we all run away, then some of the ghouls will climb inside and not suffer from the explosion. Well, who will stay?
- Parshaara, - Stan cursed. - Looks like I'll have to.
- N-no, - Jory said. - I'll stay. I must do it.
- But why? - Kallian asked. - You are so afraid of everything.
- This is my duty as a knight, as a husband and a father. And you still have to fight in the battles to come.
- I shouldn't have said I understand people, Ser Jory. I'm sorry I talked about you like that.
- Just tell Helena and our daughter that I'm doing this for them.
- Thank you for everything.
- I don't know you well, but by your actions you proved that you are a basalit-an, an outsider worthy of respect. Die with honor, kadan, - Sten said.
Kallian placed a bomb in the center of the gate and set it on fire. She and Sten ran away from the gate, took one last look at Jory, who continued to hold the gate even though he was bitten and cut by the dead, and ran on to the mill. An explosion happened at the gate, blowing away all the crowded dead. The elf and the Qunari took position alongside the rest of the defenders.
- What was that explosion? Where is Ser Jory? - Perth asked.
- Dead, - Kallian replied. - He stayed at the gate to let our bomb trick work.
- They're coming! To arms! - Dwyn shouted.
Eight defenders entered the battle and began to cut down the dead. Kallian will take revenge on all the dead for the evil they have done to the village.