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.But the closer he got to Kaspar’s throne room, the fiercer was the defense.The fighting went on for the rest of the day, and twice he had to withdraw and take water and food.His arms felt as if they had iron weights tied to them, but he kept coming back to lead his men.After hours of fighting, Tal realized they had surrounded the throne room, and he quickly sent runners to ensure that the doors were secure.He motioned for a dozen men to follow him, for he knew there were other, less obvious, ways out of that room.He found an entrance to the servants’ passages and almost died when he opened the door.Only his exceptional reflexes allowed him to block the sword thrust that greeted his tripping the latch.“Pikes!” he shouted and men with pole-arms raced forward.They lowered their weapons and drove the defenders back down the narrow passage, and Tal and his men followed.There had been half a dozen men in the passage, and they turned and fled after two were struck down by the pikes.Tal hurried after them but stopped running when he realized they had found the servants’ entrance to the throne room.A peephole had been drilled in the door and covered by a simple piece of metal on a screw.It had been put there so that servants wouldn’t interrupt the Duke when he was conducting formal court.Tal peered through and saw Kaspar standing in the middle of the room, directing his defenders.He was wearing his black armor and bellowing commands, looking as much like a bear at bay as the one Tal had killed protecting him those years past.Tal judged he could possibly reach Kaspar before the Duke recognized he was in the room, but he couldn’t be certain.Better to wait for a few minutes and see how the assault on the three entrances went.Tal knew he could spare more soldiers than Kaspar, for by what Tal could see, he had less than a full company in the room.From outside came a voice, speaking Roldemish but in a heavy accent—a Keshian commander.“Will you accept quarter?”Kaspar laughed.“Never!”Tal hated to see men die needlessly.The outcome was no longer in doubt.Kaspar had been totally routed in less than a day.But there was no need for more men to die.He turned and said, “Send word back that I want as many men as possible through here.When I open the door, I will go straight in.” To the man behind him he said, “Go right,” then to the second man behind him he added, “and you go left.Each man right, then left.Flood the room and draw the defenders away from the doors.Let’s end this!”Tal waited as word was passed, then he flipped the latch and charged into the room.For a moment he moved without being noticed, then something seen out of the corner of Kaspar’s eye must have alerted him, for he turned just in time to raise his sword and take Tal’s attack.Those near the Duke turned to defend him, but they were quickly engaged by other mercenaries who ran from the servants’ passage.Tal swung a looping overhand blow, then turned it at the last, almost taking Kaspar’s arm off at the shoulder.The big man dodged aside at the last second, his eyes widening in recognition.“Tal!” He slashed back, forcing Tal to give ground.“And with both arms.That must be a tale to tell.” He lashed out in a furious combination, which lacked finesse but was effective.Tal could not risk taking his eyes off Kaspar, so determined was the Duke to defeat him, but he could sense the rhythm of the fight changing.With his own men attacking from behind, those defending the doors were being overwhelmed.Kaspar cut and parried, his face a mask of concentration, oblivious to everything else around him as he sought to kill Tal.Tal knew that he was by far the better swordsman, but he was fatigued, still in pain, and his right hand had not recovered completely.One mistake on his part was all Kaspar needed.All around the two combatants the din of weapons diminished as swords hit the floor and men ceased fighting.After a few minutes, the only sounds in the room were the groans of the wounded and the clang of Tal’s and Kaspar’s blades ringing together as they clashed.Kaspar’s face was flushed, and his cheeks bulged as he puffed hard, trying to keep his wind.Tal felt his own body ache with the need to end this; but Kaspar was giving him no clear-cut opening.Then Kaspar stepped the wrong way, and for an instant his toe touched the leg of a corpse lying on the floor.He stumbled, and Tal was upon him like a cat on a mouse.Tal got inside Kaspar’s guard and engaged his blade with his own, and with one twisting move had the sword out of Kaspar’s hand.The next moment Kaspar was motionless, Tal’s sword point at his throat.Kaspar braced himself for the death stroke, but Tal just kept his sword pressing that vulnerable skin.Then he said, “Bind him!”At this point, John Creed came into the room.“You did it!”“We did it,” said Tal.He looked around the chamber.“And a lot of men paid for the victory with their lives.”Creed said, “So, why didn’t you finish him?”Tal walked up to look Kaspar in the eyes as two soldiers bound the Duke’s wrists behind his back.“That would have been too quick,” said Tal.“I want him to fully understand what he’s lost, what’s been taken away from him.” He put up his sword.“Besides, I can hang him tomorrow as easily as cut his throat today.”Looking around the room, he said, “Make sure everyone knows the citadel is ours.Then pass the word to stop fighting.”The Keshian commander of the forces that had been attacking the room approached.“Captain, we will withdraw as we agreed.The citadel is yours.”Tal said, “Thank you, and thank your emperor.I don’t suppose there’s much hope of controlling the looting on the way back to the harbor?”The Captain shrugged.“Booty is part of war, is it not?” He bowed his head and shouted his orders, and the Keshian Dog Soldiers began withdrawing.After the Keshians were gone, Creed said, “If there’s anything of value left in the city when those boys are gone, our lads will be surprised.”Tal smiled.“There’s enough in the citadel to make every man here feel rich.We’ll get to that tomorrow.Tend to the wounded, and get the staff in the kitchen to start cooking.If everyone else is as hungry as I am, we’re going to eat the entire stores in one day.”Creed nodded and started conveying Tal’s orders
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