"ON THE WALL! MOVE IT, DAMN YOU!"
The knight's roar cut through the air like a whip, his sword raised high as he swung it in a wide arc to drive the point home. The steel glinted against the overcast sky, the blade slicing the air in a tight circle above his head.
"CAULDRONS! GET THOSE GODS-DAMNED CAULDRONS BOILING!" another voice bellowed, hoarse with panic .
"ARCHERS, TO THE PARAPETS! FETCH EVERY ARROW YOU CAN FIND—IF IT'S SHARP, IT FLIES!"
The courtyard erupted in a frenzy. Soldiers, sprinted in every direction, clattering into each other, curses flying faster than orders. Boots thundered over cobblestones slick with mud and piss. Barrels of pitch were rolled toward the wall, sloshing violently, while thin-faced children lugged armfuls of firewood toward the fires, already blazing under wide iron pots. The pungent stink of tar, smoke, and fear rose like a stormcloud.
Someone dropped a crate of arrows, and dozens spilled across the stone in a clattering mess.
