Champions of the Apocalypse (21 page)

“You’re reliable and I’ve already seen you fight. I need you to take charge of the middle wagon and provide help and reinforcement if we need it.”

Synne looked about the train and a flicker of doubt entered her mind. The last time she had faced these people had been when they, or people like them, had stormed Haven. Back then, even well trained and equipped warriors had found it difficult and ultimately they had failed. This time they were a motley band of civilians with little to no experience and limited weapons. Looking further to the north the train was getting ever closer, it was clear that the following train was faster, presumably because it wasn’t modified for battle like theirs and also possibly because it wasn’t hauling wagons and people. She could only hope.

“Synne!” shouted Jonas from the first wagon.

The noise this high on the train made it almost impossible to hear him. She grabbed the ladder and slid down. In just a few bounds, she was on top of the tender and just a few feet away from him.

“Thrax just told me the plan. I have forty people in this wagon and about the same as that in the rear section. Thrax has taken the best weapons to defend the rear. How many have you got for the engine?”

Synne looked back, checking on the status of the armoured front of their train.

“I’ve got five up there on the platforms. They all have crossbows and spears,” she answered.

“That’s not many, take some of mine,” he offered.

“No, we don’t have much space and it’s a lot harder to reach us than you, just look at this thing,” she said as she pointed to the sides of the wagon.

From where they stood, the wagon was essentially an open topped transport with thin metal armoured walls on the sides. Every foot a small gap had been cut, so that a projectile weapon or spear could be pushed out. Synne noticed a large gap on the one side of the wagon where no armour had been
 
fitted and the gap ran almost to the base of the wagon.

“What happened there?” she asked.

Jonas shrugged as he looked at the opening.

“There are a few sections like that, looks to me like they didn’t finish building this train.”

“Oh great, that is perfect. You need to watch those breaches, if we know about them so do they!” she exclaimed.

A loud screech, just like the one before came from the train’s whistle. Synne looked back at the rear of the train and could see Thrax ordering the people about. Ulric was getting a line of spearmen in a rough position to defend the last part of the train. Back at the front, Jac was waving frantically to get her attention. Synne signalled, to be met with Jac pointing off to the side. Synne turned her head to see a dozen mounted warriors galloping as fast as the train and only a hundred feet away of the side of the wagon.

“Here they are, good luck!” she shouted and jumped up to the tender and towards the engine.

As she landed on the metal platform at the rear of the engine, she noticed Tom had pulled a metal bar from a hatch on the side and had placed it on a shelf.

“What’s that?” she asked as she leaned out to the ladder.

“This? Oh, just my little friend in case anybody gets too close!”

“Nice!” replied Synne, and with a few tugs lifted herself onto the top of the engine.

Resting on the platform were several weapons including a heavy wooden crossbow, short spear and one of the curved swords she had taken from the Raiders. She bent down and picked up the crossbow. It was one of the Raider’s weapons and the underside was equipped with an irritating metal blade that pushed out almost a foot out in front of the end of the weapon. The rest of the defenders on the engine did the same and loaded their weapons, readying themselves for the action. Another blast from the whistle indicated the enemy were near. Synne turned to check the rear of the train and was horrified to see a huge cloud of black smoke covered the rear.

“The train!” she shouted.

Her mind told her to grab onto something but her body wasn’t quick enough. The impact forced the entire train to shunt forward several feet and it propelled Synne from the platform and onto her front. The back of the platform was open and just a few more inches would have thrown her from the train and onto the track. She shook her head and lifted herself up. The crossbow was on the base of the platform and she grabbed it as she stood. From her spot, high on the engine she had the perfect view of the battle that was about to begin.

The smoke and steam at the rear of the train had obliterated her view, she could only assume those at the back of the train were okay. She didn’t have time to worry about it though as a dozen riders were moving in to try and board the engine from the left.

“The left!” she shouted to the others onboard.

The riders were all wearing armour and two of them carried short powder weapons, much like the one her father had shown her. A volley of yellow flashes erupted from their muzzles and she heard the whistle of lead balls fly overhead. One struck the armour plating just a few feet from her.

“Stop them!” she cried as she took aim.

The sights on the crossbow were rudimentary, just a small metal spike sticking up. Lowering the weapon, she took aim at the closest rider who was only twenty feet away. She pulled the lever and released a deadly bolt. It flew off and passed clean over the man’s head by at least two feet.

“Damn!” she muttered as she pulled another bolt from the pouch on her waist and loaded it.

The rest of the fighters on the train were having similar problems, though two of them managed to strike one of the riders almost simultaneously. One bolt struck the man in the arm, the second hit him square in the chest. The second shot hit with such an impact that it flung the rider from his horse to the ground.

“One down, one army to go!” said Synne as she lifted her reloaded crossbow.

Aiming much lower this time she aimed at the centre of the same target as before. The bolt flew off and this time struck the man square in the throat. The impact was hard and though he wasn’t thrown from the horse, he did slow down and disappeared to the rear behind the smoke and steam.

“That’s more like it!” she said with a grim smile.

* * *

Thrax was in his element. Though the impact had shattered part of the rear armour of the train, they were still on the track and they were doing well, so far. He had kept his unit pushed well back inside the wagon so that he had the space to deal with the first wave. Sensing an easy victory the first six men had leapt in with barely a care, only to find half the wagon clear and the hulk of Thrax stood in the middle. On his shoulder, he carried the deadly two-handed sword. For this battle, he had strapped on any armour he could find including a tight fitting helm that looked like a rusted bronze helmet from an ancient warrior. The tallest of the Raiders stepped forward, he was a good six feet tall and well built. He carried a flail in his right hand and a small metal buckler on his left. He lifted the flail and started to swing it over his head. The rest of the group assembled behind him, each with a different but savage looking weapon.

“Put down your sword, old man, we’re here for Cainon!” he said.

“Come and get him!” said Thrax with a roar and in a quick motion he dropped the tip of the sword down and at the last moment redirected it so that he cut for the opposite side. The Raider, being as cocky and arrogant as he was, didn’t suspect for a moment that the man was in range. In the end it didn’t matter though, the blade slashed downwards and struck the man in the neck. The blade kept moving and in a single swift movement, the Raider’s head flew out of the train. Thrax continued moving the weapon and then brought it down in another sweeping arc. The group split up and moved towards him but the reach and power of the weapon was too much for them. The second cut badly wounded two men and the other three started to back off, their doubt taking precedence over their hunger for victory. Thrax was having none of it.

“I’ve got something else for you!” he boomed and stepping forward he delivered a flurry of cuts and thrusts that made it almost impossible for the Raiders to reach him. Two more bodies fell to the ground. The rest of the defenders, now psyched up about his personal victory, moved forward and easily finished off the wounded Raiders. Ulric commanded this line and ensured they stayed together and disciplined. They made to push ahead and deal with the last few until Ulric spotted many more Raiders coming through the smoke. It looked like a second wave and this time there were far more of them. He turned and shouted to them to reform and to take a few steps back. Three crossbow bolts flew down, one hit a woman in the leg and she was carried back by two men as she cried out in pain. Another man with a spear pushed in to take her place.

“Back, stay close together!” ordered Ulric as the little group gave ground.

“Give them a little room, it will make it easier for us, trust me!” shouted Thrax.

Thankfully, they recognised his ability and did exactly as they were told. Thrax nodded in satisfaction as they took a few steps back in good order. He had seen well-trained units in the past that would have failed here and the training and experience of Ulric was already showing in this fight. By having a trusted lieutenant at his back, he could concentrate on cutting a bloody path through the enemy’s front ranks.

A few more bolts whistled overhead but it seemed the Raiders were far keener to secure the wagon quickly than to engage in a ranged fight with bows and crossbows. Thrax stood in the centre of the wagon and flanked by the dozen most experienced men and women Ulric had been unable to find. They were mainly armed with spears and a few with crossbows. The train following had used grapples to hook the rear wagon and though they had beaten off the first wave, they were unable to reach the ropes and chains that would release the enemy. It would require them to actually board the front of the enemy engine to successfully separate the two moving sections. Three of the defenders lifted wooden shields and held them out in front of the group. They were too cumbersome to use in combat but perfectly suited to create a section of cover from which to shelter until the Raiders were close enough to fight.

“Steady now, let them come to us!” shouted Thrax over the din of the battle.

The rest of the defenders in the two wagons were busy firing their crossbows at the riders on their flanks, desperately trying to keep them away from being able to board the train where the battle would inevitably favour the better-equipped and more experienced Raiders. From the attacking train a dozen men climbed along the sides, each one carrying an evil looking sword, axe or mace. They struck the first man with several bolts in the torso and he fell down to the tracks. From the sound he made as he disappeared, they knew he had gone directly under the wheels. The first of the second wave jumped onto the damaged wagon and directly in front of Thrax who gave the signal to Ulric.

“Now!” shouted Ulric.

Though they maintained their position, they all pushed ahead and stabbed repeatedly on the command of Ulric. This fast and fluid movement created a wall of fast moving spear points that made it almost impossible to breach. One Raider rushed forward only to take a point to the face and another to the stomach. As he fell down the next Raider took similar hits from the spears. With enough space in the wagon for the entire wave, the surviving nine jumped aboard and advanced more cautiously. One man, obviously experienced at fighting spears, cut sideways and managed to push four of the tips to the side. With a small breach now open, the Raiders hacked past the points and managed to reach close enough to drive the tips of their weapons into the spearmen. It was almost enough to break the wall, apart from Thrax being there. With his massive two-handed sword now lowered and handled like a spear, he delivered multiple fast stabs that struck the men that had broken though the breach and stopped the attack. With a small gap between the two groups, Thrax’s blood was up and he wanted them off the wagon.

“Push them back!” he cried.

With great effort the defenders pushed forward, just one small step at a time but it was enough. The last seven men tried to hold them back but they just couldn’t stop being pushed back to the rear of the train and the crushed metal where the two trains were now joined. Three of them fell from the sides. The other four turned and tried to jump onto the front of their engine. One was struck in the back by a spear, three managed to make it.

“You!” shouted Ulric as he pointed to the three men with their crossbows.

“Hold them back!” he ordered.

The spearmen reformed their defensive position whilst the other three kept reloading and shooting their deadly bolts at the retreating men. They weren’t the best shots but they did succeed in wounding two of them before they were far enough away to avoid being hit. The second wave had been held off and for a moment, brief that it might be, Thrax allowed himself to get his breath back. Looking behind him, he checked on the state of the battle. At least half a dozen men were climbing onto the engine, about the same number were climbing over the armoured side sections of the middle wagon. He was about to turn back to help, when two of the spearmen next to him were blasted backwards. He turned to see the third and deadliest wave of attackers. This group included the survivors from the previous attacks but this time they carried a weapon for which they had no counter, the terrifying powder weapons. Only two of the enemy carried them and both looked improvised and crude. As they fired their weapons, they were surrounded in smoke as the weapons blasted heavy lead balls that could penetrate armour and wood.