Broken Arrow

about it, there were more explosions — this time coming from near the castle entrance.

The first volley of shells hit the side of the castle wall, fired by tanks and armoured vehicles coming from two directions.

Mortars were also fired into the grounds, their purpose to send the enemy into turmoil, taking some out in the process. The guards positioned on the walls and at the castle's front gate did their best to fight back, but they were unprepared for an attack of this scale. Robert was supposed to have slowed the army's progress at least. The fact that they could have split into two, that they had enough weapons, vehicles and men to do that, hadn't been a serious possibility.

Until now.

It wasn't long before the side gates were breached, an AFV smashing through them, busting them wide, allowing smaller vehicles to follow; jeeps and motorbikes. The Rangers assembled in the grounds shot at the vehicles with flaming arrows, the concoctions attached exploding on impact. But seconds later machine gun fire from the mounted guns dropped many of these. Men entered the grounds, overrunning the place — not just soldiers, but men in robes. Members of the cult.

Robert's troops stood more of a chance against these, swords clashing with machetes, but again there were just too many. Slash after slash, those who were defending the castle fell, and a path up towards the castle keep itself was cleared.

A rocket blast hit the side of the castle, but oddly it didn't seem to come from the outside. It appeared to have been fired by someone in the grounds, its tail winding down towards the Middle Bailey. Masonry dropped on people below, taking out more fighters.

From an AFV near the back of the convoy, they watched all this with satisfaction: Tanek, The Tsar and the twins. Tanek was itching to get out there, to take his place with the men on the ground. To, as he put it, 'crack some skulls'. The Tsar insisted he wait a little while, at least until they'd put down the first wave of resistance.

Tanek huffed at that, and watched for his opportunity to leave the vehicle.

Tate, Jack and Gwen were still inside when the first set of explosions came.

Tate told Gwen to go to one of the rooms while they checked on the situation. Ordinarily, he knew she'd argue, but she had Clive Jr with her so she did as he suggested. She could protect him better inside.

When the Reverend and Jack stepped out of the castle, they could scarcely believe what they were seeing. Already the grounds were flooded with enemy foot-soldiers. 'Where are they all coming from?'

Jack shook his head, and clutched his staff.

It wasn't long before they encountered the first couple of men, running towards them. Luckily they were cult members, not soldiers. Jack and Tate looked at each other. Each was thinking: since when was The Tsar in league with the Morningstars?

Then they were on them. Jack met a machete blow with his staff. Tate dodged his opponent, but seemed reluctant to fight. In fact, he only just got out of the way of the second swing, his face a rictus of fear.

'Rev, look out!' shouted Jack, striking his man in the stomach, crumpling him up, and then slamming the staff down on the back of his head. Without drawing breath, Jack swung the staff around and smacked the cultist attacking Tate in the face. He went down backwards, dropping the machete. 'Are you okay?' Jack asked Tate, who looked dazed. These guys really freaked the holy man out.

'I… I don't understand,' the Reverend said finally.

'Me either. But let's figure it out later. Right now we've got to-' He dragged Tate down as a hail of gunfire tore into the wall behind them. The soldiers hadn't been that far behind, as it turned out.

Leaving Tate, Jack ducked and rolled, coming up and striking one of The Tsar's men across the legs, sending him toppling over. Another he whacked in the side, then brought the staff around again to catch a third across the chest. Not seeing another way to tackle those coming up the steps, Jack grabbed a Kalashnikov belonging to one of the incapacitated soldiers and shot over the heads of the approaching troops. They backed off instantly.

He returned to Tate, taking him by the arm. 'Come on, we have to fall back!' It wasn't easy getting away with the Reverend's limp, and when they turned the next corner, Jack saw Mark and Sophie running to meet them.

'Jack, what's happening?' asked Mark.

'We're under attack, kiddo. And not just from those Russians — from the cult as well.'

'What?'

'We don't have much time. Have you seen Mary? Adele?'

'Adele, no.'

'But you've seen Mary?' said Tate. 'She went looking for you.'

'Oh no, did she?' Sophie was choking back tears.

'What is it?'

'There was an explosion,' Mark told them. 'In the caves. Maybe the soldiers got in down there, I don't know. But… I think she might be…'

Jack shook his head. 'No way, not Mary!'

'I didn't get a chance to check, there were men coming up the steps,' Mark told him.

'There are men everywhere,' Sophie added, with a worried frown.

Jack gave Mark the rifle, then placed his hand on the lad's shoulder, squeezing firmly. 'Anyone can see which way this is heading. It's Assault on Precinct 13, and you've gotta get out of here. Remember what Robert said if things went south.'

'But-'

Jack looked at him sternly. 'Do it, Mark — that's an order. Get Sophie out, get Tate out. I'll follow when I've checked on Mary and found Adele.'

Tate's hand went to his mouth. 'Gwen! She's still inside.' As soon as he said it, the castle took a hit. The shell punched out the top corner of the building, opposite where they were standing. Mark shielded Sophie from the dust, as Jack and Tate turned their backs on it.

Coughing, Jack spluttered, 'I'll find her too, now go!'

'I can't leave her alone, not again.'

'Go!' repeated Jack, taking off himself.

Sophie and Mark took an arm each and tugged, but the Reverend was still reluctant to leave. Then more soldiers found them, bullets spraying the floor. Mark lifted the rifle, but he'd never fired a gun in his life — hadn't even trained for it. But he'd been taken by surprise and had no bow and arrow with him, no sword or staff. He had no option other than to use the weapon he'd been handed. When he tried to fire it, though, all he got was a click as he pressed the trigger.

Mark looked up and saw several soldiers all aiming their weapons in his and Sophie's direction. This was it. They were dead.

Then, suddenly, he was being relieved of the rifle, and bullets were fired from it. Tate aimed for the men's legs, wounding but not killing them. Mark's jaw dropped, but he didn't have time to ask where the Reverend had learned to use one of those things, nor how his aim was so good. There was another wave of attackers coming, a mixture of Russians and cult members.

Pushing Sophie behind him, Mark laid into the first one, a robed figure who ran at him a machete raised. Mark used his momentum against him, grabbing that arm and breaking it at the elbow. He relieved the screaming cultist of his weapon, just in time to meet a blow from another blade which was heading for Sophie.

Tate, for his part, was still firing at the soldiers — slowing their progress towards the castle. When the rifle ran out of ammo, he picked up his stick again and tackled the closest of the soldiers with self defence moves and well placed blows. When it came to fighting the cultists, though, Tate was still wavering; dangerously so, as Mark had to hack at one of their arms to stop a machete swipe from finding the Reverend's neck.

While he was doing this, his attention divided, Mark felt someone at the side of him. When he turned, a fist glanced across his chin. He stumbled, shocked, snapping out of it just in time to see a bayonet about to be rammed into his chest.

Then the attacking soldier was being struck, with almost as much force as the blow which had taken Mark by surprise. When the soldier looked to see who'd done this, he got a kick in the groin as well. Sophie nodded, as if