The Master of Verona

"The Bridegroom," rasped Tharwat. "If we live through this, I may tell you the story."

"Now there's a reason to survive."

Suddenly their overturned flaming wagon jerked towards them. It stopped, then skidded another five feet up the alley, away from the yard. Something was bashing at it with tremendous force, pushing it forward.

Pietro swore. "A battering ram! Pull back! We can't stop them here!"

Already his men were retreating. The Paduans had torn doors off the few intact buildings and were using them to bash the wagon up the alley. Pietro's cleverness with the fire didn't seem so clever now that it prevented his men from stopping the moving barricade.

Running to the alley's end, he remounted his horse. It was oddly peaceful the next street over, with nothing but the smoke to show where the battle raged. That and the tremendous noise. He turned to Morsicato. "Go find Cangrande, let him know they're coming! We'll hold this street as long as we can!"

"You can't hold this street yourself!"

"Don't worry about us! I've got a plan! Go!"

Morsicato wheeled his horse about and galloped north on the empty street. At the corner he turned right, circling around to the back of the Vicentine forces.

Pietro looked around at the expectant faces of his men — my men

, he thought. There were only seven of them left. Nine, counting the Moor and himself. Pietro grinned at them all. "Nine is my father's lucky number."

"Let's hope it runs in the family," said one. "What's your plan?"

Pietro had no plan. He'd said that to get rid of the doctor. Now he looked around at the empty street. No masterstroke of military strategy popped into his head. He shrugged. "We kill every figlio di buona donna that shows his face in our street."

Pietro was gratified to see his men's grim nods and determined smiles. They would die, but it was a glorious death, a death their fathers and children could be proud of.

To Tharwat he said, "How are those stars looking now?"

"Too much smoke. Can't see the sky."

"I suppose it's up to us, then." The crashing in the alley was close now. "Pull back, down the street! They'll be blind and stumbling when they come out. They'll be expecting us to run! And they'll be looking north! We'll ride from the south and take the fight to them!" Together they rode to the end of the block and turned their horses about. "It's been an honour knowing you all."

The flames of the cart licked at the corners of the alley. The next bash of the Paduan ram would send it out into the open street.

"Ready," roared Pietro in a choked voice.

The flaming cart shattered as it tumbled into the street before them.

"Now!" Pietro gave his horse his spurs, driving the massive beast forward. He saw the edge of the makeshift battering ram pull back and bash forward again. The wreckage of the cart cleared from their path, the Paduan foot soldiers ran out into the street, turning north to loop around and catch the Vicentine forces from behind. Only a few noticed the nine men on horseback racing towards them from the south. These men tried to warn their fellows, but for the first wave of Paduans through the mouth of the alley there was nothing to do but dive for cover. The nine horses trampled anything in their path, the swords above them slicing through the air around their ears, battering them to pulp.

The charge carried them past, and Pietro's men were in the open again. The Moor looked to Pietro. "Stay or run?"

It was their last chance. They could escape to one of the north or west gates. Pietro said, "We have to hold them as long as we can." They wheeled around.

Scenting victory, more Paduans poured through the unstoppered gap in the defenses. This time Pietro let them come to him. His men shouted curses and jibes, taunts and insults, as their swords met. One fell to a spear in the chin. Pietro killed the spear's owner, shouting, "Come on! Avanti! Avanti!"

The astrologer fought like the demon he appeared to be, dark skin covered in blood, scars on his neck and face pulsing white. Pietro blocked a blow to Tharwat's side and together they hacked into the sea of men who hungered for their deaths.

Hands pulled at Tharwat's reins. He fought desperately but was struck a blow that dented his conical helmet. Pietro tried to grasp the Moor's toppling figure, but something bashed into his weak leg. He was wincing but still swinging when a heavy blow to his back unseated him. He felt himself sliding through the air, bouncing off the bodies of Paduan foot soldiers. He struck the ground heavily and lay flat upon his back, still swinging his sword wildly.