Brave Men Die: Part 3 by Dan Adams Page A

go stop you from killing Cygnus.’
    The tower top was awash with archers as Cygnus paced between each man, whispering orders to watch this one or that one. Perspiration dripped down his forehead, the heat, the pressure, or the paranoia contributing to the sweat. His eyes were wild and alert, peering down at the enemy waiting for one of them to do something they shouldn’t. Anything that would give him the excuse to open fire.
    ‘I hope you remember that we don’t want bloodshed Cygnus. This is the first truce to collect the dead. If anything goes wrong we won’t be getting another and it could be your body left out there to rot.’
    Cygnus turned at his voice and Pollux prepared himself for the onslaught to follow, but the shower of spittle and harsh words never came. Cygnus ran his fingers through his hair, closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
    ‘The enemy are swarming down there,’ he pointed back to the battlefield. ‘Everyone is on edge, expecting the worse because those traitorous dogs have never kept their word. In any second, they could come charging at us.’
    ‘That might be a bit hard with dead bodies over their shoulders, but they do look to be a fit, strong bunch of soldiers down there. Maybe they have the strength to use the dead as shields and attack us by throwing the bodies about,’ Pollux replied, peering down over the wall.
    ‘Why don’t we just wait and watch them for a bit. If we see any sign of treachery we can decide what to do about it. For now, let them collect their dead, and we should be burying ours.’
    ‘You want us to just relax our guard? Let them take Black Claw?’
    ‘That’s not what I’m saying and you know it. We both are flying the yellow truce flags, neither army wants to see people dead today when people shouldn’t be dying. Leave it alone. If you can’t stay calm and keep a level head I will take over the supervision.’
    ‘I have control over things here. You are free to attend the funerals of your dead and then we will do the same when Buckthorne’s men are done.’
    Pollux nodded once it was settled, winked at Ara before realising he had, and headed back down the stairs. Her hand reached out and grabbed hold of his shoulder. Pollux half turned and her lips found his cheek.
    ‘You handled that well and you didn’t even need me to separate you two. Now let’s see how you go at the next task.’
    ‘This one is going to make the rest of them put together look easy.’
    The remnants of the Buckthorne men stood together within their units side-by-side facing the small cemetery where they had been burying those who died during service. The vacant spots had been quickly filled and the cemetery had been expanded to accommodate the increasing number of casualties. In the last month the cemetery fence had been moved to incorporate the freshly dug graves three times, and Pollux suspected that it would not be the last.
    Pollux looked out over the sea of faces and took note of the number of wounded men that were still serving despite their injuries. A few men had been shipped back home, where they could recover and then return to the fighting. He had seen the last lot off personally: they had filled up two wagons. Most he never expected to see again.
    ‘Attention,’ Byrn yelled and the soldiers snapped upright.
    ‘They are all yours now boy,’ Byrn whispered.
    Pollux stepped forward, all eyes drawn to him. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, clearing his mind and calming himself.
    ‘Today we bury a lot of good men. Not only the ones we have recovered but those whose remains could not be found. We mourn for each of them and regret that their lives were cut short, but we appreciate that they died in service to the Kingdom, protecting the men by their sides.’
    ‘Among those that we bury is our baron. Cronos Scythe was a good man, a loving father and a strong leader. He knew his way about the business of war and he managed to get us lot through it as safely as