(Sadly, this will be the last Slinky update...for now!)
Summer, 1088 - Jerusalem
“This bloody siege is taking far too long!”
“Monsieur, we are doing all that we can. We are covering all gates. Nobody has gone in or out the city.”
“If nobody has passed, why are they not starving? Does food now fall from the sky?”
“I do not know sir.”
“Yes, I expect you do not. Carry on.”
This siege was giving him a headache. Two years! Two years since they had started the siege of Jerusalem and for all the progress they had made, it could just as well be yesterday.
After two years, you would expect food would run out, but probing attacks proved the inhabitants were still strong and healthy. If only he could get the siege engines working properly. He had heard of massive constructions capable of hurtling giant rocks over great distance. His engineers had promised they would tear down the wall for him and he could just walk into the city. Of course his engineers had died on the sunken ship, and the fallen duke's engineers were incompetent fools.
What he had to work with were pathetic, stupid little wooden contraptions. He had the soldiers fire them constantly at the same place in the wall and sure enough, after a week, a little dent had formed. He had ordered his men to keep firing but now into the city.
Perhaps they were destroying something important or slowly decimating the enemy, but with his luck they were probably fortifying the already thick walls.
At least it gave his soldiers something to do.
A runner was coming up the path towards his command tent. Perhaps finally something interesting has happened. “Monsieur, we have caught a group of enemy smugglers. They were trying to move food into the city.”
“Good! Very good, bring them to me so I can question them.”
“...they are all dead, Monsieur.”
Robert sighed. "Very well. Where did you encounter these men?”
“To the south of the city. Not far from the place where we ambushed the other smugglers.”
“Hmm, I think I will investigate this myself. Lieutenant, assemble a patrol immediately!”
“They came from between those trees and were travelling in a straight line towards the city.”
“Men, spread out in a single line. We will move slowly towards the city. If you see anything out of the ordinary, inform me immediately.”
With those words they set off in the direction of Jerusalem.
So far, he had seen nothing strange. Robert skirted a small pond. It would be nice to cool off in the water, but first things first. He could see the city walls already and he hadn’t found what he was looking for. "What exactly am I looking for?" Robert wondered. The route he was taking lead directly towards the dung gate. They couldn’t have been trying to pass through the dung gate. His lookouts would certainly have spotted them.
No, he must have missed something. When the first enthusiastic defenders started to fire arrows in his direction Robert ordered a one hundred and eighty degree turn. They passed the pond again and this time Robert decided a short rest would not hurt anyone.
The pond was located in a shallow dip in the landscape. He dismounted and led his horse to the edge of the water. Robert kneeled down and plunged his head in the murky water to wash the dirt of his face.
“Merde! this is horrid!” Robert spat in the sand and rubbed his face vigorously with his sleeves in an effort to get the horrid stench out of his nose. Some of it had gone into his mouth and he was still spitting when his Lieutenant ran up to him.
“It tastes like a whole city took a dump in it.” Looking at the water’s surface he saw evidence supporting this theory. A suspicion floated up in Roberts mind. He waded into the thick water to the far side of the pool. In the rock, hidden from view by several branches, he found a cave.
It was not a normal cave. Robert could clearly see the marks made by tools. He had found the smugglers way in and out of the city, but more importantly, he had found his way to glory.
He took a deep breath...probably the last breath of fresh air for some time to come...and entered the tunnel. He could hear the sloshing of their feet through the thick mud and the muffled breathing of his men. Robert had entered the tunnel with a small squad of men. Twenty of his best soldiers were accompanying him in the dark. Their swords were padded and they had removed their armor. No clink of metal on rock would be able to alert any guards. For that same reason they were travelling in complete darkness. A scented scarf was knotted across everyone’s face against the smell, but it seemed to make no difference.
A curse followed by a splash. The sound of retching could be heard.
Everyone stiffened waiting for a cry of alarm. No cry came and Robert breathed in and out deeply. He immediately regretted it. A few paces and a soldier whispered to him: “Watch out, it’s a hole.” Robert lowered himself carefully into the yuck in which the first soldier had fallen.
Thud, followed by whispered swearing. Passed down the line was the warning that the tunnel roof unexpectedly lowered up ahead. Until then they could walk upright without problems, but now Robert had to crawl through the goo. With his face closer to the sludge, Robert nearly fainted from the penetrating smell. He couldn’t imagine eating anything smuggled through this viscous mass. He felt a pang of sympathy with the Muslims trapped inside the walls. This was quickly replaced by relief as he could finally stand up again, even if he still had to duck to avoid bumping his head.
A murmur up ahead. Pacing forward Robert could see a lighter patch of darkness. A waft of fresh air blew across his face. The murmur became louder and he could decipher two different voices, sentries!
A short scuffle and the voices stopped. Robert emerged from the tunnel mouth completely soaked. Soft squelches indicated his men had spread around the square. He could see the temple close by. Turning back the way he had come, Robert pointed to a side street. Silently his men set off towards the Dung gate.
Robert could see the gate right in front of him. To get to it, they had to cross a wide open space. When the first handful of men started to cross, a cry went up behind them. The cry was picked up by others and Robert knew they had to hurry. With only twenty men they would not survive for long. They had to get the gate open so the waiting army could enter the city.
Arriving at the gate, he saw that heavy struts had been used to reinforce it. They tried to lift the struts out of the way, but arrows began to fall among them. With no armor on, men started to fall. Only one strut was left in place when the defenders fell upon them. Thankfully the rain of arrows stopped, but it was replaced with a storm of steel. His sword still slippery, Robert lost it after trading only a few blows.
The handful of defenders were quickly defeated, but more were converging on them from all streets. Without his sword, Robert diverted all of his attention to opening the gate. He heaved with all of his might against the last strut.
It was not moving.
Two others joined him and it fell, clattering, to the side. Now, only the heavy beam across the two doors remained. The three of them tried to move it, but after lifting it only a few inches they were exhausted and the beam slipped back into place.
Their comrades were putting up a fierce fight but they were driven back towards the gate. Robert called the other two to one side. They tried to lift the beam from one of his supports. It fell heavily to the ground. Running over to the other side one of his companions was struck by a sword.
The two of them couldn’t lift the beam from the remaining socket. Giving it one last effort the beam still fell back into place. Robert turned to the fighting. Not long now, it would be over soon. Resting with his back against the wood, he could only pray the end would be swift.
He felt a shudder and slowly the door started to move a little. With a shock, Robert realized there were shouts from the other side of the gate. His army was trying to come in. The doors, though designed to open outwards, started to swing in slowly. The pressure of a whole army was too much for the ancient wood, now that the struts were gone. With a loud creaking, one of the doors fell inwards, crashing on top of the two fighting camps. His army started to pour in, quickly changing the tide of battle.
Robert stood on top of the wall overlooking his conquest. Covered in God knows what, he was watching the dawn break across Jerusalem. With fires raging throughout the city he could clearly see the damage his pathetic siege engines had done.
No building was left unscathed.
He had conquered Jerusalem...
...but the entire region lay in ruins.
