Falcon soon found a deadly rhythm with both sword and axe taking down ogres in a macabre dance. Sword, axe, and the marble floor were soon slick with black ogre blood mingled with the red blood of the defenders, but the defenders stood fast. Falcon had chosen them for both skill and endurance, and the vestibule echoed with the clash of steel and shouts of victory. Bodies of fallen ogres were dragged into piles to act as barriers, limiting the press of the ogre army into the hospital vestibule, but adding to the cramped fighting quarters for the defenders.

  In time, the moon was nearly at its full height, but the ogres kept coming. Falcon was tiring, likely as much from blood loss from several wounds as from exhaustion. The pile of ogres he’d left on either side of the shattered door seemed to be only a small fraction of the whole, and for the first time Falcon’s faith in Sebastian’s vision wavered. The young seer had yet to appear, and it would take a literal miracle for Falcon to keep the bloodthirsty ogres back much longer.

  The onslaught of ogres abated to trickle as the brutes fell back to regroup and consider how badly they wanted what was inside the hospital guarded by the berserk knights. The governor’s palace burned in the background, and some of the ogres fell back to join the sack of the palace. Falcon allowed his arms to fall to his sides and leaned against the doorway to catch his breath. God, that miracle you promised can come at any time.

  “Just me. I’d appreciate it if you don’t actually kill me.” Sebastian announced cheekily as he cracked open the inner door and slipped inside, followed by another dozen well-armed men. He nodded to Falcon with a grin. “I wasn’t particularly impressed with that interpretation of my vision.”

  “There’s no fear of that. You’re far too scrawny to be mistaken for an ogre.” Falcon huffed a chuckle, but didn’t move. “Is your miracle reinforcements? Because conjuring knights out of midair seems pretty miraculous to me.”

  “No miracle, their general didn’t appreciate my warning and demanded I support the front lines until the walls fell.” Sebastian flinched at the memory “On the general, it turned out. I brought them here. You look like you could use the reinforcements.”

  “I’m honestly not sure we’d have held out much longer without them.” Falcon grunted and let his head drop back against the wall, too weary even to raise his arm to cross himself in thanksgiving. Thank you, God. This has to be the weirdest battle I have ever fought, but I am not complaining.

  “Let me heal you before the ogres decide on a new tactic.” Sebastian made the sign of the cross, bowed his head, and prayed over Falcon’s wounds one by one. The pain cooled at each spot he touched and the cuts knit together quickly.

  “Have you seen to the others?” Falcon risked a glance from the ogres outside to the young healer beside him, and realized with some dismay that the young man’s face and arms were criss crossed with half healed cuts and abrasions, and weariness lined his determined face.

  “The archers have kept the ogres from the windows, so there have only been limited injuries there. Easily healed.” Sebastian’s eyes flicked to the side. “Your men are the only ones I haven’t seen to yet.”

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  Falcon scanned his fellow knights. All still stood under their own power, but all bled from wounds of varying severity, and two slumped against the pile of ogres looking more dead than alive.

  “Can you truly heal all of us??” Falcon lowered his voice and took the young healer by the arm. “As much as I appreciate it, I’d rather not find that ‘shadow of death’ in your vision was you killing yourself to heal everyone.”

  “I’m tired, Falcon, and will likely sleep the clock around tomorrow, but this is no worse than the night you were brought in.” Sebastian shrugged. “Except maybe the nearness of the battle. The ogres will return, and you will all need your strength to hold them off.”

  “See to them then.” Falcon gestured to the worst of the wounded. “And try to stay clear of swinging steel or the ogres’ reach when the battle starts again.”

  “You might try the same.” Sebastian finished healing the last of Falcon’s wounds with a nod and moved to the next knight.

  Falcon frowned as Sebastian moved around the room. The young priest’s vision confirmed he survived, but the “shadow of death” part of the vision still plagued Falcon. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of the pacifistic healer on the front lines of the battle. Nor was he sure there was anything he could do about it.

  Other than kill any ogre that made it through the doorway. Falcon took a deep breath and pushed off the door as the gathered ogres cheered. The art and gold treasures of the Church would be tempting enough, but the ogres’ thirst for blood would not tolerate a stronghold of human defiance standing against their slaughter. He narrowed his eyes at the commotion and groaned. Of course they would have a cursed beast on their side. A giant beast like a cross between an elephant and a ram, mounted by an ugly ogre, pawed at the street outside the hospital as ogres scrambled out from under foot like children.

  “What is that thing?” Sebastian gasped from behind Falcon.

  “How the ogres got through the walls.” Falcon gripped his axe tighter. “We’re going to have to take it down before it gets to the hospital, or we’ll be crushed when the walls fall and the ogres will overrun the hospital.”

  “You mean you’re going out there.” Sebastian lay a hand on Falcon’s sweat-slicked arm, and Falcon felt a charge flash through him, a warm mixture of courage, strength, and energy. Like a second wind. “I’ll come, too.”

  Falcon looked down at Sebastian’s hand in surprise, then back up at the healer with consternation. “No, you won’t. You’ll do whatever you just did to me to the rest of the knights and stay back while we take the beast down.”

  Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Falcon as if considering defying him, then turned back to the interior of the room and the waiting knights.

  “We have to take that beast down before it reaches the hospital.” Falcon turned to face the knights defending the entrance with him, but kept one eye on the ogres. “I will take half with me, while the rest remain here to prevent the ogres from taking the hospital in the middle of our distraction. God has promised us the victory, so we may fight with boldness.”

  The knights’ eyes locked on Sebastian at Falcon’s side, their expressions a mix of awe and fear the rough fighting men had not shown the ogres.

  “Father Alexander will stay here and tend to any wounded.” Falcon preempted any inclination they may have to making the young seer some kind of talisman or good luck charm and hauling him out to the front lines to lead the charge in an ill-fitting suit of armor. Falcon pointed out the half of the men he wanted with him and assigned one of the remaining to command the knights still in the vestibule. Without another word, he clapped Sebastian on the back and led his men out against the cursed beast.