'Don't you worry your beautiful self about nothing, Bloody-Nine,' laughed Crummock. 'My fortress could be better built, I'll grant you, but the ground is with us, and the mountains, and the moon, all smiling on our bold endeavour. This is a strong place, with a strong history. Do you not know the story of Laffa the Brave?'

'Can't say that I do.' Logen wasn't altogether sure he wanted to hear it now, but he was in the long habit of not getting what he wanted.

'Laffa was a great bandit chief of the hillmen, a long time ago. He raided all the clans around for years, him and his brothers. One hot summer the clans had enough, so they banded together and hunted him in the mountains. Here's where he made his last stand. Right here in this fortress. Laffa and his brothers and all his people.'

'What happened?' asked Dogman.

'They all got killed, and their heads cut off and put in a sack, and the sack was buried in the pit they used to shit in.' Crummock beamed. 'Guess that's why they call it a last stand, eh?'

'That's it? That's the story?'

'That's all of it that I know, but I'm not right sure what else there could be. That was pretty much the end for Laffa, I'd say.'

'Thanks for the encouragement.'

'That's alright, that's alright! I've more stories, if you need more!'

'No, no, that's enough for me.' Logen turned and started walking off, the Dogman beside him. 'You can tell me more once we've won!'

'Ha ha, Bloody-Nine!' shouted Crummock after him, 'that'll be a story in itself, eh? You can't fool me! You're like I am, beloved of the moon! We fight hardest when our backs are to the mountains and there's no way out! Tell me it ain't so! We love it when we got no choices!'

'Oh aye,' Logen muttered to himself as he stalked off towards the gate. 'There's nothing better than no choices.'

Dogman stood at the foot o' the wall, staring up at it, and wondering what to do to give him and the rest a better chance at living out the week.

'It'd be a good thing to get all this creeper and grass cleared off it,' he said. 'Makes it a damn sight easier to climb.'

Tul raised an eyebrow. 'You sure it ain't all that plant that's holding it together?'

Grim tugged at a vine and a shower of dried-out mortar came with it.

'Might be you're right.' Dogman sighed. 'Cut off what we can, then, eh? Some work at the top would be time well spent and all. Be nice to have a decent stack o' stones to hide behind when Bethod starts shooting arrows at us.'