Konrad stepped out into the courtyard, which was already swarming with men. The watch, near two hundred strong now, rushed to form their lines, their wheel-lock pistols primed and loaded. The four new falconets were being hitched to strong draft horses.

Captain Eckhard was shouting orders. When he saw Konrad, he ran over, a look of shock in his eyes.

"The scouts bring word from the southern ridge, Lord Konrad," Eckhard reported, breathing heavy. "They are here. But... they do not march on the keep."

Konrad frowned. "Where do they ride then?"

"They bypass the valley floor, they take the old logging road to the east. They head straight for the forges." Eckhard said, wiping sweat from his brow.

Konrad nodded, "A cunning move... Baron von Waldburg seeks to seize the iron before he strikes the walls."

"They are lightly held, my Lord!" Eckhard stressed. "If they take the forges, they cut off our weapons, and they hold the river. We must ride to meet them!"

"We will meet them..." Konrad agreed. "But not on the logging road. We will stand at the narrow bend near the river. The ground there pinches their lines, making their great numbers useless and breaking their horse."

Eckhard stared at him. The river bend was a tight throat, walled by steep rocks on one side and deep, fast water on the other.

"Form the watch and the falconets at once." Konrad commanded.

As the watch formed and marched toward the river, Konrad returned to the keep. He needed to ensure the household was safe.

He found Elise and Uncle Lothar in the hall. Elise looked terrified, clutching a small wooden cross, while Lothar paced nervously.

"The Swabian League has breached our lands," Konrad announced, "You will both abide in the deep cellars until the danger is passed. The guards have orders to shoot anyone who seeks to leave or enter without my sworn word."

Lothar stopped pacing, his face pale. "Konrad... you cannot fight three thousand men... Yield the forges. Parley! Perhaps they will spare us if we bend the knee!"

Konrad looked at his uncle, "...the Swabian League does not mean to spare us; they mean to break us. Go to the cellars."

He turned and walked to the guest wing. He found Lady Katarina in her rooms, flanked by her scarred captain, Gregor.

"The host is upon us, Lady Katarina." Konrad stated, stepping into the room. "The Swabian League has chosen the eastern road."

Katarina nodded, "My guards are ready to hold these doors if the walls fall."

Konrad assured her. "I want you to witness the coming clash. The Bavarian Alliance depends on my strength to hold these lands. I intend to give you proof of that strength..."

Katarina raised an eyebrow, "You want me on the field of slaughter, Konrad? Amidst the dying?"

"I want you at a safe rock overlooking the river bend..." Konrad corrected. "The truth shown today will serve well in future bargains with your father. Gregor will see you are safe."

Katarina thought for a breath, then offered a small smile. "Very well..."

A half-hour later, Konrad, Katarina, and Gregor stood upon a high, rocky crag overlooking the river bend. The high ground offered a clear view of the muddy road below, pinched between the steep rock and the rushing water.

Down in the narrow throat, Konrad’s watch was drawn up in three tight lines.

The four falconets were set on the flanks, their gunners standing ready with glowing matches. The men looked tense but steady, their wheel-locks primed and leveled.

The distant rumble of drums and marching boots began to roll through the valley.

Then, the vanguard of the Swabian League appeared around the bend.

They were a fearful sight... Hundreds of veteran Landsknechts, dressed in slashed silks of bright colors, marching in a bristling forest of pikes.

Behind them, the gleam of steel marked a host of armored knights, forced into a slow crawl by the narrow path.

Baron von Waldburg had surely looked for some fight, but he had not looked for a steady line of fire blocking the only road to the iron.

The Swabian vanguard halted, startled by the watch.

A heavily armored lord rode forward, shouting commands.

The great block of pikemen lowered their long ash poles, forming a wall of steel points, and began to march at a slow pace.

"They close the gap..." Katarina noted quietly, "Your pistols will not pierce their armor until they are within thirty paces. By then, the pikes will be among your men." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"The pistols are the second strike, watch the first" Konrad replied.

Down in the narrow pass, Captain Eckhard raised his sword.

The Swabian pikemen were fifty paces away... Eckhard dropped his sword.

The four falconets roared as one. But they did not throw iron balls.

At Konrad’s strict command, Master Dieter had loaded the cannons with tightly bound canvas bags packed with scrap iron, rusty nails, and sharp stones.

The blast tore into the packed Swabian vanguard like a scythe through wheat.

Scores of men in the front ranks were instantly shredded, their bodies thrown backward into the men behind them, shattering the disciplined wall of pikes.

The screams of the dying and maimed instantly drowned out the drums.

The Swabian march broke, the men stumbling over the bodies of their fellows, their courage shattered by the bloody ruin.

Before they could rally, Eckhard shouted again.

The first rank of the watch fired their wheel-locks, a crashing volley that tore into the confused, broken Swabian lines.

The first rank instantly dropped to load, and the second rank fired... Then the third.

The narrow ground kept the Swabian League from using their great numbers or moving around the flanks.

They were trapped in a bloody pen, torn apart by volley fire and iron hail.

Katarina watched the carnage in silence. She had seen battles before, but she had never seen anything like this. "...but they have thousands more behind them. They will simply push over their own dead to reach you."

Konrad nodded, "The iron hail serves well to blunt the first strike. Yet, you speak true. Their vast numbers demand a more... sweeping ruin."

Down in the valley, the Swabian lords were trying to rally their men, pushing more pikemen forward into the bloody pass, determined to crush the watch.

But as the second wave of Swabian troops marched forward, a strange yellow mist began to billow from hidden iron pipes set along the steep rocks overlooking the road.

The mist was heavy... It rolled down the rocky slopes like a slow, poisoned river, settling into the narrow pass, swallowing the advancing Swabian host.

Katarina watched in growing horror as the Swabian soldiers suddenly dropped their pikes, clutching their throats, coughing violently.

The ordered lines collapsed entirely as men scrambled over each other, desperately trying to flee the choking cloud.

Katarina stared at Konrad, a deep terror mingling with her awe.