---
A spear came in low for Kai's thigh. He kicked the shaft and it skidded off his boot, sparks spitting. Another came for his ribs. He rolled his hip into it. The point scraped plate and slid, screaming along his side. Another came high. He tilted his head and felt steel brush his jaw. He reached between two shield rims and twisted. The spear shaft on the far side snapped like a stick.
"Hold," the captain cried. "Hold stead—"
Kai's spear butt slammed into the bottom edge of another shield. It lifted the rim like a pried lid. He drove the iron head into the gap and turned. The man behind the shield screamed. Blood sprayed the inside of the board and ran down in neat lines through the cracks.
The line tried to close. Men pressed on men. Shields hit shields with dull thuds. The moonlight on the resin made it look like water breaking against rock.
