All was in readiness and Mayrin was back.
"Just what are we doing?" she asked nervously.
I patted her shoulder, "You'll see. Now mount up."
I helped her up and then gazing up at her I said, "When Thanuel gives the word, you ride as fast as this horse can go out along the length of the wall. Understand?"
Wiping sweat off her brow she nodded shakily.
"You'll do just fine."
I turned from her and went to the wall. Thanuel handed me a short length of chain, which I accepted.
Jarken was already manning the javelin launcher. He lifted it to point it down over the wall and for a man typically of many words he spoke only a few. "The big one?" he asked, as he sighted down the peep sights of the launcher.
"Yep. Put it in the sand right in front of him," I said.
Yesathurim warriors all over were shaking their heads in disbelief and beginning to voice objections to what was going on.
"Do it!" I said.
The taunt strings of the launcher snapped forward and the javelin shot out at high-speed over the wall. I watched as it streaked out toward the giant that was whipping up a frenzy among the enemy forces.
Standing about 11 feet tall he wasn't the most imposing of giants that I'd ever seen, but he did possess the fighting attributes of a superior fighter along with some leadership ability. It didn't matter. I was going to kill him.
I leapt up onto the wall top at the same moment the javelin buried itself deeply into the sandy loam not 10 feet from the giant's feet. I jumped out into space as Thanuel and Jarken pulled taut the rope attached to the javelin.
I whipped the chain out and overtop the rope and caught the other end with my free hand. My wild ride began in earnest then.
The chain, now burdened with my weight, skipped down the rope at high speed. The ground was fast approaching and at the last moment I let go of the chain and tumbled head over heels into the sand and up to my feet.
My tumble had brought me dangerously close to the giant who had turned from the crowd before him at the outburst of excitement when the javelin bolt was shot from the wall. In surprised alarm at the appearance of me, the giant swung his large broadsword down in an attempt to separate me into two pieces.
I sidestepped away from the blade and as his sword bit into the ground I drew my own blade, stepped close and swung upward with all my power. Blood spurted as the giant's head went rolling, even as his body remained motionless still grasping the sword buried in the ground.