Hendry Bracken's face flushed, then paled. He stared hard at Suleiman's back, practically forcing the words out through clenched teeth.
"He's insane. He has to be."
"I won't take part in the siege!"
Take a fortified castle in three days? Did he think he was Aegon the Conqueror, riding a dragon that breathed Dragonfire?
Suleiman's boast that he would retake the castle in three days struck the calm waters like a boulder, sending towering waves through the allied camp.
Knights and soldiers whispered among themselves, their faces a mixture of shock, doubt, and a hint of absurd hope.
Rosso Brune, too, frowned deeply and stepped forward with concern, lowering his voice. "My lord, a siege and a field battle are two entirely different things."
"The castle walls are high and thick. The Ironborn only need to throw rocks down to inflict heavy casualties."
Suleiman merely shook his head and told Rosso, "We don't need to lay siege."
Rather than summon his officers to discuss tactics as everyone expected, or order the construction of ladders or battering rams, he simply called Bryn and Rosso over in a calm voice.
"Get your horses ready. Come with me."
As nearly two thousand allied soldiers watched in astonishment, three horses slowly rode out of the camp.
The wind swept over the cracked earth, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Three horses, three men. They rode slowly and fearlessly to within a hundred paces of the castle's drawbridge.
The Ironborn guards on the walls were clearly bewildered. They could see the allied camp sprawling darkly in the distance, and the three strange riders before them.
Suleiman reined in his horse and raised his head. His voice carried over the wind as the agitated horse pawed at the ground. "Come out and talk!"
The wall erupted