"Damn you, Yetos! Come out and die!"
"Stop cowering like those people from the Seven Kingdoms, hiding your heads like turtles!"
"You maggots of the Holy Temple! Come out and be slaughtered by the great Viking Warriors!"
"You're nothing but a swarm of crawling scum!"
"...!"
Below the walls, the Viking Legion led by Swinburne hurled provocations at everyone atop Morgaya City's ramparts. War drums and horns sounded without pause, shouts and curses rising in turn as dozens, even hundreds of Vikings took turns bellowing. Their abuse was as relentless as the brilliant morning sunshine, enveloping all of Morgaya City.
On the walls, Yetos and Tovi Belle sat on stools, moving black and white pieces across a table under Zeng Mu's guidance. The enemy's curses and provocations went in one ear and out the other. They ignored the ugly words as though they were nothing but the wind, concentrating instead on their rather entertaining game.
Two hours passed in a flash, and the sun climbed from its initial seven o'clock position to nine o'clock.
The temperature had risen slightly over those two hours, but not enough to counter the increasingly cold weather. Snow had fallen steadily over the preceding days. Although none fell today, the soil remained hard, and the white frost had only receded ten minutes earlier. It was now around two degrees Celsius-not terribly cold, but certainly not warm or comfortable.
The prolonged shouting left the Vikings' throats dry. When Swinburne waved for them to stop, the rear ranks distributed the water they had brought to everyone. Only after gulping down the cold water did the dryness in their throats ease.
Sand City lay a full three hundred and twenty li from Morgaya City. Bringing nine thousand troops and two hundred heavy cavalry chariots here had taken Swinburne