The Will of Men, The Will of Gods - Part 10

'What can I do?' Beam found himself asking. It was not a conscious thought. It didn't reach into his mind. He was far too occupied with comment. He was deep in the bloody mud with the rest of them. He couldn't allow his thoughts to slow for even a second, lest he leave their weaker brethren stranded. Nila was only a few steps behind him, her arrows growing scarce in her quiver, as he loosened one after the other, her eyes wild and crazed.

The soldiers were fighting with equal valour, stabbing, and stabbing and stabbing. Greeves was next to them, slashing more at empty air than at flesh, but there was a desperation to his movements that bordered on madness. It was as though they were all mad. Every single one of them – they were swimming in Francis' sea, breathing his air and drinking his water. His insanity infected them like a gaseous poison.