32: SIDE CARRY

Bridge Four practices a new side-carry technique to shield themselves from arrows during a bridge run to the Tower plateau. Though the tactic succeeds in protecting his crew, it disrupts the army's coordinated assault, scattering the cavalry charge and undermining the battle. As consequences loom, a one-armed optimist named the bridge Four for his team.

When new conscripts arrive at the bridge camp, including a spindly, one-armed, talkative man named the bridge Four discovers that a horn call signals another bridge run. Bridge Four has grown skilled at their new side-carry technique, holding the bridge at an angle to shield themselves from arrows. En route to the Tower plateau—a location no force has ever conquered—which is approached from an unusual, difficult angle. As arrows begin flying, the bridge Four executes a zigzagging pattern, using the bridge face as a shield and turning sharply to deflect each volley meant for them. This innovative tactic keeps all thirty members alive while other crews suffer devastating casualties, and Bridge Four reaches the chasm ahead of schedule.

However, the tactic's consequences ripple through the entire assault. Other crews attempt to emulate the side-carry without training, creating chaos and slowing the overall deployment. The cavalry charge, which depends on having bridges set in a coordinated line, becomes scattered and ineffective. The army soon finds itself on the defensive, losing ground and nearly losing the battle itself. As the battle deteriorates, a grim realization strikes: by saving his own crew, he has undermined the larger military strategy.

When they retreat to shelter, Rock celebrates their success, but the bridge Four sees a military disaster unfolding. Shortly after, the bridge Four is approached by bridge One and the bridge Four's sergeant, bringing soldiers. The bridge Four defuses the immediate threat of execution by pointing out that killing him would make his superiors look complicit. The bridge Four is beaten severely but left alive, his precious spheres—now drained of their that was left in his possession—scattered across the stones.