Call of the Clan

The walls of the castle were being battered now, and even if Janet wanted to escape, she would not be able to. She couldn’t take the risk of opening up the door again, in case the raiders spotted it, or she left some sign in the room of where she had gone. She ran her fingers along her father’s shield, and then turned it over, bracing her arm into the leather strap behind it. It was heavy, and she wasn’t sure that it was a help or a hindrance, but she knew that she had to at least try to protect herself for the first few blows. 
There was a footstep behind her, and she turned, pulling her knife from her belt, and holding it out towards the stranger.