Chapter 59

Arrows whipping through the air had laid down some unwarned soldiers by the time Commander Eiga ducked his way out of the carriage.

“Hey! Let me help!” Shinji was screaming. But Eiga had no plan on freeing Shinji.
He locked the door and gyrated towards the soldiers despite of Shinji’s brutal thumping on the floor. Eiga saw arrows planted in chests of the soldiers nearby the fire. The short arrows had pierced through windpipe of unalarmed soldiers.
People gagged, trying to pluck out the arrow from their throats.
Commander Eiga sensed an arrow coming towards him and dodged it seconds before it could come closer to him. But the soldiers didn’t possess such instincts. As a result, arrows shredded their lungs.
“Crossbows.” Eiga whispered by noticing length of the arrow which once again had hit the carriage.
“They are using crossbows!” Commander Eiga bellowed, “Front liners, make the wall!”
Eiga’s effort to be heard backfired. The ambushers also got wind of the commander’s plan and arrows rained with more ferocity than before. Casting tune of whip, they hit some soldiers who had gone to bring the shields out of a carriage.
Horse infront of the carriage didn’t get mercy as well. The arrow went through its eye and it collapsed before it could feel pain.
Couple of soldiers who had gone in to grasp shields slid out of the carriage along with the shields. Some arrows charged at their direction and went through them as soon as they made it on their feet. Whoever dared to go near the shields was hit by arrows.
“Abandon the shields.” Commander yelled, “Stand behind the carriages, everyone. Don’t let them get more of us.”
Survivors marched their way to the safety of carriages placed in straight line. Arrows came to their direction but never managed to hurt anyone.
“Which tree are they shooting from?” a soldier asked.
It was hard to tell from where they were. Wernh’An’s soldiers were near the beginning of forest with hundreds of trees on the other side of carriages.
More horses fell dead, reducing the height of wall.
“Archers!” Commander Eiga threw his temper tantrum at the soldiers trying to make their way to a carriage from an axe.
“Just a second commander!” the one with axe assured him.
Few swings later the cutter had made gap big enough for archers to get their swords. Archers fixed their arrows on bows, stretched it by its nock and loosened them.
Before those arrows could make it to the trees of forest, they dispatched another round.
Three waves later Eiga signaled them to stop. He hadn’t seen anyone fall from the trees and by no grunts coming from other end, he was not able to tell if their arrows had done their job or had just gone in vain..
“They are shooting from a single tree. Not many.” Eiga was sure.
“Which one then, commander?” archers had questions in their arsenal which Eiga didn’t know answer of.
“MAYBE I CAN HELP YOU.” Shinji stomped on his carriage.
“Go f*** yourself.” Commander Eiga punched his carriage, “Don’t stop. Keep loosening arrows at them.”
“THEY AREN’T SHOOTING ANYMORE. I THINK ARCHERS GOT THEM.” Shinji howled.
Soldiers looked at each other.
Is he right? All wondered. But Eiga had no faith in his reasoning. If Commander Eiga wasn’t sure, there was no basis for soldiers to feel safe.
“They are behind!” Shinji warned them but soldiers took time to comprehend it.
A group of over twenty men sprinted out of the tall grassland with intent to finish Wernh’An’s army. The soldiers didn’t get clue of them till they heard their war cry. The attackers didn’t have thick clothing for their protection but what they lacked in safety, they compensated with smart weapons. They made their lances ready and threw them towards soldiers holding swords.