71 LXXI. The Shieldwall (1/2)

”Hel... help me! It hurts!” said the warrior as soon as he was struck by the arrow.

Aslan approached him, pulling the arrow from his body and using one of his healing skills.

”Silence!” said Dag, nodding to the comrades behind him.

Focusing on the sound, he was able to realize that the enemies were right behind the doors.

”They're here, back down. They could hit us with more arrows” he continued.

The group of warriors obeyed without discussion.

Dag heard a noise of flintlocks: the enemies were setting a fire.

Before he could explain to others what he had just heard, the sky above their heads lit up in red. A rain of fiery arrows was about to fall down on them.

”Shield Waaall!” shouted Dag, moving toward the door to shield himself from the attack.

Some of the warriors raised their shields, but others were hit and fell to the ground as their bodies began to burn.

Panic broke out.

Although they were all trained warriors, few of them had already participated in a real war. Dag wasn't one of them either.

Suddenly, a heavy blow moved the iron door and the beam that holding it bent slightly, then returned to its original position.

”It's a battering ram! They want to break through the door!” said one of the warriors with the shield.

Aslan managed to move the body of the stricken boy to a safe area and within minutes he treated him, partially healing the wound.

”We need to reinforce it!” shouted Dag.

”The heaviest of us must go behind the door! The others will follow me!” he continued.

More reinforcements continued to arrive from the dormitory to the west wing.

Dag climbed a wooden staircase leading to the top of the walls, where there were some observation towers.

”Archers! Get on!” he yelled.

Some of the warriors followed him. Among them were two women, armed with a bow and arrows.

Once they arrived on the observation towers, they began to attack the enemies.

The enemy troop was numerous, but less than the one Dag had crossed before on the main street, which would have entered through the main entrance.

”Focus on those who push the ram!” yelled Dag, who had now taken control of his troop.

The archers of his Clan, despite the numerical inferiority, were advantaged in the position: the towers were equipped with special firing positions, repaired both above and at the sides.

One by one, they struck all the warriors pushing the ram, while from the back rows of the enemy troop, fiery arrows continued to be fired across the walls.

Fortunately, most of the warriors protecting the west wing, finding themselves in close contact with the door to withstand the ram, were not hit by the subsequent waves of arrows.