243 CCXLIII. The Black Cloud (1/2)

From the sides of the hills, Dag and his companions heard the sound of horns announcing the attack.

The first enemy troops to charge were those formed by horseless warriors, who, forming a wedge, quickly descended from their position, taking advantage of the steep slopes of the hills.

The chivalry stood still, deployed in the same place, and divided into four groups of about 15 individuals each, alongside other groups of horseless warriors and archers.

Enemy soldiers screamed at Dag and his comrades, charging madly.

There were several hundreds of them and thickening, they completely covered every part of the green slopes.

Dag descended back to the ground, leaving his dark claws thrust into the ground, ready to push himself upwards to load a Lightning Strike, the only attack beyond Storm Bolt that would allow him to do damage to such a vast area.

Gridd put herself in a combat position, as did Freydis, who had a very different style, with the blade of the sword facing backwards and its hilt pointed forward, her legs wide and knees bent.

Reidar stayed slightly behind his companions and loaded an arrow, generating two more, knowing that perhaps that was the only magic shot available, before the enemies noticed him, disabling the Failnaught's powers.

Karl raised his shield, which trembled following the movements of his arm.

The enemies continued their advance fast, trampling on the bushes and shrubs at the foot of the headland and ready to break into the village, when, suddenly, something obscured the moonlight.

A deafening noise forced both enemies and Dag's team to cover their ears and turn their gaze to the sky.

A giant flock of birds, the size of a cloud, crossed the sky above their heads, croaking out of control.

”Oh no! Dag! It's the same crows who attacked us when we left Hevnen! This is the last thing we needed!” shouted Gridd, fearing that the enemies, already numerous, had received additional reinforcements.

The flock continued to fly forward, slightly lowering its trajectory, with hundreds of specimens moving lightly in unison, under the incredulous and captivated gaze of thousands of soldiers of the enemy Clan.

At that very moment, another sound joined the noise of the birds.

”The bells! These must be the bells of the watchtowers! Enemy ships have arrived in the harbor!” yelled Reidar, turning his gaze to that redundant sound.

Dag narrowed his eyes, concentrating and trying to make the most of his sight, watching that flock of crows.

”They are not enemy crows! It's our reinforcements!” shouted Dag, enthusiastically.

After that statement, the large birds dived into the enemy army, moving en masse like a giant black wave, which in a matter of seconds enveloped the lower part of the hill.

As Dag and Reidar had guessed, the crows, just before reaching their enemies, changed shape, turning into human beings, falling from above and beginning to kill enemy soldiers one after the other, hitting them with their sharp weapons.