A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor-Chapter 801: Cracks in the Defense - Part 1

"But I asked her," Oliver put in.

"You need not explain yourself to me, Miss Nila Felder," Verdant said. "My Lord holds you in great esteem. That naturally means that I shall do the same. Whatever you ask, as long as it aligns with what my Lord wishes, I shall assist with."

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

"Fine. Well, I'll hope you'll excuse me for using such high-class men as bait, but it's about the only way I can see of us getting into range," Nila said.

"Fine," Oliver said, echoing her own words back to her. He pulled the bow off his back, and Verdant did the same. Nila frowned seeing them.

"What brutish things," she said, shaking her head. "Well, at least threaten to aim it in their direction, and they should recognize enough the danger of their range. Probably. I truly have no idea – but you asked, Oliver, so…"

"I did, and I'm trusting you," Oliver said.

"Is there anything I can do?" Blackthorn asked, sheepishly.

Nila spared her a glance, but that was all. "They've extra range with their strong bows. There's nothing else that we need."

It was a brusque enough dismal that Oliver almost felt bad for Blackthorn as she returned to the others, but he'd asked, and he could only trust that Nila was doing what she thought was best. After all, this task was hers.

"Go then, quickly, before the dark comes," Nila said.

"Uhm, what exactly do you want us to do?" Oliver asked.

"Just run at them, and pretend you're going to fire," Nila said. "They should recognize the threat from the size of your bows. Maybe."

"…" Oliver and Verdant shared a look, but as one, they shrugged. It was nothing more really than a bit of mischief, but if that was what was required, then so be it.

"I'll keep pace with you, Verdant," Oliver said, "then we'll split apart when the arrows come."

"You don't need to hit anything, really, just pretend to aim. And try not to get hit yourself – that would be a stupid end to this," Nila reminded them.

"As you wish, my Lord," Verdant said, taking the lead as Oliver directed, putting as much pace forward as he could muster. He was not a particularly fast runner, on account of his clumsiness, but his stride was a powerful one, and each step was explosive. Oliver found himself showered in snow running so close to the man.

It felt odd to Oliver to run with a bow out in front of him. Odder still to do it with an arrow notched, in preparation for the string to be pulled back. The two of them covered the necessary ground rather quickly. It wasn't long at all before they were in range. Now, they'd have to fire, before the enemy returned on them.

Oliver took a loose aim, despite Nila's assurances that it didn't matter. He'd trained with the bow for a while now, after all. He hoped he could at least put it to use, even if at this distance, with a wall covering much of the enemy, it made for an impossible shot.

With a twang, both he and Verdant released their arrows, sending them hurtling towards the enemy. It was difficult to tell just where they were, given the mounting dark, but when there were no sounds of a man being hit after a few seconds, it was safe to say that they'd both missed.

And now they were running. It sounded almost like a strong gust of wind, but it was unmistakably the flight of a few dozen arrows. The enemy's gaze had been thoroughly locked onto them, throughout the whole run. Maybe the shine of both Verdant and Oliver's armour marked them as nobles, even from this distance.

With great speed, they worked to dive out of range, though it proved to be a closer thing than last time. Oliver jumped to clear the last distance, whilst Verdant tried to do the same. They escaped much of the barrage, only Verdant managed to get his cape pinned by a stray arrow, which he tore without realizing using that ridiculous strength of his.

With the fear that a storm of arrows naturally put into a man, it was easy to forget what their original plan had been. After all, Nila had never said how exactly she'd use their division.

"GAGHHH!" A scream rang out from the top of the quiet hill, followed by a loud thud, as a man tumbled straight forward off the wall. Nila came skidding to a halt next to them a moment later.

"I got him," she said. She looked awfully pleased about that fact. It was an endearing trait of hers – no matter how many impossible shots she landed, she always seemed to be almost childishly proud of each one. "I think it was his eye, but it was hard to tell."

The rest of their little group couldn't hide their shock. The loud Firyr had the sense to be quiet, as he reevaluated the little woman. Their gazes, as with the enemy's, had been on Oliver and Verdant. They hardly managed to see just how Nila had closed the gap as stealthily as she had. It was like a knife from a blind spot.

Amongst their number, it was Blackthorn looking intently, evaluating Nila again, just as she had been all day.

"Good work," Oliver told her, patting her shoulder.

It wasn't a significant thing, by the eyes of an observer. A single man, and a single shot. It did hardly anything to change the state of the battlefield on which they'd sat. But, it gave their scouting mission a purpose, something to show – and it proved something important. That impenetrable wall that loomed like an unforgiving mount was not invincible. There were cracks that could be exploited.

Their way back to camp was accompanied by the thunder of angry cavalry hooves. They'd heard the gate open, and they'd immediately dashed towards the trees.

"We can't outrun these!" Firyr said in a panic. "There's at least fifty cavalrymen there!"