Read Online Eclipsing the Darkness (The Dragon Chronicles Book 5) by Shawn E. Crapo - Free Book Online
Authors: Shawn E. Crapo
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stepped up from the mass of soldiers behind the kings, awaiting their king’s orders.
“Take out the guards in the two nearest towers,” Eamon said. “We will follow with a quiet charge down the cliff side.”
Mekembe chuckled. “As quiet as a massive charge can be,” he said. “Perhaps a small force should be sent to infiltrate the city in order to open the gates.”
Eamon nodded, noting the placement of archers on the walls. “Good idea,” he replied. “Daryth and Azim can lead a smaller squad. They are both adept at stealth.”
“I have four men that can join them,” Hamal said.
Mekembe looked back at the tribal warriors among his own army. “The tribesmen are very quiet,” he said. “They are hunters after all. I will send six of them.”
“That should be enough,” Ulrich said. “And what an excellent viewpoint we have.”
“Yes,” Cannuck said. “What a stroke of luck they occupied a city as unguarded as this one.”
The kings chuckled at Cannuck’s humor. He was right. The city was down in a valley that was basically situated in a wide open area. The surrounding lands, though rocky, were flat and easily traversable. And the cliff on which the kings now stood was at just the right angle for a quick charge.
Taking the city would be easy.
As the other kings prepared their men for the infiltration, Eamon watched Brynn and Daryth descend the cliff and take their places behind boulders that were embedded halfway down the slope. Each of them carefully tested the wind direction and speed, drawing back their bows in unison and awaiting the perfect moment to loose.
Brynn shot first, as his target was the first to stop. The arrow disappeared into the night, and Eamon turned his attention to the guard. As he watched Brynn’s target, he heard the twang of Daryth’s bow. Then, Brynn’s arrow met its mark, dropping the Jindala guard like a sack of stones. Eamon smiled, turning to Daryth’s target, who also dropped without even a groan.
“Excellent shots,” Mekembe whispered. “Your knights are skilled archers.”
“Those two, especially,” Eamon grinned. “Brynn and Daryth were both trained well. I am not so good.”
“A king need not be a good archer,” Mekembe said. “That’s what knights are for.”
Eamon grinned again. “Gather your men, Mekembe. It’s time to open those gates.”
Daryth and Azim led their group of ten men down the slope, taking care to stay in the shadows. Fortunately the landscape was dotted with boulders that had tumbled down the cliff, affording them many hiding places to make the distance in short sprints from one rock to the next.
Along the way, they all took notice of how many archers were atop the walls. The side they approached had twelve; evenly spaced among the battlements. None of them were particularly attentive, it seemed.
Daryth raised his hand to halt the men, pulling Azim close to speak.
“One for each of us,” he said. “But I am not sure about the other walls. There may be archers placed close enough on either side to draw attention if we kill the ones near the corners.”
Azim nodded. “That is a good point,” he replied. “But our focus is to eliminate those on this side to give our army time enough to close in before the alarm is raised. We need only get the gates open by the time they charge down the hill.”
“Right,” Daryth said. “But we need to find a way in. I’m assuming the gate mechanism is just inside.”
“Leave that to us,” one of Hamal’s men said. “We can tell them to open the gates for us. They would think we were Jindala soldiers.”
“Good,” Azim said. “We will be close behind. Kill any guards immediately inside the gates, then we will fire on the archers.”
Hamal’s soldier and one companion rose and began making their way toward the gates. They both covered their faces with their turbans, untucking several scarves in their clothing to match the colors of the guards they had seen.
“Take out the guards in the two nearest towers,” Eamon said. “We will follow with a quiet charge down the cliff side.”
Mekembe chuckled. “As quiet as a massive charge can be,” he said. “Perhaps a small force should be sent to infiltrate the city in order to open the gates.”
Eamon nodded, noting the placement of archers on the walls. “Good idea,” he replied. “Daryth and Azim can lead a smaller squad. They are both adept at stealth.”
“I have four men that can join them,” Hamal said.
Mekembe looked back at the tribal warriors among his own army. “The tribesmen are very quiet,” he said. “They are hunters after all. I will send six of them.”
“That should be enough,” Ulrich said. “And what an excellent viewpoint we have.”
“Yes,” Cannuck said. “What a stroke of luck they occupied a city as unguarded as this one.”
The kings chuckled at Cannuck’s humor. He was right. The city was down in a valley that was basically situated in a wide open area. The surrounding lands, though rocky, were flat and easily traversable. And the cliff on which the kings now stood was at just the right angle for a quick charge.
Taking the city would be easy.
As the other kings prepared their men for the infiltration, Eamon watched Brynn and Daryth descend the cliff and take their places behind boulders that were embedded halfway down the slope. Each of them carefully tested the wind direction and speed, drawing back their bows in unison and awaiting the perfect moment to loose.
Brynn shot first, as his target was the first to stop. The arrow disappeared into the night, and Eamon turned his attention to the guard. As he watched Brynn’s target, he heard the twang of Daryth’s bow. Then, Brynn’s arrow met its mark, dropping the Jindala guard like a sack of stones. Eamon smiled, turning to Daryth’s target, who also dropped without even a groan.
“Excellent shots,” Mekembe whispered. “Your knights are skilled archers.”
“Those two, especially,” Eamon grinned. “Brynn and Daryth were both trained well. I am not so good.”
“A king need not be a good archer,” Mekembe said. “That’s what knights are for.”
Eamon grinned again. “Gather your men, Mekembe. It’s time to open those gates.”
Daryth and Azim led their group of ten men down the slope, taking care to stay in the shadows. Fortunately the landscape was dotted with boulders that had tumbled down the cliff, affording them many hiding places to make the distance in short sprints from one rock to the next.
Along the way, they all took notice of how many archers were atop the walls. The side they approached had twelve; evenly spaced among the battlements. None of them were particularly attentive, it seemed.
Daryth raised his hand to halt the men, pulling Azim close to speak.
“One for each of us,” he said. “But I am not sure about the other walls. There may be archers placed close enough on either side to draw attention if we kill the ones near the corners.”
Azim nodded. “That is a good point,” he replied. “But our focus is to eliminate those on this side to give our army time enough to close in before the alarm is raised. We need only get the gates open by the time they charge down the hill.”
“Right,” Daryth said. “But we need to find a way in. I’m assuming the gate mechanism is just inside.”
“Leave that to us,” one of Hamal’s men said. “We can tell them to open the gates for us. They would think we were Jindala soldiers.”
“Good,” Azim said. “We will be close behind. Kill any guards immediately inside the gates, then we will fire on the archers.”
Hamal’s soldier and one companion rose and began making their way toward the gates. They both covered their faces with their turbans, untucking several scarves in their clothing to match the colors of the guards they had seen.
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