"Let loose!" screamed Hanlit.
The sky became awash with arrows as the bowmen released their first volley. The Dargonians in the boats ducked and raised their shields, but many fell to the floor screaming as the falling arrows found holes in their defences. Hanlit peered out at the lake and was unsure of what to do. There were too many boats crossing the water and he severely lacked the power to restrain them.
"Second volley," he commanded and the archers drew and unleashed another round of arrows onto the closest ships. He could see men moving over the bridge by the hundreds and behind them came the siege engines that would soon rain fire down upon the city. His orders had been to fire on the boats so he decided to stop worrying about the bridge.
"Light arrows," he yelled at the top of his voice. The archers notched their arrows and waited as a few men ran around with torches setting fire to their ammunition.
"Let loose!" Hanlit commanded once more. The flaming arrows lit up the night sky and then plummeted into the enemy transports. "Fire on the boats until I give the order to retreat," he yelled and the archers began to firing at their own pace. The constant bombardment struck many of the closest Dargonian soldiers, but it was still a minor dent. Hanlit jumped up onto his horse and hurried to where the crossbowmen were waiting.
"Take your positions, and fire at my mark," he called. The crossbowmen from Dunhelm moved up against the wall and readied their weapons through the arrow slits in the barricade. The Sergeant waited until the boats were close enough then lowered his hand. Instantly the well trained soldiers from Dunhelm fired their crossbows. The bolts darted through the air and tore into the Dargonian soldiers in the fronts of the boats.
"Keep firing," shouted Hanlit. The advancing boats was now being assaulted by fiery arrows from above and bone crunching bolts from the front. As the Dargonians ran around the boats they were struck by the bolts that were propelled with such force that many tore through the front of the boats, striking the men stooping inside.
Hanlit was pleased to see that the Dargonians were finally taking heavy casualties. He turned his mount and then suddenly found himself falling to the ground as his horse fell dead. He stood up rubbing his head and saw a crossbow bolt protruding from the mount's neck. He heard another bolt fly pass his head and ran to the barricade for cover. The Dargonians had raised their own heavy crossbows and were firing upon the defenders. Far more powerful than the Feldonian equivalents, the enemy crossbows released volley upon volley at Hanlit's men. There was little cover from the strong bolts that cut through the wooden wall with ease.
Soon the defenders side of the lake was filled with the groans and screams of the dying. Hanlit risked a glace out to the lake and saw that the boats were drawing close. His own men weren't doing enough damage and were taking heavy casualties. "Pull back to the wall," he shouted as loudly as he could. "The village is lost."
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 68