Stephen Zimmer - Crown of Vengeance

The arrows of the tribal warriors raked the exposed surface of the timber carriage. Once again, the arrows of the warriors of the Five Realms found several targets, but the enemy missiles claimed their own number of victims among the sky riders and their steeds.

With wretched cries and shrieks, a few stricken Bregas plummeted down towards the ground, hundreds of feet below, carrying their ill-fated riders towards certain, gruesome deaths.

A couple of other warriors toppled over, slouching lifeless in the saddles or falling off. Riderless Bregas, left to their own discretion, flew away from the conflict, without any direction or authority to guide them.

Ayenwatha’s warriors had still reduced the number of fighters on the second Darrok by about a third, but had suffered their first blows, losing several of their own warriors. They had also suffered another casualty in that the advantage of surprise no longer belonged to them.

The main formation of Bregas with Ayenwatha continued on past the Darrok, and started to turn again in a wide arc so that they could circle back and make another pass. Ayenwatha knew that the Trogens would be braced again for them, but they had to carry the battle relentlessly to the enemy while the villagers on the ground struggled to escape the vicinity of the imperiled village.

As with the first Darrok that they had attacked, Ayenwatha noticed that no stones were falling. The Trogen crew was strictly readying for defense against the tribal warriors.

While he was relieved that they had severely impeded the assault, he also knew what it meant for his small band of warriors. There was little mistaking the situation facing them. With less than thirty warriors remaining, they would not be able to sustain many more passes. A battle of attrition would not be in their favor.

He kept his mind calm, as he thought rapidly of other courses of action. His mind raced through various possibilities as the formation completed its curve and came about to begin another sweep towards the Darrok.

He eyed the harnessing required to secure the high-sided, wooden platform for the occupants on the back of the Darroks. The Trogens were not tethered by any manner of ties or restraint to the platform itself.

If those manning the Darroks were cast overboard from their airborne vessel, there would be no possible rescue for them. Hundreds of feet of empty air and solid ground would seal their fates well enough.

“Stay clear. Shoot arrows at the beast ahead,” Ayenwatha cried out to the nearest of his warriors, gesturing forcefully as he spoke. “Keep your steeds to this side. Sky Arrow… follow me! Keep close!”

The warrior to his right nodded in understanding, and gripped the reins of his steed tightly as he watched for Ayenwatha to take the lead. Ayenwatha then guided Arax off sharply, heading downward to the left. With great skill, he guided the steed tightly as they looped back up towards the Darrok, coming about to fly directly underneath the immense creature.

His years of experience and relationship with Arax enabled the difficult maneuver with a smooth grace of form. Sky Arrow followed skillfully enough, keeping his steed close to the war sachem, as he also made it safely to the underbelly of the Darrok.

The Trogens scrambled frantically to fire more arrows at them as they executed the difficult maneuver. Ayenwatha heard the whizzing sound of an arrow as it passed within just a foot of his right ear. He kept his mind steeled, even as his heart skipped a beat in his chest.

Once underneath the creature, Ayenwatha and Sky Arrow were effectively sheltered from attack by the Trogen archers. Silently uttering a brief prayer of thanks to the One Spirit for the incredibly good fortune, Ayenwatha guided Arax down to the middle of the creature’s body. He brought Arax to match the speed of the large beast over them, as Ayenwatha looked upward to study the harnessing. His eyes followed the course of the great leather straps and cords that cross-crossed the creature’s body, soon identifying the more crucial concentrations and bindings.

“Sky Arrow, use your axe. Hack the ropes! The ones coming together at the center!” Ayenwatha yelled, making a chopping motion as he pointed out the network of strapping above.

He guided his Brega up closer, while withdrawing his short-hafted war axe from where it was tucked in his belt. Keeping his steed level was difficult enough, as the Darrok bobbed in the movements of its own flight, but he knew that there was a chance to get within close enough range to make his attempt.

It was not difficult for Arax to match the speed of the Darrok. The Brega was able to coast in a smooth glide for several moments, before beginning to lose speed and needing to spur itself forward again. As the stretches of gliding provided the most steadiness, Ayenwatha patiently awaited the beginning of one such span in order to attempt his idea. The Brega went through a couple more cycles, passing close to the desired target as Ayenwatha carefully gauged his range and aim.

After one such cycle, Arax flapped its wings strongly, and then evened out its flight into a glide that carried it right along the central underbelly of the Darrok. Ayenwatha saw his opportunity, as he came within striking range and was conveyed right along what he believed to be a critical juncture in the harness system of the Darrok.

Leaning back, he hacked powerfully at the thick cords and intertwined ropes that passed through one large, iron ring. Several more vigorous, steady blows began the arduous and dangerous task.

Sky Arrow, understanding Ayenwatha’s intent, set to work on another concentration of cording set a short distance behind.

The axes quickly cleaved through the taut cords and ropes. The work was disrupted somewhat as the bulk of the Darrok rocked up and down in flight, a few times coming precariously close to smacking into the Bregas and their riders.

Despite several pauses to regain position, and to duck some near impacts with the Darroks themselves, the two warriors were able to keep close and levy a number of solid, successful strikes upon the harness system.

The two warriors took great caution not to strike the Darrok directly, for the beast could easily send Arax and Sky Arrow’s steed spinning out of control with an intentional drop in altitude. Ayenwatha was not certain that the beast was incapable of maneuvering its massive, clawed legs to scrape at its underbelly. He could only hope that the creatures were not trained for sudden drops.

Progress continued, but at an uncomfortably slow pace. Ayenwatha nudged Arax whenever they started to fall back a little, and subtly reined the steed in when they were in danger of flying past his target area. Over time, the effort built into a somewhat steady rhythm.

It was a painstaking process for both Sky Arrow and for Ayenwatha, but they continued forward resolutely, maintaining their full focus. At long last, most of the thick, tight straps around the ring that Ayenwatha worked upon had been severed at their underside crossroads. A few robust strikes later, the last few snapped apart with a jolt, as their great tension was suddenly released.

The Darrok must have felt the effect, for the creature suddenly reached one of its deadly, enormous claws back towards Ayenwatha. The huge appendage moved straight towards Ayenwatha and the Brega, as if it was swatting at a mere insect.

In consistency with the creature’s lumbering movement, the mammoth claw approached slowly enough for Ayenwatha to react. Arax needed little prodding, having noticed the threatening movement as well, and the two of them banked downward in a near freefall.

The danger of the Darrok’s claw swipe was quickly past, but the distance that they had covered in the freefall had brought them within sight of the maddened Trogens on the Darrok’s back. The Trogens had also felt the jolt of the harness straps being cut. They knew their tremendous vulnerability, and fear clearly dwelled amongst them. Ayenwatha could hear it within their frantic shouts to each other, watching them clutch at the side rails as they tried to look over the sides.