Tzu-chan was the best archer under the command of Colonel Wu-sang, and he had been chosen to start the defense of Lizard Hill. None of the other Lanoirians would fire their arrows until Tzu-chan had fired one first. From the center of the long trench, Tzu-chan watched the approaching horde without emotion. As the Zarans spread out in the valley and approached the base of Lizard Hill’s slope, Tzu-chan strung his bow and pulled a handful of arrows out of his quiver. He calmly planted the arrows on the top of the trench wall and chose one to start the defense. He mechanically nocked the arrow as he watched the enemy’s progress. When the first of the Zaran invaders reached the limit of Tzu-chan’s range, the Lanoirian archer pulled back his arrow and let it fly. The arrow sailed downward and caught a Zaran firmly in the chest, the red-clad soldier falling backward and tumbling down the hill into those charging up the hill behind him. Within seconds, hundreds of arrows flew from the trench and rained down upon the Federation soldiers. The red-clad bodies flowed down the slope just like the mud did in the rainy season, but the Zarans were too numerous. The Federation soldiers leaped over the bodies tumbling down the hillside and continued their assault up the side of the hill. Within mere minutes, it became obvious that the Zarans would easily overrun the Lanoirian trench. There were just too many of them for the Lanoirians to keep them at bay.
“From the ends,” shouted Tzu-chan. “Now!”
From each end of the trench works, a Lanoirian archer unstrung his bow and hurried towards the center. When the two men reached Tzu-chan, they dropped to their knees. One of them entered the small tunnel, while the other waited his turn.
“Next!” shouted Tzu-chan as he let fly another arrow.
Two more men hurried towards the tunnel, while the rest of the Lanoirians continued to fire at the ever-closer enemy. Tzu-chan continued to shout for men to come towards the tunnel so that there was only one man waiting to enter it at any given moment. Eventually, the Zarans gained entry to the ends of the trench and began flowing towards the center. The Lanoirian archers then had to divide their time between those still climbing the hill and those coming along the trench. It was a sign that the trench had outlived its usefulness. The true purpose of the trench had been to trick the Zarans into engaging in battle by making them think their victory would be quick and easy. It was also meant to give the Lanoirians a chance to bloody the enemy. It had accomplished both goals.
“Those with children come now!” shouted Tzu-chan.
Only a dozen of the one-hundred men left in the trench hurried towards the center. The rest of the men slowly closed ranks, conceding the rest of the trench to the enemy. When Tzu-chan saw the last of the twelve men waiting his turn to enter the tunnel, he shouted out, “Next!”
Two more Lanoirians unstrung their bows and hurried towards the tunnel. Tzu-chan gritted his teeth as the Zarans reached the edge the trench. As one of the chosen men entered the tunnel, Tzu-chan ducked down and spoke quickly to the man waiting his turn.
“You are the last,” he said. “Seal the tunnel after you get through. Be quick about it. The end is here.”
Without waiting for an acknowledgement, Tzu-chan rose again, automatically nocking an arrow as he did. He released the arrow directly into the face of a Federation soldier climbing over the berm. All around him he heard the cries of pain, not only from the Zaran invaders, but also from his own men. He quickly nocked another arrow, but he never got to pull it back. A Zaran sword sliced into his side, and Tzu-chan’s world turned black.
* * * *
Far to the south, one-thousand Federation soldiers slipped out of the woods and headed across the valley towards the tail of Lizard Hill, hoping to secretly outflank the Lanoirians. They were halfway across the valley floor when three-hundred Lanoirian cavalrymen charged towards them. The counterattack was unexpected, and the Federation soldiers reacted in confusion. Some of the Zarans frantically sought to string their bows while others turned and ran back towards the trees. Still others drew their swords and prepared to defend themselves against the horsemen.
The Lanoirians ignored those fleeing the battlefield and concentrated on the potential archers, while trying to avoid those prepared to defend the column. Their first run through the line was devastating, a trail of Federation bodies marking their path, but the Zarans recovered quickly. As the horsemen turned for another run, the Federation soldiers quickly formed a line of defense. Shields came up, bows were strung, and arrows nocked. The horsemen ran into a withering fire before they realized that their tactic was no longer wise. Of the three-hundred horsemen who had charged into the Zaran line, only half of them survived to come out the other side. The surviving riders turned towards the tail of Lizard Hill to regroup.
The Federation regiment reformed their column to defend against another attack, but the Lanoirians did not return. The Federation colonel eventually took stock of his regiment. He had less than half of his men remaining fit for battle, and the enemy still lingered between him and his objective, which was no longer a secret. He decided that his goal was now unattainable and ordered a return to the safety of the main column.
* * * *
At the north end of the valley alongside Lizard Hill, a full regiment of Federation soldiers filed out of the trees. They moved in an orderly manner across the valley and angled towards the neck of Lizard Hill. Their mission was to secretly outflank the Lanoirians. The colonel leading the small column kept his eyes on the ridge of Lizard Hill to see if there was anyone up there paying attention to his column, but the main attack had already started, and it looked like the Federation army was already carrying the day. With confidence that the Lanoirians were being beaten into submission by the main prong of the attack, the colonel ordered his men into the notch with intentions of climbing the rear of the hill. The first company was just through the notch when the attack started.
Arrows streamed out of the trees atop both the head and the body of the lizard. Every man in the first company fell to the ground. The colonel threw himself to the ground, thinking that the others had done the same. The move saved his life. The second round of arrows struck the second company, and all around the colonel, men fell to the ground, but it was not anything they did intentionally. The colonel stared at the bodies around him and saw that each man had an arrow in his body. With disbelief, the colonel gazed at the trees atop the head of Lizard Hill. He could see no one. He turned and looked back at his own column. He grimaced as he saw the confusion of his company commanders. Some of the men were still coming towards the notch while others were veering off to go around the head of Lizard Hill. He wanted to jump up and shout at them, but he knew that was just asking for an arrow. Instead, he merely watched as the third company came under fire.
The air sizzled as one-hundred arrows sliced through it. The colonel watched in amazement as each of the arrows struck a body. The third company fell to the ground as a unit. He shook his head with disbelief and glared up at the head of Lizard Hill. He was staring at the ridge when the fourth volley of arrows cut through the air. He saw the elves step out from behind trees and fire, instantly stepping back into concealment. Knowing that the elves were busy nocking another arrow, the colonel rose and dashed towards the head of Lizard Hill. He dove for the concealment of a large boulder that had fallen down the hill sometime in the past just as another volley of arrows sliced through the air.