Errollyn was not entirely certain how it had happened. Only that one moment, Koenyg's forces had been engaged in a full-frontal assault against the Enoran Steel's formations, then somehow they pivoted and came in massive strength around the left flank, and straight about that end of the defensive wall. He suspected a trap, but he had been engaged upon the right flank and had not seen it happen. Sometimes in war it was all over so quickly, and now it hardly mattered.
He raced back around the defensive wall, taking talmaad and Enorans with him in a headlong sprint. The Dhemerhill River was now between him and the main assault, and these were the lower reaches of Jahnd itself, crisscrossed with roads, little clusters of farms, houses, and industry, with temples and bridges as well. Open cavalry terrain it was not, and his force slowed to leap fences and cluster onto access roads. Errollyn quickly headed toward a bridge across the Dhemerhill, and the wider fields upon the far side.
Here galloped a steady flood of horsemen of all descriptions-attacking Lenays, Kazeri, and Torovans, mixed in with talmaad from the left flank who were pursuing, weaving amidst the attackers and shooting them down, trying to slow their headlong charge into the rear of those who opposed the Regent's main force. They had to be slowed, or Jahnd was lost.
He fitted an arrow, turned left across the galloping formation, and drew with his left hand across his body. It was his weaker side, but not by much. Several men closest had shields raised on their left side, so he selected a man further on and put an arrow through his neck. Around him, fellow talmaad did the same, arrows peppering shields and horses, some falling, riders behind swerving to dodge tumbling men and animals.
Cavalry on this side of the formation quickly began to break up, unwilling to run straight while being picked off by the parallel formation of serrin riders. Suddenly a group of Lenay cavalry were breaking and charging directly into the serrin line, scattering them. Errollyn shot one man through the shoulder, turned quickly across two more, drew and shot another man through the back. And then there was a forest patch forcing a merging of the two lines of cavalry, and things became crazy.
He dodged past incoming cavalry, ducked a close swing, shot a Torovan through the chest, then drew a blade to gallop fast through a gap between five more, deflecting two swings as he went. The next gap abruptly vanished, and he cut in front of a Kazeri rider on the opposing side and half-collided, his horse skittering as he fought for balance. Everywhere were galloping riders and swinging blades. He was directly in the middle of the enemy stream, and if he stayed here, he would die.
Jaryd tore into the oncoming cavalry front on, accompanied by every surviving Rhodaani, Lenay, or talmaad cavalryman who still sat ahorse. What followed was insanity. Men and horses collided at full speed, bodies were sent spinning in horrid collisions. He thrashed at enemy bodies, took blows on his shield, and dodged his frantic horse as best he could, unable to see the results of his strikes and given no time to care. He saw men killed on all sides, saw bodies rolling underhoof, saw a serrin girl who had no business attacking Lenay cavalry with a blade die horribly. Another serrin aimed her horse for deliberate impact with a group of hurtling Lenays that smashed bones and sent riders cartwheeling through the air. The serrin knew the stakes. To lose here was to lose everything.
He cut a Kazeri man through the side, took a blow across his left shoulder, then smashed a Torovan's face with the edge of his shield. He found some space, where several evading talmaad had managed to find time to fire arrows. He wheeled to protect them-accurate talmaad in this melee could kill far more quickly than he. They fired, and men racing past fell from the saddle. Some Torovans now charged the serrin, who shot, bringing down one man and toppling another's horse. Jaryd performed a fast dodge and reverse to charge up an unexpected side and take another Torovan through the neck with an overhand chop, then wheeled back to chase off several more.
More serrin joined the first group, numbering more than ten now, firing arrows in all directions, toppling enemy riders from unexpected angles, without the time to bring their shields into play. Jaryd waved his sword at others, Lenay and Rhodaani men coming to join his defence, forming a line to block those who charged the serrin, allowing the serrin to shoot sideways at men who could not defend themselves.
It lasted until a small group of Hadryn riders hit his defensive line from the side, killing Rhodaani and Lenay defenders with brutal strokes, then ploughing into the serrin before they could fire, scattering them and killing several. Jaryd chased, smashed the skull of one Hadryn who did not look behind in time, then barely dodged another who tried to do the same to him. He needed eyes in every side of his skull to counter this madness. Everywhere riders were dying who never saw what hit them. Still more fresh attacking cavalry charged in. There seemed no end to their numbers.
Rhillian led her line of talmaad galloping north, to where the far end of the wall's defenders, Ilduuri and Rhodaani Steel, were now retreating at what was more of a mad sprint than an orderly retreat. On one side the Regent's men pursued them, a running tide of feudal warriors who had suffered awfully beneath the defensive artillery and had blood on their minds. On the other side, the charging mass of attacking cavalry mostly headed past Rhillian's position to hit the gathering infantry formations upon the far side of the Dhemerhill River, but some now charged in to finish these straggling defenders, caught out of position by the rapidly changing circumstances.
Her talmaad formed two lines, one to engage the cavalry and one the infantry. Rhillian joined the infantry line, lacking confidence that her archery would be effective against fast-moving horsemen, urging her horse into space between the running Steel and the sea of pursuing infantry. Standing low in the stirrups, she drew and fired repeatedly into that running mass of men. Other serrin, more accomplished than she, manoeuvred closer and cantered before the tide, drawing and firing, killing man after man with ruthless precision, swinging back and forth for the best angle and never quite letting the next infantryman catch up with the horse.
For a short time it was a killing spree. Mounted archers against unsupported infantry was a deadly weapon. Soon the infantry wave was halting, men pausing to shelter behind their shields and form defensive walls, supported by pikes that the talmaad had no intention of charging. They simply switched targets to those who were still running and thus relatively defenceless, often cantering alongside running men with insolent disrespect and shooting until all were dead, or crouched defensively. Shield walls were harder to penetrate, but neither were they any threat to the Steel men in retreat.
Then the attacking cavalry broke through.
Rhillian wheeled fast, seeing serrin scattering before a wall of charging horsemen. Well, she'd known that by placing herself between two enormous enemy forces she was likely killing herself and everyone with her, but the situation was what it was. They'd bought enough time for some of these defenders to make it back to their main formation. Now for the price.
She stowed her bow in the canvas bag behind her left leg and drew her blade. This, she was better at. Attacking men fell, hit by arrows, then the shooters were killed in turn, swords in their scabbards. Rhillian dodged around several attackers, accelerated past some more, blocked a blow, swerved an attack, hurdled a falling horse, ducked another strike, then split a Kazeri's head with an optimistic lash that was more the sharpness of her blade than any true power.