Читать книгу Immortals. Twin princesses, Ella and Elle. Black Wings of the Night - Сергей Соловьёв, Ар'лан ис'Дрекхэм - Страница 11

Radko hastily dressed in his armor, tightening the straps on his sides. So at these moments he wriggled like a cancer who would like to climb into his panzyr. And although the matter was already familiar, and the warrior sweated from such labors. Sheko, an old friend and neighbor in the village, also came to the rescue. I couldn’t do it myself!

— Let me help you, — said the warrior, in response to providing such a service to a comrade.

Finally, Radko put on a helmet, and a sharp-headed bone helmet, decorated with skillful carvings, completely covered his head. Checked once again, the belt of the shield, and then, in such a matter there were no trifles. Then came the turn to transport with a dagger. He threw a pile behind his back and a quiver full of arrows. And in his hands he took a battle ax, a club and a spear. This weapon was attached to the plonk.

He was not alone in a hurry to the camp square. Warriors from their tent, and others who stood nearby, walked to the fence, and brought out their plows. Mighty animals, accustomed from childhood to their gray-haired, were obedient. Radko pleased his moose with a cracker, and stroked his face. Then he fitted a leather bib to protect his faithful friend from enemy arrows.

— Well, that’s it, we leave! their centurion, Vatey, shouted, looking around the assembled riders.

The warriors sat on the backs of their dry, covered with felt blankets, and with rollers to make it more convenient to sit, and their first dozen slowly began to travel to the edge of the forest, to the place assigned to them for the battle. It was a cool early morning, which was pleasing. Nevertheless, the armor warmed, in the literal sense of the word, especially the quilted armor. Even a light breeze rose, and as if to help, blew at the back of the Hansa soldiers.

Radko sent his plow to his left, hitting his rump with his right knee. He understood any order at once, turned a little, like the whole row of horsemen. Ahead, half a mile from them, in the field, he noticed the front line. The leader of the Hansa, counted on a fight, but did not want the battle to begin suddenly. Strangers, until they approached closer than five miles.

But, scouts, with a leisurely trot moved forward, with bows at the ready. Apparently, Ramid had already decided everything, and was ready for battle.

— Hey, guys! Vatey shouted, — as the battle begins, our hundred goes to the left, behind a blockage of trees. We are in no hurry, we let in three arrows, and then we act… Is it clear to everyone? It should come to copies at the very end of the fight! And only then, and put the clubs in business!

Radko grinned, as did the other warriors. Who didn’t know their centurion was a bit tongue-tied? So, on the other hand, skillful and sensible, and in any fight he thinks quickly.

***

Radko noticed how their scouts, at a gallop, were leaving. Apparently, it began… And, after a couple of minutes, hundreds of mounted warriors appeared, on squat forest horses. Something was shouted, but it was not heard. But, from the cannon of the forest, suddenly two horns sounded intermittently.

— All right, let’s start! Vatey shouted. First, dozens of Palak, Zvan and Lita start!

Earlier, as a child, Radko believed that riders throw themselves together, with one fist. But here, I understood a lot. In order not to be knocked down, the elk squad attacks in parts. The rest, hold the place…

Other warriors and hundreds of others rushed into battle. Hanza showered strangers with arrows without entering into hand-to-hand combat. Before reaching a hundred steps, they turned away and rushed back. Strangers began to pursue. True, they were a little stunned here. Fresh Hanza rushed to the rescue, and arrows flew again, knocking enemies off their horses.

Radko saw returning warriors from dozens of Palak, Zvan, and Lita being built behind them. Squires, unots, ran up to them, serving full quivers of arrows, instead of devastated, and bowls of water, to get drunk. The battle horn buzzed again. It seems that their turn came, and Radko with everyone, sent his plow forward.

Now, feeling beneath him how the moose was carrying you forward, he looked only forward. He held the bow in his left hand, controlling only his legs.

— Let the arrows! heard the voice of the foreman.

And here, hands did business, as if by themselves. He pulled a string, shot and shot. I just saw how the red plumage disappears in the distance, and there, in the enemy formation, someone falls from a horse, or a horse, burrows into the ground at full gallop, or falls on its side, crushing a saddle. Screams, rumblings, swearing… Arrows also sang above them, only strangers. But now, their dozen unfolds, and Radko and his own gallops back. Then an arrow hit the shield behind her back, felt as if she had been hit with a stick. Towards with bows in his hands, another dozen Hanza galloped, and they walked between them, as the scallop teeth pass between the hair.

Then they turned around, and again showered strangers with arrows. Then, along the roar of the horn, they returned, and hundreds of them stood in the last row. Here they sounded their horns, their hundred, led by Vatey, began to go to the left, hiding behind a blockage of trees. They have already seen the chipping faces of strangers.

But, the joy was short-lived. Peshtsy and unots, covered with rubble, brought down hundreds and hundreds of stones from their slings on the finders. And the weapons are so unwise, but they knocked down dozens of enemies to the ground. Horses laughed in fright, threw off riders. Strangers, of course, began to dismount, and rushed to the blockage, trying to make way for themselves. Hand-to-hand combat boiled over. Strangers were thrown with poles and bugs, but they did not let up, climbed forward, throwing darts.

And maybe they would still break through, despite the many fallen.

Vatey looked at his soldiers, tightly clutching their weapons. Apparently, everyone was ready for a decisive battle. And the centurion shouted:

— Well, geese?

— Ha-Ha-ha! they cried enthusiastically in response.

Goose, was sacred to Hanza, in fact, Hanza meant goose, and now the fighters considered themselves sacred warriors who stood for all the people. And their determination was simply unbearable.

Yes, here from both sides hit the horsemen of the Hanza on the mighty dry. Their onslaught was terrible. Moose were not afraid of anything, and were much stronger than horses. Horses neighed, moose roared in rage, clods of earth flew from under their hooves. Forest lords knocked horses to the ground, and their saddlers put spears and clubs into business. The palace of the Hanzas is not like such weapons of other tribes. It consisted of a pommel, and a long shaft, almost the height of a person. And, now, such a weapon was very useful. They could get the enemy from afar.

Here and Radko, breaking the spear shaft, fell from the back of the plow. Two strangers rushed at him, throwing darts. Copper points hit the bone armor, breaking a couple of plates. Hanza growled with rage like an evil bear. It darkened in his eyes with anger, hands and feet, as if nothing weighed, and time stopped. He snatched his club, dodged, bending sideways, from the injection with a dagger, and he himself brought down the club on the enemy’s head. I didn’t hear the nasty crunch of bones, my ears felt like wax. Radko jumped away from the falling body, took another step to the side, and with a clever blow knocked down the second enemy, unexpectedly hitting him in the face with a poke of the top of the club. Then a third ran up from the side, to whom Radko put his shield under attack, and then hit the enemy in the groin with a long pole of the club. The enemy’s eyes rolled back at once, his face turned white, he fell, and curled up in terrible pain. And the fight continued, and there was no time to rest.

The finders fell, already dozens, tired of bodies and so crushed grass. They also blew horns, asking for help from their own. But, everything was in vain, and Hanza defeated the enemies, and there was no mercy to anyone.

Which of the strangers managed to escape, only he was lucky to survive, in this terrible battle. But, the leader of someone else’s army did not come to the rescue. And the sun was still rising across the sky in its golden chariot, to the very height. It wasn’t even noon before it was over.