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Torren watched Lynn's confident expression. His unease melted into inexplicable trust. He didn't know the details of Lynn's plan, but he knewâfollow Lord Lynn, and we win.
Loyalty to one's commander was a soldier's duty.
"Yes, my Lord!" Torren nodded hard and rushed to relay orders.
Lynn turned back to the valley. Night was falling. Fires grew brighter. Wildling noise faded.
The hunt begins. We're the predators. They're the lambs.
Lynn lay in the snow, a bold, mad plan crystallizing in his mind.
Night fell like spilled ink. The Haunted Forest held only wind moaning through branches.
In the valley, the wildling tribe had quieted. Most fires were outâonly a few flickered, casting dim, wavering light. Most wildlings had retreated to their hide-and-bone hovels, asleep. A handful of sentries clutched crude stone spears, wrapped in furs, dozing against tents.
Silence.
Perfect.
On the ridge, Lynn's hundred Northmen assembled. All wore leather for mobility, blending with the dark. Every breath was controlled, silent.
"Ready?" Lynn whispered.
"Ready, my Lord!" Torren replied softly. Behind him, twenty archers nocked poison arrows. The black tips gleamed coldly in starlight.
"Traps?"
"All set," another squad leader answered. "The exit's a kill zone. They won't escape."
Lynn nodded, scanning the young, determined faces.
"Listen." His voice was low but absolute. "We're not fighting head-on. Our job is chaos. Fear."
He pulled out oil-cloth bundles from his coat and handed one to Torren.
"What's this?" Torren felt powder inside.
"A gift from Maester Aemon." Lynn's smile was ice-cold. "Throw them into the fires still burning."
He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear. Aemon's herbal powderâthick smoke, mild paralytic.
"Understood, my Lord." Torren's eyes lit up.
"Archers, split into four groups." Lynn continued. "From four directions, soak arrows in oil, light them, and fire. Don't aim at people. Target tents, supplies, anything flammable. Three volleys, then retreat. No lingering."
He turned to Torren and Harvey. "You two lead squads from both sides. Charge in, cut down tents, kill a few unlucky savages, then pull out. Your job is to make them panic like headless flies."
Lynn etched every detail into their minds.
"And I..." His gaze pierced the dark, landing on the massive bearskin tent at the valley's center. "I'll meet their chieftain."
"My Lord, that's too dangerous!" Torren protested. "Alone? No! I'll take a squad to protect you!"
"No need." Lynn shook his head. "More people means exposure. Just follow the plan. Turn the camp into chaos. When they're in disarray, I strike."
He clapped Torren's shoulder. The strength in his grip eased Torren's worry.
"Trust me."
Torren looked into Lynn's blazing eyes and nodded hard. "Yes, my Lord!"
"Move out!"
At Lynn's command, a hundred Northmen slid silently down the ridge. They split into streams, encircling the sleeping valley.
Lynn moved aloneâfastest, lightest. A shadow gliding through snow, closing on the valley's center.
His Light Sword skill enhanced more than swordplayâit gave total control over coordination and agility.
Soon, he crouched in shadow fifty paces from the bearskin tent. He smelled itâhide, sweat, cheap ale. He heard heavy snoring inside.
Lynn glanced at the ridges. Almost time.
Suddenlyâ
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Dozens of flaming arrows shrieked from the sky. They didn't target sentriesâthey struck supply piles, dry grass, flammable tents.
Oil-soaked tips ignited everything instantly. Flames roared skyward.
Then Torren and Harvey's squads plunged from both sides like twin blades stabbing into the camp.
"KILL!"
War cries shattered the night.
The sleeping tribe jolted awake. Screams, shrieks, curses erupted. Naked wildlings stumbled from tents, faces twisted in terror and confusion.
They didn't know where the enemy came from or how many there were. They only saw fire everywhere, arrows whistling past.
Smoke from the herbal powder spread rapidly. The acrid stench made wildlings cough violently, eyes streaming, minds fogging.
The tribe descended into chaos.
~~~~ââ~~~~~~~~ââ~~~~
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