Watching the heavily wounded being carried away, Leonid merely bit his lip. Deep in the forest, they were treated with blood and cared for, by calculations—they should all survive. But it still didn't make things any easier. The nerves couldn't take it.
"Archers! To your positions."
The girls formed a line behind the "horde's" backs.
"Fire on command, volley."
Olga set the pace, and arrows rained down on the camp. The fire was more of a nuisance. Minor scratches that some soldiers occasionally received didn't matter. Enemy mages again took up positions by the wall, following the count's command. Leonid turned to Alexander.
"Show a trick."
The latter chuckled.
"With gas or without?"
"Let's skip the military humor. Fire at the mages, task is to wear them out. Let them defend. Or kill."
"Understood. Will be done!"
And almost simultaneously, he hurled three magical arrows. The enemy mages weren't novices, and their defensive spells were prepared in advance. They just couldn't imagine being attacked so frequently and went into complete defense, then even left their positions by the wall. Sergey touched Leonid's shoulder.
"Maybe I'll blast the palisade in a few places with magic?"
He thought for a moment and allowed it.
"Go ahead until you're out of strength. There's enough food brought."
A messenger was simultaneously sent to the strike forces. He delivered the exact same order to the main squad of mages. Seven girls didn't even get tired, although they knocked out all sections of the palisade. The stakes in front of the wall weren't obstacles for vampires, so they weren't touched. The second stage of the battle ended before it even began.
The Count looked at the situation and no longer hoped to survive. Literally an hour ago, almost everything was under control. Yes, they were attacked, so what? The fortifications were solid. The soldiers were numerous. Were they tired? Yes, the soldiers were exhausted, but they were still standing. Was the enemy unknown? Yes, as much as one pleases, as long as it hid in the forest. What good was its obscurity and danger among the trees.
And then everything changed. First, it turned out that the attackers had mages. Then the unknown enemy unsuccessfully shot arrows at the camp, and then… By the Light! How many mages did they have?! Common sense suggested that there were no fewer than thirty mages in the woods around his camp.
There was no chance of repelling such a strong opponent. All that was left was to sell their lives dearly. When the last wooden fortifications, hastily erected over the last two days, burned out, he ordered the archers to line up and shoot at anything that moved. These damned savages had nothing more to wait for, which meant an attack should follow soon. He was only wrong about its direction.
The screaming and howling naked people seemed to him the main force, and he expected the attack to come from there. Therefore, when cries and the clatter of weapons were heard from the opposite side of the camp, all he had to do was draw his sword and fulfill his duty to the king to the end.
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