The horses reared; the carriage suddenly twisted to the left. Finch was stuck to the back, too surprised to let go. The commander was stuck too but for an entirely different reason.
He was dead, pinned to the carriage, an arrow, three times the size of any he'd ever seen, sticking out his neck. He'd been groping at it when the carriage had veered, twisting it.
Finch shouldn't have been able to hear the snapping of his superior's neck in the commotion, but he had. It was thunderous.
He was in charge. It should have been great, it would be, once he survived.
He climbed to the roof. Half the men, he'd placed himself, lay dead, flopping down one by one. The driver was dead and undoubtedly the first to be pierced by the arrow that killed the commander. He weighed his options, there weren't many. One horse dead, another dying. The carriage tilted.
"Behind the carriage!" He roared.
He heard the whizzing of arrows and a thick blur. There was a heavy thud like before, only this was matched with a scream. It would have been two had he exhaled instead of in, the log had stopped millimetres away from his left eyeball. The arrowhead was coated thickly in splinters and bits of metal, all glued with blood. It dripped right before his eye, putting a drop on his cheek. Finch fell back, just as the remaining ten huddled behind the carriage. Finch landed on his back but hadn't passed out, the fates would not offer him such luck.
"Stay in the shadow of the carriage, you, take that axe and break the back of the carriage enough so we can reach the heavy shields inside. Archers take what shots you can."
He couldn't help but notice the birds once again. Seven of them, all bigger than ever. They gleamed as though wearing armour. They passed from sight. Another arrow crashed through the door, tearing off the ear of the axe wielder, Finch picked up the axe.
He heard a cry, a basic battle cry, only from behind. He turned, axe raised, seeing nothing but grass and pointed cliffs, too far to run.
He looked up.
There was enough time to scream before heavy iron boots crashed from the sky into his chest with enough force to smash him through the back of carriage bending his chest armour and breaking his helmet.