Chapter 240: Wight Assault
Tribe after tribe of Wildlings congregated in the stockade outside the Great Gate of the Wall, disarming and then lining up to squeeze into the tunnel... Truthfully, this scene, with its intense visual familiarity, looked alarmingly like people lining up for gas chambers in a concentration camp; it always gave one the feeling that once you went in, you would never come out. Coupled with the harsh conditions of surrendering weapons and handing over grain, despite Mance Rayder's personal guarantee, a portion of the thirty thousand Wildlings remained hesitant. They insisted that the Free Folk who had already passed through send representatives back out to testify before they would agree to enter.
A series of formalities combined with the presence of the giants greatly reduced the efficiency of the crossing. A tribe of just over a hundred people took at least two or three hours to pass, meaning only a few batches of several thousand people could cross each day. Simultaneously, because the mammoths kept by the giants could not fit through the tunnel of Castle Black, the Night's Watch had to direct a small portion of the Wildlings and the giants with mammoths toward the Bay of Seals, relying on Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to share the burden.
Though the process of letting Wildlings through and helping them transition to their new identity as new Gift-dwellers was monotonous, any repetitive task involving a diverse pack of savages was bound to be punctuated by unexpected surprises. After several days of this, the majority of the Wildlings had successfully settled into the locations designated by the Watch leadership; fewer than ten thousand remained north of the Wall.
The days of smooth sailing finally came to an end.
The thousand soldiers deployed to Castle Black were still stationed in the various towers, fully armored and prepared to spend a day that was theoretically high-alert but practically idle. The first batch of Wildlings for the day had entered Castle Black and was currently being registered by the industrial staff when a horn blast suddenly drifted down from the top of the Wall.
The Night's Watch had not sent anyone out beyond the Wall in recent months. Unless Benjen Stark's party, missing for a year, was returning, the horn blast would definitely not be just a single note—there was bound to be more!
Every man in Castle Black immediately pricked up his ears. Those sitting stood up; those dozing against walls opened their eyes. Every combatant gripped his weapon.
Sure enough, the horn sounded a second time.
"What's happening?" Egger had been sitting in the meeting room discussing the various arrangements for the new Gift-dwellers with several officers when his thoughts were abruptly interrupted.
Over twenty thousand new Gift-dwellers had already been taken to their settlements and strictly forbidden from leaving their assigned areas without permission. There were scouts everywhere around Castle Black, not to mention that Mance Rayder himself was a hostage within the castle. Even if the Wildlings intended to cause trouble, they wouldn't pick this moment.
Mormont rose from his chair and made a decisive call: "Keep the Wildlings already inside Castle Black under concentrated guard. Close the gate of the castle. We are going up... to see what is going on."
The officers left the table and hurried to their posts to execute orders. In the central courtyard of Castle Black, several hundred Wildlings and three giants stood confused, unsure of what was happening. They looked around blankly at the black-clad soldiers who had suddenly raised their weapons with murderous intent.
Judging by the Wildlings' reactions, this didn't look like a pre-arranged ambush. Before Egger could breathe a sigh of relief, the horn sounded a third time.
It wasn't the first time the Night's Watch had blown three blasts, but it was the first time Egger had heard it so clearly. As that sound from his dreams pierced his ears in reality, goosebumps erupted all over his body.
The Others were attacking?
But hadn't Mance Rayder said before that the Others were unwilling to approach the Wall and had been staying at a distance?
A quick thought made Egger—and more than just him—startle into realization: the Others being unwilling to approach the Wall didn't mean they couldn't. Seeing the prey they had hunted for months about to retreat completely behind the Wall, the natural enemies of mankind finally lost their patience and made a forced move!
Attacking at this moment—when the majority of the Wildlings had entered, only a fraction remained outside, and their vigilance and will to fight were at their lowest—proved they were intelligent magical beings. They certainly knew how to pick a moment!
Realizing the threat, Egger turned to Mormont: "Lord Commander, if chaos breaks out in the stockade outside the tunnel and the Others take the chance to push through the gate, Castle Black will be in danger!"
"Take a squad, get the dragonglass weapons, and hold the tunnel exit to the death!" Mormont understood the logic perfectly. He barked the order at the First Ranger and then strode toward the winch cage. "Take all the Wildlings currently inside the castle out to the courtyard! Tell them no one moves without permission!"
After shouting his orders, Mormont led the way into the cage, rang the bell, and ascended to the top of the Wall with Egger and the others.
"What's the situation below?" Reaching the top, Mormont asked as he neared the edge.
"The remaining Wildlings suddenly burst out of the forest, running for our stockade," a sentry replied. "To the north... there's something in the trees chasing them."
"Go below! Get two hundred men up here! Prepare the oil barrels and fire arrows!"
Egger looked down. On the white snow of the isolation zone, over a thousand black dots were fleeing in panic toward the wooden stockade the Watch had built at the tunnel entrance. Some carried children, some carried their belongings; some were driving sheep or even dog sleds... the fastest among them had already reached the outer wooden gate.
And from the trees, the enemies of the living emerged. The wights spilled out from the Haunted Forest like melting animal fat, flowing over roots and rocks, surging toward the Wall in a vast, swarming mass.
Standing atop the seven-hundred-foot Wall, it was actually difficult to distinguish between the wights and humans below... Fortunately, it was daylight. Even without the sun, Egger could differentiate them by the movements of the black dots: the Wildlings at the rear held weapons and torches, looking back as they ran; the wights chasing them were not entirely human—there were bears, wolves, and shadowcats mixed in. Wight-giants had not yet appeared, perhaps because they were too slow. But most importantly, the pursuers moved with unwavering determination, pouncing as soon as they closed in to bring down their targets and end their lives, forming a sharp contrast to the fleeing Wildlings.
The Wildlings knew how to deal with wights. Although the undead humans and animals clashing with the rearguard warriors caused constant casualties, many wights quickly fell in flames. But hundreds upon hundreds of wights continued to pour from the forest; this unstoppable momentum left the terrified Wildlings with no will to fight. The dozens of Watchmen inside the stockade below had no view of the distance and no orders; they kept the gate shut tight, barring the countless Wildlings outside.
Several thousand Wildlings were being chased by several thousand wights; the numerical ratio wasn't overwhelming. However, seeing hope as the last few batches left beyond the Wall, they lost the courage to fight to the death. They only wanted to pass through this impossibly high wall and hide behind its protection.
"Pass the word... open the stockade gate and let the Wildlings in," Mormont ordered, his face grim in the freezing wind atop the Wall. "Simultaneously, drop the portcullis in the tunnel. We cannot risk losing Castle Black. Those ghostly things below must be handled by those people themselves; we will provide support from the top. Once we are certain it is safe, we will resume letting them through!"
Drop the gate? That was cutting off the lifeline for several thousand souls, including dozens of Night's Watch brothers! Egger opened his mouth but didn't dare play the saint; ultimately, he offered no objection.
The order was quickly relayed. The wooden gate of the stockade opened, and the Wildlings huddled there rushed in as if granted a divine reprieve. The stockade had been designed to prevent an ambush on Castle Black while weapons were being surrendered; it was never intended for large numbers of people to enter or exit quickly. Too many panicked Wildlings shoved their way inside, and some were even pushed off the timber bridge spanning the trench.
Seeing the stockade gate open, the rearguard warriors also abandoned the fight and retreated toward the tunnel. No longer held back, the wights closed in comfortably on the Wall, soon surrounding the wooden stockade protecting the entrance.
Seeing that the wights were about to chase the last batch of Wildlings into the stockade, Mormont gritted his teeth and waved his hand, ordering the attack.
The Watchmen on the wall-top loosed their prepared fire arrows. Several oil barrels enhanced with wildfire were ignited and hurled from the catapult arms, tracing arcs through the air before smashing down within a few dozen yards of the stockade gate. They erupted into fireballs; the impact and the flames lingering on the ground effectively halted the wights' charge. Though this also caused collateral damage to some of the living trailing at the rear, the decisive cover allowed the stockade gates to be slammed shut.
The tide of wights fully emerged from the forest, swarming toward the stockade from the northwest, northeast, and north. They quickly bypassed the spikes and the shallow anti-personnel trenches and began to climb the ten-foot-tall wooden fence.
The Wildlings who had fled inside the stockade rushed frantically toward the tunnel through the Wall, only to find to their horror that the passage was blocked by the portcullis. Though they had reached the Wall, they were barred just inches away from safety!
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