All the scorpions had been raised high, more than two hundred of them pointing toward the sky like fish poking their heads above the surface of the water.
Everyone knew that the dragons were flying beyond the scorpions' effective range.
But sometimes, a symbolic counterattack was necessary to maintain morale.
Meanwhile, Domeric's squad had already moved closer to the scorpion battery.
Domeric could not help recalling the only time he had met Viserys.
At the time, Viserys had just driven back the Braavosi and Pentoshi forces, and the young king had been full of confidence.
He had boldly declared that he would grant one half of the North to House Bolton.
Domeric had not taken those words too seriously back then.
The Targaryens had only just established themselves in Gohor.
They were still a very long way from reclaiming the Iron Throne.
But as Viserys grew stronger over the years, every victory he achieved sent a shiver through the lords of Westeros.
And Viserys's promise had gradually come closer and closer to becoming reality.
Looking back, it even seemed that Viserys had been planning everything from the beginning.
He had not simply made an empty boast about handing the entire North to House Bolton.
Regardless, his father's decision to send him to meet Viserys had clearly been a wise one.
House Bolton could go from being a vassal of House Stark to becoming its rival and counterweight.
Whatever happened, that could only be a good thing.
"Stay sharp! Whoever captures the scorpion battery will receive one hundred gold dragons!"
Domeric called out to the soldiers around him.
If he was asking them to accomplish something this important, the reward naturally had to be substantial.
At the very least, it could not be less than what Freygo and Robert were offering.
Domeric believed Viserys would be willing to pay the price.
Before long, Viserys's dragon arrived as expected.
The dragon's roar shook the heavens and earth.
Many soldiers who had only just managed to close their eyes were startled awake.
Although they knew the chances of Viserys launching an attack were low, they still had no choice but to take their positions under the urging of their commanders.
Domeric and Raymond, meanwhile, led their elite troops toward the scorpion battery.
Domeric left most of his men behind and advanced with only a few attendants.
Most of the men operating the scorpions were Braavosi soldiers.
The language barrier, combined with the distance between the two groups, meant that Domeric and his men were spotted almost as soon as they entered the Braavosi soldiers' line of sight.
The Braavosi sent an officer who spoke the Common Tongue to question them.
As a native of Braavos, the officer naturally felt a sense of superiority when dealing with these foreign soldiers from Westeros.
And because most Westerosi soldiers had never seen much of the wider world, that sense of superiority only grew stronger.
"This position is guarded by Braavosi soldiers! What are you doing here?"
"I am Domeric Bolton of the Dreadfort, son of Roose Bolton."
"So what?"
The Braavosi soldier showed little interest.
Just the son of some noble.
Unless he was the king's son, there was no reason to put on airs.
Domeric did not become angry.
"My father was killed by the Targaryens. I want to borrow one of your scorpions."
As he spoke, Domeric handed him a dagger with gold wire set into its hilt.
The Braavosi might look down on the country bumpkins from Westeros, but gold was another matter entirely.
The soldier quickly took the dagger to his superior.
It was only a matter of firing one or two test bolts, so a response came soon enough.
Under the guidance of a Braavosi soldier, Domeric used the scorpion's mechanism to aim at the dragons circling overhead.
To deal with the dragons' incredible speed and maneuverability, Braavosi craftsmen had modified the weapons.
The new generation of scorpions could be turned and adjusted much more easily.
Although Domeric appeared to be aiming at the dragon, he kept watching the Braavosi officer nearby from the corner of his eye.
If he could kill that officer before seizing the scorpion battery, their chances of success would increase dramatically.
"Ser, we recommend aiming at that silver dragon. It's the most conspicuous and easiest to hit."
"Mm."
Domeric answered absentmindedly.
In truth, his attention was neither on the dragon nor on the scorpion.
"To the left. Left!"
"I know."
The chances of this attack succeeding were actually quite low.
If the soldiers left outside failed to arrive in time, he would die here.
If Viserys failed to seize the opportunity, the two or three hundred men involved would all be doomed as well.
More than half of Domeric's attention remained fixed on the Braavosi officer.
"Ser! Now! Fire!"
The Braavosi soldier urged him to shoot.
But instead of pulling the firing lever, Domeric suddenly swung the scorpion around.
Before the Braavosi soldier beside him could react, Domeric pulled the lever.
The bowstring of the scorpion snapped with a tremendous crack.
The spear-like bolt shot forward.
Several thick bolts grazed the officer's arm before embedding themselves in the brick wall behind him.
Neither the officer nor the surrounding soldiers had time to react.
Even the Braavosi soldier standing beside Domeric simply stared at him in confusion and shock.
"Kill!"
Realizing that he had succeeded in catching them off guard, Domeric acted decisively.
He drew his sword and slashed across the Braavosi soldier's throat.
Having received the signal, Raymond and the others charged in from the opposite side.
Caught completely off guard, the Braavosi began retreating step by step.
They watched in horror as the Westerosi soldiers began destroying the scorpions.
Some hacked through their bowstrings, while others smashed the delicate mechanisms and components.
The Braavosi quickly recovered and launched a counterattack.
Although Domeric and Raymond had selected only elite soldiers for the operation, the Braavosi relied on superior weapons and armor to defend the remaining scorpions desperately.
The officer himself led several men toward Domeric, who was protected by only four or five soldiers.
High above, Viserys noticed the disturbance below.
Without much thought, he immediately entered the dragonrider's state.
With the dragon's superior eyesight, he could clearly see the chaos spreading through the scorpion battery.
'Could it be a trap?'
Viserys hesitated.
He decided to observe for a little longer.
Meanwhile, the fighting around the scorpion battery grew increasingly chaotic.
Two of Domeric's four attendants were quickly killed.
The remaining two, including Domeric himself, were wounded.
Domeric anxiously looked toward the dragons overhead.
'Why hasn't Viserys come to help yet?'
A bloodied spear thrust toward him.
One of his remaining attendants immediately threw himself in front of Domeric.
The spear was pulled free.
The next strike would be his.
For the first time in his life, the twenty-something Domeric felt the breath of death upon him.
Unwilling to accept his fate, he looked up at the dragon overhead.
The black dragon suddenly plunged from the sky.
Its massive claws came crashing down, crushing the soldier directly in front of Domeric.
When Domeric saw the black dragon standing between him and death, it felt as though a drowning man had suddenly broken through the surface and drawn his first breath of air.
The black dragon turned its head and looked at him.
One golden eye met his.
'Strange. Why does this dragon's gaze feel so familiar?'
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