Men stepped out from behind the trees with bows raised before them. They released their arrows high into the air. Hakon"s eyes followed the deadly shafts as they darkened the morning sky and rained down onto his army.
“Down behind the wall!” Sigurd bellowed.
The men hastened to kneel behind the wall and hold their shields over their heads. An eerie, heart-stopping moment passed as the men waited for the arrows to fall. Hakon tensed and held his breath.
Suddenly the world erupted. Screams blended with a discord of thuds and thwacks—the death song of hungry arrows. When it ended, Hakon pulled his shield down. Below him, the enemy archers loosed another volley. Again the sky darkened, and again the army ducked behind the protective wall and lifted its shields to meet the lethal rain. This
