Captain Nurredin al-Damasci wheeled his horse quickly into action. Even as he untied his shield from its place beside his saddle, he was barking orders to the rest of the company, admonishing them to pull tightly together and present a wall of shields to the foe. The servants and the pack animals were to be gathered in the center with the guards ringed around them to protect them from further harm.
A second volley of arrows flew from the shelter of the forest, but only one arrow hit its mark. The train was not an orderly series of targets, now, but a panicked and fast moving commotion, making it difficult for the archers to find steady targets. The air tasted of fear as all the servants scrambled for their lives, but the bold examples of Nurredin al-Damasci and Prince Ahmad, armed and sta
