The Tyroshi host advanced with the caution of men who had already seen what dragons could do.
No horns urged them into a reckless charge, and no sellsword captain raced ahead in search of glory.
The formations moved slowly across the western fields, maintaining enough distance between companies that a single sweep of dragonfire could not consume them all.
Archers led the advance in loose lines, followed by Tyroshi veterans with shields raised and spears angled forward.
Sellsword companies held both wings, while the cavalry remained farther back, waiting for the ground before Narra to become crowded enough for a flanking charge.
Behind the main infantry stood four scorpions, their crews having driven stakes into the earth around the wheels and turned the heavy engines toward the sky.
Bundles of iron-headed bolts lay beneath canvas covers nearby, guarded by infantry with shields raised around the crews.
Serro Hestar had prepared for Anaxion.
Mortarion watched from the ruined magistrate’s hall as the Tyroshi lines crossed the first field boundary.
The black steel of Aurion’s armour enclosed him completely, faint crimson light moving through the narrow seams along the breastplate and gauntlets, growing brighter as the battle approached.
Dreaded Deliverance rested in his right hand, its dark blade almost absorbing the morning light.
Below him, five thousand Unsullied waited.
Three thousand formed the main line west of Narra, positioned behind low stone boundaries dividing the abandoned fields.
Round shields overlapped in disciplined rows, and long spears extended over their shoulders, forming a dark forest of points.
Another thousand waited in reserve among the western ruins, while five hundred bowmen occupied the northern ridge and upper levels of broken buildings.
The remaining soldiers guarded the southern river, watched the narrow crossings, and protected the supply camp.
Blue Bat stood beneath the banner of House Baraeris.
Mortarion descended from the hall and approached him, speaking in High Valyrian so that only the Unsullied officers nearby could understand.
“Hestar is keeping his archers forward and his scorpions behind the centre,” Mortarion said.
“He expects Anaxion to attack from the front or above the northern ridge.”
Blue Bat studied the advancing formations.
“The engines are protected by infantry.
Reaching them on foot would require breaking through the Tyroshi centre.”
“We will not reach them on foot.”
Mortarion outlined his plan, instructing Blue Bat to hold the first line until the Tyroshi committed their veterans, then withdraw in a controlled manner if necessary.
The retreat had to appear tempting enough to draw Hestar forward without breaking formation.
Blue Bat acknowledged each instruction calmly, assuring him the soldiers understood.
Mortarion glanced toward the bowmen on the ridge.
“They will loose once the Tyroshi archers enter range, but I do not expect them to win that contest.
Their purpose is to distract the enemy and force the front ranks to raise shields.”
“The bowmen know their limitations,” Blue Bat replied.
“That is more than many archers know.”
Tyroshi drums began beating across the field, deep and steady, setting the pace for the advancing infantry.
Striped banners moved above the centre, while the red wolf standards of the Scarlet Wolves approached along the southern side.
Mortarion placed a gauntleted hand on Blue Bat’s shoulder.
“Hold Narra.
I will deal with the rear.”
“The line will remain when you return,” Blue Bat answered. Get faster updates on g.com.
Mortarion turned toward Anaxion.
The dragon sensed his approach before he entered the central ruins, lifting his head as loose stones rolled from the remains of the square.
Smoke poured between his jaws, and molten-green eyes fixed upon the enemy beyond the western wall.
Through their bond came heat, hunger, and impatience.
Mortarion climbed along the dragon’s foreleg and secured himself between the raised scales, fastening reinforced leather straps around his waist.
He pressed one hand against Anaxion’s neck and guided him through the bond, instructing him to climb east, circle south, and strike the rear from behind the river.
The dragon resisted at first, eager to descend directly upon the largest concentration of men, but Mortarion forced patience into the bond, emphasising the danger of the scorpions.
At last, Anaxion unfolded his wings and launched eastward.
Dust and broken tiles scattered across Narra as he rose into the sky.
Tyroshi soldiers shouted when they saw him, and scorpion crews turned their engines to track his movement.
Hestar had expected an attack, but not a withdrawal.
Mortarion guided Anaxion higher until Narra and both armies appeared small beneath them, then pressed south through the bond.
The dragon resisted briefly before banking, disappearing behind the southern hills.
From the Tyroshi lines, it seemed as though the dragon had withdrawn entirely, forcing the scorpions to watch every part of the sky.
“Faster,” Mortarion urged.
“We strike before the engines can turn.”
Anaxion understood the urgency and drove westward.
Back at Narra, Tyroshi arrows rose into the sky.
Archers halted beyond the stone boundaries and loosed in broad volleys, darkening the air before the shafts descended upon the Unsullied line.
Blue Bat shouted a command, and shields lifted together.
Arrows struck wood, leather, and earth, some finding gaps and wounding soldiers, but the formation held.
Wounded men stepped back, replaced immediately by those behind them.
The Unsullied bowmen responded from the ridge, though their volleys lacked the range and force of the Tyroshi arrows.
Their training had always treated the bow as secondary, and their lack of experience showed.
The Tyroshi archers quickly recognised the advantage and concentrated their fire on the ridge, forcing the Unsullied bowmen into cover.
Blue Bat observed without surprise.
Their purpose was distraction, not dominance.
As the Tyroshi centre advanced, sellswords pressed both flanks.
The Scarlet Wolves attacked the southern position with heavy axes, smashing at shields and attempting to break the line.
The Unsullied bent but did not break, and reserves moved to reinforce the weakened section.
Meanwhile, Tyroshi cavalry attempted to flank north of the ridge, only to be drawn into a narrow path where Unsullied spears awaited them.
Horses baulked at the wall of points, and confusion spread among the riders as the attack faltered.
In the centre, Tyroshi veterans pressed forward, believing they were forcing the Unsullied to retreat.
The first line withdrew in controlled fashion, drawing the enemy deeper into the field.
Hestar’s banner moved closer as he committed his forces.
Then Anaxion returned.
He descended from the south-west, unseen until his shadow crossed the Tyroshi rear.
Green fire erupted across the scorpions, consuming engines and crews alike.
Mortarion guided the dragon from target to target, destroying each scorpion in turn.
One bolt struck Anaxion’s wing, tearing the membrane and sending pain through the bond, but the dragon’s fury only intensified.
He descended upon the remaining engines, burning them to ash.
With their rear in chaos and their escape routes cut off, the Tyroshi soldiers found themselves trapped between dragonfire and the advancing Unsullied.
Blue Bat seized the moment, ordering the line to advance.
Shields locked, spears lowered, and the Unsullied drove forward with relentless discipline.
The Tyroshi formation collapsed.
Sellswords broke, cavalry fled, and archers scattered.
Only Hestar remained, rallying a final group of veterans around his banner.
Mortarion guided Anaxion toward him.
Hestar stood his ground as the dragon descended.
Perhaps he believed he could survive as he had before.
Perhaps he simply refused to flee.
“Burn him,” Mortarion commanded.
Green fire engulfed the banner.
Hestar vanished within the flames, his form visible for only a moment before being consumed entirely.
With their leader dead, the remaining Tyroshi soldiers broke.
Some surrendered, others fled, and a few fought until the Unsullied ended them.
By the end of the battle, nearly five thousand Tyroshi lay dead.
The survivors fled toward Varos, carrying tales of destruction.
The Unsullied held their formation even in victory, tending to their wounded and securing prisoners.
Mortarion landed Anaxion upon the western rise.
The dragon’s wing bled, but the injury was not fatal.
He paced restlessly until Mortarion calmed him through the bond.
“The battle is finished.
You have won.”
Below, Blue Bat approached and reported their losses: two hundred and eighty-three dead, over seven hundred wounded.
The bowmen had performed poorly, as expected, but the infantry had held every position.
Together, dragon and soldiers had annihilated the Tyroshi host.
Mortarion ordered riders sent to spread the news and instructed that prisoners be spared.
“They will carry the story home,” he said.
The Archon had sent seven thousand men to destroy House Baraeris.
Within two hours, five thousand were dead.
The fields of Narra had given Mortarion the victory he needed.
Anaxion roared across the ruins, the sound following the fleeing Tyroshi westward.
House Baraeris had fought its first battle.
The Disputed Lands would remember who won it.