Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 164: Arrie Saves Baer

The team crossed the bridge in a long strung-out line rather than a bunch to make them a more difficult target for archers.

Even so, they were all on the bridge with no one on dry land yet when an arrow whizzed right past Loveday’s nose and she cried out, "we’re under attack!"

"Everybody down!" shouted Alton, motioning for them to crouch. "Take your packs off and use them for cover!"

Arrows started to whizz towards them from the Bothwell side of the bridge.

"Retreat if you can!" ordered Alton.

The women were in the lead, so they were the most exposed to the hail of arrows.

Before they could make any real attempt at retreating, pinned down as they were, soldiers started to climb up from under the bridge.

"Where the fuck were they hiding?" Alton muttered.

"Looks like they were under the bridge, General," said Wolf, literal as always.

"I’ve got that much, Wolf."

"They must have been holding on to the pylons."

"Yes, they’re looking a bit wet. Alright we’re on!" shouted Alton.

"General, Loveday," he yelled to them, "take down the shooters. Niko, Baer, Wolf, Brenner, to me! Let’s take out these soldiers so we can retreat!"

"Opal, Indy, Loveday, Arrie," called Delphi, bring me your packs and come up here.

The girls quickly built a small wall with their packs with Delphi and Loveday at the front shooting between the gaps, using them as arrow slits. The other three women crouched behind them.

"Arrie, use this gap here to play spotter for me?" Delphi motioned to a peephole in their pack wall.

Arrie jumped back as an arrow flew down and embedded itself in one of the bags.

"They’re not going through Arrie, you’re good," said Delphi.

Arrie lay down and used the narrow gap to hunt for archers.

"Shooter at 12 o’clock, behind the elm," called Arrie.

"Nice work Arrie. Loveday, cover me!" cried Delphi.

Delphi stood up from behind their temporary wall and fired off a perfect shot. Loveday stood beside her watching for any movement, her arrow poised.

There was a faint cry, and a man fell from behind the tree where he had been hidden.

"One down," Delphi muttered with satisfaction.

"Arrie?" she called.

"Wait there, I need them to fire another shot... Got him," she cried. "Behind the haystack at two o’clock."

"What’s he doing?"

"Getting ready to shoot."

"Thwack" an arrow hit the pack wall again.

"Cover me, Lovie." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Delphi stood up quickly and shot an arrow at the man before he could withdraw behind the haystack again.

"I think I’ve winged him on the shoulder," she said. "He’s not dead but he won’t be shooting anytime soon. Any more shooters, Arrie?"

"Give me some time. Don’t move anyone." Arrie peered through the narrow aperture. Got him! "Okay. There’s one more on the roof of that house at eleven o’clock, General. He’s lying flat just behind the gable."

"Ready, Lovie?"

The girl nodded fiercely.

"Three, two, one!"

They both stood up and Delphi let her arrow fly. It was getting to be too far for a shot to reach the house from where they stood, and the arrow clattered in the front yard.

"Shit! Has anyone got their long-range bow?"

"Baer carries his on the side of his pack. I’ll go get it for you, General," said Arrie with determination.

"Alright, but be careful. Take your sword and your dagger."

Arrie nodded and ran off towards where the men were fighting, crouching as she zig zagged in case any archers were targeting her. Once she was halfway across the bridge, she knew she was out of range, so she stood up and pelted across the wooden surface.

Baer was fighting not one, but two soldiers at the same time. He seemed to be holding his own for the time being, both keeping them at bay and making forays towards them, pushing them back towards the bridge railings.

Arrie hung back, not wanting to distract him at this critical moment.

He managed to pinion one soldier against the edge of the bridge. The fellow turned and dived off into the rushing current rather than getting stabbed.

That left one man, who was trying desperately to defend himself while Baer chopped at him.

A soldier who had been pulling himself out of the water and looked to have lost his sword in the current, spotted the sword of a fallen comrade whom Wolf had despatched. He rushed over and picked it up.

The man stalked up behind Baer, and was about to stab him in the back.

"Baer," shouted Arrie, but it was too late for him to turn and defend as he heard her cry.

More on instinct than planned, she threw her dagger at the fellow. It embedded itself in his ribs, and he sank to his knees, his sword mere inches from Baer’s back.

Baer looked at the man with alarm, then looked over at Arrie, whilst he still pinned down the man he fought. He grinned quickly at her and mouthed, ’thanks Shortcake’.

She didn’t bother replying, rushing in to grab the long-range bow from his pack and hurrying back to Delphi.

She handed Delphi the bow, lying back down to sight the target.

"He’s still there General. Same position. You obviously didn’t scare him away with that shot that fell short."

"Good. That means we can take him out of play."

"Lovie? Ready? Three, two, one!"

The two women stood, side-by-side. The man raised his head and upper body for a shot.

"He’s about to shoot!" called Loveday.

Both arrows were shot at almost the same time. Delphi’s arrow hit the man in the chest, and Arrie watched him slide off the roof and fall to the grass below.

Loveday and Delphi dived back behind their wall and the arrow shot by the dead man, flew directly overhead where they had been standing seconds ago.

"That was a close one," said Delphi, wiping her brow. "Arrie?"

"I think that’s it."

"Let’s go and help the men if we’re done."

Delphi and the girls all grabbed their packs and ran back down the bridge towards the fighting.

Alton saw them coming. "Stay out of the way, General!" he ordered her. "We’ve got this sorted."

Brenner and Wolf were two of the last combatants, and each managed to win their sword fight, leaving bodies strewn across the bridge.

"Alright, now for an orderly retreat," called Alton. "Everybody off this cursed bridge."

They all set off at a run, Baer hanging back to try to talk to Araminta.

"Thanks for the save there, Shortcake," he grinned at her. "I definitely owe you one."

"No, Baer. That’s it. We’re even now. You saved my life, I’ve saved yours. Now there’s nothing between us. We don’t owe each other anything."