Arannte wielded her sword expertly, the night hissing as the air thickened with her shafts, the breath of death choking her enemies as they clawed at her horse.
Nightmare herself was a raging demon as she towered over the orcs and their lesser beasts, biting, tearing and kicking with astonishing speed.
Arannte could fit up to three arrows on her string at once, and they flew so fast and accurately that the orcs seemed to wither as they came withing reach of her large, long-range bow.
Even was racing along alongside her, his brow furrowed with ill-concealed anger.
She cringed, knowing she had probably been the reason he was delayed so long.
The goblins and orcs swept around her, between her and the rest of her group, and that's when she shifted completely to battle mode.
She hacked, chopped and stabbed with her left arm as her right continued to fire off arrows from the bow, which was resting in a special position across Demon's neck that allowed her to keep her hands mostly free.
Nightmare reared, slamming her hooves down on an unidentified attacker, then she flicked her tail, layed flat her ears, and shot like the arrow from Arannte's bow, trampling the enemy and neighing shrilly.
The packhorse also was fighting, hooves pounding, mane tossing, teeth flashing. It was as if was a hate-charged demon in its death throws, kicking, squeeling and biting, gnashing.
Suddenly, Arannte was free from the orcs, running across soft turf into the shallow creek, her throat hoarse and her arms bloodied, with both her blood and her attackers. Nightmare and Lance were free also, galloping full-speed across the open grass at the trees edge.
The horses plunged into the icy water, which was deeper than it looked. They pulled even and they swam side-by-side until they regained their footing on the other side, rushing out of the water like some primieval beast, water rushing off and glistening in the sun as they vanished into the trees.
She could see Even to her left, and some others fighting amongst the forest, their shouts ringing like thier blades against the goblins' and orcs' ones, and strangest of all, they were laughing.
Arannte slowed her horse, then turned and spurred her into a gallop. Her sword raised, she bore down on an orc with its back to her.
Her groaned as Nightmare's hooves caught him midback, and he dropped with Arannte's follow-up.
She could see the Englishman off to her right, now, and she headed that way.
A troll burst out of the bushes, glaring down at her.
She promptly released two arrows, which struck him in his right side.
It groaned, and then snapped the arrows out easily, glowering and raging above her.
Arannte leapt from her seat, landing in the bushes.
The troll swung its club, and she dodged.
Another swing, and another duck.
Finally, she saw it raise its head to look at the other five trolls, and she fired again, this time getting the soft skin under the throat.
It choked, gagged, and then toppled, bearing down on a couple of goblins.
Arannte swung back aboard Nightmare, and they were off again.