Part Three

Arrows began to rain upon the Third Company, hissing until clanging and ricocheting off the steel shields. A few penetrated the shields, pricking skin. The cannons of Valash continued to blast into the ranks of the beseiging army, but several trebuchets and catapults creaked in reply, hurling chunks of stone against the city walls. A section blew apart, collapsing into rubble, leaving a gap near one of the cannons.
Seeing the gap, Hideoshi cried, " Run forward now!"
The members of the Third Company who were not battering the gate rushed forward, clambered over the rubble, captured the cannon and its gunners, and dashed out ( making the prisoners tote the cannon) before the dazed Valashians could respond. Their major gasped when he saw their prize.
"Who thought of such a daring plan?" He exclaimed.
Hideoshi strode forward, saluted, and said, "I did, sir."
"Well, you and your companions may return to camp now," replied the grinning major. "You all deserve it."
"Thank you, sir," said Hideoshi, who saluted, along with his companions, and trudged back to the road that led down from the plateau.
Halfway on the way back to camp, Hideoshi became aware that he had not seen Nevsky since before the capture of the cannon.
"Where is he?" He cried. "He'll get killed if left by himself, the way he is!"
After being nicked by an arrow, Nevsky had followed Hideoshi and the others into Valash, but became bewildered once their prize was dragged out of the city through the breach. Soldiers dodging arrows, racing to the breach in the wall, fleeing cannon bombardment distracted him, caused him to lose sight of Hideoshi and his group.
"What should I do?" He questioned himself, as a tusnami of panic arose within him. Other soldiers pushed and shoved past him, screamed and shouted, while cannons and siege weapons boomed and creaked in concert. He tried to think, despite the tumult about him, but tripped once more over a dead body.
Nevsky, upon impulse, looked at the face of the dead soldier. Though streaked with blood, he recognised the corpse as the body of his cousin, Ivan, who had been in Fifth Company.
"No! No!" He screamed, but his cry of agony was lost in the roar of battle.
Once more, panic-caused by the fear of death-surged within Nevsky. He attempted to calm himself, saying, "I won't get killed! I won't get killed!" Repeatedly. But this only increased the feeling of terror.
A shadow passed over him, and looking up, he saw a Mazovian Fairy flying in a spiral over the city of Valash.
"Retreat to the camp!" Cried the commanding officers while the dark form soared overhead. All rushed to the road in panic, some even deserting their siege weapons. Nevsky remained petrified for a moment, then arose, darting after the last stragglers on the road down to the plains.
Hideoshi just started out to search for Nevsky when he saw a drooping figure plodding at the end of a line of soldiers.
"Nevsky, where've you been?" He shouted.
Nevsky approached, still drooping, and replied in a voice that mingled terror with despair, " My cousin Ivan is dead."
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Hideoshi, but meanwhile he thought, "One more blow, and he'll go berserk. I hope nothing else will shake him up."
Just then, Galen, the camp mailman, strode up to Nevsky and shoved an envelope into his trembling fist. Nevsky glanced at it absently at first, then slowly a grin covered his face.
"It's from my aunt Olga! I've not seen or heard from her in years!" He cried,ripping open the envelope.
Hideoshi and Galen moved in closer to catch whatever Nevsky said. At first, he scanned the letter, still grinning. However, his grin faded, he reread the letter, and he read it again, now gasping.
Galen and Hideoshi asked instantaneously, "What is it?"
A burst of screaming and tears poured forth.
"They're dead! My family, all of them! My father, my mother, my little brothers and sisters, my whole village, dead! Mazovians slashed them up and razed the village! My family!" Screamed Nevsky, hot tears streaking his flushed face.
Nevsky suddenly dashed towards the city of Valash, shouting, " Come get me! Come get me!"
"We'll have to get him," said Galen, groaning.
Hideoshi replied, "Then we'd better run, or he'll be killed!"
"There's a dark grey cloud moving in fast from the north."
"Not a blizzard! But let's go!".
Hideoshi sped after the deranged Nevsky, Galen following after thrusting the rest of the camp mail into the backpack of an unsuspecting soldier nearby. Soon, Galen caught up with Hideoshi, and together they pursued Nevsky, crunching snow beneath their urgent footfalls. Meanwhile, the storm cloud moved rapidly towards them over the white plains. The two finally reach Nevsky, seized him by his shoulders, and shook him.
"What on Arret were you thinking?" Galen screamed.
"Nevsky, I understand that this news is hard for you," shouted Hideoshi, "but this won't help! That's why we're fighting, to keep stuff like that from happening again! Now snap out of it!"
Right then, a flurry of snow swirled round them, the air became colder, and the grey sky grew greyer.
"We've got to start moving, unless you two want to become like ice blocks!" Shouted Hideoshi over the wind.
They grasped each other's hands, walking towards the camp. But snow flurries and grey-black night obscured their sight. Not even fire light could penetrate the wall of night in that snowstorm.
Still the three trod on, forcing themselves against the wind. Often they stumbled, upon what they could not tell. Numbness began to take captive their ears, hands, and feet, while snow blew into their eyes.
This continued for a wearisome while, until they began brushing against tree trunks. The snow flurries died down. The grey-blackness became dark blue, while a full, glowing moon rose above them.
Nevsky, peering ahead into to forest, cried,"What's in the middle of that glade?"
Galen and Hideoshi looked in the direction Nevsky pointed towards. A dark, looming thing stood erect in the center of the glade.
"Let's see what it is. We have weapons, if it comes to that," said Galen. Hideoshi and Nevsky nodded.
They crept forward, silent as shadows passing over the ground. Then they stopped, for they were directly in front of the mysterious object.