Chapter 153: The Wolf At The Door

### Story Date

Tuesday, 1 November, AD 1043/6552 ε.Κ/25 Rabi’ al-Awwal 435 AH/25 Yang-Yue Huangyou Era Year 1/25 Gormánuður ÅrO -1/25 Cheshvan AM 4804

## Appearances

### Locations

Constantinople and surrounding areas
London

*Much debate rages over the advantages and disadvantages regarding different types of ranged weaponry in use by dragon-mounted archers. Generally speaking, there are three types in common use—full crossbows, classic composite horse-bows, and hybrid mechanical bows, each of which has its own proponents and detractors.*

*Full crossbows have the greatest potential strength and are the easiest to use, with a simple trigger that looses the bolt, and can be pre-loaded and held at the ready without strain, but they take an extremely long time to reload. Furthermore, they are complex to make, with gears, levers, and, in the cases of the most powerful ones, a significant amount of quality steel for the lath and the string, adding significantly to the cost. In the context of dragonback combat, a skilled crossbow wielder could potentially break contact with the enemy and reload before coming in for another pass, but this is not universally possible. In essence, a flight of crossbow-using dragon-archers will deliver a single powerful punch, upon which they will need to either break contact or gain cover from other units while reloading.*

*Composite horse-bows require considerable training to use on dragonback, but are the quickest to nock and loose by an experienced archer, and are the cheapest and simplest to construct, being made of laminated wood, horn, and sinew, although there is a lead time required for drying in the manufacturing process. In the context of dragonback combat, a skilled horse-bow archer can potentially loose multiple arrows at their adversaries in a matter of moments, even in the high-speed conditions of a head-to-head pass. However, the training required for effective horse-bow use is unquestionably much higher than that of a crossbow, and the horse-bow is much more tiring to keep ready than a crossbow, and also more vulnerable to being burned by dragonfire.*

*Hybrid mechanical bows use metal arms, much like crossbows, but use a series of cams and pulleys to draw back the arms, rendering the mechanical bow similar to a traditional bow in use, even though it is much more complicated. Proper design allows the bow to even “rest” after it has been drawn back, lessening the strain on the archer’s body until the arrow is loosed. However, again, they require considerable material and expertise to craft, and the complexities of the design, while not as high as that of a crossbow, still renders them vulnerable to some of the same drawbacks; a slipped cam can result in the bow being unusable until repaired. That being said, they are frequently seen as an effective middle-ground between the two other options.*

*—The Wing And The Ax, Queen-Marshal Astrid Haddock I, undated draft, Waterford University Archives*

## Synopsis

* Boarguts and Mulan's expedition arrive to see Constantinople under attack, with several of the Pechenegs turning their attention to them.
* Sigurd tells Hiccup about the Pechenegs, including the fact that their Khagan is named Berk like their homeland.
* Hiccup improvises a version of the Dragon Catapult to launch Byzantine Dragon Riders directly into battle.
* Serena's clan joins the battle against the Pechenegs.
* Hiccup and Sigurd note that Drago has a Boneknapper.
* Drago orders a retreat for the Pechenegs after they do enough damage to Constantinople.
* Dagur bonds with one of the liberated Pecheneg dragons.
* William admits to Esther that he is starting to doubt his faith in Christianity.
* Hiccup helps the injured Night-Glow.
* Mulan meets Hiccup and tells him of the Song Dynasty's plight.
* Astrid's messenger arrives and informs Hiccup that his father was attacked.

## Characters

### Humans

* Boarguts Sheepwitsson
* Naphtali the Radhanite
* Fa Mulan
* Malachi
* Drago Bludvist
* Hsiao Feng
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Sigurd Spiteloutsson
* Li Shang
* Sophia Makris
* Serena Hamishsdóttir
* Mala
* Chien-Po
* Yao
* Ling
* Harald Sigurdsson
* Dagur mac Oswald
* Folarin
* William of Normandy
* Esther bat Rivkah clan Haddock

### Dragons

* Boarguts's Nadders
* Drago's Boneknapper
* Night-Glow
* Serena's dragon
* Mushu
* Toothless
* Hookfang
* Unnamed green Gronckle

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph discusses the use of archery on dragonback-warfare. The chapter shows the Pechenegs using archery in tandem with their dragons.