Free The Storm's Own Son (Book 3) by Anthony Gillis

had more than enough men handle things. Ahead, the enemy had shifted a company of heavy spearmen to guard the flank of the archers and artillery. The nearer companies of archers themselves now faced his way and readied their bows. Further off, enemy light cavalry rode hard their way.
    Two enemy ballistae and a catapult turned their way and fired.
    Bolts the size of spears and a stone half the size of a man came flying their way.
    One of the bolts fell short. The other skewered a horse, it tumbled, and one of his Wolves went flying forward. The man crashed to the ground with shattered limbs. The catapult stone hurtled just behind the rearmost of his Wolves and hit the ground with an explosion of earth.
    Talaos snarled in sudden anger and called upon his inner storm once more.
    He extended his right arm, focusing power through his body and into his hand. He unleashed a long, single bolt of lightning. It arced far across the plain, beyond the range of anything else but its target, and struck the ballista that had downed his Wolf.
    The machine shattered in a spray of fire and splintered wood. Men fell back, roaring and screaming with burned, bloody faces. The crews of the other two siege engines stayed at their posts, reloading. Behind them, the rest of the artillery still faced the main line of Talaos's army.
    Three hundred archers drew their bows, aiming at Talaos, his Madmen and Wolves. A hundred enemy spearmen set themselves with round shields in a wall in front of the archers.
    Talaos still raged with the storm. His storm.
    He stretched his right hand, and a long bolt of lightning arced across the plain.
    It struck the front line of spearmen. Electricity blasted through shields and armor, and out the backs of dying men. He swept his hand in a line to the right, sending charred corpses flying. Then he swept back again, aimed further back, cutting through ranks of archers.
    Bowmen nearby ducked aside to avoid death, or fell backwards as bodies flew into them. Disorder spread through their ranks. Those further off held fast and prepared for the moment he'd be in range. It wouldn’t be long now.
    His eyes flashed with lightning, and it arced in his hand. He swept his line of lightning across the ranks of archers, and back again. Some men at last began to break, backing off in fear or dropping to the ground. A few turned to run. Many fired too soon, in anger, frustration, or panic, and dozens of arrows fell harmlessly to the ground before him.
    Then the rest unleashed their bows. A hundred arrows flew across the plain and landed among Talaos and his men. Some struck him, though he paid them little mind. There were shouts of pain and screams of horses. Here and there, Wolves toppled or horses tumbled. 
    Imvan and his bowmen returned fire. They systematically picked off not the archers, but the guarding spearmen. Arrows found gaps in armor above or below shields, or went through the open faces of helms.
    Now they were drawing into javelin range.
    "Men! Draw javelins!" roared Talaos.
    A hundred men drew them as one.
    Another ballista bolt soared across and ran a Wolf through at the shoulder. He went flying backward off his horse in a spray of blood. Then a catapult stone flew their way. It crashed to earth in front of Talaos, bounced, and rolled toward him. No time to wheel, he thought. He gripped his horse tightly, and it made a mighty leap over the stone.
    While in the air, Talaos shouted, "Throw!"
    He sent his javelin launching like a thunderbolt into the nearest remaining spearmen. The soldier toppled backward with electricity arcing from his shattered ribs. The other javelins fell among spearmen and archers, throwing their surviving ranks into disorder.
    Then the storm reached his foes.
    The Madmen and Wolves hurtled into the broken ranks of the enemy, weapons stabbing, slashing, and crushing all around them. They smashed their way through the remnants of the spearmen and the companies of archers. Enemy officers shouted. Other