Chapter 422

The twin rings of flame encircling the Shadow Tower’s walls managed to slow the tide of the undead, but within the mass of shambling bodies, a reanimated mammoth and a towering undead giant suddenly emerged. Together, they charged directly toward the gate.

As undead puppets, the mammoth and the giant no longer suffered the limitations of living creatures: no strained lungs, no faltering hearts, no exhaustion. They were faster, stronger, and relentless. Trampling over the battered stakes and trenches, the two behemoths ignored the rain of arrows from the defenders and slammed into the Shadow Tower’s gate with a resounding crash.

The Wall and its fortifications had equipment prepared for such massive foes—scorpions and trebuchets—but it was midnight. The heavy clouds, thickened since sunset, blanketed the sky in darkness. Despite the firelight and the contrast of snow, the horde outside remained an indistinct black mass. When the mammoth and giant broke free from the cover of the undead and closed the distance in under ten seconds, there was no time to aim the larger weapons.

The mammoth, with its thick hide, shrugged off dragonglass arrows, while the giant was clad in crude but formidable armor—whether a remnant from its past life or forged by the Night King. Even the dragonglass-tipped projectiles shattered like glass against the giant’s massive wooden club. Under the horrified gaze of the defenders, the mammoth, trailing fire and embers, crashed into the gate with an earth-shaking thud.

The gate bowed inward but held firm, thanks to the Shadow Tower’s recent fortifications. Yet the craftsmen reinforcing the door with stone behind it scattered in terror, their courage crumbling like leaves in a storm.

Had this been a living mammoth, such a charge might have left it dazed or dead from its own force. But this was an undead creature, immune to fear or pain. The wildfire licking at its legs and climbing its fur failed to deter it. It stepped back, rearing alongside the giant, and charged again.

At last, a grenade arced down from the battlements, exploding at their feet. The mammoth and the giant staggered, but the dragonglass shrapnel failed to pierce their thick hides or armor. The giant let out a guttural roar as it joined the mammoth in a third, relentless assault.

"Hey, old man! Get away from the gate! I’m not ready to take your place yet!" shouted Qhorin Halfhand from the wall, his voice carrying over the din.

Dennis Mallister, the Shadow Tower's commander, did not move. He barked orders, rallying the reserve troops to the gate.

The third strike came with devastating force. Though the gate’s wooden planks and iron bars held, the hinges and bolts began to buckle. The heavy scorpions finally swung into position, loosing two oversized dragonglass bolts. One missed entirely, embedding itself in the snow. The other found its mark, plunging deep into the mammoth’s abdomen.

The mammoth roared a haunting, guttural sound as it collapsed, flames consuming its enormous corpse. The defenders let out a tentative cheer—but their relief was short-lived. The gate, battered by the mammoth's final blow, trembled on its hinges. The giant raised its massive leg and kicked, and the weakened gate fell inward with a deafening crash.

The giant, its lower body trailing flames, stepped through the breach, its glowing blue eyes sweeping the courtyard. It swung its club, scattering the debris blocking its path, and began striding toward Dennis and the gathered defenders. Behind it, the undead surged into the opening.

"Brothers! Hold the line!" Dennis roared, drawing his sword. The Shadow Tower had held for mere minutes, but its defenses were already on the brink of collapse.

“Commander, you must retreat!” one of his guards urged, but Dennis ignored them, his gaze fixed on the advancing giant.

Spears tipped with dragonglass jabbed at the giant from all sides, but its patchwork armor deflected the blows. Regular iron weapons, though capable of piercing the armor, had no effect on the undead. The defenders fell one by one, sent flying by the giant’s crushing swings. The remaining guards dragged Dennis back, desperate to prevent the tower from losing its commander.

Suddenly, a single arrow streaked through the chaos, glowing faintly with a golden light. It pierced the giant’s chest, bypassing its thick armor and embedding itself deep in its heart. The giant let out a strangled groan before collapsing, its massive body hitting the ground with a bone-shaking thud.

The defenders turned toward the source of the arrow. Qhorin Halfhand stood atop the wall, wielding a longbow of purpleheart wood. He leapt from the battlements onto a nearby roof and hurried toward the fallen giant.

Qhorin, as the tower’s most skilled archer, had been entrusted with one of the few Lightbringer arrows forged from Valyrian steel. These rare weapons, designed to kill White Walkers, had proven just as deadly against their undead giant.

“That bastard—he wasn’t lying! These things aren’t just for show!” Qhorin shouted, grinning as he carefully retrieved the arrow from the smoldering corpse. “Somebody block that gate before more of these monsters get through! And tell the men on the walls to stop hoarding the grenades—use them!”

The defenders, heartened by the giant’s death, fought with renewed vigor. Qhorin directed several soldiers to reinforce the gate, while the craftsmen worked frantically to erect a temporary stone barricade. Dennis, however, stared grimly at the breach, understanding the deeper implications of the attack.

These creatures weren’t mindless. They were directed, and the Night King’s forces had shown a terrifying adaptability. If the Shadow Tower fell, it wouldn’t just be another fortress lost—it would be a gateway for the undead to threaten the Wall itself.

“Commander! The reinforcements and supplies from Sentinel Stand have arrived! What are your orders?”

Dennis turned to his messenger, his voice firm. “Bring the wildfire and grenades to the walls. Deploy every soldier to the gate—fully armed.”

Then, turning to Qhorin, he added, “Take this arrow and a reliable squad. Go to the fifth level of the stairway and hold it. If the Shadow Tower falls, destroy the stairway. We cannot allow this breach to lead to the Wall’s collapse.”

“But Commander—”

“No arguments, Qhorin. If we hold, I’ll take your scolding later. If we don’t, someone must warn the other fortresses. They need to know how we fell.”

Qhorin hesitated, his face tight with disbelief, before nodding and turning to carry out the grim order.