The commotion and shouting stopped.
Ten thousand voices fell silent. Every pair of eyes turned toward the sky.
"Dracarys!" A wave of heat swept down from the sky like the Grim Reaper's scythe, followed by red-black flames.
"It's a magic dragon!"
"Aaaaaah!"
The magic dragon breathed black-red flame, sweeping across the Golden Gate Wall.
Chapter 436: The Dance of Dragons Returns, Meeting the Starks
The checkpoint at the Golden Gate descended into frenzied chaos.
The distant wave of silver heavy cavalry had not frightened the defenders this badly, but the magic dragon's roar was enough to strike terror into their hearts.
The fear of fire was etched into every person's life.
Fleeing was the only thought in most ordinary people's minds. They could not contend with the black-winged dragon overhead.
"The scorpions! The scorpions!" the Westerlands commander bellowed, but no soldier was willing to act.
Many fumbled about in panic, and even more wanted to flee to the Lookout Tower or run away altogether.
Scorpions, ballistae, trebuchets-the Westerlands had no shortage of equipment, but they could not summon their courage.
This checkpoint had originally been only a fallback position against the Reach. No one had expected the Dance of Dragons to reach it too.
"Cowards! A pack of cowards!" The commander could only approach a ballista himself and line up a shot with trembling hands.
The Westerlands soldiers were not entirely unprepared, but having a plan in mind and actually facing it were two different things.
Everyone had heard the story of the Dornish, who had shot down a great dragon with a scorpion.
This was the edge of the Westerlands, after all. It was unrealistic to expect everyone to follow the Lannisters to their deaths.
Several long-hafted iron bolts shot up from the ground. Balerion dodged nimbly, giving all