His shoulders slumped. What more could he do? He began to worry that perhaps he couldn’t change what his dreams were telling him. Perhaps no matter what he did the princess would end up dying. He quivered at the thought. Darian reached over and put his hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve done what you can,” the elf said. “You’ve warned the princess, and we’re traveling as fast as we can. Don’t lose hope. The most important thing to do right now is to get a good night’s sleep. We’ll start early tomorrow and see if we can catch her.”
Traven was thankful for the encouragement. He shook off his dismal thoughts and prepared to sleep. Maybe if they started early enough each day and rode hard enough, they could catch up to the princess before she reached the battlefield. He stared up at the starry night sky. They had left the confines of the forest and passed Candus the previous day. It was strange sleeping under an open sky once again.
He was eventually able to clear his mind and fall asleep, but his sleep was not restful. That night he dreamed of arriving at the edge of the battlefield. Upon his head sat the crown of Kalia and at his feet lay a wasteland of death. In the center of the wasteland, he could distinctly make out the lifeless form of the princess.
30
The time had arrived. As much as Kadrak had hoped to avoid this moment, he knew that to wait any longer could be disastrous to his campaign. The last four days of fighting had been intense and tiring. After the horrible first day of battle, his army had slowly been chipping away at the larger Kalian Army. Another few days and his army would be able to break through and overrun the Kalians. However, they didn’t have a few more days. They had reached the end of their supplies.
He stood at the mouth of the pass with his army stretched out anxiously behind him. They were prepared and ready to win the battle today. They all knew that there wasn’t any food left. If they wanted to eat the next day, they would have to overrun the Kalians and take their supplies.
It had become evident to him the previous day that it would come to this. He had stopped his attacks with the ambience in the early afternoon so that he could rest and regain his full strength for today. He was anxious and ready as well. The battle had already lasted too long, and his army had suffered too many casualties. He wondered if it had been wise to wait until now to call in his reinforcements. He shook his head and firmed his jaw. He wouldn’t second guess himself. He had made the decision to wait, and it had been the right decision. Now the correct decision was to wait no longer.
He glanced at the mountains to the north as he raised his hands in the air. As soon as the galdak warriors responded to his call, he would send his troops in immediately and unleash a fierce attack of his own. The Kalian Army would buckle and break in the face of the three coordinated attacks. The battle would be over by midday. It was time.
A fireball sprung from Kadrak’s outstretched hands and shot straight up into the sky. It was followed by two more in quick succession. He watched as all three reached their peaks high in the sky and disappeared one after the other. He paused for several moments and then summoned a giant lightning bolt. It came crashing down on the northern flank of the Kalian Army, pinpointing where the galdak warriors were to attack.
He watched the mountains, eager for a first glimpse of the mighty warriors. The Kalian Army had no idea what he had just signaled. His own soldiers didn’t even know the significance of what he had just done. Only Gilrod was aware of the hidden warriors. Kadrak had shared the secret with his second in command the previous night so Gilrod would be prepared to send the proper message to the Balthan soldiers when the time was right.
Several more moments passed without any sign of the warriors. He shifted on his mount. Perhaps he had misjudged how long it would take them to respond. He waited patiently, but still no signs of the galdaks appeared. Was it possible they had missed his signal?
He raised his hands in the air to repeat the signal but stopped before wasting any more energy. He let his hands fall to his sides as anger flashed across his face. There was no chance his signal could have been missed. The galdak warriors would have been watching anxiously for the opportunity to unleash their pent up fury on the humans. The answer to why they hadn’t come was simple. Shaman Azulk had lied to him. He hadn’t sent warriors to help. The devious old galdak had purposely deceived him.
Kadrak took several deep breaths. The shaman would pay for his insolence. The elderly galdak would regret the day that he crossed the great Wielder Kadrak. He took several more deep breaths, trying to calm the anger and rage that welled up inside of him. Shaman Azulk would pay, but first the current battle needed to be won. He quickly thought through his options. There would be no reinforcements, but the battle needed to be won today nonetheless.
If his army was going to win the battle, it would be up to him. He alone possessed the power necessary to decide the outcome. He quickly changed his plan of attack as his army sat silently behind him, waiting for their instructions. He would have to strike at the Kalian Army with great force but with careful wisdom as well. He couldn’t afford to waste any more of his energy. He turned to Gilrod who was still inspecting the mountains to the north.
“It looks like there will have to be a change of plans,” he stated with a hint of anger still showing in his voice. “It appears we’ve been betrayed. We’ll have to win this battle on our own.”
He quickly gave Gilrod his new instructions. His second in command listened to the new strategy and hurried to relay the battle plan to the rest of the army. Kadrak waited patiently for the instructions to be passed to everyone. While he waited, he stared at the Kalian Army across the empty battlefield.
The last four days of fighting had been intense, but today’s battle would be unlike any the world had ever seen. He pulled out a shallow screeing dish and unstopped his water skin. He carefully poured out just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. He then called up an image of the Kalian Army in order to get a closer view. He surveyed the enemy’s ranks and made mental notes of their positions. He located the generals and smiled.
Today he would strike where he could do the most damage. He would cause as much confusion as he could amongst the Kalians and then drive his army directly through the center of their ranks. Once they had broken through, they would double back on the Kalian soldiers and attack from both the front and the rear. He would keep up his barrage of elemental attacks, and the Kalian Army would crumble.
Gilrod returned to his side and confirmed that the battle plan had been relayed to everyone. His army was ready to attack and claim their victory. Kadrak glanced back over his soldiers and made himself glow. They needed to be reminded that they wouldn’t be fighting the Kalians alone. They had a master wielder at their head. He raised his fist into the air and his soldiers cheered. The time had come. Today victory would be theirs.
* * * * *
General Blaize stared at the mouth of the pass from his position at the top of the rise. Earlier the Balthan wielder had sent three fireballs straight up into the sky. He had then sent a bolt of lightning thundering down into the middle of Blaize’s troops. The wielder hadn’t done anything else since.
He wasn’t sure what the point of the show of power had been. At first he thought the Balthan wielder must be signaling something, but when nothing happened, he questioned what it could possibly mean.
The last three days had been rough for the army. They had suffered numerous casualties. It had been frustrating trying to defend against the wielder’s attacks. They had worked out a system to reinforce spots quickly, but they could only do so much against the unexpected.
It had become obvious over the last few days that if they stuck with their plan to only fight defensively, the Balthans would slowly continue to deplete their army. Today they would employ a much different strategy. They would attack. They had lined up in the same formations as previously so as not to give any hint of their intentions to the Balthans. Once the battle began, about half of the army, including h
is troops, would surge forward and attack.
They would no longer sit back and allow the Balthan wielder to continue decimating their army from a safe distance. Today they would bring the battle to him. They knew that if they were able to take him out of the battle, they could easily defeat the Balthan Army. The troops were aware of the dangers of attacking the wielder directly, but they preferred it to sitting around and waiting for a lightning bolt to come crashing down on them.
Blaize checked his bindings and weapons. Today he wouldn’t just be directing his troops from the rear. Today he would be riding into battle with them. It was now a waiting game. As soon as the Balthan Army made their attack, the Kalians would counterattack and hope to catch them off guard. If they were able to knock the wielder Kadrak out of the battle, they hoped to end the war today.
A cheer broke out across the battlefield. He watched as the Balthan Army surged past their leader and headed across the empty field. He took a deep breath. It was almost time. He gave the other generals a nod and moved towards the northern flank of the army. As soon as the Balthans engaged the waiting troops, he would sweep around their side with his cavalry.
Lightning began crashing down across the front ranks of the Kalian Army. The wielder was at it again. After the initial strikes across the front, the lightning bolts raced right up the center of the army all the way to the rear. But the strikes didn’t stop when they reached the rear of the army; they intensified. Blaize wheeled around with worry. The wielder was deliberately targeting the commanders. He had never seen such an intense barrage of lightning bolts. He quickly averted his eyes from the blinding flashes.
After several moments the bolts left the top of the rise and raced back down the center of the army. His eyes darted across the area where he had been only moments before. Several of the generals who had been knocked down were climbing back to their feet in a daze. However, it appeared that a few would never be rising again. It appeared that among the dead was their leader, Baron Mikel. The Commander General Gavin was kneeling beside the still form of his father. He was looking around frantically and his face was a pale white.
He hoped the young man could pull himself together quickly. Commander General Gavin was now in charge of the entire army. Blaize was tempted to return and help sort out the mess, but the Balthan soldiers were already beginning to crash into the front lines. He would have to trust the other generals and their second-in-commands to lead the army from the rear.
He had a more important responsibility. The mission he had volunteered for was critical to the army’s success. He booted his horse and galloped the rest of the way to his soldiers. The time had come. Today there would be an all out battle.
* * * * *
Kadrak smiled. His barrage of lightning bolts had done exactly what he needed them to. The Kalian Army was left weak in the center and his troops were driving deep into their midst. He was also sure that he had killed several of the Kalian generals. The successful strike at the commanders had weakened the Kalians even more and would cause confusion and fear.
Today he would have his decisive victory. His smile grew larger as he sent another volley of lightning bolts slamming into the center of the Kalian Army, just ahead of his attacking troops. He would clear the way for them to cut all the way to the rear of the Kalian Army.
“Master,” Gilrod said urgently.
“What?” Kadrak said with annoyance as he looked over at the man.
Gilrod was pointing to the northwest with a concerned expression. Kadrak looked where he was pointing and growled. A large group of Kalian cavalry had broken away from the main body and were racing around the right flank of his army. It appeared that they were heading for him. He redirected his lightning bolts towards the cavalry. There were too many soldiers for him to stop by himself, but at least he could slow them down.
“Have several battalions pull back and defend me,” he commanded. “Our only hope to win today is if I’m allowed to stay on the offensive.”
He watched as Gilrod quickly gave the commands. His soldiers were soon pulling back from the right side of the battle and moving to place themselves solidly between the oncoming Kalian cavalry and himself. He growled in frustration. It appeared that the Kalians had finally decided there only hope to win the battle was to directly attack him.
The new strategy of his enemies would definitely cause problems. It would cause him to have to divide his attention and strength between both attacking and defending. By pulling part of his troops back to defend him, it would also make it much harder for the rest of the troops to break through the Kalian defenses.
He peered across the field of battle, wondering if the Kalians had any other surprises. He soon found that a huge group of foot soldiers was marching around the left flank of his army. He quickly pointed them out to Gilrod. It was obvious that the fight truly was being brought to him. He thought of pulling back more of his troops but decided against it. He had to leave enough on the offensive to follow through with his plan.
He scowled and began raining lightning down in the center of the Kalian Army once again. His troops were now almost half way through. He still had plenty of time before the foot soldiers would get close to him.
“Let them come,” he stated angrily. “I will make them pay!”
* * * * *
Several bolts of lightning struck near Blaize, throwing up clumps of dirt all around him. He gritted his teeth and continued riding hard. Behind him thundered half of the Kalian cavalry. The Balthan wielder was obviously now aware of their presence. Fortunately, there were too many for him to stop them. The cavalry continued around the edge of the Balthan soldiers as the Balthans began to fall back into a defensive position around their leader.
Blaize smiled. Apparently the wielder really couldn’t stop them on his own. The pullback in troops would allow the rest of the Kalian Army to focus on repelling the main offensive in their center. He also knew that on the other side of the battle, a large contingent of foot soldiers was making its way around the flank and heading towards the wielder. If they could divide the wielder’s attention in enough different places, hopefully Kadrak wouldn’t be able to do enough damage to determine the outcome of the day’s battle.
He concentrated and brought his focus back to the task at hand. His cavalry would soon be in the thick of the battle. He veered right and set a course directly into the center of the waiting Balthan soldiers. He laid low on his steed as he raced towards battle. The wind whistled in his ears and stung his eyes as he closed in.
He could make out the Balthan wielder in the distance above the heads of the ranks of nervous foot soldiers. The wielder was the target of their attack. The foot soldiers were merely obstacles in the way. He braced himself for the impact and whipped out his swords. The blades had been waiting patiently for four days to see action. Their wait was over.
31
Kalista saw the smoke rising above the battlefield long before she heard the cries. As soon as she saw the smoke, she picked up her pace. She wondered why there was so much of it coming from the battle. The lead guard tried multiple times to convince her to turn around, but she kept refusing. She had come this far and was not about to stop now.
As she got closer she began to faintly hear the sounds of battle. At first it was just the dull sound of commotion but soon it turned into sounds of clashing metal, cries of battle, cries of anger, and cries of pain. She faltered in her resolve for a moment. The sounds reminded her of what lay ahead. Perhaps she really didn’t want to go all the way.
However, her fears were soon overpowered by her concern for Gavin. She had to find him and convince him to stay out of harm’s way. She continued along the road that led straight towards the smoke and the sounds of battle. The army’s camp soon came into view. Her guards became more alert and tightened their positions around her. The camp seemed eerily silent as they approached it. They carefully made their way through the empty camp.
Ahead of them the highway slowly rose un
til it disappeared over the slight rise where she remembered the command area being located. As they reached the base of the small rise, two of her guards broke away and ascended the hill while the rest of them remained. Kalista waited anxiously for their return. She hoped all was going well and that she would be able to easily approach the command area and fulfill her purpose. The two guards were soon on their way back down towards them.
“It’s utter chaos on the battlefield,” one of them said quickly. “There’s no command area left to speak of. The entire top of the rise is covered in scorch marks and gouges.”
Her heart missed a beat. No command area left? Was she already too late? She needed to see Gavin and know he was safe. If he wasn’t in the command area, how was she going to find him?
“Our troops have abandoned their defensive positions, and the battle is raging all over the field in several different large groups of soldiers. I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“Is it safe to go up on the rise?” Kalista asked. The guard who had been speaking looked at her for a few moments before answering.
“All of the fighting is taking place below the rise and out on the field towards the mouth of the pass,” he replied. “I think you can probably take a quick look without any harm coming our way.”
The guard, having made his assessment, nodded to the head guard and moved back to his place. Kalista motioned for the head guard to lead them to the top of the rise. He shook his head in disapproval but complied with her request. She took a deep breath as they reached the top, steadying herself for what she might witness.
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