War Of The Wildlands(82)
Surprised by the generosity, Yori replied, “That’s very kind of you.” As he ascended the ramp to the ship’s deck, he realized he was still wearing the green robe, and the sailor must have thought he was a sorcerer. He smiled to himself, pleased to have pulled off such an illusion. Perhaps his new ring had given him a more magical appearance as well.
After an hour or two, the ship was finally loaded and ready to set sail. Once again, Yori looked upon the vast blue of the ocean and felt its salty breeze on his face. This time, the sea was taking him home, but to which home still remained to be seen. With all the studying he had done on the isles, he had not spared a thought for where he would live. He stared out into the blue hoping that both of his families were safe from the war.
Chapter 48
Prince Aelryk rode to the front of the army to be at his father’s side. “Father,” he said. “I don’t think you should lead this attack.”
The king looked at him with disdain. “I don’t care what that old wise-ass prophet has to say. I’m the most capable war leader who ever lived. Without my presence, these idiots will surely fail.”
“But Father, Orzi has never been wrong. He has foreseen your death, and you should heed his words.”
“Away with you!” the king shouted. “Go and lead your own troops. They’re too stupid to do this without you.”
Clenching his teeth, the prince turned and trotted back to his company. Stopping next to Mi’tal, he said, “My father is a fool.”
Mi’tal remained silent, not wishing to openly criticize the king. He was well aware of Orzi’s prophecy. A few days back, he had predicted that the king would fall in battle. Orzi, however, had not been specific about which battle and had simply stated that it would be in a battle against elves. King Domren had dismissed the warning, believing it impossible for him to be slain by elves. The prophet, however, had not mentioned whether it was an elf or human who killed the king.
“You must help me and keep a close watch over him, Mi’tal. He believes himself invincible, and that is a dangerous way of thinking.”
“I will do my best to watch him, my lord,” Mi’tal replied.
Up ahead, the king gave the signal to move out. Mages moved to the front of the line, preparing a shield wall to protect the king and those who would fight next to him. The elves were hidden deep in the forest, and there was the possibility of an ambush. The remaining mages were distributed within the ranks to avoid having the entire group wiped out in one shot. If the elves still had a store of exploding arrows, this would not be an easy battle to win.
They entered the forest at a snail’s pace, each man holding his weapon at the ready. The elves could be hiding anywhere, waiting for the right moment to pounce. Silence filled the forest, broken only by the soft footfalls of the Na’zoran horses. King Domren rode proudly at the front, protected by his mages and personal guards.
As the army moved deeper into the woods, the elves had indeed been alerted to their presence. With great stealth, they eased their way through the trees, surrounding the human army. This time, they would not be defeated by the mages. Their first priority was to eliminate the conjurers before turning fire on the rest of the army. The sword maidens crouched in the thick brush, waiting for their opportunity.
A bone-chilling shriek pierced the air, disrupting the silence of the forest. Startled, the Na’zoran army came to a halt, searching for the source of the cry. In response, two more shrieks went up. The elven archers were announcing their presence and letting each other know that the army was now surrounded.
Arrows fired from all directions, striking the red-robed mages. Despite being surrounded by soldiers, they were easy targets to hit. The mages surrounding Domren continued to hold their shield, hoping to protect the king and themselves. Soldiers moved in to protect the mages, but they too were pierced with arrows. Nearly half of the mages had fallen before anyone discovered the treetop locations of the elves.
Noticing the source of the arrows, the mages began to return fire. They blasted energy at the treetops, and the archers struggled to maintain their balance. The arrows kept coming but at a much slower rate. Some of the mages scrambled to protect one another with magical shields, while the rest continued to fire.
With most of the mages subdued, the sword maidens sounded the charge. Essa dove into the melee first, her broadsword coming down hard on the thigh of a mounted soldier. From behind the soldiers, Reylana’s group charged into the action. Their battle cries startled the horses, sending many riders to the ground.
Chaos descended upon the ranks, sending men in all directions as the maidens charged into the fray. The archers continued to fire relentlessly, focusing mostly on the mages. As the mages continued to use power to shield one another, they were quickly becoming too drained to return fire. Their magical strength weakening, they were unable to shield each other on every angle, and the archers wasted no time exploiting the weakness.