“What is the spare choka for?” asked StormSong.
“For SunChaser,” answered Goral. “I was above Romero’s position when he was overwhelmed. The only chance of stemming the tide at the north end of the ridge is to take out the officer leading the charge. The Motangan soldiers have attempted to retreat several times, but he keeps goading them onward. It will be up to us to get that officer. He has been keeping himself out of the battle and in a position that our archers cannot reach.”
StormSong nodded as the three Sakovan warriors rushed towards the conflict. Flashes of light in the distance let them know that the fight was near. The three warriors halted behind the line of archers where SunChaser was directing the battle.
“We can’t hold them,” announced SunChaser. “We keep killing them, but they keep charging. They have more soldiers than we have arrows.”
“Mount up,” ordered HawkShadow as he scanned the enemy lines looking for the officer.
“Near the base of the ridge,” Goral said as he watched the assassin’s eyes move over the enemy.
“What do you three have in mind?” asked SunChaser.
“We must turn this attack,” explained StormSong, “or we risk losing the entire battle. If these Motangans get past us, the ridge will be surrounded.”
“I thought we were supposed to break off the battle after we bloodied them?” frowned SunChaser.
“That was before we saw a chance to make them retreat in defeat,” replied HawkShadow. “All of the other fronts belong to us. This one must as well.”
“We need to kill that officer,” Goral pointed to the man leading the attack.
“We will never get near him,” frowned SunChaser. “He is out of range for our archers.”
“Then your people must open up a corridor for us,” retorted StormSong. “Let Romero handle it. Your skill will be useful in reaching the officer.”
“Romero is dead,” SunChaser replied as she waved LifeTender over. “LifeTender, I am placing you in charge. We need a corridor opened up to get to that officer. Can you do it?”
LifeTender followed SunChaser’s finger and saw the officer who was staying out of the thick of the battle. She frowned heavily and sighed, but she nodded.
“I will try,” replied the healing mage, “but it will be risky. We will have to move some of our forces forward, and that will harm our defense.”
“Do it,” replied StormSong. “If we don’t kill him, the battle is lost.”
LifeTender nodded and started sending orders through an air tunnel. A small group of Sakovans gathered in front of the chokas and began concentrating on the enemy between them and the officer. After a few minutes, a noticeable bulge in the enemy’s lines appeared. The small group moved forward a few paces and continued their assault. They repeated this procedure several times until they started taking fire from enemy groups alongside them.
“Now,” HawkShadow said to his partners.
The four chokas raced forward into the enemy’s bulge. HawkShadow led the way with the other three following in his wake. The assassin swung his blade from side to side as he sliced his way towards the officer. The choka’s sharp fore claws and beak tore into the Motangans who failed to yield to the attacking Sakovans
Goral urged Bertha forward until he was right behind HawkShadow. His long maul reached out to smash Motangans that were beyond HawkShadow’s reach. When the group reached the edge of the rise, StormSong and SunChaser moved off center to clear the Motangans away from the face of the cliff. The Sakovan archers on the ridge above the charging chokas saw what was happening. They directed their fire into the enemy around the chokas.
HawkShadow locked eyes for a moment with the officer who had been watching the charge. There was hatred evident in the man’s face, but there was also fear as he watched the Sakovans coming for him. He began to back away, pushing soldiers between the chokas and himself. Suddenly, SunChaser fell from her choka, an arrow lodged in her back. StormSong turned and saw some of the Motangans turning away from the front lines and pursuing the chokas.
“We have followers,” shouted StormSong. “SunChaser is down.”
Moments later, StormSong’s choka took an arrow to its neck. The warbird stumbled and fell, throwing StormSong to the ground. Her sword skittered away from her as she rolled into the base of the cliff, the wind knocked out of her lungs. HawkShadow slowed and let Goral pass him. He sheathed his sword and reached for several Sakovan stars as Goral’s maul continued clearing the way towards the officer. HawkShadow tossed one star at the officer, but a Motangan soldier unexpectedly stepped into its path. HawkShadow fisted another star, his eyes scanning the movements of the soldiers around the retreating officer. He waited patiently for an opening as Goral and he charged forward.
HawkShadow saw his chance and let his Sakovan star fly. The whirling metal disc with sharp teeth slammed into the back of the officer’s head. The officer stumbled forward and clung onto a Motangan soldier for a few seconds before falling to the ground.
“Retreat!” HawkShadow shouted to Goral. “Pull back now!”
Goral slowed his choka and turned it around. He shook his head as the Motangans continued to run towards him when they should be charging away from him. He grinned broadly when he realized that many of them had heard HawkShadow’s call to retreat. The Motangans did not charge at the maul-wielding giant, but rather pushed the soldiers alongside them in an attempt to get out of his way. He urged Bertha onward and caught up to HawkShadow. Together they fought their way through the enemy soldiers towards the area where StormSong fell from her choka.
Chapter 17
Sudamar
“They certainly do not appear to be fearing an attack,” observed Galantor “The sentries are not alert, and there are far too few of them to be effective.”
“At least the ones that we can see,” replied Princess Alastasia. “I will not underestimate their defenses. According to the information we got from the Torak, Sudamar has three thousand soldiers defending it. I wish we knew how long the sentries have been here. I do not want to take them out only to discover that it is time for a shift change.”
“They have not eaten yet,” smiled Galantor. “Look closely. Each sentry has a food sack with him, and the sacks are not empty.”
“Good observation,” nodded Princess Alastasia. “That makes the decision easy. Send our teams out. I want all of the sentries eliminated around the same time.”
Galantor slid into the darkness and passed the princess’s commands to the advance teams. He returned quickly and informed the princess that the teams were on their way. They watched the sentries in silence for a few moments as the elven assassin teams got into position.
“What is your plan of attack?” asked Galantor.
“The first step is to get some of our archers high over the city,” answered the princess, “particularly near the city center where the barracks are. I want archers on every rooftop that can be accessed without awakening the city.”
“And then we surround the barracks compound?” asked Galantor.
“Exactly,” nodded Alastasia. “I assume that there will be soldiers not in the barracks as well, so once we surround the barracks, I want teams at every major intersection. I want Sudamar taken with a minimum of bloodshed.”
“You plan to take the Motangan soldiers hostage?” frowned Galantor. “That is rather risky. It would be safer to kill them all. Why take such a risk?”
“I do not mean for our archers to hold their fire,” explained Princess Alastasia, “but there is no need to annihilate the Motangans either. If we get into a prolonged battle here in Sudamar, word will spread that the elven invasion is underway. That will increase our losses elsewhere on the island. Our goal is to conquer the Island of Darkness quickly, and that requires stealth. Besides, I think that many of the Motangans might be glad to no longer be controlled by a dictator who thinks only of himself.”