“You know it’s rude when you do that,” Remli said to Anders.
Anders came out of the trance-like state he'd been in while talking to Zahara. “What?” he asked.
“When you two talk to each other telepathically while others are mid-conversation with you," the dwarf king scolded.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were doing that,” Anders said, embarrassed once more.
“I’ve been around enough riders to know when you’re having a conversation, but I guess I didn't view it as rude until our dwarf friend pointed it out," Nadir said.
“I didn’t realize that I was being rude. It probably looks strange watching me stare off into space while Zahara and I speak. I’ll try to let you know that I’m talking to her before I interrupt our conversations again,” Anders said to Remli.
“Yes, you do look strange when you stop talking to us and start talking with Zahara, but I understand. It would just be a courtesy to let us know when you’re about to go all canvas-faced,” Remli said.
Anders and Zahara waited patiently for Ivan to return. The morning sun rose higher into the sky while he and Zahara made sure they were battle-ready. Anders still wore the leather armor that the Rollo warriors had given him after the attack at the Glacial Melt Bays. Its thick chest plate and padded arms bore deep scratches and cuts from the fighting it had seen. He wasn’t sure who had owned it before him, but the fit was snug, and the light-weight leather allowed him to move faster than the steel-plated alternative. His helmet was hard and light as well and stayed strapped to the front of the saddle. Shin and wrist guards wrapped his extremities. They had proven useful in protecting his arms and legs from sliding blades during sparring practices.
Anders pulled the whetstone from his pouch and ran it along the length of Lazuran, making sure to stroke the edges of his sword with equal counts and pressure. The elven blade was sharp. The steel used to forge the sword was a kind that would not dull easily, but he wanted to make sure every part of his armor and skills were on point for the battle to come. He sheathed the blade opposite the dagger he wore on his belt once he saw the soldiers beginning to form into their ranks.
In a matter of moments, Ivan emerged from the trees. Accompanying him were the Lumbapi princess, her father, Solomon, Natalia and two other Lumbapi soldiers disguised as farmers. Anders followed Nadir and Remli as Ivan waved them over to a cluster of large boulders. Anders joined them in kneeling to create a tight circle within the boulders so they could speak in privacy. Zahara peered down, her massive head looming above.
Once they’d gathered around and Ivan had their attention, he spoke, “The orc forces have just begun to march. They’re heading north by northwest up the Kingston Road toward the capital. Lageena is heading their army. They’re marching slowly and will continue to march slowly as they have accumulated a large number of orcs. Our scouts saw fairnheir, but no kurr among them. I suspect with the death of Thargon, the kurr have scattered among the Eastland territories and will be disorganized until one of them rises to the challenge and calls them together once again.
“With an army of mostly orcs and some humans, they’ll not be able to rely on the kurrs’ strength to plow through our lines as they did at the fortress. I’ve never seen Lageena organize a battle or force as large as this one, but I know she gained a lot of strategic experience as commanding queen and leader of the elves for so many years.”
“The ex-queen is not to be underestimated,” Nadir said, emphasizing the ‘ex.’
“Right, as we’ve come to find out, she can be much more dangerous than she appears,” Ivan continued. “We know that the orcs will be pillaging towns along the way as they march. There’s a town, Ryedale, within a day’s march of the orcs. Ryedale is long and narrow, because of its unique location. The town was built in a canyon bottom bordering the southern banks of the Split Mountain River. Nine streets form the town, extending east to west along the canyon’s bottom for roughly a mile. They’ve got plenty of buildings, most are one or two stories tall, with three stories being the tallest. These wooden structures will serve as our defenses. The Lumbapi soldiers have already begun making their way to Ryedale. By using the back roads and trail systems, we can make it there before the orcs. The Lumbapi people will disguise themselves as villagers and townsfolk. They’ll insert themselves throughout the town before we arrive with our armies. The Lumbapi have been using this tactic to fight back against Merglan’s human forces with great success. Usually, they'll wait until the enemy has entered the city before ambushing them with small groups, attacking from all sides before the enemy knows what’s hit them. In the past, they have retreated, leaving disoriented and damaged. This strategy has worked for them so far.”
“So, where do we come in?” Anders asked.
“Anders and Zahara, you two will be with Nadir and the elves. You’ll be part of the team that surrounds Ryedale but remain hidden until the orcs are well within the confines of the town. They’ll be pushing people around and trashing businesses, farms and other resources. The Lumbapi and I will attack them from within the town, using the buildings and protective structures to our advantage while the orcs flood the streets. Lageena will be wise to this tactic of fighting and hopefully assume us only to be a small force of Lumbapi. On any other day she would be right, but not today. Today we’ll have the whole Lumbapi army within the town and the elves surrounding her to the western half of the town.”
“What about the dwarfs?” Remli asked, looking offended that his fighters hadn’t yet been assigned a task.
"You and your dwarfs will hit the orcs from the rear. We'll place you near the road and once we've begun the attack, you and your soldiers will close in, leaving them nowhere to run. If all goes to plan, we’ll be able to make a huge dent in Merglan’s forces,” Ivan said with a twisted smile on his face.
Remli bellowed, “We’ll give them a good walloping, we will!”
“I like your enthusiasm dwarf, but what if nothing goes to plan?” Nadir asked. “What if Lageena figures out we’re trying to trap her in Ryedale and she bypasses the town completely?”
“Ah, that’s a great question,” Ivan said still holding his sly smirk. “The Lumbapi have picked this town because of its potential for fortifications, but also its geographic location. Ryedale is nestled in the bottom of a steep but shallow canyon. Two smaller rivers converge just above Ryedale, forming the main stem of the Split Mountain River. The water is deep and wide here. It flows east through the canyon and along the northern borders of Ryedale, preventing any easy escape in this direction. The canyon walls also provide a funneling effect, so they can’t easily escape once they've committed to journeying up the road."
“So, we’ll use the natural landscape to our advantage. The river provides a barrier to the north, deadly to armored orcs attempting an escape. The canyon’s slopes provide a blockade and allow us to surround them along the rim to the south and southwest. While we close off the possible escape routes to the south and west, you’ll take them by surprise from within. Our forces will take hold of the western and southern flanks while the dwarfs block them in from the rear, effectively pinching off their escape to the east?” Anders summed up concisely.
“That paints the picture,” Ivan said.
“It sounds like a sure thing,” Nadir said hesitantly. “Like it’s going to be too good to be true if you know what I mean.”
“The fighting will be tough, and we’ll be greatly outnumbered, but we’ll have all the advantages if everything goes to plan,” Ivan assured him.
“Okay. What are we waiting for? We’d better get a move on if we’re going to be in position before they reach the town,” Remli said, scrambling out from the shelter of the boulders.
“The trails are narrow, and the path is grown in so you’ll need to follow on our heels so no one gets lost,” Ivan called to Remli and Nadir as they gathered their troops to begin the march.
Ivan addressed Anders and Zahara separately, “I’m sorry I didn’t keep you two in the loop on this one, but you needed your rest, especially you, Anders. I know how the crystal affected you and we can’t risk you going rogue on this one.”
Anders opened his mouth to defend himself, but Ivan cut him off, “I don’t want to hear it. I know that you’ll be on the level now that you’ve gotten some rest. I’m counting on you two today. You’ll need to be there to inspire the troops as we go to battle. Since this is a stealthy operation you can’t fly above us, Zahara, and the trees will be too thick along the path to fly in the forest. You’ll have to walk with the rest of us; can you do that?”
“We aren’t stubborn sky hogs,” Anders answered for both of them. “We’ll keep up on the ground.”
“Good. Well, let’s get to it,” Ivan said as he led everyone to a path that wound tightly into the forest.
Anders and Zahara followed a lightly worn game trail through the thinning tree line. Nadir led the way as they sought out their positions along the shallow canyon’s rim. When they approached the place where they’d be stopping with half the elven army, Anders became keenly aware of the lack of cover. They’d been hiking all morning through a thickly blanketed forest that covered their presence to the naked eye. When they began the ascent up the hills leading toward the canyon, Anders could see farther through the forest than before, but he hadn’t thought much about being spotted by the enemy forces marching up the valley along the Kingston Road. Now that they’d come closer to the canyon’s edge, the vegetation had become sparse and the possible cover was shorter than it had been in the forest.
Nadir stopped behind one of the last remaining clusters of trees. The brush ahead of them turned to shin-high blades of mustard-colored grass. This grassland stretched across the gap between their army and the canyon rim. Turning to face Anders, Zahara and the single-file line of elves winding back into the depths of the forest, Nadir glanced over Anders’ head for a moment to check on their progress before he addressed the young dragon and rider.
“Here’s where we must part ways,” the elf king said. His expression was less angry than it had been over the past several days. Nadir displayed the calming presence that Anders had grown accustomed to when they’d traveled together earlier through the Everlight Kingdom and Eastland Mountains. “Half our elves will remain with you two while I take the rest up the canyon. Once we’re in position along the upper end of the canyon, above the town, you will approach the canyon’s rim. With the lack of cover from here on out, we'll need to stay low and assign only a few pairs of eyes to watch for Ivan's signal. In order to give us ample time to set up before you approach the rim, wait fifteen minutes before making your approach.”
“And you’re sure where we are now is directly above the midsection of the town below?” Anders asked.
“Ivan knows this place better than I and the Lumbapi better than he. They directed us to split up here to lay the most effective trap for Lageena,” Nadir bit off the end of her name. Anders could tell he was forcing himself to remain in control of his emotions.
“Okay, I’ll wait fifteen minutes before crawling through the grass and watching the town,” Anders confirmed.
And the dwarfs are already in position, hiding among the rocks and trees below town, Zahara added, speaking to both Anders and Nadir. Nadir nodded and Anders raised his eyebrows slightly. I thought that would give you peace of mind knowing they’d made it into their respective stations before advancing up the canyon, she said.
“Many thanks,” Nadir said. He looked beyond Anders and Zahara again and waved the predetermined half of the elven army to follow him through the grass and up the canyon.
