He gave them a knowing nod before turning and quickly leading the elves through the grass. They crouched as they jogged out into the uncovered landscape, staying lower than the rim of the canyon and out of view of Ryedale. Even at a crouching jog, the elves' speed was unmatched to that of any throughout humanity. Anders marveled as the stealthy group of soldiers sped out of sight.
After half of the elves had rushed past, Anders turned his attention back to Zahara. I think it will be too risky for you to come with me when I crawl up to the edge of the canyon, he said. He could feel that she didn’t like this assessment, but knew it was for the best.
She rumbled a halfhearted growl of distaste as she turned her head away from Anders’ concerned face.
I know you don’t want to rely on others to know what’s going on for you, but with nothing but this grass to hide us, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb, he said. Anders knew what she was thinking and warned her before she did, and you’ll have to keep your mind out of the way. Lageena’s close with Merglan and we don’t know how powerful she is. If she has the ability to sense where other sorcerers are, then she’ll know we’re near if we're canvassing the town. If this plan is going to work, we need her to fall for the bait and lead her orcs into the center of the town.
With a begrudging sigh and curl of her lip, Zahara consented, Fine. But you'll connect your mind with me again as soon as she's made it midway through the town. I want to be the first to come over the rim of the canyon and descend on the town.
Zahara, weren’t you listening to Ivan just before he left to join the other Lumbapi soldiers in the town? We’re not to risk our lives unless the battle goes for the worse. We’re going to need our strength if Merglan comes to join the fighting. We’ll also need to be on the lookout to see if he and Killdoor are approaching.
She flicked her forked tongue past her sharp teeth and said, Ugh. We traveled all this way and have gone through so much training to be of use in this war and, when it finally comes down to it, we’re told to remain hidden like a couple of cowards.
Oh, come on now. It’s not like that. We’ll have a large enough challenge when it comes time to face Merglan and Killdoor. You don’t want me to waste all of my energy battling orcs and the traitor queen only to face Merglan exhausted. I’d be forced to use the energy from the crystal again, and we know how that affects me. I’d be a loose cannon and might cause more harm than good, Anders warned. He didn’t exactly know where her ferocity was coming from. Perhaps the anticipation of facing Merglan was getting to her and she desperately wanted to stop the murderous rider from gaining more power.
I know you're right, Anders. It's just that I've been waiting for this moment for months and now that it’s finally time, I’m overeager to join the fight.
I knew it was something like that. And look who’s got their head on straight now, Anders joked with her.
She chuckled, Okay, I think it’s time to get serious. Who are you going to take with you up to the canyon edge?
It would be stealthier to go it alone, wouldn't it? Anders asked.
Yes, but Nadir said to take two pairs of eyes. What if you missed Ivan’s signal and didn’t send the elves in on time? If I can’t join you up there, I’d want one of the senior elf leaders to go with you.
That’s a good point, I don’t want to mess this operation up now. Who do you think I should take? Anders asked while eyeing down the line of elven soldiers. He hadn’t gotten to know very many of them other than Nadir and Natalia. During his time in the Everlight Kingdom, he'd not spent any time in the capital proper. He'd been busy training away from the elves at the rider facilities.
Nearly half of the elf army stayed in Cedarbridge and I know little of who Nadir trusts. I noticed Ivan speaking to one of the a-typical ones aboard the ship.
Anders knew what she meant by a-typical, she was referring to several members of the elven army who didn’t physically match the highborn elves Anders had spent the most time with.
I believe his name is Brosnan, Anders said, looking at the dark wavy-haired elf. I think he’s a safe bet. If Ivan conversed with him and he rode on their ship, he's likely a trustworthy soldier. I'll go talk to him.
Anders made his way down the line of crouching soldiers, sneakily tiptoeing toward the tan-skinned elf. Approaching him with care to avoid startling him, Anders allowed his feet to land solidly on the ground as he walked and he let out a, ‘psst,’ as he drew near. Several elves, including Brosnan, took their eyes off the horizon and turned toward him.
Anders pointed to Brosnan and motioned for the elf to come closer. After looking to either side and back to Anders, the elf crept quietly forward. Brosnan was two hands taller than Anders and appeared to be thicker around the legs, chest and arms, but it was hard for Anders to gauge his actual size with the bulk of his plated armor.
Brosnan’s brown eyes met Anders’ and he asked in a low powerful voice, "What can I do for you, rider?"
“I need someone to join me while I scout the town and wait for Ivan’s signal. Zahara said she had a good feeling about you and thought I should see if you’d help me watch for our signal to attack?” Brosnan’s square jaw perked up slightly as Anders spoke. “We’ll need to crawl through the grass up to the canyon’s rim in order to avoid being seen. Can I count on you to be the elf for the job?” he asked.
Striking a serious expression, the elven soldier said firmly, "You can count on me, sir."
Anders grinned and nodded sharply. “You can call me Anders, and I’ll call you?” Anders trailed off giving the elf the chance to introduce himself.
“Brosnan,” the bold elf said. “Commander Brosnan Strongsword.”
Anders raised his eyebrows, “That’s quite the title. Appropriately earned I assume?”
“Yes, sir, er, Anders, I mean. Strongsword was given to me when I joined the Everlight Army and commander just before leaving port for this island.”
“I see Zahara’s choice in my companionship was well selected,” Anders said. He motioned for the elf to follow and said, “Come on, Nadir will be in position by now. We need to be on the lookout over town before Lageena shows up.”
Brosnan spit at the mention of the queen traitor’s name and quietly trailed Anders as they hustled to the front of the line where he’d left Zahara.
Once there, Anders let Zahara know it was time for them to venture to the edge of the canyon. She forced a wish of luck out and nestled down among the last cluster of trees as Brosnan and Anders crawled on their hands and knees through the grass and out toward the canyon rim.
Anders could see the opposite side of the canyon as they crawled closer to the top. He watched the grass on the horizon slowly reveal more of the canyon’s steep slopes as they dropped down toward the valley below. A strong afternoon breeze suddenly began to blow as they crawled. Anders dropped to his stomach thinking it was some sort of magical force. Brosnan did the same, but when they realized it was only the updraft rising from the valley floor, they got back onto their hands and knees and continued crawling through the grass. Several times Anders placed his hand directly on a sharp plant with spikes, wincing each time at the burning sensation caused by the small needle-like spines. As he paused to scratch off the ends that stuck into his palms, Anders found himself glancing down more at the otherwise soft ground as they advanced.
Suddenly he saw chimney stacks and peaked wooden rooftops on the horizon. He dropped to his stomach once again and looked back to his right to see his elf companion doing the same. Anders slowly raised his head to take a first glimpse of the town below them. His eyes ran the length of the narrow town and searched for the Kingston Road below, but all he could see was the opposite side of the canyon's slopes.
That’s good, he thought to himself. If I can't see the road, then nobody on the road can see me.
Slithering like a snake through the grass, he walked himself forward with his elbows and dragged his lower half by wriggling his legs back and forth. Within ten feet, he was able to see the entirety of the canyon bottom. Stopping, he and Brosnan used their hands to part the grass to gain a clear view down into the valley.
Ivan had described the shallow canyon as having steep, cliff-lined slopes bracketing a valley that had been carved by a wide river, but Anders had not pictured how shallow the valley actually was. The exposed cliffs on either side were not very tall; they rose no more than three times the visual height of the town’s tallest three-story buildings. The exposed rock bands were roughly as tall as Anders was and quickly receded back into the hillside. The canyon was narrowest nearer the west end of the town, where Nadir and his half of the elf army had gone to hide. The only thing that seemed to hold true to Ivan’s description was the size of the river. Just at Ryedale’s western and uppermost location, two large rivers joined to create a vast swelling of water that flowed steeply and quickly down past the town.
Anders' eyes followed the river as it ran along the edge of the long and narrow strip of buildings making up the town where Ivan, Natalia and the Lumbapi soldiers were hidden. He saw the Kingston Road as it exited the town in a wash of dirt and gravel, following the river’s edge to the east. Anders' heart skipped a beat when he saw the gray and black bodies of orcs marching into view from around the canyon's far end. He froze, staring at them as they funneled up the canyon toward the town.
Brosnan whispered, “Anders, look. They are coming.”
Chapter 42
Enemies Clash
Lageena posted atop a black horse clad in polished armor. The black and crimson colors of the king’s army, Merglan’s Army, stood out among the swath of enemy forces marching up the Kingston Road. Anders lay on his stomach resisting the urge to move. He wanted to share what he was witnessing with Zahara through their bond, but the faint blue glow shining from Lageena’s chest confirmed his suspicions that she had a crystal similar to the one the horrid kurr, Thargon, had used during their last battle. Anders knew he couldn’t take the risk.
The host of orcs marching up the road easily spanned the width of the two-way road built to allow for horse-drawn carriages to pass by one another. The road must have been worn wider since its original construction because Anders could see six horses riding abreast with room to spare on either side.
