“I agree,” nodded HawkShadow, “but the light blade spell can kill far more Motangans than archers can.”
“Granted,” agreed StarWind, “but this battle will have both our forces and the Motangans fairly well exposed. To put our mages on the frontline would be to invite disaster. I will use them once we see what the Motangan response is. Are Didyk and Romero in place?”
“They are,” answered the assassin. “Didyk’s troops have the south end of the ridge covered, and Romero is on the north. Everyone is in place.”
“Then let’s get up on the ridge,” suggested StarWind. “I want to see how the Motangans react to our trap.”
HawkShadow led the way up the steep rocky path that led to the ridge overlooking the canyon and beyond. The ridge was an odd formation in the Sakovan heartland. A bare plateau of rock rose thirty paces above the ground and ran for two leagues in length. It was half a league in width, the perfect place to ambush the enemy. Almost directly in the center of the ridge was a canyon passing through it. The vanguard of the Motangan force had already entered the canyon and would be met with a hail of arrows as they emerged out the other end. StarWind and HawkShadow had just reached the top of the ridge when they heard the shouting from below.
“The Motangans march swiftly,” frowned HawkShadow. “Or do you think our people reacted too quickly?”
“The Motangans are a marching army,” shrugged StarWind. “I suspect that they are used to covering ground quickly. Let’s head to the far edge of the ridge. The Motangan mages will not be in the vanguard.”
The spymaster led the assassin across the ridge at a run. They passed hundreds of archers who were firing their arrows into the canyon below, but that was not what StarWind wanted to see. They reached the far edge of the ridge and cautiously moved up behind the Sakovan archers who were firing at the congregating Motangan troops as they became bunched up at the entrance to the canyon.
Suddenly, the ridge shook with the force of an earthquake. StarWind lost her footing and tumbled to the surface of the ridge. HawkShadow caught her before her head smashed against the bare rock surface. He helped her back to her feet as another quake shook the ridge.
StarWind stared in horror as she gazed along the ranks of the Sakovan archers. Most of them were flat on the ridge, having fallen as StarWind had. Worse, the line of archers had many gaps in it; archers were missing.
“Many went over the edge,” HawkShadow said as he joined StarWind in surveying the troops.
“Move two paces back from the edge,” shouted StarWind. “Pass the word along. Stay away from the edge.”
The word spread quickly, but the order was unnecessary. The Sakovan archers had already retreated a bit to avoid their comrades’ fate.
“Drop to the ground,” urged HawkShadow as another quake hit. “We can crawl forward and see what the enemy is up to.”
StarWind dropped to the ground without comment. HawkShadow smiled at his bride and then began crawling forward towards the edge. Arrows were flying up and over the edge, as the Motangan archers hoped for a lucky hit on the Sakovans. One arrow struck perilously close to StarWind, but she ignored it and crawled alongside HawkShadow to peer down at the enemy. A sea of red uniforms filled the forest for as far as she could see. The enemy troops were flowing in three separate directions. One group was heading for the entrance to the canyon, while the flanks were peeling off to go around the ridge.
“It is like a swarm of ants attacking,” frowned StarWind as another quake shook the ridge. “They will go around and over us if we stay here long enough.”
“Look off to your right,” urged HawkShadow. “It looks like the entire contingent of Motangan mages are gathered together to shake the ridge.”
StarWind’s eyes moved to the right and saw the black bubble in the red tide. She saw the Motangan mages act in concert as another quake rippled the surface of the ridge.
“They are powerful,” StarWind said with appreciation, “but they should never group together like that.”
HawkShadow grinned as StarWind rolled onto her back and wove an air tunnel to ValleyBreeze.
“One third of the way south from the canyon is a group of a thousand mages,” the spymaster said into the air tunnel. “I want our mages to attack that group with light blades. Make sure the attack is coordinated and unexpected. We will not get a second chance like this.”
ValleyBreeze assured StarWind that the mages would strike a telling blow. The spymaster dropped the air tunnel and rolled back onto her stomach as another quake struck the ridge.
“I hope she hurries,” StarWind said as she saw that the Sakovan archers were being made useless by the constant quakes. “The enemy is probably already climbing the face of this ridge.”
“Then they will be having a hard time of it,” replied HawkShadow. “The earthquakes will hinder them more than they hinder our archers. You were right about not having a second chance at this,” he added. “Once we attack them, the Motangan mages will never group together again like they have today. They are not stupid.”
Moments later a brilliant flash emanated from further along the ridge. StarWind watched as a hundred light blades flew into the black swarm. The air instantly became a fine red mist as the Motangan mages were sliced into pieces. A second wave of light blades quickly followed the first. The quakes suddenly stopped as the surviving black-cloaked mages fought their way through the Motangan troops in an effort to get out of the killing zone. A third wave of light blades ripped into the soldiers near the previous killing zone in an attempt to slay the remaining mages.
StarWind leaped to her feet and moved back from the edge. She quickly wove an air tunnel to ValleyBreeze.
“Start on the Motangan troops,” StarWind ordered as HawkShadow rose and rallied the archers back to their positions. “Decimate the vanguard and keep it up until the Motangans turn and retreat.”
StarWind turned and watched as the Sakovan mages started to attack the red uniforms. LifeTender ran up to StarWind, panting from a fast run.
“General Romero’s position has been overrun,” reported LifeTender. “The Motangans are coming around the north end of the ridge.”
“Send SunChaser’s people to reinforce the position,” ordered StarWind. “See if you can find some mages who know the light blade spell. Have them help her out.”
“ValleyBreeze has all the good warrior mages,” answered LifeTender. “The rest are mostly healing mages.”
“Use any mage that can throw a light blade,” interjected HawkShadow. “As long as they don’t hit our own troops, we don’t care how proficient they are with the spell.”
LifeTender nodded and ran off. HawkShadow drew his sword and started to move away from StarWind.
“Where are you going?” asked the spymaster.
“I am going to help SunChaser,” answered HawkShadow. “We have a chance here for a great victory if we can force the Motangans to retreat, but Romero’s position must hold for that to be true.”
“Take StormSong with you,” nodded StarWind. “And Goral. They are much better warriors than archers.”
HawkShadow nodded and dashed across the ridge. He scrambled down the steep rocky path and was met by a grinning StormSong at the bottom.
“StarWind told me the plan,” grinned StormSong as she handed the reins of a choka to the assassin. “Goral will meet us on the way. He was on the north section of the ridge”
HawkShadow leaped onto the choka and raced northward with StormSong alongside him. They passed the mouth of the canyon and saw that only a few Motangan troops were trying to get through it. Moments later Goral raced towards them riding Bertha, his oversized choka. He was leading another choka behind him.