“But, they will chase us?” Anna persisted.
“By then, we’ll be far away. We’re prepared for this.”
*Really?* Anna queried me. She clearly had her doubts.
I shrugged. The information was strong sounding, but probably overly optimistic. I considered what to do for a moment. With what little we knew as facts, it was unlikely our small group could travel to Vin without the help and support of the rebels. We’d probably run into two or three more patrols and without help, they would either kill or capture us. However, if we helped the rebels, they might help us reach Vin. Besides, Flier would wish us to help Slacker and his friends. Together we’d be a stronger group than alone.
At a quick guess, there were fifteen of us to fight forty. We held the stronger and fortified positions to fight from—and we had a dragon on the way to help us. We also had a back door to escape into the desert and the hidden caches of water and food. After the initial battle, we would melt into the desert and try to draw our enemies along behind us, where they would quickly drink the water they carried with them. The desert heat would do the rest.
“We will help them.” My voice had emerged cold and clipped, allowing for no argument, if there would have been any. To my relief, Kendra nodded agreement and Flier punched me on my shoulder instead of hugging me.
Slacker said, “Our plan is to hide and use our bows as a surprise attack. We’ll do it when they are in range, all at once. We have shelters to hide behind until they get close. We’ll stand and fire as many arrows as possible, then at my order turn and run to the ridge.”
Once there, we’ll take up positions behind the rocks and use more arrows to slow them down and hopefully hit a few. Even wounding them will help because some will stay with the wounded and reduce the numbers free to chase after us. I’ll have men with great-swords to prevent them from advancing up the ramps. Lastly, we will run into the desert and disappear. Help any of our wounded. We can split up if that seems right, but you new people will always stay with one of mine. Near sundown, we’ll join up at the first water.”
“If they are already there?” Kendra asked?
“There are two more a short distance away, well hidden. Our escape into the desert is the most dangerous part, especially if we have wounded, but it can’t be helped. We’ll move slower, and they may catch up with us.”
Kendra said, “I think I can help us out with that.”
I grinned at the thought of the dragon appearing out of the sky, but before we could explain, a shout came from behind. The army of Vin was moving in ranks along the bank of the river, jogging two across.
“Stupid to run and enter a battle winded and fatigued,” Flier said, echoing the thought of all of us. Moving closer while using the scant cover would have been smarter.
To the untrained eye, it probably appeared impressive, the men in identical blue uniforms side by side, their feet striking the ground at the same time, parallel columns charging right at us. In other circumstances, I’d have laughed.
Slacker called for the first defensive positions and men rushed ahead to predetermined places. I turned to Anna. “Take your sister up that ramp and get behind a boulder. Do not look out. Arrows are going to fly, and one may hit you.”
Emma said, “That is going to be hard, I mean, not looking. Will there be yelling and screaming?”
I appreciated her insight, despite her age. “Yes. It will be hard, I know. I doubt if the first wave will take long and then we’ll be up there with you.”
“What if you’re killed?” Anna asked.
“Then Kendra and Flier will help you escape but understand this: Slacker designed this battle plan in a way that none of us gets hurt. Now, time is short, get up there.”
Emma spun and ran. Anna followed a couple of steps, turned and rushed back to me. She hugged my thighs for one squeeze, then followed. I moved to the side of one of Slackers men. He was too young in my opinion but held a bow and fistful of arrows to go with his wide, scared eyes.
I placed a calming hand on his shoulder and said, “Follow your orders and know that we may have a few more surprises for them. While I had never used the bow I held, a familiar circumstance for me lately, when I strung it and tested the pull, it was neither too weak nor too strong. It held no ornamentation. The bow was a military weapon built for the masses. I fitted my first arrow to the string.
There were others I stuck point-first in the dry sand beside my left foot, where my groping hand would find them when needed without taking my eyes away from the charging enemy. I watched the soldiers approach through a screen of heavy brush, and the officer at their head drew my attention.
It struck me that he probably knew precisely where we were. That told me he had his spies and scouts. If he knew that, he knew the strength of Slacker’s unit and with forty men he should overwhelm the position quickly. He counted on that, and also that Slacker’s men would see the orderly, well-disciplined army and realize the rebels were a rag-tag force, poorly trained and outnumbered four to one. He expected them to break and flee before the first arrow flew.
He may have been right at other times, or other places. Today, he was in for a surprise. “Steady,” I whispered to the boy at my side, but loud enough for others nearby to hear my calm voice. Fifty paces down the row, Flier repeated my instructions to others.
The head of the column was within the range of a long shot by an arrow, but the archer would miss. Distance and wind shift the intended course of an arrow by ten or more steps. Only a lucky shot would strike, and that would warn them. I wanted to remind Slacker to order his men to wait.
I heard him say nothing, but not a single arrow from our side flew. His men were well trained. At this point, the enemy thought they knew where we were, but it was not certain. I heard someone in their group calling cadence. One-two, one-two. Double-time. Hard to maintain for any distance through the soft sand. Several had broken pace. All looked winded.
They were close enough to see their relieved faces as we didn’t resist. They also exchanged wary looks. The column had turned away from the river and now headed right at us but found no resistance or even the sight of us. The cadence caller’s voice sounded louder as if he too was relieved.
Slacker stood behind the base of a huge willow tree, bow in his left hand. He slowly raised a fist and held it in position. I placed tension on my arrow and watched the column approach. Suspecting that our men would aim at the first in line, I decided to let my arrow fly a little higher and strike somewhere in the middle. Why waste five arrows to kill one enemy?
Slacker waited. And waited. The boy at my side was turning whiter with each step the cadence caller made.
Then, Slacker’s fist fell as he shouted, “Now!”
To my satisfaction, neither of the first two in the lines fell. At least three arrows missed as they went wide, victims of the crosswind. Not mine. It did not miss, thanks to my use of magic. My second arrow flew higher and dropped one of the nearest soldiers, but not the one I’d aimed at. He spun away with someone else’s arrow that struck him in his shoulder as mine passed by and struck the second in line right in the center of his chest.
I counted seven arrows had reached their marks before the column broke and the soldiers dived for cover. Despite their training in effective and precision marching, when the arrows flew, they wanted the protection of hillocks, boulders, bushes, or even a fallen comrade.
The officer rallied his men, and a few arrows flew in our directions, although none came near my end of the line. I let a few more arrows of mine loose and knew all had missed. My magic could veer an arrow to one side, but it couldn’t make them go around corners or boulders the soldiers hid behind. Then, they darted forward, a few at a time. If they got close enough, our retreat was endangered.