The Truth Over The Wall

Chapter 39 ( Part 1 )

It was the second day of the campaign as Araaian, and Marabeckan soldiers fought their way through the barricade that Charles AvonDem had constructed between them and the captured part of Marabeck. All along the border of Fiona's domain the Derk soldiers stood guard.

These soldiers were well placed, Dominic had admitted. Fiona wanted them to waste as much time as possible getting through the army from Derker so that even if his army were to get through, there would still be the witch infantry to deal with, and despite the delegations Dominic had sent offering AvonDem immunity in exchange for withdrawing his soldiers, the Duke refused to back out. The greed Fiona had offered him outweighed any code of honor.

On that same night Dominic and Hanalea gathered their mutual forces for a council. Just before the meeting however, Alistair came to them privately and suggested a magical intervention. "We know all know these soldiers are merely decoys," Alistair told them, "they've nothing to do with this battle and they're just following orders. We'll gain nothing by killing them but we waste much time engaging them none the less."

"What do you suggest, Allis?" Hanalea asked him as she leaned against Dominic's desk, her arms were crossed as her foot tapped angrily at the ground. She could not believe the nerve of AvonDem turning them down to side with Fiona. She did not care what Allis suggested at this point or even if Dominic approved, if it meant they could cut through the Derker border into Fiona's lands.

As it so happens Dominic did ascent to Alistair's plan, and it was put into action the next day. On the third day of the battle both sides eyed each other warily.

The border between these two cities had been decided by the remains of a large mountain. It used to be a great mountain, people said, but it had been split up by the battle of two great witches who had fought there. In an effort to escape a bolt of lightning, people said, one of the witches jumped away so that it was the mountain that was struck.

The mountain had broken and fallen down in uneven pieces and begun to cry, forming a stream that had served to split the land in two pieces. And the witches, feeling wretched at the pain they had caused the mountain, used their powers to re-arrange the pieces on their respective sides into two new mountains. Mountains that were smaller than the original but each had a cliff that pointed to the other across the stream to give people a hint as to their origin.

Both armies -Tafah and allies, and the Derk- had climbed down along each of the mountains and now faced each other across the stream. A Tafahan Commander in gold armor led a troop of soldiers to stand at the very edge of the stream and the Derker army tensed. Surely this meant they were getting ready to attack.

Hanalea raised the visor of her commander's helmet, and turned to look further up land where Dominic waited with the second wave of soldiers. Dominic raised his fist to tell her, they were ready. Hanalea nodded at him and scanned the trees until she saw something wink in the woods. It was Alistair and he was ready too.

She dropped her visor and almost immediately charged her horse, "For Tafah!" Hanalea called. "For Tafah!" the soldiers behind her roared and followed her across the stream.

The Derk soldiers took the bait and started to rush into the stream and when they did Alistair put his hand across the water as he whispered, "Rise."

A wave of heat flashed across the water making it boil for just a second before it rose up in a cloud of steam blinding the enemy. The Tafahan army being smaller in number had been more suitable for charming against such a handicap. Their visors were enchanted and could see clearly despite the steam.

Hanalea and her troops quickly surrounded the decoy army and herded them up in a corner where they could not meddle. The steam cleared to reveal the enemy land, undefended and theirs for the taking. A cheer of celebration passed through the different armies in a unified chorus. Hanalea let them enjoy it but raised her hand to stop them before it went to their heads. It had taken them three days but now the real battle could begin.