Arriana's Return

Arriana's Return - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

She put her foot into the stirrup and mounted Arion. He turned and she looked around.

"Are you all ready? Are you ready to take back our homes? Then mount up and move out!" she shouted.

Horses began to whinny and people shouted and cheered. They marched out and into the woods. Arion took his time today. The normal forty five minute journey took them four hours. Arriana did enjoy the view as they marched along. The lush green forest was a breathtaking sight. It didn't seem to take them long to reach the perimeter of the clearing. Much quicker than Arriana had anticipated. She sat there on Arion for a few moments, ahead of the group but not talking to them. She was contemplating the battle plans in her mind, again. She must have gone over them a hundred times from when they left the village until this moment. The moment of truth. Finally satisfied with her thoughts she turned Arion to face everyone.

"Cartra, Rotet, I want you to go see if Lucas and his army are here."

"Right away," they said as they took off into the air.

"Alright, Sammie and Rajtan can you circle around and check? If you see anything, hurry back," she instructed.

As they lay in wait Arriana began to panic. Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating. Lucas was on the move. She heard Edgar screeching and knew. It was time. Everyone looked up toward the sky and saw the sphinxes and gryphon diving toward them. Rajtan and Sammie reappeared within a few moments panting.

"Majesty, they're right beyond the rise. Lucas' army is massive. They far outnumber us. They have these strange contraptions as tall as trees. There are boulders on them and they just do not look good," Rajtan told her.

"Strange contraptions with boulders?" Arriana asked, trying to think what they could be. "Barwick, do you know what they're talking about?"

"No. What were they made of?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I think wood," Sammie replied.

"Hmm, I wonder, Drake. Do you think you and the rest of your warriors can burn them down once we are started?" Barwick asked the dragon.

"Absolutely," he answered with a devilish grin on his face.

"Excellent," Arriana replied. "You and your clan should get into position."

Drake and his clan flew swiftly through the trees heading toward the Northern Mountains.

"I'm scared," Arriana whispered to Barwick.

"I know so am I," he told her, watching the horizon.

"Really?"

"Of course. I would be crazy if I weren't," he said, smiling at the soon to be queen.

"Okay. As long as I'm not the only one." She focused on the clearing.

After a few minutes she saw Lucas and his men. Lucas sat high atop a golden horse, decked out in black armor.

"Okay guys, here we go. Forward!" She shouted as they all emerged from the woods. Cartra, Rotet, Edgar and the hippogryphs took flight while Arriana led the ground troops. She rubbed Arion's neck and looked behind her at her army. They were following her blindly into war. She was their queen and she would not let them down. She watched as the dragon clan flew in from the north, they set fire to the catapults before rejoining the rest.

Arion marched out and stopped about three hundred feet away from Lucas and turned so Arriana could face her troops. She looked up and down the lines, looked at the sky at the circling mythics awaiting her command.