"No, we can't trust her," said Alex. "I wish we could, but as much as it pains me, we can't. We can't know for certain and it's too important. If Marzio figures out what we're planning, he can easily counter it."

  "I'll go talk to her," said Sorrow with a sigh.

  "Gently," said Alex. "She doesn't have to leave, but we're going to need her to stay out of the regular discussions. I probably need to remove her from the officer corps as well."

  Before Sorrow could take a step towards the tent flap, a notification came through her interface.

  Nayiri Shadowmarch is no longer an officer.

  Nayiri Shadowmarch has left the Alexandrian Army.

  Alex turned away as she muttered, "Shit."

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  The Black Strings pulled away from the makeshift pier at the head of the fleet as the sun set behind the mountains, casting them in shadow. Alex stood on the foredeck looking backwards at the army they were bringing north. She still hadn't gotten over Nayiri leaving, but the preparations had kept her so busy that she couldn't dwell on it, except at odd moments when it hit her like a jab of an ice pick to the chest.

  Rubbing the spot between her shoulder and neck, Alex looked over the fleet. The decks on the eight ships that had survived were packed with troops and crewed by pirate automatons wearing bright red jackets with black sashes. Alex didn't know where Bucket had found the outfits for his pirates, but their jaunty banter amused the regular soldiers.

  On the eastern shore, the remaining troops marched, three abreast, a long line trailing into the jungle, torches flickering like hundreds of eyes. Lanterns had been set up on the decks of the ships to provide additional light for the path, not only to keep twisted ankle injuries down, but for speed.

  A group of werewolves had already gone north, scouting the path and leaving cloth markers along the route.

  "How are you doing?" asked Sophia upon approach.

  The seneschal had put away her formal armor, and wore formfitting boiled leather instead. Alex admired the way Sophia looked comfortable no matter what armor she wore.

  "I wish Nayiri was here, but it's probably easier that she isn't," said Alex.

  Sophia couldn't meet her gaze.

  "What?"

  Sophia took a deep breath. "She tricked me into giving her the teleportation rune. It happened right after she left the army, but I didn't realize it until I was checking on the items."

  Alex looked to the jagged snow-kissed peaks of the mountains. She put a hand to her shoulder as if it were wounded.

  "Where do you think she went?" asked Sophia.

  "Maybe...maybe…" said Alex, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest. "Honestly, I don't know."

  "You should go below and get some rest," said Sophia with an eyebrow raised.

  "Not a chance," said Alex with a sigh. "Even if I could, I have work to do. Do you still have the feather?"

  Sophia nodded and produced it from her pouch.

  "Care to do the honors?" asked Alex.

  The seneschal held the feather as if it were a glass egg on her two flat palms.

  "Really?" asked Sophia, the corner of her lips tugging upward.

  "Go for it," said Alex.

  Sophia grasped the shaft with one hand, the barbs with the other hand, held it up high, and snapped it in half, releasing a green mist.

  At first, Alex thought the feather was a dud as the mist hung in the air above their heads, but then it coalesced into hundreds of bright green lights. The individual tiny stars shot out, bouncing through the ships and troops like will-o'-the-wisps that had had entirely too much caffeine.

  As the green lights hit the ships or people, they left a verdant aura around them for a few seconds before it faded, but the effect was immediate. Within a minute, the entire army's pace had sped up even though it felt like they weren't exerting any more effort.

  Alex checked the food intake of the army to confirm that it hadn't increased, and was relieved to find that the magical speed was separate from those demands.

  "I'm headed to my cabin," said Alex. "Let Lily know she can start sending me troops for their Wördlock Imbuements. Preferably the higher rank and level troops first."

  "Are you really going to imbue the whole army?" asked Sophia, forehead knitted.

  "As many as I can," said Alex. "Every little bit helps, and if it works, we're going to knock Marzio off his rocker."

  Almost as soon as she returned to her quarters, the first soldier entered the room. She got to work right away. The first imbuements were slow to apply as her mind was preoccupied by all the little details that made an army function, but eventually she pushed those thoughts away, reminding herself that Sophia was a capable second-in-command. The repetition of the imbuements put her in a meditative state, and as she completed each one, she grew faster at it.

  The next three days were like a blur to Alex. She slept little, only enough to take the edge off her exhaustion, then was back at the imbuements. The journey north went as planned; the only delays were switching troops between marching and resting, but even that grew easier as they became accustomed to the procedure.

  They met no resistance as they passed through the Mountains of Agony, which Alex hoped indicated Marzio was still busy trying to take back control of the twilight pyramid.

  The Feather of Forced Marching wore off as they entered the Nightfell Lands. The region north of the mountains changed to barren hills, but the river let them slip past without delay. Using the maps Nayiri had created after her scouting mission, Alex knew when they neared the lake and the battlegrounds, but even if they hadn't had the maps, the ominous lights in the sky were telling enough.

  Near their destination, Alex halted the fleet, gave the army orders to rest, and took a small cadre of officers into the hills to get a look at the battlegrounds with their own eyes.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  The hike to the peak of the northmost hills took a couple of hours in the predawn light. A gray shield hung overhead, reflecting the lights from the battlefield as they ascended the winding slope.

  Alex brought the core officers: Sophia, Blaze, and Lily. Sorrow came as well, but only to provide the speed song, a duty he performed with only a modest amount of snark. She'd also had Blaze bring his cadre of mages, who hung in back. As former farmers, they looked uncomfortable in their robes, choosing earth tones like tan or green rather than the flashy orange-red like Blaze.

  When they finally crested the hill, Alex swallowed the string of curses she wanted to spew into the humid air, summoned by the sight of Marzio's army. She held back, only because she didn't want to alarm her closest officers, who seemed equally awed by the scene.

  "I didn't think it'd be this big," murmured Sophia as she surveyed the valley.

  After a pause, Sorrow cleared his throat. "Do I really have to be the one to say it?"

  "Do it and I'll put my hand down your trousers in a very unpleasant way," said Lily, not taking her eyes off the distant army.

  "It's one thing to see a list of troops on a piece of paper, but it's another to actually see it in person," said Blaze.

  "It still doesn't change our plans," said Alex as she gripped the handle of her whip.

  But in her gut, she worried that it should. The scene was exactly what she'd expected to see: the river leading into a lake, a small port town that received ships from the rivers that fed from the east, a massive army that stretched from the lake to the hills, and an ominous black pyramid hanging in the sky.

  The last part took some getting used to. The whole thing seemed a trick of the eye, that the pyramid should be falling to the blasted lands beneath rather than hanging in the air like a great and terrible mirage.

  As she squinted, she could see the ghostly bridge that connected the ground to the pyramid, a sea of creatures snaking up the pathway as bright flashes signified expelled magics. Occasional beams of energy spat from the pyramid, slamming into the army below, but they were like trying to use a flyswatter on a swarm of locust.

  "There is good news to be had here," said Alex.

  "Our deaths will be quick?" asked Sorrow.

  Lily held out her hand and made a squeezing motion.

  "Got it," said Sorrow, running pinched fingers across his lips. "No more comments."

  "They're still fighting," said Sophia.

  "Yes, which means that Marzio hasn't taken control," said Alex. "But we don't know how much longer that will last. Our time could be short, which means, despite our exhaustion, we're going to push on to the battle."

  "Is that wise?" asked Sophia. "Half the army marched through the night."

  "We'll pack everyone on the ship for the final sprint," said Alex. "That'll give them a little rest."

  "I don't know if we can fit them all," said Sophia. "The decks are packed as is."

  "We'll put as many as we can on the ships, the rest will have to make the journey on foot. We're fighting a war against time," said Alex.

  "What happens if he takes control?" asked Sorrow.

  "Patron Dimple said there were limitations to his powers," said Alex. "But really, I don't know. We'll figure that out when we get there." She paused. "Everyone take a good long look. We're heading down in a moment."

  While she surveyed the army beneath, Lily came up next to her and gestured towards the western side, away from the lake. "Do you see that? The demons are in their own area."

  "I do," said Alex. "That's good, because I don't think our phalanx match well against them. If we can take out the regular troops, the ogres, hobs, and other creatures, quickly, then we'll have a chance against the demons."

  "Give me that opportunity against them, and I'll make sure they regret it," said Lily fiercely.

  "I know you will," said Alex.

  When they'd had their fill, she gave the order for everyone but the mages to return to the ships. The cadre of twenty-two farmers turned mages stayed on the crest of the hill, limbering up their fingers, cracking their necks.

  "Do they have their orders?" she asked Blaze.

  He glanced back towards the hilltop, inclining his head knowingly. "Make it rain."

  Chapter Forty

  By the time they reached the ships, the rain came as a steady downpour, turning the world into a gray sheet. As they loaded the troops on the ships, the river swelled, threatening to overflow its banks. Bottoming out wouldn't be a concern.

  Standing at the bowsprit of the Black Strings, Alex looked out over the river as they traveled north. She'd given up trying to wipe the water from her face as it came down in buckets, leaving her to worry that the mages might have overdone it, but anything that was happening to her army would be much worse in the valley.

  When the fleet reached the end of the foothills, she broke the glass ball containing the Fog of War, which sent a wave of obscuring mist in all directions. Within a minute, they were riding through a fog, but fortunately, the magic of the item allowed them to see through it, otherwise they might have sailed into the banks.

  The lake swelled as they entered it, pushing water over the banks. The port town came into view, a half dozen enemy ships slipping onto the docks, which were nearly flooded over.

  Blaze joined her upon request.

  "Let's announce our arrival," said Alex, squinting through the deluge.

  Blaze produced the slender Wand of Annihilation, which seemed antithetical to its purpose. The elemental mage extended his arm and snapped his wrist slightly.

  The force wave that blasted from the wand felt like a howitzer from up close. The fog defined the circular depression that sped across the lake until it hit the broadside of the ships. The blast was cataclysmic. Wood turned to splinters turned to dust. Three ships, obliterated with the flick of a wrist.

  "I could get used to that," said Blaze, eyes wide with wonder.

  "Good," said Alex. "Do it again. Finish off the other ships so we can unload safely."

  The second blast from the wand was as spectacular as the first. The four smaller ships looked like toys filled with dynamite, and the shrapnel ripped apart the few buildings in the port town. Alex had to imagine anyone standing nearby would have been turned to shredded cheese from the splinters.

  They met little resistance at the town. While most of the docks had been destroyed along with the ships, the swollen lake allowed them to anchor next to the pier wall, and from there, flood the streets with their army.

  "The fog seems to be doing its job," said Lily as the pair of them strolled into the street.

  "Good, but I think the blasts might have clued them otherwise," said Alex.

  "I'll have the army in position to the west of the town before they realize we're here," said Lily, wearing bulky cobalt blue armor rather than her formfitting silvery plate. "Could you tell your mages to slow this a little?"

  "It'll be affecting our enemies even more," said Alex.

  The army unloaded off the ships and formed up into their companies in record time, considering the rain. They stood on the muddy plain west of the town, rivulets of water running between their boots, long spears pointed to the sky. Each company was a square with spaces between for the officers to roam. One flank of the army contained their fiercest non-humans, like the Galathans led by Martina and Mancalf, while her mage officers like Blaze and Sanjay made up the other. The rear of the army was made of their weaker troops, or the ones with unique specialties.

  On Lily's command, they marched forward without the resounding beat of their boots on the hard soil, since the splatter of rain made everything muted. As they moved west, the fog of war that had hid their arrival dissipated until only white trails lingered.

  Across the muddy plain, a slow roar increased as the enemy rushed towards their position.

  "Steady!" called Lily.

  The phalanxes kept their spears in the air. They looked like square porcupines.

  As the thundering approached, Alex triggered the Boon of Tactics, but the rain made seeing the tendrils of crimson difficult. Only the change in her interface gave her any clue that it had reached her army.

  When Alex could first make out the enemy, she saw lines of hobgoblins and gorge ogres leading the way, followed by sawcutters and smaller goblins. The throaty cheer of the enemy was impressively loud.

  The gap between the two armies shrunk at a snail's pace. It wasn't just the sloppy conditions that made the ogres' advance a slapstick affair, as they fell to their knees only to be trampled by the ones behind, but a general sense of foreboding as the long-awaited battle had finally arrived.

  "Steady!"

  The hardest part for Alex was that she had little to do. She stood by Lily's side for adjustments in the strategy, but otherwise felt like a cog in a great machine.

  "Steady!"

  The line of ogres had been overtaken by the more disciplined hobgoblins, but even they danced across the slippery field in a wave of steel and flesh.

  "Steady!"

  Time slowed to a crawl. The enemy was fifty feet away.

  Alex gripped her whip, baring her teeth in a grimace.

  Then what had taken an eon sped to a nanosecond.

  "Steady...brace...now!"

  At the last possible moment, spears dropped into position. The bloody sickening impact, the crunch of steel and bone, of spears snapping, rose above the din.

  The impact was like a tsunami hitting the shore, but when it was over, her army had withstood the first charge. A cheer went up, followed by a new command from Lily.

  "Step! Thrust! Step!"

  The horde of ogres and hobgoblins was pressed against the line of her soldiers, barely keeping their feet in the muddy slop. The phalanx surged forward, followed by a grunt as the spears were extended, eviscerating the enemy who couldn't find their feet fast enough to defend.

  Alex felt the grunt in her soul. It was as if the army were part of her body. When they stepped, she felt the urge to reach out with her whip as if she held a spear like they did.

  "Step! Thrust! Step!"

  With the first wave broken, her army made patient, steady progress like a combine tractor tilling a field, knocking down every length of grass in its way.

  At one edge of the army, the Galathans and werewolves made quick work of the ogres that tried to circle around, while on the other side, the mage officers—Blaze, Reggie, and Sanjay—utilized the watery conditions to electrocute foolish hobgoblins in scale mail who tried to flank them.

  The Alexandrian Army ground through the enemy like a wheat thresher. Occasionally, Alex checked the interface to see they'd sustained few losses, and had increased abilities and ranks across the board.

  Alex was wondering if they'd be able to grind through the other army like this indefinitely, when they finally pulled back. Someone on the other side must have taken control, sounding the retreat. By the time the first wave was finished, she'd gained a level and a few skill increases, which she quickly assigned.

  Only the heavy rains kept the fields from staying red, as the blood washed away between their boots to the swollen lake.

  As the enemy retreated, her army raised their spears in a cheer.

  "Round one goes to us," said Alex. "Nice work, Lily. All that training paid off."

  "Those boots helped too," said Lily.

  "Their job is not yet done," said Alex. "I wonder what they'll throw at us next."

  They didn't have to wonder long, as the angled metallic shapes of Blade Beasts and Infernal war machines broke through the curtain of rain.

  Chapter Forty-One

  The demonic horde came not in an organized march, but a rolling tide, splashing across the crimson-stained plain, steam rising from their fiery bodies. The angled, sharp limbs of the Blade Beasts cut through the mud, making long loping strides.

  The first wave had been of equal level to the Alexandrian Army, but the second, made from demons and other horrifying creatures from across the lands, exceeded the army's level. And unlike the first wave, time did not drag out, it sped up until Lily's shouts for, "Hold!" and "Steady!" were but echoes in her ears, and the noxious fumes from the infernal machines bit into her nose.

 

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