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My announcement above the marching ranks of Hamagaaran troops and the less organized ranks that were probably the Hamagaaran adventurer’s corps had an important purpose. Unlike in Greenwater, here I was dressed out properly and fighting officially as a fairy knight. Fighting demons or non-civilized monsters without announcing myself was fine, but the people below me, although they had demons hidden in their ranks, were mostly mortals. I wasn’t on the receiving side of a dishonorable ambush or otherwise slighted, so fairy honor required me to present and identify myself.
Honor was now satisfied, and I could be sure, with the strength of my spiritual voice added in, that all before me had heard me. With her permission in advance, I had included Aenëe in my declaration, and we could now both fight with clear consciences.
Until now, I had only shown myself to Trisiagga, in my shining white wings form. Nobody had said anything to the mortals below about a fairy knight on the other side of the battle. It took more than one heartbeat for the officers below to overcome their astonishment and begin organizing. They had two huge problems and I was only one of them. After all, they had been depending upon the fog I had just blown away to cover their still-incomplete preparations, so I had just caught them mid-maneuver with their metaphorical pants down.
You can use your defenses now, Old Man, I told my companion. Be ready for me to use your attacks, as well.
I’m ready, My Lady! he said. I could imagine the wide grin on the handsome mug my staff had given him back in Sky Ocean as he replied.
Before they could unleash their air defenses, I rapidly beat for altitude, ascending in a wide half circle bending away from them. As I flew, I continued my spiritual-voice-augmented harangue of the mortal army. There was a very important psychological warfare component to this fight.
“You are marching for demons, for a kingdom already in the control of demons, mortals! Your crown and your command are no longer your own!”
I dearly wished that I had Ceria’s [Break Illusion] spell at my command, which could wash away the disguises that these demons were using to hide amongst the humans. But that was third-level magic, well beyond my current skill. Maybe I could do it if I could channel Senhion, who more than likely knew that magic, but that, too, was beyond my capabilities.
As I pulled the Starfire Jade Writing Brush from its holster, I banked to come about and descend. The first magically enhanced bolts and magic attacks began flying my direction. I decided to leave any that came close to Durandal and concentrated on drawing in Holy mana instead. Eurybia had already expanded my mind as far as my spiritual vessel could contain, and it frankly felt like she had stretched that beyond what I could do on my own. My current strength was at least the equal of the junior Elders serving in Senhion’s old legion.
I lined up along a path that would take me across their path in front of the leading orcish ranks, where I could find the highest density of demons, and chanted, “[Purification!]”
I did not unleash it yet. I kept building it up, as my body began singing with the pain and fire of the spell that attacked my poor monster half. My next words had a bit of that pain and a bit of Senhion’s grief added to them, but I personally felt a bit of shame in saying them anyhow. I was doing so because these soldiers should be believers in the Northern religion, and I had an extra psychological card to play against them.
I knew from Nora, the Hamagaaran refugee prostitute in Thuriben, that rumors of demons secretly in their midst were already rife throughout Hamagaar. It was the very reason that their refugees from the war were fleeing for their lives into enemy territory rather than their own, after all.
So if I could get mortal soldiers to break and run for it, perhaps I might be able to save their lives as well. Would the sight of the incandescent wings and body of an Elder do it?
“Have you not listened to your priests, Foolish Mortals? You sided with the demons in the Elder times, and here you are, doing it again! Is Heaven not watching you?”
As I spoke those words, I was buzzing the ground, only a few paces above the heads of the astonished Orestanian cavalry. I pointed the Writing Brush sideways, at the oncoming orcs, and let the stream of purification gush forth, all while continuing to pull more Holy mana in to replace it.
Orcs are monsters. If I could hold it on them, it would kill them, but I was only striking them briefly. Most were simply collapsing to their knees in pain. Their stamina would take a huge hit, but they would get up and fight after I passed. That’s how orcs are.
The demons among them though…
Those that survived reacted like the orcs that they were pretending to be. I couldn’t watch long enough to confirm it, but I knew they would likely retain their disguises and continue pretending to be orcs, however badly I had hurt them.
But those that didn’t survive naturally did not retain their disguises either. As the orcs they stood among reacted with alarm, they crumbled to the ground as skeletons, as wraiths, as hags, or possibly higher ranks, although I suspect the higher ranking ones were the survivors. Naturally, there were none of the lowest ranks, no ghouls or undead.
Once I finished my ground pass, I beat for altitude again. Behind me, the orcish ranks were sewn with confusion, after I had struck down many of their officers and mages. Not, however, a majority. I just couldn’t pump out enough strength for that.
I rounded the corner once again, this time planning to do the same maneuver while crossing the rear of the enemy army. As I circled, I continued to draw Holy mana, recharging myself to my limit once more. I bent groundward for my next dive…
The gargantuan wolf, Fenrisuelfr, thwarted my attempt by leaping at me in classic canid fashion, his massive maw open and his lips curled back to bare fangs like telephone poles.
I yelled, “[Holy Rend]!” with a swing of my blade. Because I had already been preparing to let the [Purification] loose, it also poured forth in a gush through Durandal, following the giant [Wind Scythe] attack.
With slightly more forewarning of what was about to happen, I might have hit him in his open mouth, but as it was, I struck him full in the chest with both attacks. He howled as the force of the strike shortened his leap and he crashed down among the unfortunate ranks of monsters below. The anti-aircraft fire was peppering Durandal’s [Fortress of Gaia] as I flew on. I still had [Purification] gushing forth, so I gave another swing of the blade while letting it spray the ranks below.
Any mortals that it hit would only be swept clean of any miasma they had picked up from hanging around demons, plus possibly cured of any gidim possessions they might be suffering, but there were demons hidden in their ranks as well. These were injured, and in some cases they became exposed as they died or came close enough to death to lose their disguises. It likely caused alarm in the ranks, although I didn’t have time to see it.
My flight path was bringing me close to Trisiagga’s position, but perhaps her painful memories of my incandescent wings had cowed her for the moment. She did not rise against me as I flew past.
The confusion in the ranks needed time to brew, so I now moved on to my next stage. My initial assault was done, so I stopped using my full spiritual vessel, letting my mind shrink back to the usual Tiana size. It would be bad if I fatigued my pneuma too early.
I scanned the Orestanian ranks and spotted the flag of Colonel Tieg, who was commanding the hindmost regiment, so I headed in his direction. His flank was still being assaulted by the harrying forces of demonic flyers, but without the flanking attack that I had just delayed, they weren’t enough to hurt them badly.
I could see the corpse of one zilant on the ground, but much of the demonic wave still pressed the Orestanian force along its north flank. I flew a careful route well out of view of the defenders to avoid drawing friendly fire as I came in.
After swinging low, I hovered as close as I could without panicking his horse, and called out, “Colonel, the main force of the enemy has moved behind you and is marching to flank you on the north!”
He nodded briskly and began barking orders. As I rose once again, much of his force had begun spreading out at the rear, leaving only the line facing the aerial attack on the north side.
Fenrisuelfr had taken the blow and survived. He was struggling to his feet, half his coat a mess of gore where he had crushed monsters and monster handlers. Although I hadn’t defeated him, I had dealt their side a blow anyhow, via collateral damage.
But that and the asura still left me with two troublesome enemies. Trisiagga would surely not stay down. I flew back to the command group to report and to fetch Aenëe. I had left her with Ged’s security detail so that Mirna and other combat mages could drive off the blood insects if they attacked her while I was away.
I told Ged, “Tieg is wheeling his troops to face a large force. Nearly the entire Hamagaaran side is back there.”
Colonel Perta, Ged’s advisor, had joined the command group while I was gone. He grew alarmed as he heard my report.
“We need to reinforce him immediately, Your Highness!”
“Not yet!” I countered. “Tieg can fight while falling back slowly for the time being. Right now, you need to secure your south flank.”
I pointed in that direction. “The so-called army on that side is a skeleton crew. Their main force has dropped back behind the orcs. Most of the company flags you see up here are just fakes made of tent cloth. You can scatter them with a charge.”
Perta frowned. “We are getting too close to the mines, My Lady. We’ve already reached the point where we intended to turn northward. The demonic force may already be emerging to attack.”
He had a point. The demons had clearly held the aerial assault and the orcish attack until we were nearly in range of the mines. Pushing even closer seemed at first blush like the last thing we should do. But I had my little bat keeping an eye on that force.
I shook my head. “They’re still waiting to emerge. They’re holding back until they see matters turn to their advantage. If they come out now, we still have time to react.”
That advantage should still be too far away. The mortal mages and anti-air crews on our north flank were suffering under the aerial onslaught, but they were holding, and I had just delivered a nasty blow to the main force behind us.
Ged’s eyes narrowed. “You can see that for a fact at this moment?”
With a nod, I answered, “I can. They’re formed up and ready, but they have yet to come out, Your Highness.”
He nodded sharply and turned to Perta. “Colonel, hold Tieg’s force and the line against the aerial attack steady. Turn the vanguard to face the Mines in formed ranks and turn the remainder to the south for a spearpoint charge. Drive the enemy into the hills and scatter them.”
Perta nodded briskly. “By your command, Your Highness!”
I looked back at Aenëe, who was currently bumming a ride on the command group’s baggage wagon.
“My Lady,” I called to her. “I need you to take care of that wolf while I deal with Trisiagga.”
From her expression, it was obvious she’d been itching to fight. Her eyes brightened and her wasp wings manifested as she stood, gripped her sword handle and declared, “If you can keep those bugs off me, I can fight anything, My Lady!”
