100 Julius Caesar (1/2)
The horrendous wailing swept across the battlefield, causing all who heard it to stop in their tracks. Everyone, from the lowest foot soldier to the dueling great generals, all stood still and listened.
Then we felt the ground rumble beneath our feet. Not like an earthquake. More like the feeling of the earth-shaking as something heavy moved across it. You know, like when you're walking along a track and a train passes by. Of course, there were no trains in the Fayne, and that realization made my whole body tense up.
When we finally saw them, their purple banners unfurled and dancing in the wind, I felt my throat go dry.
”Shit,” I mumbled.
There were so many of them. Soldiers of an unfamiliar army geared in cloaks of brilliant red marching down on our battlefield from whatever hell in the north they'd come from. Tens of thousands of them. Perhaps more. And soaring above these scarlet warriors was a battalion of dark-feathered birds that were like eagles. Enormous birds of prey with twenty-foot wingspans and long necks and talons as wide as minivans.
”No,” Aura whispered from beside me. ”They're here… why are they here?!”
I didn't need to be psychic to understand the agitation in her voice. Those purple banners with their red crescent moons were recognizable to any soldier of the Fayne. Even a Mudgardian like me knew that symbol—the symbol of the Scarlet Moon.
”Looks like we're in deep shit now,” I said.
”Are they… enemy reinforcements?” Luca asked.
”Probably,” I said uncertainly.
It wasn't hard to deduce that the Scarlet Moon was here to help the Magesong army out. They were official allies who both hated the Trickster Pavilion, after all. And yet, why did I feel like something was amiss? Maybe it was because of what Ardeen Spellweaver said earlier. That part about not wanting his dad to defeat Darah too soon like he had a plan in place that needed time to come together.
I swiveled my head to question him only to discover he and his mount were no longer on the opposite side of Aura. Nope, Ardeen Spellweaver was already trotting leisurely toward the two great generals, who, like everyone else, had paused their battle to gape at the arrival of the third army.
Seeing him unfazed by their arrival sent a stinging pain into my brain. Kind of like my visere-sense was tingling in a bad way.
”Aura… stay here and be ready to lead the men,” I said as I glanced toward her. Then I nodded toward Luca and ordered him to follow me, ”Watch my back, little brother.”
Without waiting for either of them to respond, I urged Myth Chaser to race after Ardeen. Only, by this time, he was already within range of both great generals.
”Hurry, Myth Chaser,” I stressed, tightening my grip on the reins and spurring him on.
Not that I needed to worry too much as both great generals turned their heads toward him once he was close enough. Darah's annoyed stare was expected, but seeing the surprised look Spellweaver sent his son was even more worrying.
”Ardeen… did you call these reinforcements here?” he asked, his voice half-angry and half-confused. ”I told you we didn't need the Scarlet Moon to win this war.”
Ardeen inclined his head to his father. ”Forgive me for not informing you of this stage of the plan, Great General.” Ardeen glanced up at his father. ”But it is all for the sake of our total victory.”
I couldn't put my finger on it, but something in the way he spoke to his dad didn't sit well with me. Maybe it was the way he was glaring at his father despite bowing to him. That was definitely weird.
Spellweaver also glared at Ardeen, his eyes narrowing into slits. ”Fool… be prepared for your punishment once this debacle is over.”
Ardeen inclined his head again in a showing of deference. Then he moved to position his mount behind his father. That's when I saw her. The masked rider was back.
She'd appeared on the other side of Darah, charging toward my great general with her katana in hand while Darah was distracted by the exchange between the enemy great general and his son.
”General Darah!” From right behind me, I heard Luca yell Darah's name as a kind of warning. Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect of having Darah swivel her head toward us and keeping her from discovering the assassin at her other side.
I didn't think. I just threw my falchion forward and hoped against all hope that I wasn't about to mess this up. After all, my vision wasn't exactly twenty-twenty anymore.