154 Home Again (1/2)

The sound of war horns in the air reverberated across the oasis, quickly bringing an end to the chaos that had just begun.

Soldiers in attack poses were forced to hold themselves back as no one was certain which reinforcements had arrived first.

For me, the horns were the final nail in the coffin of my plan to escape undetected while the three companies battled it out.

Although I did trust the Lord of Stars to hold his part of the bargain, I was still in favor of escaping without owing him anything, least of all the scent of the Trickster Pavilion's Patriarch. Especially now that I knew he was this generation's sense knight of smells.

Sadly, the incoming reinforcements now made that impossible. If they were aligned with the other two lords, then we would need Chris Pint's help to breakthrough them. If they were his reinforcements then there would be no escaping either. It was a lose-lose scenario either way.

\”Dean, I see their flag,\” Luca said, pointing behind us, toward the cloud of dust being kicked up by the hundreds of swifthart riders heading to our oasis. \”It's the Starfall clan.\”

\”Well, that settles it,\” I said. \”We'll wait here then.\”

Soon enough, all combatants became aware that the reinforcements belonged to the Starfall clan. Cheers rang out from the soldiers on our side.

A mad rush to reform lines began among the other two armies.

When the dust cloud had finally settled, only three people remained at the center of the Oasis and these were the same three people who were duking it out earlier.

\”Looks like I win this round,\” Chris Pint taunted his two rivals.

Lord Rah kept his spear pointed at Chris Pint. \”This is not over… not until I kill you!\”

It sounded like he'd lost interest in Ty and had now placed all his attentions on the Lord of Stars.

\”Sure, we can keep fighting if you want,\” Chris Pint agreed. \”But then my guys will kill more of your guys and you'll be too busy defending against me to help them.\”

Lord Rah glanced around at his forces, and then at the army that had just arrived to bolster Chris Pint's forces.

I too followed his line of sight and glanced over my shoulder, and what I could see was fairly impressive. At a quick glance, I guessed that there were at least five-hundred, probably more.

The first group from the Starfall clan was a mix of fairy races. This second group was an armored cavalry comprised solely of human viseres. Like stars set against the backdrop of black canvas, their polished silver armor glinted even under the moonless sky. The tips of their spears also seemed to glow with their own inner light.

The sight of these newcomers seemed to deflate the rage brewing in Lord Rah. In fact, you could visibly see the fire go out at the tips of his hair.

\”You're welcome to try again anytime, Rah,\” Chris Pint called his swifthart over. And as he readied to mount it, he turned his gave toward his other opponent. \”You cool with walking away, Spellweaver?\”

Ardeen Spellweaver sheathed his saber. \”For now. We'll see each other again before long.\”

Chris Pint laughed as he mounted his swifthart. \”I guess I'll see you two later then. Looking forward to it.\”

And with that final word, he turned his back on them and rode over to his troops, signaling the end of the battle at the oasis.

---

Our time in the oasis had eaten up most of our night so it was no surprise when an hour later, Ty and I were greeting the rising dawn as we walked across the wet grass of the Elfwood Circle Stones.

I breathed in the smell of trees and earth and Mudgardian air while thanking my lucky stars that we survived the night. No, it wasn't over. This was simply a reprieve for Ty and me while the others waited for our return to the Fayne at night.

Chris Pint had promised to take care of my team, and I found myself believing in him despite the fact I'd just met him.

During that last hour where we were in his company, he revealed to us that he'd actually bet I would decide to take the more troublesome route, and so he'd sent all the forces he brought with him to the oasis.

\”So that's why they arrived at our backs and not from the north,\” I realized.

\”Misdirection, my friend… that's how you win battles,\” he said, laughing.

\”But why not just take all your soldiers with you? Wouldn't that have been easier?\” I asked.

\”Where's the fun in that?\” Chris Pint asked with a raised eyebrow.

To prove his point, within that hour, three more five-hundred man companies joined our journey south. The sly dog had been hiding a total of two-thousand soldiers in the desert ready to ambush Lord Rah and Ardeen Spellweaver if they chose to be stubborn.

\”Our lord likes to have his fun,\” repeated the red-headed she-elf whose name I now knew was Thea. \”It's all a game to him, you see.\”

I could believe that. After all, the man did gamble on my insistence to pursue more reckless plans. In a way, we were alike. Bet high, win big and all that.