164 The Fast and the Furious (1/2)

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy. That quote from Sun Tzu raced through my head as Myth Chaser raced through the openings in the hedge maze that Flamethrower had burned for us.

Honestly, it was a good plan, turning an otherwise indefensible oasis in this sand valley into a nearly unassailable piece of land protected by a magical hedge maze. It was nothing short of brilliant and something I wished I'd thought of too which is probably why I chose the counter-tactic that I used. Just so I could poke a hole into this brilliant strategy.

My counter plan wasn't all perfect though. The heat generated by being the efreet alone was bordering uncomfortable and slipping into scalding territory. There was the smoke caused by the burning hedge wall too. It got into my nose and was slowly murdering my lungs, causing me to cough again and again.

I glanced over to my right, to the other side of Red Bull where Aura rode on Starlight.

Aura, being the gorgeous elven maiden that she was, rarely sweats, so seeing her brow glisten with sweat worried me a little. It was a sign that she was beginning to struggle with her efreet summoning, which was a powerful spell, but also had a lot of drawbacks such as losing control of a mighty fire spirit and letting its rampage across the valley where both friends and foe were gathered.

I did not want a repeat of that Broken Sellsword's Canyon Debacle so I called to her and said, \”Release the summon as soon as he burns through the lash hedge wall… we'll handle the rest.\”

Aura didn't even turn my way. She simply nodded as her attentions were focused on keeping her efreet on its leash.

Luckily enough, the efreet just burned through the maze's last hedge wall. However, waiting for it on the other side were half a dozen fairy magicians, who, at the moment of its appearance erected a Shield of Flames to keep it at bay.

Using the same element to render the spirit ineffective was another smart move on their commander's part. More and more I was enjoying this matching of wits.

\”Aura, release the efreet,\” I ordered.

Aura raised her staff forward, and whispering words I couldn't hear that canceled the summoning spell.

As the efreet exploded into a shower of sparks and flame, it overloaded the Shield of Flames and caused its own implosion, a strategy I'd learned during my first encounter with Azuma's forces during that faithful night when my journey truly began.

Through the smoke and embers, we galloped, and as we cleared the hedge, our shadowblades sang in the air, swishing toward the surprised faces of fairies who were too confident in their magic.

I felt my falchion's shadowblade sink deep into the left shoulder of the fairy before me, but I didn't stop to check if it had fallen from my attack. I urged Myth Chaser onward and toward the next target.

Suddenly, as if by some invisible hand, Red Bull's mount skidded to a stop, forcing its rider off its back and sending Red Bull sailing forward like he was in a car crash.

The sight of wooden spikes piercing the red swfthart in places at its front caused me to veer Myth Chaser to the right, and I was just in time to avoid the spiked wooden barricades that were in the way.

\”Turn right!\” I warned.

But I wasn't Red Bull. I didn't have the strength to command his men, and although some heard my warning and followed my lead, many more followed their master into the arms of the trap that had been placed there and hidden in the mist.

\”Aura!\” I yelled.

She appeared at my side.

\”General Red Bull?\” she asked.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw him rise groggily to his feet. Blood poured down from a deep cut on his face.

\”He's alive,\” I answered, and then I saw his predicament and swore. \”Sh**!\”

Enemy soldiers carrying tower shields were beginning to surround Red Bull and those of his men who'd join him in the plunge down to into the sands.

\”They're using an inverted phalanx formation to pen him in,\” I explained to Aura at the same time as I urged Myth Chaser to turn around.

April Valentine cut in front of me, causing me to pull Myth Chaser back.

\”I'll go back for the general… you continue with the plan and break through the enemy's defenses,\” she said with a face full of steely-eyed determination. And as she turned around to lead a second charge to where her boss had fallen, she glanced over her shoulder and said, \”Kill the Dawn Breaker if you can. We'll catch up.\”

April Valentine left me my Foolhardies cavalry while she took the rest of her riders off to rescue their general.

A quick count told me that I had fifty riders including me, Aura, and Xanthor. And a quick survey of my surroundings told me we were between a healthy side of hedge wall and defensive barricades hidden in the mist with enemy soldiers most likely mixed in there.

Sadly, I realized that this situation wouldn't even make the top ten of worst-case scenarios my Foolhardies and I had stumbled into so I wasn't paralyzed with fear.

\”Quickness is the essence of war,\” I repeated another beloved Sun Tzu quote before I made my decision. \”Let's ride!\”

\”Roger that, Commander,\” Xanthor answered. \”Put the pedal to the metal, centaurs!\”

As one, our squad skirted the narrow space between the hedge maze and the enemy's defensive formations—literally making it the space between life and death—running along their line and back to where I guessed Luca and the rest of the Foolhardies had broken through.

A few enemy soldiers were brazen enough to leave the safety of the mist and barricades to try and attack us. Our centaurs' arrows turned their choice into a very fatal mistake.

Arrows shot at us too, but the speed of our passing was all we needed to dodge. There were a few hits but those centaurs or swifthart riders that were wounded pushed onward. They knew what was at stake.