Chapter Seventy Three
The Winning Edge
ELSA
"Elsa!" Vonco hollered.
"It's now or never!" Deirdre shouted. "Do it!"
Elsa drew in a sharp breath. "Florie! NOW!"
For a moment the whole world seemed to freeze and time slowed to a crawl. And then from the Enchanted Forest on the right burst forth the metaphorical cavalry, one that was endued with magic. Sorcerers from the League, both old and new, veteran and rookie, male and female, all charged out from the cover of the thick forest, roaring at the prospect of finally joining the fray.
At the head of the League was Florie the telepathic girl, the most senior League member that was left in charge of coordinating missions while the command team of the League had been gone. The sorcerers in Arendelle had been coordinating and keeping Florie updated on the situation with the Empire, and they had organised an ambush on the Imperial Horde, as part of Frederick's master stroke. The sudden presence of two hundred sorcerers with all sorts of abilities and devastating powers would certainly give them the winning edge.
The bulk of the Imperial Horde had by now advanced to within striking range, fifty yards. The vast majority of their left flank was composed of both line and column infantry which was now exposed to the sorcerers who were sprinting straight for them. The sorcerers attacked with whatever magic they had at their disposal. Blue fire, telepathy, control over animals, control over plant life, summoning of dust mites, acceleration, fragmentation of the mind, blinding, and every other kind of power and abilities imaginable. They were all present on that battlefield now.
Colliding straight into the left flank of the Imperial Horde like enfilade fire, the sorcerers made a huge dent which sent many Exonian soldiers flying screaming, frozen in fear and shock, and others retreating to the rear for the preservation of their lives. Others still stayed but broke formation, turning their neat, disciplined lines and columns into nothing more than a angry and frightened mob fighting off something it wasn't expecting and couldn't comprehend. And now that half of the Imperial Horde's forces were distracted by the newcomers and the other half were caught off guard, it was time to turn the tide.
Elsa grabbed Honeymaren and pulled her closer so that she could speak. "Stay here and lay down some fire on the artillery and infantry lines!"
Honeymaren nodded, still looking dazed and amazed that the plan had actually worked. "What are you going to do?"
"Even the odds." Elsa gestured sharply at Deirdre, Jordan and the other sorcerers in the square.
The soldiers parted formation ever so slightly to allow the sorcerers to charge out of the square, and then closed back up quickly before the enemy could capitalise. Once reformed, Honeymaren shouted a command which was then echoed by the rest of the squares down the line.
The Arendellian soldiers now emboldened by the presence of reinforcements levelled their muskets, sighted, and an erratic crash of musketry signified that the fight had resumed. And it was fierce.
Sprinting back for the tributary behind the Arendellian squares, Elsa leapt for the cover of a rock just as an cannoneer attempted to mow her down with an eight pounder round shot. She made it to the tributary and closed her eyes, which would have been an insane move for any normal person in the midst of a heated battle. But she was no ordinary person.
Her call to the Elemental Spirits was answered first by Nokk, who materialised out of the tributary, great drops of water spraying out as he leapt out of the stream. Elsa waved a hand sharply, and her white, fifth spirit dress materialised, instantly replacing the clothes she had been wearing with the outfit synonymous with her reputation as the Snow Queen.
Placing a hand on his mane, Elsa froze the water droplets on Nokk till he became a horse made out of pure, solid and unbreakable ice. Expertly, Elsa mounted Nokk as she had done so many times before, and he gave a ear piercing whinny as she wheeled about. Galloping off, the two of them headed straight past the friendly infantry squares to where the Exonians' artillery guns had been deployed at the front of the line.
Riding past the infantry squares, she was fixated with looks of stupefaction from both Arendellians and the Exonians alike, and that was exactly what she was gunning for. Shock and awe. She barrelled straight into the right flank of the row of artillery guns, and Nokk trampled them as he galloped, crushing the guns that had been forged in steel and iron like they were nothing.
The artillerists and infantry soldiers scurried out of the way to avoid being caught in the enfilade fire, and spun quickly to train their weapons on Elsa. But she was prepared. She had played out a scenario such as this one a thousand times in her head already while waiting anxiously to spring into action.
For a brief second she let go of the reins, and with her free hands spread them sharply. Ice formed and spiked all across the ground like stalagmites in an icy cavern, forcing the men to dive away or risk getting struck by the ice. The ice spread across a ten yard radius, incapacitating and freezing all immediate threats around her.
The enemies directly in front of a few squares had been dealt with, and the Arendellians ployed back into line formation to lay down supporting fire on their enemies, cheering as Elsa passed them by while preparing to deliver another deadly salvo that would cut down the Exonians in great swathes.
Riding on Nokk and fading left and right to avoid musket fire or artillery strikes, Elsa scanned the battlefield and found the Northuldra skirmishers continuing their assault against the now weakened Exonian line, while Deirdre, Vonco, Jordan and the other sorcerers supported them, dealing out as much damage as they could with their magic.
All of them recognised that there was only one way to break the Imperial Horde, as Frederick had asserted. A quick and decisive victory. And there was only one way to achieve that. To literally split the Imperial Horde down the middle to divide them, and then conquer.
The Arendellians too had been briefed on this next phase of the plan, as their commanders held them back from firing back at their enemies. The centre of the entire Imperial Horde line was now clear of Arendellians, and a good thing too, for what came next was going to be explosive.
Elsa closed her eyes momentarily, reaching deep within her to tap into the shared domain with the rest of the Elemental Spirits to communicate with them. And they responded.
A purple trail of fire zipped down the centre of the Imperial Horde at breakneck speed, lighting the grass, the soil and everything beneath the soldiers' feet on fire. Bruni, the Fire Spirit, was the second to respond to Elsa's rally for help, and he was doing tremendously well. Exonian soldiers shouted and hollered as they skipped out of the way to avoid getting burnt, all the while trying to maintain their rigid formation. But it was going to be a futile attempt on their part.
A strong gale of wind that hadn't been present on the battlefield before suddenly made itself known, as though someone was blowing down the centre of the Imperial Horde's forces. Gale, the Wind Spirit, fanned the flames with enthusiasm, chittering as she did so, and what had been a thin line of purple fire now burst into a roaring blaze that was blindingly obvious even in the presence of the bright morning sun.
This time, the soldiers had no choice but to break their formation, split right down the middle by the fire that was now raging, tearing through the centre of the battlefield wildly like the fire had a mind of its own. It did, in fact.
"Well done," Elsa said as Gale chittered around her and Bruni leapt onto her shoulder. They had done their work, and now for the finishing touches to break their discipline and formation completely.
A distant bellow shook the ground as something big approached from out of the forest. The Earth Giants emerged, looming angrily over the Exonians who were trespassing on their territory, and began launching their boulders and huge rocks at the centre of the Imperial Horde's forces. The concentrated bombardment felt like a more ancient form of artillery, and of course the Earth Giants' attacks were joined by the modern artillery, the twelve pounders belching load after load of lead straight into the heart of the Imperial Horde.
And finally, the forces broke into two to avoid getting killed in the sudden elemental attacks, and that was all the defenders needed. The moment the Imperial Horde broke off into two separate forces, the Arendellians, the Northuldra and the sorcerers went to work. Frederick's "Fire and Shock Tactic" was finally going to come into play.
"First rank fire!" Lieutenants screamed up and down the reformed line, and a volley of musketry crashed out in unison deafeningly, cutting down the Exonians in swathes at a close range of thirty feet. The results were horrendously effective, but no one was going to stop when they finally had the tables turned.
Elsa found Janus, Deirdre and the other sorcerers waiting for her, and she reined up and dismounted Nokk, with Bruni, Gale and the Earth Giants dispersing for the time being.
"We did it." She said, glancing round at the sorcerers who were now covered in smoke, dirt and black powder from the fighting. " Now that we have our opening, the real fight is just beginning."
"So what now?" Deirdre asked. "I didn't actually think we were going to get this far."
"We going to just charge straight through the battlefield while all these idiots are still fighting and go in search of Jade?" Vonco added.
"It's our only opportunity. Besides, we know exactly where she is." Elsa pointed to the opposite hill where the Empress and Kane were observing the fight on the crest.
"Well, I always did want to die in a blaze of glory." Vonco shrugged.
Elsa turned to Jordan, who set his jaw and nodded, motioning with conviction.
"Let's get my sister back." He signed.
She looked to Janus for reassurance, and he gave her a nod, which was all she needed.
Elsa glanced round at the few sorcerers with her. "Stay out of sight." She mounted Nokk. Janus got on behind her, clasping his arms around her waist.
Vonco got the rest of the sorcerers to hold onto him, and then they melted into the shadows like wax on a hot day, disappearing from the battlefield entirely as if they had never been there.
Nokk, with Elsa and Janus mounted, gave an ear piercing bray and galloped off, barreling into and dispatching any of the Exonian soldiers who tried to slow them down or get in their way.
"Was this what you had in mind when your general laid out his grand plan?" Janus shouted over the continuation of the musket fire and the screams, and aimed at a soldier who had levelled his musket at them.
"More or less!" Elsa shouted over her shoulder as they manoeuvred another corpse.
Janus let loose his arrow, and it struck down their would-be attacker. "Are you sure this is the best idea?"
"It's not like Eleanor left us any other choice!" Elsa motioned at the Empress and Kane who were overlooking the valley as Nokk began ascending the slope of the hill at a constant gallop. "She wants us to come to her!"
"Then let's not disappoint." Janus dispatched an Exonian officer in their way with another arrow.
They finally reached the crest of the enemy's hill and dismounted, Nokk disintegrating into a puddle of water for the time being. General Kane and the Empress stood a distance away, awaiting their guests' arrival. Elsa walked towards them slowly, with Janus by her side wielding his bow and an arrow nocked.
"You've lost, Eleanor." Elsa said fiercely. "Your forces are beaten."
Eleanor turned back to the valley where the Imperial Horde were still engaged in battle. "Not yet."
"It's only a matter of time now." Elsa's hands hovering at hip level and ready for a sudden attack. "The Imperial Horde doesn't stand a chance against the League of Sorcerers and our army. You best recall them now and retreat."
Eleanor looked lazily at Kane, who had his arms folded across his chest.
"The Imperial Horde has never been beaten, and it won't fail now." Kane said steadfastly. "Not under my command."
Elsa knew she had to stall. Vonco, Deirdre and the others were using whatever precious time they had to scour the enemy base to find Jade. All she and Janus had to do was keep Eleanor and Kane occupied.
"Where's Hans?" Elsa asked. It was a genuine question that was plaguing her. She had a bad feeling about it.
Eleanor smirked. "He has a personal vendetta to settle."
Elsa's eyes flicked over to Arendelle as it dawned on her that…Oh no.
"What, you think you're the only one with a distraction plan?" Eleanor laughed. "You really think I don't know what you're trying to do? You're stalling while your sorcerers rescue your friend. But it doesn't matter. You're all going to die today anyway."
Elsa felt her throat go thick, and she swallowed. Her eyes narrowed. "You sent Hans to infiltrate Arendelle."
"I didn't really have to send him." Eleanor said. "He was all too eager to go. He's been dying to settle a score with you and your sister, and I happily let him. Hans did promise that Arendelle would burn, didn't he?"
"You're a monster." Elsa gritted her teeth, her hands growing colder.
"You were so desperate to protect your kingdom that you left it unguarded." Eleanor had a smug look on her face that screamed her genius. "Ironic."
A Crossing Point opened just a few feet behind Elsa and Janus, and Melody hopped out, her new compound bow in hand. She smoothed back her wet hair, and stepped forward to join Elsa and Janus.
"You." Kane's voice was ice.
"We meet yet again." Melody said, and turned to Elsa. "Don't worry, the Southern Isles has been dealt with. And we know about the Consul's plan. Maui, Tracy and Anna are intercepting him right now."
"Oh…" Elsa suddenly deflated. The threat of the Southern Isles was over. And at least with her sister and the other two Warriors going to confront Hans, she had reassurance that the situation was going to be handled. A weight was lifted off her shoulders, giving her more clarity and peace of mind to focus on the conflict that was in front of her right now.
"Is Jade…"
"Deirdre and the others are searching for her now."
"Good." Melody turned back to face Eleanor and Kane. "What's the matter? Weren't expecting me to show up?"
"One more Warrior will hardly matter." Kane said steely. "You're not going to stop us."
"The battle at the coast road is over." Melody fixed her gaze on him. "The Southern Isles have retreated, and from what I can tell-" she looked down at the valley where the battle was still raging. "Your forces aren't going to last much longer."
The cannons accompanying the Exonian artillerists just behind Eleanor and Kane continued to discharge salvos of round shot, as a silence was drawn out between the Warriors and their enemies.
"You think you've won?" Eleanor finally snarled. "You're only prolonging the inevitable. I will crush Arendelle, even if I have to do it myself." Her hands swirled with a dark, ominous energy which made Elsa feel incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"You're not going to send us away." Melody said steadfastly, clutching her bow tightly in hand. "Not this time."
"No. No, I won't." Eleanor agreed nastily, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous. "I'm going to make sure you live long enough to see your beloved kingdom destroyed, and then I'll let you die." She turned to Kane sharply. "General."
"Your Imperial Majesty."
"You know what to do."
Kane paused for a moment which seemed to stretch out into an eternity. Then, he drew his trusty falchion sword from the scabbard on his hip, and brandished it with all the familiarity of a seasoned combatant. Eyes fever bright, he took a step forward.
Elsa inclined her head towards Melody, who said nothing, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes. And so it begins, Elsa thought as she stepped aside to allow Melody to join Janus in intercepting the menacing general.
Her eyes locked with Eleanor's as they inched towards each other slowly, both acutely aware that this clash had been a long time coming. And incidentally this might also be where it ends for either of us.