Chapter Fifty Two
Chapter 52: The League Returns
ELSA
"It's…" Maui started as the Crossing Point opened. Only the senior members of the League, namely the Warriors, had stepped out first.
"…a massacre." Deirdre finished tensely.
Elsa watched, paralysed for a brief moment. Smoke filled the battlefield, solid shots roared overhead. Soldiers in different colours all scrambled in a wave of hysteria. The enemies in red were fast approaching the Coalition, which was cornered at the river bank.
"Elsa!"
She turned to see Anna running towards her. Her sister skidded to a halt in front of her, kicking up tufts of snow and grass. She clasped Elsa's hands, a frantic look in her eyes.
"You have to do something." Anna said in despair. "They'll tear this entire army apart."
"We've been fighting all day!" Kristoff came up behind Anna, looking to be at wit's end as well. "The Coalition can't take another hit. They're trying to crush us before nightfall!"
"Please," Anna's grip grew tighter. "We've done everything, but this is it. We can't hold on. Whether the Confederation will admit it or not, we need the League."
All eyes in the nearby vicinity seemed to turn to Elsa. The nearest soldiers of the various armies, artillerists, and the Warriors. Even the sorcerers, both veterans and refugees inside the Crossing Zone seemed to be watching her for her response.
Elsa drew in a deep breath. We are never free.
"Back. Back into the Crossing Zone." Elsa tore herself away from Anna and turned jerkily. "We've got to rally those who can fight. Quickly!"
"What?" Tracy looked confused as the Warriors filed back into the Crossing Zone. Upon recovering quickly from her sorcerous exhaustion, she'd opened up the Crossing Point for them to reach the Coalition. "What's going on?"
"What do you think's going on?" Deirdre spat.
"We've got another battle on our hands." Janus sighed.
"Listen." Elsa said urgently. "Fan out. Rally the veterans. Get the sorcerers who can fight. League member or refugee, it doesn't matter. It's all hands on deck now. Rally them and form in groups now!"
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Maui looked at her with concern. "If we do this, there's no turning back. The Confederation and their Blue Wolves will be upon us again and there'll be no escape this time."
"Not to mention we're sending the League out to war with the Imperial Horde." Deirdre added, looking extremely apprehensive.
"We have no time to second guess ourselves." Elsa too had been infected with her sister's despair. "No matter what the Confederation has done to us in the past, we can't let the Coalition die. Not when we have the power to do something. We'll just have to deal with the Confederation later."
"Alright." Maui swelled up, then turned round to lift his voice to get the sorcerers' attention.
Janus turned to Elsa as she watched the sorcerers begin to gather closer to hear Maui. "Are you sure about this?" Janus took her hand, looking into her eyes. "Like Maui said, if we do this, there's no turning back."
"We have to." Elsa said more confidently than she really felt.
"And what about the whole thing about bringing the refugees into this world of violence?" Tracy added tensely. "I thought you were against that. People are going to get hurt. Our people."
"If we don't, a lot more people without magic to protect them are going to get killed." Elsa set her jaw. "I don't like it anymore than the rest of you, putting everyone in danger. But there's no other alternative. We've been gifted with sorcery for a reason. We owe it to ourselves to use them to help."
There was a pause, both Janus and Tracy seeming to let it soak in. Then Tracy broke the silence.
"If you say so." Tracy shrugged, nonchalant nature returning. "On the bright side, I always wanted to go out on a high note."
Elsa didn't know whether to grin or grimace. A mixed bag of feelings consumed her. Fear. Apprehension. Resolve. Adrenaline. But one thing was for sure. There's no turning back now.
###
The first Crossing Point opened a distance in front of the battalion square closest to the oncoming Exonians. And then the next, ten feet to the right. And then another. And another.
Experienced sorcerers poured out of the portals, unleashing all manner of fury and the full potential of the mystic arts upon the Exonian cavalry cuirassiers. The enemy cavalry reined up as new opponents entered the battlefield, and a couple of cavalry troopers were thrown from their mounts in the confusion. Others were trampled and formations were broken. Those behind the first wave of cavalry were affected by the change in momentum, and the effect was like domino.
Confusion and uncertainty rippled out like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond, stretching all the way back to the infantry columns that were still coming around the side of the hill. All hell broke loose as the new lethal combatants joined the side of the Coalition, halting the Imperial Horde's attack in its tracks.
While Maui, Deirdre and Janus led the sorcerers' attack on the far left which numbered to about a hundred and seventy, Elsa and Tracy took the right flank of the Coalition, leading another two hundred sorcerers.
They all stayed in a rough lines, though nowhere near as disciplined or organised as regular army formations. It was nonetheless effective and withering. Blasts of all forms of magic shot across the battlefield, enveloping and embroiling the entire area with lights and coruscations of all colours and sorcerous fallouts.
Elsa herself stuck close with Tracy, letting the rest of the senior League members like Vonco, Cova and the others lead the charge. They were passing through a rather rough patch of ground, where the friendly skirmishers were still trying to make their way back to the relative safety of the Coalition's squares.
Soldiers in green and brown passed them by, scattered in loose formation and clutching their weapons close. Arendellian and Danish skirmishers. Northuldra too. Out near the very edge of the right flank, Elsa spotted Melody sprinting for all she was worth, bow in hand and covered in ground dirt, black powder and melted snow.
The nearest light cavalryman was riding hard towards her, sabre raised to deliver a fatal stroke.
"Down!" Elsa screamed and gestured, hoping that Melody heard her above the deafening sounds of the battlefield.
Fortunately, the Danish Princess saw her broad gestures, and threw herself clear to the right as far as she could.
Cold swirled around Elsa's palms, and she jerked them forward at the cavalry trooper. A gush of ice hit him squarely in the chest, sending him careening off his mount and screaming as his sword flew through the air to land on some unfortunate Exonian. The enemy horse galloped away and Elsa ran forward with Tracy by her side to attend to Melody.
"Are you alright?" Elsa asked, kneeling beside a prone Melody who had her hands clasped over her head and her face to the ground.
"Yeah, I think so." Melody groaned, sitting up.
"You look awful." Tracy chortled.
Melody gave her a scowl. "That's what happens when you're at war."
"Can you get to the rear?" Elsa helped her to her feet.
Melody straightened her back and winced, exhaustion seeming to set in. "I'll manage."
"Go, we'll take it from here." Tracy grinned in what was meant to come across as reassuring but ended up as cocky.
Elsa glanced at Melody who shuffled back into the safety of the Coalition ranks, and turned her attention to the rest of the battlefield before her.
Sorcerers had clashed with the enemy cavalry, as was inevitable. The Exonians - even the big cuirassiers or the mobile artillery - paled in comparison to the superior "firepower" on the Coalition's side.
Cannons continued to belch fire from the river bank, solid metal balls accompanying trajectories of magic blasts. Hurls of bolts and light beams ricocheted off enemies, bouncing into others, a coruscation of light and colours illuminating the dusk landscape. Even as the sun began to fully disappear beyond the horizon, the light show raged on, backed by other forms of sorcery.
Insects appeared out of the ground to attack the Exonians, summoned by someone from within the League ranks. Shadows engulfed entire battalions in darkness. The ground seemed to twist and contort in several places. Exonian soldiers were tossed into the air, scattered in various directions. Screams and wails of the enemy filled the air as the tables were turned. The attackers had become the attacked.
The friendly skirmishers had long since passed the sorcerers, back into the safety of Coalition held territory on the river bank. They were beginning to gain more ground now that the League had showed up, and had even been rallied by the officers for a final charge.
Infantry reformed, going from battalion squares back into line, stretching as far as the eye could see from east to west. Bayonets were fixed, lines were dressed. Weapons reloaded, and a new fire danced in the eyes of the Coalition soldiers. What remained of companies, battalions, brigades, and divisions were formed up again, marching out in support of the League.
The League of Sorcerers had deployed in loose order like skirmishers did, and dealt far greater damage to the Imperial Horde soldiers. Without muskets, bayonets or other common weapons, they were pushing back hard against enemy cavalry and infantry, and even mobile artillery, the latter of which were prime targets for the sorcerers.
Enemy infantry had deployed from column first to line, and then into battalion squares to ward off attacks from the League. Nowhere in the tactics manual prepared them from being ambushed by hundreds of sorcerers, and the Exonians were receiving it badly. In confusion or adherence to their drills, they formed square hastily as if they were repelling cavalry charges.
These were of no deterrence to the sorcerers, who continued to launch their attacks at their compact targets. Artillerists from the river bank unleashed their nine and twelve pounders, belching thunder and fire into the tight formation of the enemy squares.
Soldiers were sent flying like rag dolls or got mowed down by sorcerers, many of whom used to be victims of the Exonian occupation of their cities. Justice - or vengeance - was being dealt out here on the battlefield.
"We're actually winning!" Tracy shouted over the sound of musketry. "I can't believe it's working!"
"Me neither." Elsa muttered under her breath as she shot another stream of ice at an Exonian who attempted to level his musket in her direction.
Behind the two girls came the unified sound of boots trampling the earth, marching to the steady beat of the regimental drums. The League's "skirmishers" began to clear the way as the formed infantry advanced in line, weapons at the ready and bayonets gleaming like a wall of bristles.
The Exonian infantry were still formed in squares, and what remained of their cavalry were still taking it heavily from the sorcerers. It was time to finish things. Elsa and Tracy watched as the reformed Coalition infantry overtook the sorcerers, marched into position and stopped at commands barked up and down the line.
"Level!" The command was roared throughout the battlefield, and a thousand muskets swung up into place.
"Fire!"
The effect was deadly. The report of the muskets rung through the air, almost deafening Elsa and Tracy. Pink-white flashes of muzzles stabbed out, filling the evening air with smoke. Exonians went down in the dozens, unable to reform back into line to counter the Coalition's attack.
"First rank load!" A thousand men knelt to reload.
"Second rank level!" Another thousand muskets swung into place.
"Fire!"
This time, the withering effect was enough to break a number of enemy squares, cutting down the last few enemy cavalry.
"Charge!"
Roars and cheers filled the air as thousands upon thousands of Coalition men surged forward past the sorcerers at the sides, moving towards the enemy like a plague. That was enough to break the Exonians' morale completely. They turned and ran, all semblance of order lost as they threw down their weapons in the hopes of getting back to the safety of the hill.
Within minutes, it was all over. On both the left and right side of the battlefield, the Exonians had fled. The Coalition had survived, though not without heavy losses apparently. Bodies, both Coalition and Exonians alike were strewn across the battlefield. Smoke was still heavy in the night sky, casting a reddish and purplish hue across the landscape. Beyond the hill somewhere, Hydrech's forces were defeated and broken.
Together with Tracy, Elsa walked back across the field towards the river bank, along with hundreds and thousands of people all scattered in loose order. Sorcerers or soldiers, no one could tell them apart now. It would probably take days to get everything organised again.
"It's over." Elsa hadn't even realised that Anna and Melody had been walking over to join her on what had been the battlefield.
"It is." Elsa answered tiredly and stopped walking, the rest of the Coalition soldiers and the sorcerers streaming past the small group that had stopped.
"If it weren't for you and the League…" Anna's voice was shaky for a moment, and then it steadied. "But we won. Frederick's reconnaissance unit reported that the Exonians were retreating further east, possibly past Netheide and deeper into their territory. The battle is over."
"That's…that's good." Elsa found that she couldn't give more than a feeble response. She was exhausted, and for good reason.
"We won, but what happens now?" Tracy asked. "We're still outlaws, aren't we?"
"Not anymore." Melody looked confident. "After the stunt you guys pulled, we can strong arm the Confederation into pardoning the sorcerers."
"We'll force them to repeal the CAST." Anna said matter-of-factly. "They can't say no after what happened here."
"I only hope you're right." Elsa said quietly, looking back at the hill, where yonder lay the deeper territories of the Empire. "You're going to need all the help you can get."
"We may have won this battle, but I'm willing to bet the Confederation will want to push on." Melody said grimly, catching Elsa's drift.
Elsa nodded. "Which means we're heading deeper into Empire territory. It's only going to get tougher from this point forward."
"And don't forget we still have the Crimson Order to worry about." Tracy added.
Anna sighed and shook her head. "I don't want to think about that now. Let's just relish the fact that we'll live to see tomorrow."
As they walked back to the Coalition base on the river bank, Elsa glanced over her shoulder again. As much as she hated to admit it, the war was still far from over. The greater threat obscured in the shadows. The Crimson Order.
