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Harok, Kerik, Lukas and Trysta assemble behind him. Lukas and Kerik, with Lyr with him on his horse, lead the Mortingales, Harok and Trysta the Solwen. There are more, the few from Copperhead Circus and the people who joined them in Attar, fit in where they can. And they have Perl. Perl who has spouted a pair of wings from his back, which looks quite magnificent.

But Tobi feels his belly curdle.

The Imperial Army; something he’s only heard about in tales. Great songs of triumph when he lived in the palace, fearful legends when he was with his mother and her troop of players.

And now he is to be leading a battle against them. He knows their goal. Keep the Imperial Army from Urynwud and capture Atticul.

Harok calls for the gates to be opened and Tobi rides out, leading his army as if he were Damon Darekul, calling out commands in Damon’s voice. Playing a part.

He might have Damon’s look and Damon’s strength, but he does not have Damon’s fighting skill. It is well understood that this would be the case. Harok and Trysta stay close to him as they hurtle through the forest

And then they see them. Rank upon rank of Imperial warriors, advancing through the trees. Beside Tobi, Harok shouts something ferocious in Ambolk and charges forward leading his men.

Kerik charges after him, hurling a huge blast of magic, greater and more powerful than anything he used in the temple. There is a booming crash as it lands on the ground, fire leaps into the air, searingly bright. And it begins.

It is sickening when the two armies meet in a great clash of weapons. The mounted battle only lasts moments. The trees and rough ground pitted with roots and rabbit holes make everything chaotic. Tobi realises they might have an advantage over the well drilled Imperial Army. Solwen are better at fighting in forest. The Imperial Army’s tight formations fall apart quickly. In the fast, loud bloody chaos, many of them abandon their horses quickly for fighting on foot, but the Solwen know how to use their horses in the forest, darting nimbly between the trees.

The Mortingales, who are mostly not on horseback, are similarly at an advantage in the rough, undisciplined fighting that emerges, going hand to hand with their melee weapons, clubs, axes and sticks.

Kerik backs up the fighting with more of his bolts of magic, for a time they hold the Imperial Army back, breaking their ranks whenever they manage to get into any kind of formation with deafening magical blasts.

More magic strikes from above, Perl, soaring through the trees, like a flashing daylight star, targeting Imperial warriors with smaller blasts than Kerik’s, but more delicately targeted.

But Kerik’s magic, even with Lyr’s power, is exhausted eventually, and the Azurian troops keep on coming. There is no way to win against numbers like this. And there is no sign of Atticul in the cold forest.

Tobi can feel the battle sliding from their grip. It feels lost. A group of Mortingales, including Lukas is surrounded, being forced to bunch together as a circle of warriors closes in. Harok shouts for the Solwen to ride in that direction, charging through the trees.

Tobi rides that way too, but he cannot reach them in time. He cries out in fear. The group of Imperial soldiers split, half heading towards Harok’s group, half about to cut down Lukas and the Mortingales.

Tobi has to fight the urge to turn his horse around and flee.

Then Xan appears. He seems to come from nowhere, helm glinting as he charges towards them at the head of a vast legion of Plumian fighters. He calls out in a snarling voice, his words Plumian. Tobi does not understand what he is saying, but his men race forward and charge down both groups of Imperial Warriors, making the most of the confusion when the Imperial troops take Xan’s warriors for more Imperial fighters for their own cause.

The Imperial warriors give ground and flee.

But Harok falls from his horse in the midst of it all, an arrow in his upper arm.

Tobi starts to turn his horse to go to him. But as he does, Xan cuts across him, riding over to Trysta, leaning over briefly to embrace her. She says something to him in Plumian, tears in her eyes.

Tobi tries to pass them to get to Harok, but Trysta grabs his horse’s reins, saying, “Not now, Beast Tamer. It is time for your performance. The turn has begun with the Plumians. Invite the rest to follow their lead.”

Now level with Tobi, Trysta screams, “Imperial Army of Azuria! You see here many of your number have joined us to fight for Emperor Damon Darekul against the usurper Atticul. Join us! Come, join us!.”

And Tobi calls out too in Damon’s great boom of a voice, using all his skills to make it carry through the trees. “Come fight with me,” he shouts. “The Imperial Army under Emperor Damon! The true Emperor of Azuria!”

Tobi sits high on his horse, head back, strangely wide shoulders square. Trying not to look back at Harok, being taken back to Urynwud by some of the Solwen, injured.

Slowly, first one or two warriors cry out in triumph, “Long live Emperor Damon!”, then more, then a great tide, swelling their numbers until they have almost matched forces. Finally, it feels like enough. They have the numbers and the superior skills at battling in the forest.

The Azurians seem to know it too. Those who have not turned to their side start to retreat, back through the trees.

Harok comes riding over to Tobi. The arrow wound in his shoulder is streaming blood but he does not seem pained by it. “Suskara,” he says.

Tobi looks at him. “You are hurt?”

“No bad wound, Suskara,” Harok says, leaning over from his horse, to touch Tobi’s chin.

Lukas rides up beside them, “Where the fuck is Atticul?” he says, scanning the retreating army.