They passed to the top of the walls, seeing soldiers staring vacantly into space. Massacre leaped from the walls and landed on the ground before rushing onwards. The farmlands seemed to pass by them like they were a freezing wind. They saw red light gleaming down from the sun ever stronger wherever they went.

Baltoth was watching them. William could sense his presence and felt an absolute hatred for his enemy. It was like Elranor, but far more sinister. Elranor always seemed to be holding back out of courtesy not to scare people. The thing he felt in the air was powerful; it knew it and wanted other people to understand it.

At the very least, it distracted me from how terrifying riding Massacre was. William feared falling off every moment and having his skull dashed on the ground. The wind on his way, the constant motion, made him feel sick.

"I don't get this," said Kiyora.

"What do you mean?" asked William, glad for the distraction.

"Well, I mean, first, I thought Laughing Wraith was the main threat," said Kiyora. "Then there is this Withering thing and Typhos, and now Baltoth. Who exactly is our primary enemy here?"

"Baltoth for now," said William. "You can't think this is a story with one key villain, can you? This is a war of shifting agendas. Laughing Wraith was given power by the Withering, which is probably how he kept coming back. He allied with Korasus to try to unleash Typhos, hoping to steal her power. Or perhaps he was intent on allying with her.

"Korasus was counting on Wraith being able to cause chaos. Yet he hoped he would be defeated either by his Calishan masters or us. He and his men sacrificed their lives for the cause of unleashing Typhos to that end.

"It is strange. It was almost heroic what Korasus did."

"What do you mean?" asked Kiyora. "He was a drug-dealing scumbag."

"He was loyal to his god and his goal to the end," said William. "I can admire him for that, even if I despise him as my enemy. Without him, we would have had twice as many soldiers as we do now and far better communications."

Massacre was following a different path than they had taken. Far from it, she was rushing off the road to the northeast. The river of Savior's Run was drawing nearer. As they rode onwards, William saw the border forts still under construction. They still needed to be finished.

"What are those?" she asked.

"Border forts," said William. "Father has been building them for some years. Once they have been finished, the Calishans will have a difficult time taking Artarq. And that is only if they get over the river."

"Why are we here, anyway?" asked Kiyora.

"I have my suspicions," said William.

He was almost sure that Baltoth meant to launch an invasion. Elranor wanted him to learn of this directly. But why had he not merely told William if that were the case? He wasn't sure, but he was sure Elranor knew what he was doing.

Soon enough, they came into a hilly region. Massacre began to slow and stopped in front of two high hills. They got off, and William scratched her lion head behind the ears.

"What is it, girl?" Kiyora asked.

"She doesn't want to go beyond this hill," said William. "Come on, let's have a look."

"Bah," said Massacre.

"Right, Massacre, we'll stay low," said Kiyora.

They scaled quickly up the hill. It was very steep, and the ground had become rocky and harsh, and in the red light, it all looked very formidable. Several times, Kiyora and William slipped on the way up the hill, and William skinned his knee. He took a moment to heal it before they approached the hill's edge and looked upon the river.

There was a bridge being built across the river. It was already more than halfway across, and an army was on the other side. Thousands and thousands of men were grouped around many campfires. They rested in the shadow of a village on a stone-covered hill. Most were armed with spears and large shields and wore light armor. A banner flew high above the tallest house in the town.

It was bright white, and on it was a black hand gripping the image of a sun in its talons. In the red light, it was very formidable.

There was another banner below it. It was a blue banner with the symbol of a white eagle. Its wings were outstretched, and a sword was gripped in its beak.

"As I suspected," said William, "the Calishans mean to cross here."

"What do the banners mean?" asked Kiyora.

"The white banner is the symbol of Baltoth," said William. "It means the authority of the Emperor himself operates them. The other is the symbol of King Banir."

"Who is he?" asked Kiyora.

"King Banir was once the King of Artarq. However, his nobles rebelled against him," said William. "They invited Antion to defend them from Calisha."

"But I thought Baltoth was the King of Artarq," said Kiyora.

"No, see, Baltoth is an Emperor and a God," said William. "To call him a King would be to demote him. A King of Calisha is more akin to a governor."

"And now he's trying to get his Kingdom back," mused Kiyora.

"He tried once before," said William. "Calisha sent a fleet of ships to land at Desora. But Father caught them off-guard and drove them back into the sea. It was what made him famous."

"So what do we do?" asked Kiyora.

"Father needs to know about this," said William, sliding out of sight. "Kiyora, could you... um..."

"What?" asked Kiyora.

"Could you stir up the river spirits?" asked William. "If you could get them to slow down the construction of that bridge even a little, it could win this war for us."

"Sure," said Kiyora. "But I don't have the same hold over them; I do trees. So no promises."

"Just stay out of sight," said William. "We don't want the Calishans to know that we know they're here."

"Fine, I'll hold a conversation with the river from all this way back," said Kiyora. Then she closed her eyes and began to speak. "Hey Patomi, it's been a while. This is the Dreaming Goddess speaking. Could you slow down the construction of that bridge?

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Hey, no need to get snippy, Patomi; do you know what kind of day I've had? I promise whatever you've been up to has paled in comparison.

"Oh, wow, someone is building a bridge over your river. Try having your world invaded by a creature from your darkest nightmares! Alchara above, just stand up for yourself. You can't let other people push you around like this!"

"I've got to go," said William before turning to Massacre. "Come on, Massacre. Get me to Father."

The ride to Father's encampment was terrifying. Kiyora had had a calming effect on him, and her conversation had also helped. It was all he could do to cling to the chimera's back. The wind on his face was horrible, and he kept imagining himself falling off and bashing his head on a rock.

The wind flew through his hair, freezing him through his torn and ruined shirt. His sword bounced against his side. On and on it went, until finally, Massacre slowed.

Father's camp stood before them, and William rushed toward it. From the looks of things, they were already packing up. Tents were being unpitched as campfires were doused with water. Soldiers donned their armor and weapons.

His approach caused a stir, and soon Rusara approached, rushing up to him. "William, what happened? What happened to your shirt? And your chainmail! That was difficult to enchant, young man!"

"It was broken," said William. "Lady Rusara, when did you get here?"

"I came here to inform Vanion of a crisis," said Rusara. "Then, the sun's light shone red on us, and we realized we had another crisis. Baltoth is making his move."

"I know," said William. "Take me to Father. I must speak with him at once."

Rusara nodded and led him to where Father's pavilion was being unpitched. Father was speaking with Reynald at the far end of the tent. His gloved hands clasped together as though in prayer, and his face was grim. He looked up and breathed out in relief. "William, where have you been? What happened?"

William explained as quickly as he could. Father listened without expression. "So, Korasus' plan was a diversion. I suspected as much, so I reserved most of the army. No matter. Find my son new clothes and prepare to move out!

"Lead on, son."

William quickly got into new garments, a bright white tunic and an equally white cloak. He'd only just finished when he noticed Tanith watching him. How long had she been here? "Tanith, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough," said Tanith before tossing him a canteen. "Word came in that you'd vanished in a flash of light and then returned on chimera. So what happened to your shirt?"

"I got hit with some kind of strange weapon," said William. "See, the Dreaming Goddess drew me into her world and... never mind; there is no time. Come on."

He walked up to Rusara, curious. "Rusara, what exactly were you telling my Father about?"

"Laughing Wraith appeared in Arsheen. It was while visiting one of the outlying villages," said Rusara. "With the area sealed off, I went to Vanion. I see my presence was unnecessary."

"Well, your fire will be of great help, I'm sure," said William.

"One can only hope," mused Rusara. "It has been a long time since last I wielded magic in battle. A real battle, mind you, not a skirmish."

"What about when satyrs attacked our ship?" asked William.

"Had I used my full strength there, the ship we were on would have been reduced to charred sticks," said Rusara.

"I just hope this isn't too bloody," said William.

Then, a hand was put on his shoulder. He looked up to see Raynald smiling down at him. "Oh, cheer up. This is great news, William. It could not be better!"

"We're being invaded," noted William.

"Yes, and I've been waiting for this day for years," said Raynald. "Raiding commence lanes is all good, but wait until we get to a real battle."

"He's right, you know," said Tanith. "The scream of our enemies, the shedding of blood! You'll do great!"

"Well, I hope so," mused William. "I didn't do particularly well last time."

"I admit abandoning the battle to save a Calishan servant was not your high point," mused Raynald. "But what came after more than made up for it. This will be a glorious victory."

"Or a crippling defeat, Raynald," said Rusara. "If we lose, the Calishans will have a straight shot to Arsheen. The people there are in no state to repel an invasion."

'Yes, yes, there are risks," said Tanith. "But the point is that we'll be killing Calishans soon! The enemies of our faith! To kill them is the surest path to the Halls of Elranor!"

"Tanith, that isn't written anywhere in his scriptures," said William.

"It is implicit," argued Tanith. "Elranor indicates we're supposed to stand against injustice. The Calishan are serving an evil god and, therefore, are injustice incarnate.

"So killing them is standing against injustice and, therefore, the path to heaven."

"Not by my reading," said William before glancing up to where Felix was approaching. "Where have you been, anyway?"

"Running errands for the Duke, or I would have greeted you," said Felix. "I just got back."

The army was soon arrayed, and William led them alongside Massacre. Father, it took much longer to get back than it had to. Whatever power Elranor had used before did not speed the army. The forces of Harlenor marched across the land at what seemed a maddeningly slow pace.

The will of Baltoth was against them. With every step they made, William felt the next one getting harder. Why were they pressing on? This was hopeless. The red sunlight shone down upon them ever hotter, and mutters of unease were among the men. They knew how futile it was.

"William," said Felix, "may I ask what we are doing here?"

William looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"We have only a fraction of our maximum forces," said Felix. "Yet your father is having us go to confront an entire army of Calishans."

"Father knows what he is doing," said William. "He has beaten King Banir before."

"Banir may not make the same mistake twice," mused Felix.

"I don't think we will fight them directly," said William. "Just delay them while reinforcements can be mustered. Father sent runners to Arsheen, after all." Then he halted. "Oh no, Mother."

"What of her?" asked Felix.

"She is pregnant," said William. "Could Wraith's powers have hurt her?"

"I don't know," said Felix. "It is possible."

A sense of despair began to spread with these words. Could they hope to confront this Calishan army? Could they halt it long enough for reinforcements to arrive? William began to doubt it. The men were starting to break formation. Raynald shouted orders, and they reluctantly returned to their places. Yet they were slowing.

It seemed as though the army might fall apart at any moment. Then, there was a clash of sorts just beneath the surface. It was a straining of wills, and the despair was washed away. Elranor was at work.

The sun was sinking into the horizon when they reached the hills. William saw Kiyora sitting on the hill. He looked to Father. "Here we are. The Calishans are crossing just beyond those hills. Or they were."

"We'll go up and have a look," said Father. "Speak with the Dreaming Goddess."

Kiyora made her way down the hill to meet him. "Hey, Will."

"My name is William," said William automatically. "Were you able to stop the bridge from being built?"

"Nope," said Kiyora.

"You might at least look concerned," said William in irritation.

He made his way up and lay next to his Father. Looking over the hill, he saw the bridge complete. Even as they watched, the Calishans had begun to move across. Yet their progress could have been faster.

"Sloppy," said Father. "They should have been ready to move when the bridge was finished. An army is never more vulnerable than when crossing a river."

"Vanion, give the order, and I'll block them at the chokepoint," said Raynald.

"No," said Father. "We may not have to. If memory serves, there is a village a little upriver from here. They have many boats there." He looked to Rusara. "If Massacre allows you to ride her, you might take a boat, row upriver, and destroy that bridge where it stands."

"We'll only be able to do it once," mused Raynald.

"Not necessarily," said Father. "Felix, by you're the best at estimation, how many would you say that is?"

"By my guess, I should say ten thousand, perhaps twelve," said Felix.

"We only have four thousand here," said Rusara.

"We can't defeat the entire army then," said Father. "Yet we might defeat part of it. Rusara, take Massacre and do your plan. But I want you to wait until I give the signal of a flaming arrow. Then you destroy it."

"What will I be waiting for?" asked Rusara.

"I want a third of the enemy army over on this side," said Father. "Raynald, prepare the men. When the bridge goes up, we'll attack the army on this side of the river."

"Good," said Raynald. "We'll spill blood today."

"Come, William, I'll need you to convince Massacre to help me," said Rusara.

They found Massacre sleeping again. The chimera looked up in irritation, tail swishing as they approached. She gave William a look, which told him she knew what he would ask and wasn't happy about it.

"Massacre, I must ask you a favor," said William. "Could you carry us to a nearby village? She'll guide you."

"Bah," said Massacre in irritation.

"I'll play music extra long for you tonight," promised William.

"Bah," said Massacre doubtfully, but she got ready.

"You intend to come too?" asked Rusara as she mounted.

"I won't be much use in a melee without any armor," said William, mounting behind her. "But, I could be an extra set of oars."

"Fair enough," said Rusara. "Onwards, Massacre, I shall direct you." And they were off.