Count Rassler sat astride the giant wolf and awaited General Garaxas’ signal to begin their charge. Rassler would lead the left column of Pelsa’s cavalry, and General Garaxas the center. The goblin colonel Vregen would lead the right.

Lightning had flashed behind the lines, back toward where the supplies were kept. Jend and Klajo were nowhere to be seen. This had made the soldiers nervous, as did their missing two dragons.

The Vatharian charge was about to reach the Pelsan front lines. Rassler could see the infantry braced, as the archers behind them launched volley after volley at the advancing Vatharian riders.

The plan was for Pelsa’s cavalry to charge the unprotected right flank of the enemy – the Vatharian units that should be protecting that side were currently bashing each other as Sionia’s band played Hompa Chompa.

They’d been hoping for air support. But Klajo and Scarlett had not reappeared, and the Vatharian dragons had so-far successfully kept those of Pelsa from dominating the airspace above the battlefield.

“We charge anyway,” said Garaxas to his commanders. “Air support, or no, this is the time. Their flank is unprotected, and their units stretched out from the charge. When I lower my sword!”

Rassler and Vregen returned to their columns as Garaxas moved to the head of his.

Rassler looked back at the force he was to lead, raising his sword to signal the charge was about to begin. It was a strong force – a column consisted of five hundred goblins on wolves, plus a hundred orcs on either horses or giant wolves.

Each cavalry column also had a squad of a dozen buggebears backing it up. Buggebears weren’t technically cavalry, but were fast enough to keep up with the wolves and horses, and would often appear, as if from nowhere, when a rider or mount were in trouble. The buggebears with Rassler’s column were led by Master Sergeant Dorchek.

Rassler’s own mount was the giant wolf Corporal Spike, a large young male who seemed to be itching for a fight. He spent a lot of time scratching behind his ears.

His squire Greymil had also taken the opportunity to ride a giant wolf into battle. Greymil looked much more confident on his wolf than Rassler felt riding Spike.

There was a cheer from the ranks as Klajo and Scarlett appeared overhead, back from whatever they’d been doing at the supply area. On Scarlett’s signal, two hippogriffs and a wyvern, all with a goblin and assorted F-bombs, rose from the troop reserve area to join them. The other Pelsan dragons fell into formation behind them. The group gained altitude, and then turned and dove at the Vatharian dragons as Klajo led his force in a direct attack.

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A storm of electricity gathered around Klajo’s rider as the dragon dove, and lightning bolts struck all the Vatharian dragons. Their lit silhouettes could be seen by everyone across the battlefield.

The two smaller green dragons left formation and headed south, flying quickly, and dropping altitude to gain speed and get away as fast as they could.

The remaining three Vatharian dragons hovered in place for a moment, looking at dragons and hippogriffs diving at them; lightning shot out at them from the lead enemy red dragon's rider. The Vatharians dragons’ decision to flee was unanimous, as each took off in a different direction to avoid the charge.

Three red dragons pursued their fleeing enemies, and the other five flew lower as the goblins on their backs began to drop F-Bombs and the advancing Vatharian forces.

Garaxas lowered his sword and shouted “Creatures of Pelsa! Charge! Make them regret they ever crossed our border.”

Rassler’s giant wolf sprung forward, and the rest of the column followed. The Pelsan calvary charged into the almost unprotected right side of the Vatharian forces – unprotected as the right flank that should have been there to complete to formation was still enthralled by Sionia’s dance.

Rassler saw Bowen order part of his forces to wheel around and meet the advance, but panic had already set in among the Vatharians.

The Vatharian archers and infantry began fleeing both the dropping bombs and the advancing wolves. Their calvary had not penetrated the front line of the Pelsan infantry, and now were caught in two pincers, while their own infantry support fled. Most of the Vatharian catapults had been destroyed before they’d been able to fire a shot, and the trebuchets and catapults of Pelsa were still operating, hitting any group of Vatharians that tried to regroup and make a stand. The Vatharian wizards shielded their artillery and soldiers as best they could, but their shields were soon exhausted by the onslaught.

Rassler could only watch as Sir Bowen was hit by a giant wolf ridden by an orc warrior from Rassler’s column. Bowen and his horse toppled back, and Bowen didn’t get up again. Rassler himself struck a Vatharian knight, and watched and held on as his giant wolf Spike tore the man off his horse.

Rassler regrouped his force for another charge, but there wasn’t much left to charge at. The enemy calvary was either dead or surrendering, and the infantry was running back to Vathary as quickly as their legs would carry them.

- - - -

Across the field, Sargent Cevyn Cloyd was ordering his squad to retreat.

“Kemble, Goff, Bivens, follow me. Retreat,” yelled Cloyd as a bronze dragon passed overhead. A bomb landed less than thirty yards from his position. Kemble was disoriented, having taken a blow to his head. He still didn’t respond, so Cloyd yelled again.

“We’re going back to Keley!”

“Keley?”

“Keley! We’re going back to Keley!”

“Man, I don’t think so,” said Corporal Goff, pointing at the wolves charging at them. “We are going to die right here!”

“Not today! Follow me! Run!” yelled Cloyd to his men. Goff unfroze and Bivens grabbed Kemble and they scrambled for cover behind the remains of an overturned catapult.

The enemy charge passed by, missing them. The Keley city guardsmen ran back toward their supply area, just ahead of a mass of fellow retreating infantry. Miraculously, there was a supply wagon with two horses still yoked. The men tossed out the supplies and the guardsmen filled the wagon as Cloyd took the reins and set the horses galloping as fast as they could back to Vathary.

Across the battlefield, the entirety of the Vatharian army was making the same decision. All, that is, except for the right flank, which remained bound by dance.