"Samman looked towards that other hill, where the Nationalists' troops were preparing for battle. It was still early morning, the bodies of positioning troops looked like insect swarms crawling in the faint light. The slowly diminishing fog made the sight even more ominous, eerie. He leaned forward in his saddle, trying to pierce the lingering white mist still settling the valley before him. His well-trained charger mare, Hammerer stood patiently atop the hill, awaiting his command.
- General Ravid, sir, a messenger came from Eben Baruch.
He heard only one man's footsteps approaching, yet two people were standing beside his steed. One of them was his adjutant, the other a grey-clad ranger, a barely visible apparition in the morning fog.
- Tell me the news.
The ranger bowed his head, cleared his throat, and started speaking.
- Sir, we found that the enemy will be using Rhakshas as shock troops to confuse or perhaps break our lines. Also, it looks that their longbowmen atop that hill will fire into the valley while the Raks are still battling us... After our ranks have thinned out, their heavier units, supported by Zealots and Fanatics, will rush down the hill, in hopes of utterly crushing our resistance.
- Rhakshas? By the light of the Creator, how could they tame those filthy, mindless beasts?
- Sir, they made a pact with the Wicked Fang tribe. It's those Draugas who somehow subdued the Rhakshas... A prisoner we captured told us that their Drummers found a way to summon vengeful spirits called Slayer Spirits, and the Raks answered to those Spirits' call. Our captain promises you that we'll investigate the matter as soon as possible. Now, the good news. Our Haroun friends, who where helping us out while scouting, upon seeing the Raks, pledged themselves completely to our cause. Their Windriders will be here in one or two hours - they were riding half the night to get here in time. Another good news is that they have Spirits of their own. Besides their usual Wind Weavers and Wizards, Nature Spirits, wielding the power of their sacred forests, will be fighting on our side. The Haroun will respond to our captain, who therefore asks for your strategy and specific battle commands.
- That's a lot of news, indeed. Give my thanks to Eben for these valuable pieces of knowledge. But I sent a request to him to find a roundabout path for our cavalry, what about that?
- I beg your pardon, sir. I almost forgot about that one. It seems that there is no way to move the Lancers into the back of the enemy, I mean, not in a few hours. There's too much undergrowth, and the slopes aren't quite gentle, even foot troops would have trouble climbing up and down in these treacherous hills. We haven't found a single usable path going from here to there - this is really an untouched wilderness, sir.
- Well, it also means we don't have to fear that the enemy will be making a backstabbing move. Now, I need some time to ponder over the current situation. I'll be sending you back soon, with the commands Eben requested.
He turned to his adjutant.
- Send word to Lady Yasin, Captain Eshkol and Captain Farouk. We'll discuss tactics here, not in my tent as usual.
Samman looked back to that other hill again. The new factors he just came to know were troubling him, making him look like a worn-out old man. He clenched his teeth. 'It doesn't matter what they do, or what they bring against us. We must beat them in the name of the Creator to defend our sacred heritage from the influence of the Nightbringer - as we always did in ages past. We've got inventions of our own: freshly trained Battlemages, Conjurors. We'll find a way...'"