Chapter 159 Coins on a map
The War Room.
Part of the royal court and some commanders were looking at a map that showed the fields north of the city. Drawings depicted hills, valleys, estates, and trees. Some locations featured notes indicating recent changes. Piled coins lay in the corners of the map. Men arranged the coins in formations to represent the army. The queen watched with interest and fear.
Esteban: Are we ready?
Rodrigo: I think so. It is the most flexible formation for your strategy.
Peador: I would like the opinion of Lord Heinrich regarding the position of the archers, but... yes.
The Count of War: Page, summon them.
Yegor the Wolf departed and soon returned with three men and a team carrying a table bearing a similar map, likewise, covered in coins. They moved carefully and placed the table next to the identical one. The three men adjusted a few coins that had shifted slightly during the journey.
Esteban: Heinrich, please check the position of the archers.
The blond man shifted a few coins closer to the center. He nodded and returned to his side of the map.
Nestor: We believe this is how they are going to line up.
Pedro: Yes. We know their tactics and strategies.
Esteban: With the formations in sight, let us make adjustments.
The six men moved the coins to simulate the battle. When all the movements were complete, they stared at the formations.
Rodrigo: This is where I want to strike. The archers rush toward this zone and unleash arrows upon these knights, while the Unicorns turn and attack in a diagonal line.
Heinrich whistled: If they manage to break through, they could attack the company of Aurelio directly.
Peador: Exactly. Cut off the head.
Nestor: The soldiers at each end are going to suffer heavy losses.
Esteban: Yes. But if we do not create some weak points in our lines, they will not move that way, and we would never have the opportunity to attack with the combination we need.
Olivia: What happens if you kill Aurelio?
Pedro: We will withdraw slowly while consolidating our formation. Some of their captains will follow us, but many will wait.
Esteban: When they realize how disorganized they are, they will retreat. Their army is held together with fear and promises from Aurelio. Without those, we offer peace and coin. The less experienced captains will turn against one another, and the soldiers will not follow them.
Heinrich: The following morning, they will be without sufficient food, without their commanders, and hopefully facing forces on three fronts.
The Queen: How many will die?
Esteban: Many. But fewer than if they were to win. Fewer than in the battles that would lie ahead.
Olivia: We need to win. Goddess of the Air, God of the Greenwood, help us.
The two riders entered and the woman signaled to the Master Rider.
Nestor whispered, What do you want, riders? We are preparing for battle.
Chara: I need to speak with you, with the priest, and with the queen.
The bald man: Seriously?
Volker: Yes, we must leave. Before dawn tomorrow.
The eyes of the man opened wide with surprise and disbelief: Stay here.
After a moment, the group of five stood in a corner of the hall. The riders were nervous to find themselves standing before the three ranks they served.
Danilo: Riders, now is not the time.
Olivia: Calm down, High Priest. If this woman needs to tell me something, I will listen to her.
Chara: My Queen, the All-Mother has told me that the time has come for the birth of the new All-Mother. We must depart when the moons hang low over the bay. I had a dream about tomorrow, and about two possibilities for us. If we are in the air, over the battlefield, I will die first, and Folker will follow me.
Olivia gasped: And the other possibility?
Chara: We will fly together toward the mountains during the day. We will meet with the Pegasus that is due to give birth tomorrow. It is necessary to bestow the magic and the memories of the All-Mother upon the newborn.
The Queen: Are you sure?
The thin woman: Yes. It is as clear as the night of the first battle in the castle.
Olivia: Please come with us to the battle map. If you have information about the future, they need to hear it.
Around the table, the men wore expressions of surprise and a glint of anger, as they listened to the account from the rider of her dream of the future.
Esteban: Impossible. We need them in the air tomorrow. The eyes of the Pegasi are a great advantage.
Olivia: Count! This woman has saved my life twice. If she needs to leave for the Pegasi, she has my permission. Please, listen to whatever she has to tell you.
The man nodded: Forgive me, my queen.
Chara spoke in a firm, though faltering, voice: In the dream, Folker and I were flying over two small ridges, with a small forest between them. We were approaching one another. There were strange machines inside the forest. They fired something at me and Golden Arrow, and his wings seemed to give way instantly. We plummeted rapidly toward the earth and hit hard. Seconds later, White Mask also fell. No one could survive those impacts.
Rodrigo: Can you point out on the map where this area is located?
The woman looked at the large map and the drawings. Then she pointed to a spot where two ridges formed a tree-covered valley. Near the drawings lay two copper coins depicting Pegasi.
Olivia: Who do these coins represent?
Nestor: Chara and Folker. The plan is for them to search behind these ridges and across the valley for hidden soldiers.
Peador: They could not have known that. It was decided barely half an hour earlier. We swapped them for the other two because this area is closer to the nest and is more suitable for the males.
Esteban: Are there any other details you noticed?
Chara: Yes. Right here and here, battles were fought between soldiers and cavalry. I remember there were many men, dead or wounded: from Colina Alba on one side, and a mix from Colinas Gemelas and the Islands on the other. And I also saw many wounded and dead Unicorns. I believe the army was retreating toward the city.
Pedro: The Unicorns...where?
The woman examined the map and, finally, pointed out some places near a large gold coin depicting a knight on horseback.
Chara: Nearby, was a battle between unicorns and enemy knights. My apologies: the images focused mostly on us. The rest consists of things I noticed in the background.
Olivia: She is describing your plan, Esteban. This coin is Aurelio, yes?
Esteban: Yes.
Danilo: Rider, what did the machines look like?
The rider: Like a huge wooden box. But the sides were open. There were ropes and pulleys inside, and something like a leather bag.
The priest took a quill, ink, and parchment then sketched something. He showed her his drawing.
Chara: Yes, similar.
Olivia: What is that?
Danilo: The creation of Prince Edgardo. They called them Pegasus-slayers.