CHAPTER 120: EXPLOSIONS AND REVELATIONS

Sara set up the explosive arrows with the rangers and everyone got back to their positions along the wall. Sara was pushing worries about Aldric, Marcus, and Tom to the back of her mind. She watched King Aldwin walking among each battalion, giving encouragement to soldiers who would soon face their greatest test.

The dust cloud finally gave birth to Commander Cain and his riders rushing back toward the city. Behind them, an unhinged portion of Malachar's army pursued with obvious bloodlust, their discipline broken by the trap they'd encountered.

Commander Cain and his men entered the narrow entry and took their appointed positions at the southeast wall, right in front of where Sara was positioned. She could see the exhaustion on their faces, but also the grim satisfaction of soldiers who had completed a week long difficult mission.

The Royal Army Commander General Garop met with Cain in the middle of the defensive area. Sara could barely hear their conversation over the noise of preparation and approaching conflict.

"Was it successful, the trap?" General Garop asked.

Cain wiped sweat and dust from his forehead. "Yes, General. We crushed quite a few and agitated the rest. Their cavalry is scattered and their formations are broken."

King Aldwin the Third walked up to his commanders, dismissing his entourage and keeping only his two royal guards. Sara noticed how different he seemed from the spoiled prince she remembered from his earlier speeches.

"Good job, Commander," the King said simply.

General Garop nodded approvingly. "Rest now, Cain, while we take care of these broken pieces. You can reenter when the main assault starts."

The royal army took care of the irregular attackers that had chased Commander Cain's trap party. But the real army was almost upon them, a dark mass on the horizon that seemed to stretch from one end of the valley to the other.

Even though trapped and broken by the valley ambush, thousands of soldiers were still approaching. In the middle of the approaching force, a giant elephant carried what appeared to be a pavilion or command structure. On top of the elaborate carriage, a man's silhouette was clearly visible.

Sister Korra pointed toward the massive creature. "That must be Malachar. He's often described as traveling with an elephant to battles."

The majority of Malachar's cavalry had died rushing behind Commander Cain into the prepared traps. The remaining armies were mostly regular infantry, but their numbers were still overwhelming.

There were irregulars obviously enhanced individuals surrounding and guarding Malachar's elephant, marching in perfect unison despite the chaos affecting the rest of his forces. They moved with the mechanical precision that suggested rather than mind control but military disipline, and their enhanced abilities made them far more dangerous than ordinary mind broken soldiers.

Riding beside the elephant in leather armor and giving orders left and right was probably the next in the chain of command after Malachar himself. This figure coordinated the scattered forces with professional competence, slowly restoring order to the broken formations.

General Garop at the front of the gate turned toward Captain Harwick at the top of the wall. "Waiting for your attack, Harwick!"

Harwick surveyed the approaching enemy with professional assessment. "Let them pile up at the entrance, General. My rangers attack then."

When small enemy groups began piling up at the narrow entrance left between the trenches, many jumped into the trenches themselves, trying to overwhelm the Valdris army through sheer numbers rather than tactical superiority.

Harwick shook his head at the waste of life. "I guess their lives have no meaning in Malachar's army. Rangers, send those explosive arrows. Three... two... one... go!"

The rangers released their arrows in a coordinated volley. Sara watched her creations arc through the air, trailing thin wisps of smoke as their fuses burned down. The arrows landed among the left side of Malachar's forces and exploded one after another.

The left side of Malachar's army began turning black and red as Sara's explosives found their marks. Bodies flew through the air, and the organized advance dissolved into chaos and screaming.

Then their commander sent his enhanced soldiers to reinforce the broken sections. The royal army attacked with full force, taking advantage of the confusion Sara's weapons had created.

The skirmish started with the familiar sounds of sword and shield clashing that Sara remembered from the previous battle in the trial. But this time the scale was much much larger, and the stakes were higher.

Anyone getting near Malachar's elephant began turning against their own comrades, so General Garop tried to pull the army's attack from different angles. But Malachar's elephant was steadily walking forward, smashing through Lord Hammond's emptied district and crushing the wooden houses like they were made of paper.

Sara noticed something in the sky. A giant flying creature resembling a giant falcon was rushing toward Malachar's cabin on top of the elephant. It landed gracefully and transformed into human form, clearly one of the shapeshifters bringing news.

The cabin door burst open with obvious urgency. A green and black mixed portal appeared, unlike anything Sara had seen from Palwin's magic. The portal crackled with electrical energy and seemed to tear reality itself.

The man in the cabin, most likely Malachar himself, jumped through the portal without hesitation.

"No!" Sara screamed, understanding immediately what this meant.