Heir to the Empire

55. Rising Phoenix - Loldirr

What seemed like a cursed fog ended up being a blessing as the Fæordic army disembarked the fleet of ships to manoeuvre into the Ravenscourt forest.

Travelling across the northern ice plains to the town of Iordrek, awaiting for the tribes of the Fæordic to come together and embark on the vessels, had been a long and arduous journey for Loldirr. Knowing that an eight thousand strong army were ghosting into the forest eliminating the scouts with ease had made the wait worth it.

Loldirr's half black painted face twitched at the sound of the first trebuchets firing in the distance, followed by the sound of orders being barked out to thousands of soldiers on the battlefield.

The horrific crack of boulders smashing on the walls of Ravenscourt brought impatience to the young huntress. Yet all the lessons that her late guardian, Lord Edric Darke, had taught her were starting to come to fruition. The mist and the forest had allowed the entire army to position themselves out of view of the enemy. As much as she was satisfied that the enemy could not see this new army, she found it disturbing that she was unable to see theirs.

Patience was key. As long as the enemy was occupied with Ravenscourt, the Fæordic could cause untold damage before Isovine could prepare.

Hrok gave the orders for the army to remain stationary just outside the clearing. As more cracks of trebuchets echoed in front of them, and the shouts and screams of battle could be heard in the distance, it would only be a matter of time before the mist would be clearing enough to engage.

Loldirr couldn't understand the need for war paint, but as her dark painted eyes turned towards her counterpart Hrok, she felt a sense of immortality and power like she had never felt before. The entire Fæordic tribe had agreed to follow her command, and today would be her first battle as general of an army.

She had been trained for this, and instead of her usual apprehension, she felt nothing but belief and supremacy. They will win this battle.

"Send half the army towards Ravenscourt, attack the attackers while they are focused on scaling the walls." She ordered Hrok.

He nodded; the dark blue painted streaks blending across his face cracked slightly as he smiled. "I'll send the Halfhand."

"Halfhand?" Loldirr replied, repulsed by the thought of the man that had repeatedly irritated her.

"Yes," responded Hrok. "He may be an idiot, but there is no fierce a warrior. He'll rip open their behinds like nothing you've ever seen." He chuckled.

The devious look in Hrok's eyes brought a little discomfort to Loldirr, but this was war. 'The moment when men stop being men and start becoming animals', as Edric had once told her.

"So be it." She replied.

As Sigurd Halfhand took his force through the trees west, the sound of the trebuchets stopped, but visibility was enough that the artillery could just be seen in the open plain. It wouldn't be long until Loldirr would be ready to strike.

"Send someone to take half of what we have left to the east. Make sure we cut off their escape and when we send the signal, get them to ambush the enemy from the rear. They will be too focused on us to notice."

Hrok's smile seemed to look more mischievous than before. "The mind of an Aex-Igh is very devious indeed."

With the mist clearing and Loldirr's split up army in position, she looked towards the walls of Ravenscourt. As men climbed up the hill towards the walls and up the siege towers, it looked like termites were trying to overrun the city. The fiercest fighting at the collapsed wall looked horrific, with the bodies of hundreds lying dead or dying in agony.