I smile and lick my lips as I watch the army pass our position on the road.
As they are newcomers to this war, they aren't yet aware of our portals, so they are marching in the full belief that the King's army is all the way southeast, in East Rising. So they are more invested in speed than in being careful and scouting the hills.
"I can't believe you were going to do this without me."
"Lovelace? How?"
"I went to your office to check how things are."
"Oh. I'm sorry. This was just at the last minute."
"It's okay. I'm glad I'm here. What's the plan?"
:::
When everyone's ready, I give the signal and we charge down the hill. The slope is not too steep, and each squad has a support mage with powerful strengthening spells.
Ingela, Lovelace, and I are at the front, and we quickly detach from the rest. We're using Lovelace's extreme strengthening spell to create the wedge and separate the slavers from the rest.
