“You either surrender, or we will attack! There will be no further negotiation!” Ascending Fall shouted. He was the azure-kirin that had come back with Wind Root and was now standing before me. Two normal runehorns accompanied him, each holding a flagpole with some gemstones hoof-painted on them. Now I was glad Wind Root had taken the time to fetch my new banner before leaving, otherwise I wouldn’t have any insignia of my right to rule to display! Speaking of, he had taken a position a little to my right and was holding my banner straight and proud.

“I will not surrender! If you attempt to attack me, we will defeat you!” I shouted back, being supported by the growls of Bliz and a good number of my merriments. “You may have the bigger army, but I have dragons!”

Ascending Fall’s gaze flickered to Dad and my aunt for a second before focusing back on me.

“Two and a half dragons are no match for a thousand kirins and our army of reinforcements!” His gaze wandered over my merriment once more. “I can feel,” he paused for a moment and a spark of confusion rushed over his face, “a few hundred at best! You stand no chance!”

That was the major downside to having more than half of my merriment cloaked from their senses. It kind of looked like I was heavily outnumbered out the gate. More so when I had to make sure only Bliz and my former Villagers were present around the others merriment’s envoys.

“You underestimate the strength of my merriment, Ascending Fall! I have an azure-dragon in my ranks, you know what that means!”

Now he hesitated for a moment, his eyes focused on Schimmernde Morgenröte. “An azure-dragon hatchling. A strong asset to be sure,” he nodded, “but nothing two dozen kirins with spears can’t handle. Without a flock of dragons nearby to command, the strength of a single azure dragon has its limits.”

“Don’t you dare to speak foolishly about my race!” My aunt roared at him, causing him to take a step back, with his guards positioning themselves between him and my aunt. Not that they looked like they felt up for the task of handling her at all. “The power of my race shall not be questioned by such lesser creatures as yourself!” She stepped closer. “If it wasn’t for your status as lackey of your superior, you would learn this right here and now! You are lucky that I do not harm a mere messenger!”

“I am an ambassador!” He replied a little bit fearfully. “I am untouchable!”

“Even those rules have limits!” She hissed back. “Act accordingly, or your status as messenger will not save you a second time, lower being!”

“As you can see, my aunt is supporting my merriment with her company, but not bound to my will,” I tried to say as calmly as I could muster while my aunt made her way back. “Anger her, and she will act accordingly for an azure-dragon. I have nothing to do with that in that case!”

It was a good thing that Wind Root hadn’t spotted any of Autumn's former villagers in the other merriment or this whole bargain would be far more complicated than it already was!

“Be it as it may, you have my answer. My offer for a leader-duel still stands. Your leader against me, or we fight merriment against merriment. The choice is yours!”

Instead of an answer, he shook himself one time and then closed his eyes, lifting his snout higher up. For a moment he remained in this position, and when he reopened his eyes, he spoke. “We reject your offer of a leader duel. Your merriment is far too small to be a threat to our army of kirins! We will solve this on the battlefield!” And with those words, he turned around and headed back to where he’d come from, followed by his guards at a quick gallop.

“Seems like you scared him away,” I told my aunt.

“Not enough to make him acknowledge his inferiority,” she snorted. “If he had a spark of intelligence, he would have bowed in fear and accepted your terms, if not surrender instantly.”

“But what are we going to do now?” Bliz asked. She and the others of my, let’s call it inner circle, gathered around me. “We will not be able to hold both armies back, more so at the same time.”

“We could fall back towards the swamp,” Caustic Mercy suggested. “If we abandon the carriages, we could make a run for it and face the enemy in our home territory. In the swamp their numbers would mean little, and we are used to fighting in the swamp while they are not.”

“I saw the remnants of the caravan rotting near the road,” Bliz nodded. “But we wouldn’t have Calamitous Blossom and her party by our side if we fall back now.”

“I am sure we would be able to ambush the azures in the swamp even without my mother,” Sierra Bonzai said. “Without the proper magic though, it would end in their death.”

“I don’t want them dead! How many times do I have to repeat that!” I bursted out. “The plan is to overtake their merriment, not to kill them!”

“As you wish, Chieftain,” she bowed her head.

“It would definitely be easier to overpower them in the swamps, but I do not believe that is what our main goal is.” Rythil piped up. “And even if it was, half your merriment isn’t used to fighting in the swamps either. Leading your merriment into battle while in the swamp would be pure chaos.”

Mom then supported his statement “Chaos and a lot of injured or dead kirins. Even if they try to avoid wounding each other, the swamp itself is a threat. If you don't look where you trott, you can fall into a sinkhole, get attacked by some of those volandiums, or even get scattered over miles. Leading your merriment onto such a battlefield would be madness!”

“It was merely a suggestion,” Caustic Mercy said in his slower, calm voice. “In the swamp we would have the advantage.”

“We would also have to face the two armies together,” Bliz pointed out. “Wouldn’t it be better to attack them right away? Before they can join forces? If we fall back into the swamp, the two armies will join forces and come after us. However, if we strike now, we will only need to fight till Calamitous Blossom gets at their leaders.”

“Rushing into them will only work if we win just as fast. Nothing would be more harmful than for our frontlines to still be engaged with each other and a second army rushing into our back,” Summer Moon remarked. “We will protect you as best as we can, but between two armies, this will be difficult,” she added, directed at me.

“Additionally, your family and our unskilled fighters would be in the back, meaning they would be facing the brunt of the second army,” Winter Sun pointed out. “It would be an all or nothing approach. We need our best fighters in the front to overwhelm the other merriment, while we need somekirin to protect our back as well if we take too long.”

“If we are lucky,” Bliz threw a meaningful look at me and Rythil, “the fight will only last a mere few seconds or minutes. The moment Calamitous Blossom’s group strikes could decide the battle.”

“It could,” Mom said, “but what if it doesn’t? What if they didn’t get to the lead azure? If they fail, we’ll be trapped between two armies!”

“Not if we move around them,” I mumbled in thought. “If we move around them,” I said far louder, “and attack them from the west, they will both need to come from the same direction and won’t be able to effectively surround us.”

“That would put my Mothers group at higher risk,” Sierra Bonsai complained. “Instead of us, she would be trapped between two armies if the ambush fails.”

“You said you have faith in your mother’s ability to ambush their leaders,” Bliz retorted. “Well, they would have a window of time for their ambush, right after the battle started and before the reinforcements arrive. Hit and run, or hit and victory if everything goes according to plan. Seems like a manageable task to me.”

“You wouldn’t be so optimistic if it was your mother out there!”

“My mother is serving in Fiery’s merriment like I am. We all have our tasks. And your mother has to ambush their leaders. You better come to terms with it.” Bliz threw a look at me. “What do you think Fiery? Isn’t it better to try your luck with a direct attack after all?”

“I don’t want to put Calamitous Blossom and her party at more risk than necessary, but it seems to be the best option,” I agreed. “Maybe we overpower them in time, but if not, we still have an escape route towards the swamp if necessary.”

“My mother agreed to lay an ambush for you, not to lead a suicide mission between two enemy armies!” Sierra Bonsai bursted out. “You have no right to put her into such a situation!”

“I…” I started, but was interrupted by my aunt as well as Bliz.

“She has every right to do so!” Schimmernde Morgenröte yelled. “Your mother is one of her subjects and has to do as she pleases!”

“Your mother agreed to obey Fiery’s orders!” Bliz growled at the same moment, but just as quickly stopped.

“Fiery is of noble heritage!” Schimmernde Morgenröte went on. “She is a descendant of my Mother, Perle Des Hohen Berges!” Now she towered over Sierra Bonsai. “Your Mother, however, is just a simple kirin of a swampy town! She should be glad to serve my niece!”

In response, Sierra Bonsai growled, her tail tip went up and her ears pushed back some of her head feathers when they flinched back.

“How dare you!” My Aunt roared and slapped her, leaving bloody claw marks across her cheek. Of course, this didn’t go unopposed. In an instant, Sierra Bonsai struck back! The audacity of this action was too much for my aunt to process, allowing Sierra Bonsai to actually hit her nose. The fact she had dared to hit my aunt was already a shock to everyone who had experience with azure-dragons, but that she used the momentum to turn around and follow this up with a buck at my aunt, her hooves crashing forcefully against my aunt’s skull and causing her to stumble backwards, left nearly everyone stunned!

And that was the moment I knew this was going bad! I rushed forward to prevent the worst, but my chances were beyond slim!

My aunt roared, spread her wings, and struck at Sierra Bonsai in one swift move. Luckily for Sierra Bonsai, she managed to evade. Growing up in a swamp does have its perks after all. So instead of her shoulder, my Aunt’s wingspikes were driven into the ground. The moment she began to retract them, Sierra Bonsai used the opening to grab a stone with her magic and attack my aunt with it. However, she had underestimated the toughness of a dragon. Who could blame her though?My Aunt simply ignored the hit and slapped Sierra with the back of her wing, causing her to fly into the crowd and crash head first into one of the carriages. Before Schimmerne Morgenröte could chase after her though, I jumped into her path and raised both claws to hold her back.

“Stop it!" I yelled. “Have you gone mad?!”

I only got a roar as an answer, with my Aunt simply moving forward and pushing me back.

“Stop!” I yelled once more, digging my hooves into the ground. “There is a whole army out there we must take care of! This is no time to start some intra-merriment fight!”

“She dared to punch me!” Schimmernde Morgenröte yelled in rage. “This lesser being,” she shouted while picking me up by my mane, “dared to punch me! Step aside!” She didn’t even wait for me to react, but instead tossed me aside.

Good thing I had some backup by my side. After having stood in place for several seconds out of sheer disbelief, my guards now rushed to my aid, blocking my Aunts path. Spears were raised and fangs shown. Azure or not, attacking me in my own merriment was stepping over the line!

“Get back you inferior creatures!”

“No, you step back!” I shouted while grabbing the hoof Bliz was offering to help me up. “Sierra Bonsai is part of my merriment! You shall not attack her, Aunt!”

“She insulted me!” My Aunt swiped her claws through the air in anger and frustration now that she couldn’t get at her target.

“And you insulted her heritage! What did you think she would do?” I rushed over and made my way into the line of my guards. “You can’t behave like that in my merriment!”

“I am an azure dragon, I stand above your merriment!”

Now it was my time to growl. “You are here to aid me in getting the throne! Not to cause chaos in my own ranks! I demand you to stop!”

“You demand?!”

“Yes I demand it!”

I received a challenging roar straight into my face for saying that. I replied in kind, my head starting to glow. With bared fangs and raised tail, I stepped forward. “This is my merriment! I am the leader!” I shouted.

“You lead a merriment while I lead dragons!”

“And I will lead an empire!”

Now we both pressed our fangs against each other, growling deeply. She was stronger than me though, and quickly started to push me back. However, my merriment guards were quick to act, getting behind me and pushing back. Together we were able to hold our ground. Though, barely.

“Enough of that, children!” Mom trotted over and laid a hoof on both of our snouts, pushing us apart. For a second, I considered growling at her, but quickly thought better of it. My aunt, however, didn’t, but quickly stopped when her gaze met Mom’s. Whatever she saw in her eyes reminded her to not mess with her.

“Schimmernde Morgenröte, you go and stay with your brother, while you,” now Moom’s hoof pointed at me, “get your merriment ready. We have more important matters at hoof right now than a family dispute!”

“We will talk later about this, Niece!” My Aunt growled, but did as Mom instructed.

“You betcha we will!” I growled back before turning to my kirins. “Can’t wait for it,” I added but trotted over to the carriage Sierra Bonsai had crashed into. “Are you alright?” I asked as soon as I arrived.

It was obvious she was not. Sierry Bonsai had managed to stand up again, but was wavering on her hooves. She blinked a few times, having trouble focusing on me, but eventually managed to collect enough composure to give me her attention, which resulted in her growling at me.

“Stop that!” I ordered and tried to grab her chin to have a look at the claw marks on her cheek, but she slapped my claw away.

“I don’t need your help!”

I had to quickly raise a claw to stop my guards from trying to intimidate her. The incident with my aunt had made them quite hissy and protective it seemed. Still, Summer Moon remained in her ‘ready to pounce’ state right next to me and was showing her fangs to Sierra Bonsai.

“You will not perish without it, yeah, but let me have a look anyway.”

“You should be more concerned about your attack plan! It’s my mother you should be trying to help, not me! Oh wait! It's you who put her in danger in the first place!”

Ignoring her anger, I tried to lay a claw on her chin once more, but again, she slapped my claw and dared to push me aside, making her way past me.

“No, it is okay,” I said to my guards while gesturing for them to let her pass.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t understand her anger. If it was my mom out there, I think I would be even more rebellious than her. I still thought it was the best plan to have Calmatious attack, still… I let my gaze hang on Sierra Bonsai as she vanished between the carriages. I wished I could lead my merriment without putting some of them at risk, but that was the price of leading them I guess.

“Alright everykirin,” I returned my attention to my guards. “Time to prepare a charge attack!” I ruffled through Summer Moon’s mane. “Let’s hurry! We have no time to waste!”

***

“I just hope this works!” Bliz panted as we ran through the wooded valley. Surrounding us were most of my merriment’s kirins who weren’t under Hades protection.

“We will find out soon enough,” I gasped back. “Either way, we can only profit from this!”

“I can’t sense them moving yet! I don’t think they’re going to rush in to face us!”

“It doesn’t matter! All we have to do is cause them to try to surround us! The rest will solve itself!”

We were rushing right towards the center of their merriment, like a speartip. Bliz and I were acting as bait, while most of my, as far as another azure could sense, kirins formed a ring around us like a shield. We had to run like tartarus though, above us, the fighting had already started. My luftirins against theirs. I wasn’t sure who had the upper claw for the time being, though if theirs managed to break through and clearly see the army I was positioning to attack their flank, this whole assault could collapse like a house of cards! I had some of my unprotected Kirins mixed in with the Kirins from the swamp village, so if they got spotted, the other azures would discard the scout reports as groups of isolated kirins who didn‘t pose any threat. However, if their scouts caught a good sight of them, they wouldn’t be fooled any longer!

I threw a quick look into the sky. For the moment, it was mostly my kirins up there, but the line was quickly wavering back and forth. Ponyfeathers, if only I was able to mindtalk! I needed to know what was going on up there! I couldn’t even see Dad, though I knew he was up there somewhere. I stretched out my senses, at least the knowledge that our flanking kirins could keep up and hold their relative position to us was reassuring.

“Fiery!” The voice of Flittering Echo reached out to me from above. “Fiery!” She flew down and hoovered beside me. “We are getting the upper hoof up there, we’ll be able to push them back!”

“Awesome! That’s great! ” I replied without slowing down.

“We could use the opportunity to start bombing their frontline! Create chaos and disorder in their ranks before you crash into them!”

“That would surely weaken the cover for our flanking troups!” Bliz yelled, the effort to get through the trees and underbrush at this speed clear in her voice.

“We are pushing them back!” Flittering Echo repeated. “There is no threat to our flanks,” she kind of shrugged for a split second, “at least not now!”

“Anything that weakens their frontline would be great,” Winter Sun mentioned. “The first impact will be the toughest. The moment we crash into the other merriment is when we’ll most likely suffer wounded or,” she licked over her lip,” or casualties!”

“If we pull off our air support, our whole diversionary strike could be at risk!” Bliz countered.

“You have to make a decision Fiery!” Flitter requested. “If we want to hit their front before you crash into them, we have to move now!”

For a heartbeat I was indecisive about what to do. Keeping out flank attacks was key, though, at the word casualties… My gaze wandered to Rythil and my thoughts to my godmother. Luck favors the…

*

“...Bold,” Aphrodite said approvingly. “Your godchild is really taking after you.”

Fortuna acknowledged the compliment with a nod, but it was clear to see her mind was elsewhere.

“All this fighting and maneuvering,” Dyonisos spoke as he rose to refill his wine cup. “Seems more like a play Ares’ champion would utilize.” He let his gaze wander over the gathered gods and goddesses. Several of them gathered around their vision pond, following the current status of the great game. A little smile crept on his face, not unjustified, with his chosen one currently in second place, closest to Shakirin-La, though, not with the biggest of all merriments. “Your godchild should be more careful, Fortuna. There is a fine line between bold and stupid. She should be mindful not to cross that border, lest she find herself perishing long before she even reaches the outskirts of the former Kirin empire.”

“Would be a pity,” Ares said with a smug grin. “I am really looking forward to seeing how she fares against my chosen one. Perhaps, she may even manage to get a spot in his bedchamber. That is after he beats her in battle and enslaves her of course.” He raised his cup and toasted over to Fortuna. “Like I said, I don’t mean her any real harm.” His smug grin intensified.

“It’s more likely that he’ll end up as a eunuch singing high pitched chorals than having my godchild in his bed,” Fortuna retorted. She waved her hoof and the image on the pond changed, now hovering above the soon to be battlefield. The desire to interfere, to guide her godchild, itched in her hooves, but, like all the other gods, she wasn’t allowed to.

“Oh stop it you two!” Herakles said with a dismissive hoofgesture. “Reserve your rivalry for the great game!” He pointed at the pond, or more specifically, to the throng of kirins waiting for Fiery to crash into them. “Besides, with your godchild being so stupid and naive, she won’t even come close to fighting Tactical Frenzy, so I hardly see the point of you two being at each other's throats. Either she gets herself killed or ends up being the subordinate of a more skilled and clever kirin!”

“Don’t discard her so quickly, Herakles,” Hades piped up. “Not many mortals enter my domain and live to tell about it. This one has some fate on her side.”

“Fate? Ha! Luck is what is on her side! Fortuna bathed her in it when she was born! Luck and the cookies she used to bribe you and Chairon!” Herakles took a big sip of his drink before tossing the now empty cup over his shoulder. “I’ll tell you this. If luck didn’t pour out of this incapable kirin with every step she took, she wouldn’t have even made it through her first challenge!”

“She definitely isn’t skilled in the art of war, that’s for sure,” Ares chuckled.

“I doubt anymortal in their right mind would be so stupid as to kill her though,” Athena said. “Killing a rival in the great game is acceptable. Killing the godchild of the goddess of luck is a different story.” She shifted her gaze to Ares. “You should keep that in mind. Fiery Leadership is not just a chosen one. You better make sure your chosen one knows about this difference.”

Ares spread his wings in an innocent gesture. “I already said I have no intention of permanently harming her. The same is true for my chosen one. However, accidents happen…” The moment he finished his sentence though, one of the legs of his divan broke, causing the whole thing to fall to the side, throwing him off in the process.

“And like I already said,” Athena spoke aloud over the amusement of the crowd, “killing her would be a very bad idea in the long run.”

“Ares, stop your provocations!” Zeus ordered from his stone throne. “Fortuna, leave him be!” He smashed his hoof on his armrest. “Things are about to get interesting! Better place your bets now!”

“The odds are one to five for Fiery Leadership to win, and,” Hermes used his slide rule, “ and… this means the reward rates are one-hundred-twenty percent if she is defeated and six-hundred percent if she is victorious.”

“Fifteen points, for Fiery Leadership losing this encounter,” Dyonisos shouted.

“Double that for me,” Ares yelled, gathering himself up and taking his seat on the now crooked divan. “Or, no, triple that for me!”

“Ten points from me,” Aphrodite threw a look at Fortuna, “for Fiery Leadership coming out on top in the end.”

“All my points on my godchild,” Fortuna said firmly.

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” Aphrodite whispered to her. “If Fiery loses, you’ll immediately be out of the game.”

“Luck favors the bold,” Fortuna replied quietly.”

One after another, most of the gods placed their bets. A few refrained from betting at all though, be it the odds were not to their liking, or, due to them not wanting to get involved in the conflict between Fortuna and Ares. Then, it was time. Any moment now the mortals would clash into each other…

*

“Let go!” Flittering Echo shouted the same moment I screamed ‘Charge!’. Several dozen stones, little rocks, and anything else my luftirins could find then began to rain down on the other merriments' frontline, mere seconds before we crushed into it. Or better said, that’s what should have happened. Right before they got hit, an event that would have caused their front to waver, their horns ignited and a wall of magic shields were brought into existence!

They were able to raise shields! Ponyfeathers!

“Hold!” I desperately tried to stop our charge, but it was too late. Helplessly, I had to watch as the first two lines of my assault ran face first into their shielding and bloody their noses. We still pushed them back a step or two from the force of our rush, but they were quickly able to steady themselves.

“Hold!” I watched as one of their leaders yelled the order. It was an azure-kirin, right behind the frontline. Like a centurion of old, he stood behind his kirin, commanding them in battle.

I could see one or two of their shields breaking under the pressure of my combined ground and air attack. One or two among a hundred.

“Fiery! What shall we do?” Bliz yelled.

“I don’t know!” Panic crept into my voice. The fact that they had been able to raise shields… that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. A sharp sting in my forehead ripped me out of my thoughts and causing me to place a claw there and wince.

“What is it? Did you get hit?” Summer Moon rushed to my side. She pushed Rythil aside and inspected my head while her sister stood guard.

“No, it's the battle, I can feel so many of my merriment getting injured!” The pain in my head rose and fell like a wave. So far no one had been seriously harmed, but the sheer amount of bloody snouts, punched out fangs and the like was overwhelming. It was like being part of a tavern brawl, just, being everyone involved at the same time!

“We should fall back! There is nothing to gain here!” Winter Sun suggested.

I lifted my head and let my gaze wander over the frontline. A few more shields had collapsed, and a new wave of stones and rocks rained down on the other merriment, incapacitating several of their kirins, but the toll on my side was far greater. Half the front was on fire now too due to so many kirins turning Nirik.

“Advance!” their officer shouted, and like one, they dropped their shields once the rain had subsided and were now counter-charging my kirins.

“Fiery! We must fall back!” Bliz grabbed my shoulder and forced me to look at her. “If they get to you, we lose!”

“She is right,” Roary piped up. “We can’t wait for Calamitous Blossom to reach their leader, if they get at you first, we lose!”

They were right, and there was nothing I could do about it. “Retreat!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, and instantly my merriment turned around to flee back the way we’d come, leaving most of our wounded behind. Not that our pursuers planned on letting us, or better, me, escape so easily! Shortly after I gave the order to retreat, a loud ‘Now!’ was heard from the azure leading this group before a few dozen runehorns teleported themselves right into my guards, using the chaos to attack my merriments leader, me!

“Watch out!” Summer Moon shouted and smacked one of the attackers unconscious with the blunt end of her spear before they’d even gotten a chance to focus on their new location. Several of their comrades shared the same fate, with my guards being quick to act and render them no longer a threat. Though, after a couple of seconds, the fights became less one-sided. When the attackers had more than the blink of an eye to defend themselves from being smacked with a stick, hoof, or whatever seemed fit, they actually put up a fight. My guard stood their ground, but more and more runehorns were teleporting in.

“Fiery!” Rythil screamed.

I turned around, and quickly ducked under a strike aimed at my head. One of the enemy runehorns had managed to get past my guards! I retaliated with a strike of my own, but my opponent was too quick and evaded the strike. He rose to his hindlegs and swung his staff above his head, planning to strike me down with an overhoof swing… only to get hit in the side by the pole of Winter Sun’s spear. He fell to the ground and whimpered in pain, holding his side. Another swift hit from Winter Sun rendered him unconscious.

“We must move, now!” she yelled, pointing in the direction of our carriages. She grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me forward. “Go!”

I started to gallop, being flanked by Winter, Summer and Bliz. Around us, kirins and niriks were fighting fiercely. So far, my guards were holding their ground, but it was only a matter of time until we were overwhelmed. We made our way towards a little hill that was maybe a few hundred meters away from our carriages. Winter and Summer had their hooves full with clearing a path for us. More than a few of our opponents were felled by their spears. Fortunately, it looked as though both my and the opposing merriment were aiming to simply knock out the opposition rather than kill them. At least we had that in common. So while the pain in my head had increased, no one had died so far.

Another wave of stones rained down from above, slowing down our pursuers. My luftirins had changed tactics though. Instead of larger stones and rocks, they had gathered smaller ones and were trying to constantly bombard our opponents. It was doing less damage, but at the same time, was more effective at slowing them down.

“Way to go, Flittering Echo!” I shouted, glad that appointing her to lead my luftirins had been a good idea.

Quickly, a ring of my guards formed closely around me while whoever was still standing from my ‘bait’ troop formed a second, outer layer.

“Where is Calmatious Blossom?” Bliz wondered. “She should have striked by now!”

“I don’t know, I can’t see their leader either!” I replied. My senses were telling me where the other azures where, but not who was who among them.

“Over there!” Bliz pointed in the direction where two azures seemed to be. On another hilltop, far behind the enemy lines, one of their azures appeared, surrounded by several armed kirins in armor. My senses told me there were at least two additional azures among the guards, even if I couldn't determine which one they were from here.

“That must be him!” Bliz shouted confidently.

We didn’t have the time to watch them for long though. Even under the constant bombardment of my luftirins, our enemy was approaching steadily.

“It seems so,” I agreed. “We can’t get to him from here though!” I quickly checked our surroundings. Our enemy was already making a move to surround us.

“At least this part of the plan is working,” Rythil said, crawling back onto my neck.

“Yeah, but the plan was horseapples to begin with!” Winter Sun judged, holding her spear in preparation for any teleporting enemies.

“I kinda have to agree,” I admitted. Then something behind the enemy leader caught my attention. There, right behind him, dozens of kirins rose to the sky from the valleys between the hills! For a second or two I just stood there, my mind too slow to progress everything that was going on. Then my eyes went wide. “They have reinforcements!” I yelled. My head shot to the sky. “Flittering Echo! Watch out, there are luftirins coming our way!”

Several heads, on ground and in the air, turned in the direction I was now pointing in.

“That darn gelding!” Winter Sun cursed. “He not only let us run into one trap, but two!”

“No wonder our Luftirins were able to break through so easily!” Bliz said. “Half of their forces were in hiding!”

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, followed by a subtle shiver running down my backscales. “Watch out!” I barely managed to scream when another wave of runehorns teleported in. This time was different though. The azure-kirin that had been leading their frontline was among them!

They had used the distraction to launch another surprise attack. It may have worked too if their azure hadn’t been so eager to join the ambush. For whatever reason, be it the call, or just my luck, I had been able to sense his approach!

The surprise on his face felt like a little triumph when I welcomed him with a kick to the face instead of having my back turned to him. The hit sent him flying back a few steps, but I didn’t have the time to revel in the victory as all around us, the turmoil of a fierce fight instantly brought me back to the present. Only half of my guard was still standing, but from what I could see, I was assuming their runehorns who’d been able to teleport in hadn’t fared much better.

I charged after him, but his own guard, or whatever these guys were called, blocked my path. I raised my claws to attack them, but was pulled back by my tail.

“Let us handle them!” Winter Sun demanded and rushed past me. Her sister rushed past my other side, and together, they fought bravely against the other guard. The sound of wood hitting wood echoed through the air. I waited for my opportunity, and when a small corridor opened between them, I rushed through and engaged the other azure in claw to hoof combat.

A tiny voice in the back of my head told me this was borderline stupidity, but a louder one told me to engage the other azure and make it clear who was dominant!

When our gazes met, we didn’t take the time to exchange pleasantries. We both growled and instantly charged at each other, or more accurately, he charged at me and I got slammed by his shield! The moment I was hit, he dropped the shield and tried to jump on me. A quick strike from my claw stopped that attempt, leaving a bloody scratch over his cheek. He may or may not have had good training, but Dad showed me how to use my claws!

“Surrender!” I demanded. “Bow down and accept my superiority!”

He hissed at me, which was answer enough.

We exchanged a series of strikes and kicks. Though his darn shield prevented me from scratching him further. Whenever I aimed at his forelegs or face, he raised a tiny shield to block my attacks. In return, I was consistently lucky enough to move at the right speed to evade his strikes completely.

“Watch out!” Rythil suddenly yelled. He jumped up and off of me, catching something out of the air, which ended with him releasing a tiny wince of pain as he landed with his hind claws in my upper mane.

“Huh?” Was all I was able to express before a series of little objects began to rain down around me.

“Everykirin watch out, we are getting bombarded!” Somekirin yelled.

I looked up and watched as my current situation turned grim. My luftirins had been driven back! Now it was my merriment who was getting targeted from above!

A sharp pain shot through my head. No, it wasn’t my kirins getting injured, but my lack of attention that had given my opponent the opportunity to strike me. My head collided with the ground, driving dirt into my eyes. Rythil got catapulted over my head before rolling off into the frenzy. I barely turned over in time to see my opponent trying to jump on me once more.

I braced for the impact… but it wasn’t necessary. Like an arrow, Dad crashed into my attacker, swiping him off his hooves and using him like a surfboard. I heard the horrible sound of bones cracking and screams of pain.

“Are you alright?" Bliz appeared by my side out of nowhere and lifted me up. Just in time to see Dad grabbing the other azure by one of his legs, roar, and then swinging him around like a stuffed doll. Mercilessly, he threshed at our enemies, hitting several and sending them flying several meters through the air or stomping them into the ground.

“That’s his way of avoiding killing kirins?” Rythil asked in shock as he floated over to us as fast as his little form could.

“Dragon!” I just spat out and stuffed him into my mane. “Be glad he is on our side!”

Dad joining the ground battle was a blessing! Not only did he counter their attack on us, but also drove fear and hesitation into their ranks! Many of our attackers stood there, paralyzed from seeing their comrades get beaten up by a dragon, a loud, angry, roaring dragon!

And his timing couldn’t have been any better. While everyone was still focused on him, my reinforcements arrived. A few hundred kirins, undetectable by azures, covered in greenish face paint and with bushy feathers around their heads, stormed at the frightened ring of kirins around us.

If it wasn’t for that darn leader of theirs, they surely would have fled in an instant!

With an invisible command, they quickly formed ranks and raised their shields to stop my kirins from overruning them.

A loud ‘thud’ was heard next to me, followed by an “Arg!” growled by Bliz before she placed a hoof on her side. “We need to do something about their luftirins!”

Quickly, Summer Moon rushed to our side, throwing one look at Bliz and then trying her best to cover me and her with her body.

“Where is your sister?” I asked.

“She got hit! I will fetch her after the battle!” was Summer Moon’s short reply. A few stones crashed into her back scales but she shrugged it off.

I looked at the spot Winter Sun had been fighting but she was nowhere to be seen. Then, out of nowhere, the bombardment stopped and the enemy luftirins pulled back as fast as they could.

“Why did they just stop?” Rythil wondered as we followed their retreat with our gazes. “I’m no expert when it comes to fighting battles, but shouldn’t they protect their frontline, or drive your luftirins back?”

“They kind…” I stopped when my gaze landed on the direction they were heading to. “They’re trying to protect their leader!” I exclaimed. “Look over there!” I pointed at said kirin and his ring of guards. Finally, Calmatious Blossom had shown up, she and her volandilum-riders were heading straight for the enemy leader.

It was going to be a close call! The luftirins were faster, but Calamitous was closer!

I could see magical shields being raised.

There was maybe two hundred meters between Calamitous and the enemy leader.

Around us, runehorns disappeared, only to reappear in front of Calamitous Blossom.

Bruised and shaken as they were, they were no match for my volandilum-riders. They barely even slowed them down.

A hundred meters.

The other azure guards braced for the impact. Spears were now raised too.

They were in for a surprise! Just as I hadn’t anticipated them being able to teleport or raise magical shields, they didn’t know my swamp-kirins could shoot!

Right before the luftirins dove down to slam into my riders, they fired a volley of anti-azure-rays or whatever you want to call it.

More than one shield broke, several kirins got hit and fell to the ground. Sadly, none of their leaders had gotten hit!

“Flittering Echo!” I shouted. “Flittering Echo!”

“I am here!” she replied, swiftly flying to my side. I could see some of her scales had been cracked and some of her feathers were missing. Still, she was ready to follow my orders.

I pointed at Calmatious and my riders. “They need help, quick!”

Flitter nodded and rose higher again. Together with maybe two dozen of my own luftirins, she rushed to Calmatious aid.

The short moment I had needed to give that order had been enough for the battle between Calamitous and the enemy azure to change drastically.

The close combat was brutal, with both sides crashing into each other at high speed!

Kirins on both sides laid on the ground, stunned by the impact. Additionally, those Volandiums whose riders had been kicked off went into an uncontrolled frenzy! They bit, rammed, or trampled everykirin without a feather bush around their heads.

It was pure chaos!

Still, so far, anti-azure-rays were flying through the air, finding their targets among our enemies.

And then, in the heat of the fight, it happened.

Three of my riders managed to jump over the enemy guards, right next to their leader. The azure next to him tried to shield him with his body, only to get hit by two of the rays and fall to the ground unconscious. Their leader tried to fight back, throwing a spear at one of my riders, sending them off their volandium. But it was in vain. The two remaining riders attacked him with their spears, broke his shield, and one of them blasted him with an a-a-r.

The battle was over! I was victorious!

Or so I thought…

I saw their leader fall. I saw it! I saw him going down!

Still, the fighting around me didn’t diminish.

“What in tarnation…?” I mumbled.

“We hit him!” Bliz exclaimed. “We hit him! How can this be?!”

There was only one explanation. The azure we’d shot down hadn’t been their leader, it had been a decoy!

Author's Note

Well the edits went real quick this time, Schatten finsihed editing in under one week

Also, we are going for a wild ride the comming chapters! I am looking really forward to write them, expect some highlights along the way!

Thanks to QueenChryssalisForever & Schattendrache for their, as always, great support and help making these chapter