Page 34 of The Witch who Trades with Death

Chapter Thirty-Four

The mountains weren’t all narrow paths and sheer cliffs. There were plenty of valleys and sloped fields that the militia had used to set up their camps during their march, the lower ones still blanketed in snow that hadn’t yet melted.

But if they fought the Reguallians in a wider space, the smaller Ghuran force would be slaughtered. Easily overcome by the hundreds of thousands of imperial troops swarming over the snowy rocks.

Instead, the Ghura set up their forces in a natural chokepoint: a skinny ravine that cut through the mountain walls like a knife, essentially a narrow canyon. Yxe muttered how an ancient river used to run through the mountains, before eventually drying up. The result was a path that looked a bit like a fat-bottomed vase – skinny at the top, wider on the bottom – but still too narrow for the Reguallian forces to use their numbers to any advantage. The militia could only stand seven soldiers abreast. Beyond the ravine, one of the rock walls dropped away entirely, creating a sheer cliff to a valley below. The other wall continued, offering cover and a height advantage for their archers.

Blue Battalion, all full-time, professional soldiers, made up the vanguard, taking up all the front row seats and scheduled to do most of the work in the fight. Red Battalion was right behind them, meaning Khana was faced with a thousand Ghuran backs. Red Frogs stood next to Red Panthers, Gorillas, and Snakes. She’d seen Bhayana near the front for a moment before the commander vanished in the sea of bodies.

“At least we’ll get to play a proper round of the line game,” Haz quipped, standing beside Khana. She pretended not to notice the way his spear trembled.

He was technically right. All the units were lined up to support each other, all their strength going to the very first unit, Chief Phramanka’s. It would be exactly like the line game, but on a much greater scale.

For a fleeting moment, Khana wished she was up there with the chief, just to see the continuing rock wall that stretched over the deadly cliffs. Blue Owl – Sava’s company – was hidden there, their wool and fur armor colored gray to blend in with the stone. She always felt a little braver when Sava was around.

Not brave enough to face down an invading army, though. For the thousandth time, she wondered what could have possibly possessed her to sign up for this.

Xopil muttered a prayer to one of the Ghuran gods: Mother Mountain herself.

“The scouts say over a hundred thousand soldiers are coming at us,” Lueti admitted quietly. She looked as awful as Khana felt. Haz and Yxe, too.

“They’re exaggerating,” Itehua scoffed.

Khana shook her head. “They’re not. Yamueto has millions of soldiers at his disposal.”

He huffed. “I was trying to downplay it so she wouldn’t shit herself.”

“Their numbers mean nothing,” Neta declared, adjusting the snow leopard cloak on her shoulders. “Pahuudans have used this exact spot to turn away armies a hundred times our size for centuries. Yxe can probably give a whole lecture on it.”

He hiccupped. “In front of all these people? Do I have to?”

“Kid, you’re about to fight a battle where you could die,” Itehua said. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of public speaking.”

There was a beat. Then Yxe said: “I’d rather be fighting that army by myself than addressing a crowd.”

Itehua barked a laugh. It echoed in the ravine, making a few other soldiers look their way. Yxe blushed while Lueti shook her head and gave him a half-hug. “Well, at least you’re only dealing with your second biggest fear today.”

Their mirth died as the smaller stones at their feet shuddered. Several Ghura shouted in alarm. Haz snorted. “An earthquake? Now? Why not?”

“Mother Mountain, you bitch,” Itehua growled.

“That’s not the earth,” Khana said quietly. “It’s them . All those marching feet.”

From somewhere upfront, Midya Chaku whistled. “Stay in position, you frogs! The mountain’s not coming down, the imperials are just causing a racket. Stand firm.”

Khana swallowed, watching the little stones tremble. It was hard to tell what was shaking more: them or herself.

Haz nudged her, catching her attention. He motioned to the Blue Battalion in front of them. “They’re such proud snobs, they’re probably not even going to let us do any fighting today. All we have to do is sit still and look pretty.”

“Way ahead of you,” Lueti said, flipping her gray-and-black braid, Yxe’s little hiccup bringing some swagger back into her.

Khana managed a weak smile before noting a shadow pass over Haz’s face. And another one.

She looked up, a few other Ghura having noticed. A flock of something flew over the top of their ravine, shadows flickering over the narrow crack. Birds?

But they weren’t flying by. They circled. The glaring sunlight obscured their bellies in shadow, and the top of the ravine was almost too skinny for a man to crawl through, so Khana couldn’t determine their species. But they were big. Eagles, maybe?

“Khana,” Neta said coolly, “didn’t you say night creatures couldn’t fly?”

“Yamueto hadn’t found a way to get them airborne before I left, no,” she replied, dread filling her stomach.

“That was over a year ago.”

Khana gulped as one of the things that was definitely not a bird flew down. The ravine was so narrow up top that it had to stop flying and squeeze its way through the rocks, claws scraping against stone directly over Red Battalion’s head.

Soldiers swore and at least one screamed when they got a good look at the creature struggling to get to them. It was easily the size of a man, its arms melted into four membranous wings of a bat, ending in claws. The head resembled something closer to a dolphin or wolf, with a long, sleek snout full of sharp teeth. It shrieked at them, wiggling through the crevice.

Neta regained her senses first and threw her spear. It hit its mark, the metal head cutting through the creature’s chest just as it got through, sending it crashing to the ground with an almost human-sounding scream.

A dozen more following behind, just as someone far ahead yelled, “Brace for impact!”

“Shields up!” Chaku ordered.

Red Battalion obeyed, shields over their heads, just as the first night creatures squeezed through and attacked.