The news of the goblins’ brutal attack spread through Amesbury like wild fire. Just yesterday, a portion of the soldiers still doubted the facts, or at least hoped that there had been some mistake about the recent invasion. Now, the evidence was clear. Their ancestral foe, the one beaten back by their forefathers, had returned. This time, the war wouldn’t happen in some distant, foreign kingdom, but right here in their backyard.

  Many of the troops were scared, but luckily the haughtiness and pride of the nobility overcame the feeling. The knights continued to brag about their prowess, each trying to prove they were without fear.

  In such conditions, no one dared to even suggest running away. The aristocrats spent their time telling each stories of their greatest feats, and when that wasn’t enough, the feats of their ancestors. Slowly, they began to look forward to the war, seeing it as an opportunity to prove their words to their peers. Their obsession with honor and titles had some benefits.

  Varre meanwhile had to meet with his advisors again to decide how to react to this new development.

  “We’ve been here for ten days,” the king announced, “and the call to arms was sent out three weeks ago. How many have arrived by now?”

  “Roughly two thousand knights,” Jan replied, looking out of the window. The city walls obscured most of the campsite outside of the city, but he knew it was extensive. “Around four thousand light cavalry and fifteen thousand levies. Not to mention the Royal Army. Two thousand trained halberdiers.”

  “That’s a lot,” Varre noted, “do you think it will be enough?”

  “We still have no idea what to expect,” the duke said, “but we’re expecting more. Within another week or two, the knights from the furthest reaches of Logres should arrive. At least another two thousand heavy cavalry, plus whoever they bring with them.”

  The king had already seen similar reports and estimates before, but he still could barely believe the numbers. “That’s much more than what I’ve led before.”

  “True, but that was just a simple rebellion,” Captain Hakon said, “now, the entire might of Logres will ride out to crush our enemy.”

  “They won’t stand a chance,” Count Gregory bragged.

  “Have there been any other reports from the scouts?” Varre asked.

  “Not yet,” Gregory replied, “the village of Northport was the first one, your majesty,” he pointed to the map on the table.

  The location had been marked to help the commanders plan their movements better. Small figures and markers were placed around the table, ready to represent the army and all of its individual units. As well as the enemy.

  “If the goblins have started their attack, they’ll probably spread out from there,” the king theorized.

  “I still don’t understand why they chose this place,” Jan countered, “it’s at least four days away from the border. I’d expect them to spread out from Gomera, like a tide rolling across the duchy.”

  “Maybe they set up their base in the hills?” Varre suggested, “and they’ve started to attack the closest areas first?”

  “Maybe, but why stretch their supply lines so much?” the duke tapped the table with his finger, “we can cut them off.”

  “Not if they managed to find a way through the mountains,” the king pointed to their location.

  While the Grey Mountains were uninhabited, a few explorers were able to find passages through them over the last centuries. They were considered too dangerous and not worthwhile enough to pursue further, but theoretically, a dedicated enough force could move across.

  “If so, then why did they come from Gomera?” Jan insisted.

  “We can’t be sure of that,” Varre countered, “only a single adventurer saw them. Maybe he was mistaken. Maybe they were coming from the mountains and leading reinforcements to Gomera instead.”

  The duke took a moment to think it over. “Then why not attack us directly, instead of going after the Elves? We’d be caught off guard. Now, we’ve been given the time to react. Besides, it’s already October. Soon, the snows will come. It doesn’t take much to block off mountain passes, you know? They’ll be all alone. Cut off from their supply lines.”

  “That’s all the more reason to attack them now, while they’re weak,” the king said, “we can crush all of their forces and then focus on defending the passes afterwards.”

  “I suppose it’s the best plan we’ve got,” Jan conceded, “it’s not like we can just sit around and wait while they gather their forces.”

  “Good,” Varre turned back to the map, “what’s the best way to reach this Northport?”

  “There are no roads, your majesty,” Gregory explained, “and the stream is too small to transport a massive army. We’ll need to go directly through the woods.”

  “I suggest splitting our forces into three prongs,” the duke lined up the figures on the map, “we will pass through these areas and dispatch scouts all around us. Our supply train will need to be carefully defended, but it should be doable.”

  “Why not move as a single group?” the king asked.

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  Jan smiled. “We have twenty thousand people already. And we may get another twenty before this campaign is over. With such numbers, even marching becomes an issue. Don’t forget that our troops move in columns. The first ranks may leave the camp in the morning, but the ones behind them have to wait their turn. At these numbers, they’ll have to sit still all the way until the early afternoon. By the time the rear is starting to move, the front will already be stopping for the night.”

  Varre sighed. “At least the communication mages should help us maintain some sort of cohesion.”

  “Exactly,” the duke nodded, “we’ll be able to help each other. Plus, our scouts should be able to comb through the woods and catch any goblins trying to sneak to our backlines.”

  “I’ll make sure of it,” Gregory said and puffed his chest.

  “Don’t forget to use Sofia’s Elves,” the king noted, “they’re supposed to be experts at tracking through the forest.”

  “How many people does she have for us?” Jan asked.

  “She said around a thousand are experienced enough to act as good scouts,” Varre recalled, “then there’s another two thousand that who could be archers. The rest are noncombatants. I’ve told her to send them towards safer territories. Either Lindridge, and other border territories if they want to keep working, or the army base back in Westbridge if they’re too vulnerable. It’s empty now. Might as well find some use for those barracks.”

  With the plan established, the commanders spread out across the city, ordering the men to make their final preparations. The army was kept in high readiness for days, but it still took time to load the wagons. The sergeants also needed to warn the regular troops not to get too drunk this night.

  The next morning, the townsfolk came out to the streets. They wished the knights luck, while the infantry packed up their tents. The army had been split up into three separate columns, as ordered. Jan would lead the central one, alongside Varre. Gregory was in charge of the scouts, while Baron Khoman’s title was a little too low to place him in charge of one of the others. The two veterans of the civil war would remain alongside their king.

  The center would contain the entirety of the Royal Army, along with its two thousand halberdiers. It received a slightly larger portion of the knighthood as well. Since it travelled in between the other columns, it needed to be ready to react quickly. If news of trouble came from one of the other flanks, soldiers could be dispatched to assist.

  Each of the columns received several communication mages, along with a portion of the wizard core. A few communicators were also left behind in Amesbury in order to better coordinate the war effort.

  The city would serve as the main logistical base of the entire army. Head Merchant Lester continued to send supplies here by the river, while workers within the city would load it onto wagons and forward them towards the marching armies. Each convoy had to be heavily defended.

  Luckily, large reinforcements were expected to trickle in over the next two weeks. These men would help guard the shipments, as they travelled to join the rest of the troops. Eventually, these guards would need to be replaced with some of the scouts, but for now it was more important to understand the position of the enemy.

  Travelling through the Duchy of Wantage was different from the previous campaigns Varre had seen. The troops always had access to roads and when they stopped for the night, they could always rely on small towns and villages to provide comfort. At least the nobility was always able to sleep indoors.

  Now, the army was far too large. The areas close to Amesbury were still relatively civilized in comparison, but no town could have enough inns to accommodate a thousand knights. Things only got worse on the second day, when the dirt roads turned into small footpaths. By the third, even those were gone.

  The army had to travel down narrow animal paths and find their own way through the trees. Sofia’s scouts were invaluable and they instinctively looked for the way, leading the soldiers down the path of least resistance.

  Soon, a complicated system was set up to improve the logistics. Mounted scouts traveled as far as a day ahead of the main column. They frequently came into contact with their fellow who had been dispatched from Amesbury nearly two weeks ago. The rider shared knowledge, exchanged maps, and discussed the best path forward that avoided any rough hills, ponds, and other obstacles.

  Separate teams travelled a few hours in advance of the army, deciding on the exact route. Dozens of messengers passed back and forth, distributing the relevant information to the front of the army. The commanders there merely had to stick to directions.

  On top of that, hundreds of light riders surrounded the formation from all sides, carefully examining every inch of the forest. They needed to be sure that goblins weren’t watching them and reporting back. Sofia’s scouts proved their worth, as they were able to point out the best hiding spots.

  At first, the journey was relatively uneventful, but by the third day, once the roads had ended, goblins began to appear. The Elves uncovered a few of the enemies watching the army from hiding spots and they made sure to kill the creatures on the spot. No civilized person understood their tongue, so interrogating them was seen as pointless. Besides, after losing their homeland, Sofia’s people were unwilling to show their enemies any mercy.

  Troubling news came from the lands ahead. While the goblin attack started on October 1st, their assault quickly grew in scope. Other villages were burnt and destroyed each night. Each time, the scouts showed up too late, only able to examine the burnt down remains of the settlements.

  Perhaps this was a good thing. Several teams of riders failed to report back. It wasn’t clear whether they were attacked by goblins in turn, or whether they tried to defend various outposts and lost their lives in the defense.

  Each day, the enemy’s presence grew stronger. More scouts reported seeing destroyed villages and Jan meticulously recorded each one on one of his maps. The pattern was becoming clear. The invasion was spreading out from Northport and the enemies were systematically wiping out each outpost they could come across.

  Warnings were sent out to all of the communicators and the scouts delivered the messages to every settlement they could. Soon, people began to flee from their homes, gathering at the more fortified towns, or fleeing further South if that wasn’t enough. The conflict was beginning to resemble Varre’s expectations.

  On the fourth day, the goblins took a more proactive role. They began to actively hunt down the humans exploring the forest.

  Scouts delivered troubled reports of spearmen, mounted atop wolves, attacking their teams in large groups. Horses were larger and heavier, but they lacked the sharp teeth of their opponents. They were also vulnerable, as a single good bite could damage a vulnerable leg and cripple the animal.

  Some of the riders managed to repel the attackers, but not all. A few of the teams went missing and it was clear that the areas around Northport were becoming nearly unreachable. The closest communication mage had to retreat, as his commander was close to running out of men to defend the settlement. All of the people had to pack up and flee down the river, while the soldiers rode through the forest.

  By now, Varre’s forces were three days away from the front line, but even they weren’t safe. While the scouts surrounding the army greatly outnumbered their goblin counterparts, even they started to report wolf mounted riders skirmishing with their forward forces.

  Nowhere was safe. The whole forest was now at war, as the Royal Army marched to meet their enemy head on.