35
THE BATTLE BEGAN at dawn. The sun was a sliver on the southern horizon when the first of the flying creatures arrived. Rasha and her battalions were ready. She’d divided them into groups of a hundred and deployed them in a U shape on the border of Chilali. Rasha was at the front, mounted on a tuskin. She preferred fighting from the ground, but being atop the tuskin allowed her signals to be seen. The dragon she’d saved in the battle of the palace stood beside her, pawing at the ground in impatience. The tuskin, feeling the nervous energy, struggled to stand still.
“Steady,” she muttered and held up a hand. The fighters behind her held their weapons ready.
Jak’s group held their position on her right. Ladi, along with the bear and wolf, was on her left.
The snow was thick on the grou
