The village of Papworth was in serious trouble. The goblins’ assault was in full swing. Varre’s reinforcements have arrived on the field, but the inhabitants were still in danger as the enemies began to descend down onto their huts.

  The Eastern side was mostly safe, but many of the civilians had already fled away from the sounds of battle, straight towards the enemy’s forces in the West. Now, realizing their mistake, they were frantically turning back and running towards the safety of their homes.

  From his position on the hillside, Varre could see a growing horde of goblins pouring out of the woods on the other side of the valley. He couldn’t be sure of their exact numbers, but it looked like they had prepared as much as a thousand warriors, spread out across the entire area in several large groups.

  They still had to pass through the fields, but they brought more than just infantry. Smaller packs of wolf riders could quickly cover the open plains. The civilians would be defenseless.

  A group of peasants might be able to take down a single beast when working together, but the armed men had stayed behind in their homes. Now, several hundred feet separated them from their unarmed wives and children.

  The king had to act quickly. “Get over there! Save the people!” he called out, pointing across the village with his lance.

  The soldiers understood that time was of the essence. In short bursts, wolves could be just as fast as horses, so the cavalry had to hurry. The commanders rang their trumpets, and five hundred men rode out together, along with about half of the mages. The rest stayed behind, together with their liege. They needed to protect him.

  The goblins had no qualms about killing enemy leadership. If they got their hands on Varre, they likely wouldn’t bother with capturing him alive for ransom. They’d kill him on the spot, or take him back to their lands like any other prisoner. And no one was sure which option was worse.

  Gregory’s and Khoman’s forces on the flanks had also left the forest by now, but they stuck to the original plan. While the central group was meant to secure the village, charging directly West, the others were to protect their sides.

  So far, they had only taken out about a hundred goblins each. Small groups were now approaching the village, from both the North and South. If it was just infantry, they wouldn’t be a serious threat. It would take minutes for them to reach the settlement, giving the cavalry time to preparing a solid defense.

  However, it seemed that the enemy had predicted the entire course of this battle. While the first group that Varre slaughtered in the forest only consisted of footmen, the next ones were mounted. Gregory and Khoman had to act quickly and immediately charged straight across the fields to intercept these attackers before they could get to the village.

  All the pieces were in motion now. Varre’s position gave him a good vantage point to observe the battle from a safe distance as the horses and wolves ran across the open fields. It looked like his side had the advantage.

  Wolf riders were dangerous to civilians and infantry, but a coherent charge of armored knights would wipe them from the field. The beasts had sharp teeth, but they weighed a tenth of what a horse could. If the two walls collided, the goblins would be a mere speedbump. If they wanted to survive, they’d be forced to maneuver.

  They could still be a threat in large numbers, but it was the humans who brought more men to this particular battle. It still wasn’t clear what forces the enemy held in reserve, but looking at the field right now, Varre’s side was going to win.

  The only obstacle was the stream passing through the middle of the village. Like most settlements in the duchy, Papworth was built alongside a body of water. It was too narrow for normal river barges, but smaller boats could deliver goods much faster and safer than a caravan passing through the forests.

  However, the banks were too steep to easily walk from one to the other, so a small bridge was constructed in the center of the hamlet. The horses would have to slow down to cross, as they crowded around each other. If they wanted to have any chance of saving the peasants before the wolves got to them, they had to rush as fast as they could.

  Varre frowned as he watched the battle develop. Something still seemed off. His forces were now deployed to deal with all of the threats and it seemed like they would be able to do so without major issues. The goblins knew the humans were coming and they had prepared everything in advance. All of the pieces fit together and yet they were still going to lose. What was the point of it all?

  It didn’t matter if the enemy held more troops in reserve, Papworth would be saved in the end. As long as they rushed, Varre’s men would be able to defend the locals from this threat. And the human infantry was just a couple hours away too.

  Even if more goblins were about to come out from the Western woods, that could change the situation, but only temporarily. The peasants could be evacuated and the cavalry could retreat to his side of the hill. They could fight on their terms, or flee back to the safety of their ranks if they wished. This setup achieved nothing in the long term.

  And that’s when it hit him. It wasn’t about the long term. It was about tying all of his forces right now.

  As soon as he realized this fact, he noticed one of his scouts rushing over towards his position. The rider raced his horse down the hillside, having just returned from the nearby woods. His expression clearly spelled trouble.

  “What happened?” Duke Jan asked as soon as the man pulled to a stop.

  “We found a second group of enemies in the forest sir. Two hundred goblins or so, they’re attacking a small camp of woodcutters,” the horseman quickly explained, “that way, behind Count Gregory’s forces.”

  “What? How did you miss them?” Captain Hakon roared, interrupting the report.

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  “It’s a small group, so it’s easy to miss,” Jan explained, trying to calm him down, “our scouts do the best they can, but they rarely stumble upon the enemy directly. We estimate the threat based on the area they occupy and the density of their guards. The men have orders to avoid enemy patrols whenever possible, you know? Can’t fret over every single goblin.”

  “Yes sir,” the rider nodded, “there had been a couple wolf riders in the area, but we assumed they were covering the group that Count Gregory attacked.”

  “Turns out they were hiding a small outpost, about to be attacked huh?” Varre finished the story for him.

  “T-that’s right, your majesty!” the scout stammered, “well said. There’s not enough of them to be a major threat, but I still wanted to report the situation.”

  “And how can we be sure that they don’t have ten more of these ‘missable’ groups hiding in our rear, huh?” Hakon pointed an accusatory finger at the man, “or a hundred? The forest can be teeming with them!”

  “Don’t take it out on the poor man,” the duke grabbed his shoulder, “we rushed here as fast as we could. We didn’t investigate the Western side of the woods at all. We were bound to miss a few hundred goblins here or there,” he paused, “are there any more?”

  “There shouldn’t be,” the scout grimaced, “at least not this close, sir. We’re exploring further out as we speak, though.”

  The captain glared at Jan in response. “This cannot… will not happen again.”

  “We’ll do our best, but it’s just two hundred soldiers,” the duke shrugged, “if they try anything it should be no more than a light warmup for your men. Don’t tell me you’re afraid.”

  “If we needed to, we’d wipe out a thousand,” Hakon spat, “but I don’t like having unknown threats this close to his majesty. This is unacceptable.”

  “You said they were attacking an outpost?” Varre asked the scout.

  “Yes, your majesty,” the rider lowered his head, “a small camp, no more than a few shacks, but I saw them attacking the locals, just a few minutes ago. No more than a mile that way,” he pointed, “for what’s it worth, sir, I think they’re too busy to attack our side. I mean uh… your side. Your majesty’s side,” he corrected himself.

  The king turned to look in that direction. Time was of the essence. It technically lay on Gregory’s flank, but all of his forces, including the commander, had already gone ahead to engage a group of wolf riders. They were about to reach their enemy this very moment.

  He could dispatch a messenger and get them to separate a hundred knights or so to go save the woodcutters, but it would take a lot of time. The herald would waste precious minutes delivering the news, then the count would need to decide who to send, and then wait for them to disengage. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the outpost would be slaughtered.

  Then Varre’s gaze fell on Hakon. “If you’re so confident in your ability, then I’m sending you. Go and save those people.”

  “Absolutely not,” the captain protested, “I cannot abandon your side. We have no idea what the goblins have planned for tonight. All of the guards are needed to keep you safe.”

  The king turned back to look to the forest, then to the battlefield. “Fine. Then I’m going there, and you’ll be keeping me safe along the way. Jan, you’re in command.”

  “What?!” Hakon, “Varre! Don’t be stupid. This is clearly a trap!”

  The monarch ignored him and turned away to look at the duke. He knew the captain was right. The goblins were able to hide this group until now. The only reason it was found, was because they wanted it to be found. But he also knew that he couldn’t abandon those civilians to their fates. He had to do something.

  “You can’t argue with him now, Hakon,” Jan chuckled, “just stay close and make sure nothing happens to him. I’ll be here so that this mess doesn’t turn into a disaster,” he gestured to the battlefield.

  The king nodded. “Good. Keep the banner. Can’t have the men thinking I’m fleeing the battlefield. The rest of you, with me!”

  Some of the entourage stayed behind. The heralds, communication mages, and most of the healers. Only the Royal Guard, the Court Mage, and the most experienced wizards turned away and followed their leader into the woods.

  The scout led the way, dashing in between the trees on his courser, “it’s not far, your majesty! This way!”

  “And you’re sure there’s no other forces in the area?” the king asked.

  “Yes. Not for a couple of miles at least,” the rider explained, “we have people posted all over the forest. We missed a stationary group, hiding around a small outpost, but movement is much easier to spot. If anyone else tries anything, we’ll know.”

  He wasn’t exaggerating. The outpost really was close by. A mere four minutes of galloping later, the horses broke through a line of trees and entered a small clearing. At this distance, the inhabitants have definitely heard the sounds of battle directly and must have been wondering what was going on for a while.

  The goblins acted swiftly and their assault was already over. The woodcutters were either dead, or captured, with their hands bound together. The goblins were finishing their final preparations and arranging the prisoners into a line for transport. Clearly, they were in a rush to get out of here. If Varre had waited for Gregory to act, the reinforcements might have been too late.

  For a second Varre wondered whether this was their real plan. Maybe there was something in this settlement that the goblins wanted, or a person they absolutely had to take prisoner. Maybe the whole battle was a distraction just to achieve this objective and they didn’t account on him performing such a risky maneuver.

  Still, he didn’t have time to worry about that. He needed to focus on survival for now.

  As the scout reported, the goblins’ force wasn’t particularly dangerous. Two hundred warriors or so, frantically trying to get into a square formation, with their captives in the center. A few wolf riders circled the area, but they could be dealt with later.

  “Rescue them!” the king yelled, pointing at the formation with his lance.

  Hakon and about a dozen of his best knights stayed behind, but the rest of the cavalry raced forward. The green-skinned spearmen dug their shields into the ground and braced, ready to deal as much damage as they could.

  Perhaps they could have killed a few humans. The horsemen had to be careful about plowing straight through the enemy ranks, or they’d risk trampling the captives in the process. It was safer to ride past the formation, picking off individual warriors with long lances. With the shields acting as cover, the only real targets were the small heads peeking out.

  Fortunately, this group contained some of the best wizards in the kingdom. Elvira, Kadmos, Zarkon, and even the twins, each launched explosions straight into the enemy formation. They had to be careful not to hit any of the woodcutters, with a few mages even opting out for less flashier attacks like rays of lightning, or strange sprays of liquids that only hit the closest targets.

  Still, it was enough. The square formation instantly collapsed, with the Royal Guards only needing to pick off the last few survivors. Many were frantically clawing at burned limbs, completely ignoring the sharp lances heading straight for them. Varre almost felt sad for the goblins. They planned this entire maneuver, obscured their actions, only to get blown off the map within seconds. They didn’t even manage to bring any captives back.

  Then, the king turned to look at the wolf riders. There was only about a dozen of them. Even if they brought ten times over, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. Most were already fleeing in fact, running in whichever direction got them closest to the tree line.

  But not all. One of them, most likely some type of leader, based on his strange hat resembling an animal skull and a large staff, appeared to be looking right at Varre. When their eyes met, the goblin even grinned, though with the strange creature’s alien plans and emotions, no one could be sure what exactly that expression meant.

  Yet the king couldn’t shake the feeling that this leader wanted to be seen. That whatever plans he made, were all intended to lead Varre here. A moment later, the goblin turned away and the rest of the wolf riders followed him, fleeing away from the battle.

  At least the woodcutters were now safe.

  If the goblins truly prepared everything in advance, then what did they gain through all these actions?