King Farkas of the Averians, the disgrace part 2

Night came, and the arrow fire continued throughout the night. Like rain, the arrow fire didn't stop, and men were forced to walk with their shields up or risk dying. The horse archers kept themselves away from melee combat.

Sorites were commanded to try and catch the enemy were done countless times, but the scarlet riders arranged a time for the horse archers to retreat each time.

Even the Locust witches were sent to try and attack any of the nomadic warriors. Still, king Farkas blew them away with his divine power every time. He also refused to fight anyone with serious divine powers, such as Rufus, Haley, or Satifa. He instead made sure his army could keep harassing the allied army.

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An arrow hit the tent where the leaders of the allied army met. None were phased, but they were forced to stop moving. Soon the imperial army would catch up to them if this kept up.

"This is frustrating. Our men are too slow to catch the horse archers, and our heaviest cavalry fall in front of the scarlet riders, " Joan said.

"I could design some kind of barricades to protect us from the arrow fire," Yosef proposed.

"That will take too much time. We have to be constantly moving, or the imperial army will catch up to us when we are not ready," Doreen said.

"How far is the imperial army?" Haley asked.

"A less than a week's march away. According to the scouts, they are force marching through nights and days. Not stopping for rest, only the occasional meal," Doreen explained.

Everyone kept coming up with plans, but none had an answer. The horse archers or the scarlet riders would cause problems, and no one had a solution to take out one of them.

Queen Alexia then entered the tent. An arrow almost hit her but was blocked by a wooden shield held by a strong-looking female warrior.

She was being accompanied by four women clad in light armor. These warriors had curved blades, small round shields, large bows on their backs, and thick fur hats as helmets. They also had a necklace around them made from black ice.

"Sorry for being late. Walking threw arrow fire is much slower than you might think," queen Alexia said.

"Who are these fine-looking warriors you have with you?" Edward asked.

"These are the Bogatyrs, the greatest military order of the nation of Sparv. I believe they can help us take out at least the scarlet riders," queen Alexia explained.

"Didn't spot them when we fought them last time?" Edward said.

"They are independent military order and are not always loyal to the throne. For a good reason, they refused to fight in my sister's stupid conquests," Alexia continued.

"How do you believe they will defeat the scarlet riders? They strike like lightning, and none of our more elite fighters, such as the grey-hound knights, knights of the black sun, or even the Ghersengs, are cavalry. They can not catch up to them," Joan questioned.

"You really think they can make such a difference?" Haley asked and inspected the Bogatyrs.

"The battle in the saxon forest could have gone very differently if you had met them on the battlefield. They are blessed by the black ice and the same divinity the royal family of Sparv has. For centuries they independently kept their order alive and blessed new initiates that showed promise," queen Alexia said pridefully.

"So they are like my locust witches?" Satifa asked.

"Or the sentinels of embers who fight for the emperor?" Rufus also wondered.

"Yes, but unlike them, They get their blessing from no particular person. They cultivate their own power and pass it on to others. They create black ice that gives each Bogatyr power, strength, and agility. They wear it on their necks. It is their greatest strength but also their greatest weakness."

"Why would you tell us about their weakness?" Haley wondered.

"We are allies, are we not? I also believe I should show all my cards to Rufus. I have plans for after this war. Plans, but not hostile ones," Alexia said and winked at Rufus.

"You believe this independence of theirs makes them game changers?" Doreen asked.

"That is what makes them very deadly. They are independent and not reliant on anyone. Their battle tactics and abilities are also useful for us if we use them correctly. Yesterday we couldn't I believe now we can lure in the scarlet riders close enough," Alexia said with a smile.