Chapter 9: The Fate of Envidia

Rodrigo:

Rodrigo watched the sunrise light up the valley below them and took in the gentle sound of a breeze and birds, providing a song for the anjanas ballet among the trees and mountains. The prince envisioned farms, homes, and churches with settlers from the north and south alike. It would become a place for all people of Envidia to live. But this was only a dream at the moment, Rodrigo's Dream. Instead, a city of tents, banners, and earthworks occupied the grassy fields below them. Rodrigo never imagined a single army could hold so many men, but here they were, a tidal wave of death and destruction ready to sweep away everything his ancestors had fought and died for.

Rodrigo looked around to his left and right. Tens of thousands of knights and men-at-arms all knelt in prayer, led by Archbishop Arias. Arnaut, Pedro, Zehra, Seraphina. Blizzard, too, let out a deep growl and nudged Rodrigo until he saw Sancho beside him. The prince fortified himself, for he knew that they were the cliff which this wave would break upon. Rodrigo clutched a Christogram in his hand and continued to pray.

"Father, whatever happens, today, let me be strong, courageous, and dedicated like my abuelo. If today is the day I enter your Kingdom, may I not fear it. I trust you, my Father and Savior. Por favor, keep my friends safe."

Rodrigo turned to Don Alvaro, also deep in prayer, and noticed the wedding ring on his finger. It was a recent addition since he and Alba learned some exciting news right before they departed for the Crusade. "Let these brave warriors live to see their families." Rodrigo fought back tears when he looked over at Pedro and the countless Crusaders around them. Soon enough, Seraphina and Zehra fell into his sight. "Let them not return to slavery." Rodrigo prayed again and again.

"Saint Petronas, hear my prayer. Protect us this day. Guide us through the valley of death and to a brighter future. Saint Circe preserve us. May our healers save as many as you do. Father, whatever happens, may your will be done. But if you see fit, keep my people and my family safe. My mother, my sisters, and-" The prince hesitated and felt his hand shake as he stared back at the christogram. "Protect my father, too."

With a final deep breath, Rodrigo pressed the christogram to his heart and surrendered himself to the Father's will. He performed a holy sign when thunderous horns erupted across the valley floor. Blizzard growled and huffed out a cloud of mist. However, Rodrigo still saw through it and heard the chorus of jeers, insults, and threats made by the Invadores below. Many gave vivid descriptions of what they planned to do in Tierrero once they won, but Rodrigo would not satisfy them with a response. However, a few rocks formed in his stomach when he saw the Invadores gather and begin their own prayers.

A dozen temple ministers carried baskets of gold bars and set them before a human-sized statue of the Celestial King set in the center of their camp. This fanned the flames of delight among the Invadores, who cried louder and louder with each piece of gold set down. Rodrigo almost snarled with Blizzard when he saw blood-stained Christograms made of gold or silver set down with them, much to the delight of the Invadores. Then, he revealed himself. A shiver ran down Rodrigo's spine when he saw the Caliph Selim and his abra emerge with a squad of Köleaskers around him. The soldiers and nobles bowed before him, and soon, the Caliph positioned himself before the statue.

"Great, illustrious, magnificent, and Invincible Celestial King! See the Celestial tribute we have laid out before you! We ask you to return to our civilization what was lost to the animals before us!"

Selim's eyes lingered on the Crusaders and Sancho. Rodrigo put his hand on the king's shoulder after he felt the ground around them shake. "Stay focused. Don't let him provoke you."

"Si-" Sancho started. However, a frigid silence over him, Rodrigo, and the entire army when they heard the next round of jeers. Five men and women bloodied, battered, and ravaged, but their skin still glowed in the sunrise as they were dragged out and tied to posts in full view of the Crusader army.

Seraphina opened her mouth, but no words came out. Rodrigo's heart sank after he saw the light leave her skin. The other few lumens mixed within their ranks looked no better as they watched their brethren get bound to the posts while Invadores soldiers piled straw and other kindling by their feet. Zehra's hyperventilating reached Rodrigo, and he soon understood why she did so. Another statue was dragged out beside the Celestial King. A figure the prince remembered all too well, even years later. Selim prostrated himself before this statue, too, alongside the temple ministers.

"Gazap! Mighty god of war, we ask for your strength and power to destroy our enemies! In return, we offer you a sacrifice. These thieves!"

Selim's fingers pointed to the five captive lumens, and his army erupted into furious calls for their blood and other obscenities. However, the world slowed as five temple ministers with wicked smiles and wide eyes lit the kindling beneath their prisoners. Arnaut sprung to his feet, and it took two knights to restrain him while another dragon held Inferno back. Rodrigo watched hundreds of men across their line try to break ranks and save the lumen, but calmer heads prevailed, and none succeeded. They could not be provoked into making a mistake, not now.

"Saint Circe, ease their passing." Master Panos kept his eyes on the lumens, but Rodrigo saw a single tear escape his eye. Seraphina proved less firm and shook as a stream formed across both cheeks. 

"I'm-I'm sorry."

Rodrigo and Arnaut tried to comfort her, but she shook her head. Her eyes fixed themselves on the five lumens, who did not scream or thrash about. Instead, they raised their heads to the sky and prayed above the jeering and insults around them. "Father, forgive them." Their prayer was answered with intense laughter from the Invadores, but it sent the Crusaders into a somber silence.

"See their example, my brothers and sisters." Archbishop Arias stood up and raised his Christogram above them all. His voice carried across the army. "Father, we seek your blessings, your humble sons and daughters who come before you as Crusaders before those who would defile your Holy Church. Keep our hearts free of hatred, bloodlust, fear, doubt, greed, and lust. Saint Petronas, we seek your intercession. Father, may we remember only our duty, not for our glory, but yours, who live and reign forever and ever."

"Amen!"

At that, Rodrigo and everyone else performed the holy sign and began forming up according to the order of battle. Keos rushed over to hand Arnaut his helmet and finish strapping on Inferno's saddle.

"Por favor, let me fight with you, Don Arnaut!"

The boy's arms wobbled as he struggled to hold up a sword. Rodrigo readied himself to speak but soon smiled when Arnaut took the sword from him and ran a hand through his thick hair.

"I admire your courage, Keos. But you are only ten. You will have your day, but it is not this day. If we lose, I want you to take a horse and flee north. Do not stay. You will not be a slave again."

"Surprisingly level-headed from you, magma boy." Zehra chuckled as she came over, dragging Ozil by the chains around his wrists.

"What's he doing here?" Arnaut tightened his fist until steam rose from it, but Rodrigo grabbed his arm. "I asked her to bring him here."

"Really? What did you have in mind for our esteemed guest?" Pedro flashed a smile as he came alongside Rodrigo.

"Ozil, I do hope one day we can save you as we saved Zehra-"

"I shall never bow to a weak shepherd god and stoop down to become a barbarian-" Ozil grunted after Zehra bonked his head and left a sizable bump. 

"Don't interrupt him. That's rude."

"Gracias, Zehra. As I was saying, I do not expect you to become one of us today. However, I am offering you a chance for Tierrero to become your safe haven for the time being by our victory." Rodrigo held up a key and smiled when he saw Ozil's eyes widen.

"Si, your sister says you can handle yourself with a sword. Therefore, you could help us today among the cavalry."

"Ne? Give me back Desert, and I'll be of much greater use to you!"

"Yeah, right, big brother. We give him back, and you'll fly off to parts unknown or turn against us. Be a good boy and aid us against the adiler who killed father and Suileman, and we will give Desert back to you. Of course, I'll be sticking close. Someone has to make sure you behave yourself."

"I hate you."

Zehra pinched his cheek with a wide smirk. "That's too bad."

"Fine, I will lower myself to fight among barbarians. But I'm not doing this for you or your filthy kingdoms." Ozil held his hands out, and Rodrigo undid the shackles. However, Arnaut forced himself in front of the Invadores nobleman. His fist dripping with liquid rock.

"Betray us, and you'll find out just how hot magma is."

"Geeze, hot head, you think I'd let him betray us? Have some faith in me."

Zehra dragged Ozil off and waved to Seraphina as she approached. Her bright eyes met Rodrigo's, Arnaut's, and Pedro's. 

"I'll be joining the cavalry as a chaplain. All of you, stay safe."

"Don't worry about us. Saint Petronas is with us. Today is the day we defeat that monster, Selim, and take the fight back to our enemy!"

Arnaut's body glowed red, and a thick veil of steam surrounded him. "And when it's done, I'll become a Baron!" Rodrigo found himself smiling again as Pedro chuckled and jested about Arnaut's obsession. The Conquete snapped back with magma in his hands, but Pedro did not stop laughing. Even on the edge of the biggest moment of their lives, his friends were still themselves. But the best was yet to come. For Seraphina came over, and Arnaut's magma vanished when she grabbed both his shoulders and stared into the Conquete knight's eyes.

"Don't throw your life away for ambition! Especially when there are those who care about you!"

Seraphina's cheeks turned a little red, and her voice rose uncharacteristically high. Arnaut's face turned scarlet, and he shook, unable to muster words. Just a bit more, Rodrigo longed for Arnaut to say something, to admit what he had denied since the day they saved Seraphina. But alas, he just grunted.

"I'm not foolish. Someone has to keep Rodrigo safe."

"Gracias, mi amigo. I shall have nothing to fear with you and Inferno by my side. You stay safe as well, Seraphina. Enough lumens have died today." Rodrigo hugged her and felt a few tears dampen his armor. Seraphina gave them one last tearful smile, then left to join the Tierreron knights.

"I'll see you all when this is over."

Rodrigo, Arnaut, and Pedro mounted their dragons and took to the sky with the other dragon riders. From there, the prince had the perfect view of their army, arrayed just as he had planned. The three military orders formed the vanguard in the center ahead of everyone else. The Mardierra, Riquezarra, and Noshfael men-at-arms formed up a solid infantry line to their right while mounted knights, sergeants, and jinetes from Mardierra and Riquezarra. King Ferdinand, his dragon nobles, the Riquezzarra dragon crusaders, and Gabra flew over their cavalry. Rodrigo then looked down to see the Tierrero men-at-arms in another line to the left of the military orders with their knights and jinetes directly below himself. Sancho patted his shoulder and smiled, warming the prince's heart.

However, this joy hardened when Rodrigo examined the Invaodres' order of battle. Selim did not disappoint. His vanguard was composed entirely of horse archers, with the Köleasker corps behind them formed up in a tight formation, far more cohesive than anything in the Crusader army, save the military orders. Thousands of bashi bazouks flanked them on either side. However, unlike the Köleaskers, these men had no order and massed as enormous mobs. Sipahi heavy cavalry formed along the extreme flanks atop scrawny equoferri with lighter horse cavalry mixed in. Last were the ordinary Infadores professional infantrymen, garbed in bronze and black colored armor plates with mail between them and turban helmets, their carried polearms like the Aciemes men-at-arms. This force made up the bulk of Selim's army and formed solid units behind the bashi bazouks and Köleaskers. Rodrigo's heart raced when he put the pieces together. He had heard the stories enough times and gulped hard.

"The same formation as the first time we met, Selim."

Sancho almost laughed. Rodrigo took another deep breath while Blizzard howled. They were right. He had anticipated such a move from Selim. Their order of battle was firm, and they could defeat their enemy if they remained strong. Then, the prince's heart raced when Invadores warhorns blasted like thunder. A wave of hisses echoed from the multitude of Abras, followed by a chorus of roars from the dragons in response.

For a brief moment, Rodrigo saw himself back in Riquezarra, still a boy who could never defeat his opponent. Who could never gain his father's love. Yet, these memories froze like ice and shattered. This was not who he was anymore. Everything was set now. His plan, the army, and his friends were all ready to do what they had to for Envidia, for the Fidels people, for the Father. He would achieve Rodrigo's Dream. He would free Envidia from the yoke of the Invadores, show them the truth of the Father, and end the horror of slavery forever.

He roared with Blizzard, overpowering Sancho and Tremor. These cries masked the next set of horns, signaling the horse archers and Köleaskers, who now marched forward to the steady beat of drums. Rodrigo's eyes shot to their vanguard of Holy knights and sergeants. Don Rafael, Marshal Wilfreid, and Marshal Remero remained firm and kept their troops in good order. However, Rodrigo noticed, through Blizzard's eyes, Marshal Remero's left hand flick a little.

Within moments, the Invadores horse-archers and the five Abra riders over them reached the base of the hill and charged up while a strong wind blew with them, driving the formation up. Despite this, Marshal Remero's right hand flicked, and Rodrigo felt a strong wind blow against him, just as they had planned. He and the other dragon knights had to keep their epaulet jackets from flying over their heads against the wind while the Crusader banners rocked against their shafts. Soon, the horse archers unleashed a volley of arrows that soared like a tidal wave of death. Rodrigo gripped Blizzard's reigns so tight they froze but relaxed when he remembered his plan. At first, these missiles flew fast with the wind, but soon, many stopped as if hit by a wall. Those that continued on fell short or bounced harmlessly off the knights' armor and equoferri's thick hides. Closer and closer, the horse archers came, perhaps faster than they anticipated, thanks to the wind. At that moment, Rodrigo thanked the Father that they took the high ground. Don Rafael and Wilfried cried together, swords drawn.

"Forward, brave Ritters!" Wilfried's dragon roared while Wilfried's body contorted. The Holy Knight's magicae armor remained, but soon he took on a bull-like appearance with horns growing out of his head.

All three dragons roared over the horns and led the holy knights down in a solid conroi formation. The next volley of arrows proved as effective as the first. Yet Rodrigo saw a harsh realization of the truth in the horse-archers' eyes. The riders jerked on their reigns with all their might while the Abras, too, tried to turn themselves around. It was a solid plan, one the Invadores often used to great effect. Lure out the knights and other heavy cavalry with faster horse archers and lead them on a chase until their order and stamina vanished. Such tactics won the Invadores many battles over the years, including Selim's campaigns against Sancho.

Rodrigo's nightmares often depicted himself or his grandfather falling into such a trap. However, the prince took heart when he looked back at their vanguard. Marshal Remero's wind magic did its work without the Invadores temple ministers even realizing it. The horse archers moved too fast and turned too late. The holy knights and their sergeants lowered their lances when they were only a few yards away and couched them beneath their arms. The entire world seemed to slow around them, and both armies fell silent.

Despite being high in the air, Rodrigo almost felt the ground shake from the charging equoferii. The silence vanished in a chorus of unrelenting screams from the Invadores horse archers as they tried to turn and flee in utter disorder. Thousands of light-footed horses ran into each other in a desperate attempt to escape the tidal wave surging down the hill toward them.

Rodrigo howled with Blizzard again alongside Arnaut and countless others. The sense of enthusiasm almost exploded inside him when he watched the holy knights make contact and sweep over the horse archers like a tsunami. Lances tore through flesh while hooves stronger than steel crushed horses beneath them. Blood and entrails, both human and horse, stained the grassy hillside. Despite this, the holy knights' charge did not slow.

Pedro roared with Gleam, cheering his father, and Rodrigo turned his eyes back to the sky. There, Don Rafael and Glint blasted one of the abra riders out of the sky with beams of golden light, shattering the pearl around them. Don Remero propelled himself and his dragon forward like a ballista bolt with their wind magic and slammed into another abra, severing its and the rider's head.

"For the lumen!" Marshal Wilfried slammed his horns into the third abra rider, knocking him off his beast while his dragon bit down on its skull. "What he said!"

Rodrigo found himself amongst the chorus of cheers throughout his Crusader army. One by the horse-archers fell, cut to pieces by broadswords, trampled by equoferri, impaled by lances, or ripped apart by the three dragons who descended upon them after finishing the abras and their riders. Rodrigo breathed out a thick mist with Blizzard. Phase one was completed, and even though the fighting continued, Rodrigo knew the enemy vanguard was finished. However, his heartbeat fluttered again when another set of drums echoed across the battlefield. Cheers joined this chorus from the Invadores army when their Köleasker corps closed in upon the holy knights. Each slave soldier marched lockstep with their drum beats and raised their polearm cleavers into a thick forest of steel.

Rodrigo gritted his teeth and longed to turn away, to pretend he was not helpless to save them. But alas, he forced himself to watch the horror unfold. The elite Invadores corps cut down their own horse archers who remained in their path just to reach the holy knights. Equferri proved far tougher than horses, but even they fell before multiple blows from armor-piercing cleavers. The knights fought on with fanatical resolve, but their order and cohesion fell apart after an extended melee with the horse archers. More abra riders descended upon the three commanders, and the mobs of bashi bazouks surged forward. Soon, the irregular troops swarmed over the knights' flanks while the Köleasker corps pressed in from the front.

"Infantry forward!"

Sancho's voice boomed over the two horn blasts. Rodrigo watched their men-at-arms march to the beat of the drummers among the ranks. He knew the plan, but it offered him no comfort as the holy knights and their sergeants fell one by one. Soon, only a few hundred remained, and they formed a makeshift shield wall behind their fallen horses and equoferri. Blizzard whined and jerked forward, but Rodrigo gripped one of his horns.

Rodrigo forced himself despite his heart commanding him to act. Then, it happened. The wind around them died down into a gentle breeze. The prince caught his breath and begged for it not to be true, but his eyes did not lie. Two abra riders brought down Marshal Remero and his dragon, who crashed into the Earth. A dead silence ensnared the Crusader army, save for the prayers muttered.

"Adios, amigo." Don Alvaro and Sancho performed the holy sign while Arnaut boiled inside his armor, magma dripping down from his flesh and leaking out through gaps in the plates.

"Don Remero, gracias. Father, preserve us." Rodrigo prayed and turned to Pedro and almost saw the pale expression behind his helmet. Gleam, too, whined and jerked toward the melee. The prince could not imagine what his friend endured watching all this.

"Pedro."

"Huh!?" The golden knight jumped but kept his eyes fixed back on the melee even as Rodrigo assured him. 

"He'll be alright, I promise."

"Si. Just-just a bit longer," Pedro stuttered, and Rodrigo forced himself to look back. Don Rafael and Marshal Wilfried fought with the same tenacity as their dragons, but like their knights below, they started to buckle against the Invadores vice coiling around them. Rodrigo prayed again and again until, for the briefest moment, he thought he saw something or, rather, someone else behind the two commanders. A man, the same man adorned in golden armor with bright gleaming wings, stood over them. Rodrigo rubbed his eyes and tried to look back, but thunderous cheers from men and dragons alike seized his attention. Arnaut laughed, and Rodrigo soon smiled once more. Their men-at-arms arrived, halberts and polearms lowered in tight formations.

"Por the Father and Envidia!"

The soldiers echoed as one tore into the bashi-bazouks. The ensuing melee was nothing short of a slaughter as the irregular marauders scrambled to face their new attackers who outflanked them. Within minutes, they fell back as disorderly as they came, and the Crusader infantry formed up on either side of the holy knights, creating a single line of heavy infantry. Fresh chaplains from the main line raced to the beleaguered knights and washed them with gleaming water. In an instant, their injuries vanished, and they rose back up revitalized. A few of the abra riders tried to blast various forms of magic down onto the line, but each vanished before the chaplains. Two broke from the air battle to try and attack the line directly but soon suffered for this decision.

"Saint Petronas!" Gabra thrust his lance out and, with his dragon, unleashed two bolts of lightning that scored a direct hit on one of the Abras.

"Saint Petronas indeed!" one of the Noshfael dragons snarled as his rider transformed. He sprouted a pair of gleaming wings while a golden halo gleamed over his head with a similar aura around him.

"A Seraphim!" Rodrigo almost yelped in disbelief. He had heard the rumors that Gabra's lieutenant was one of the legendary magic users who took the shape of the Father's servants. Beings who lived beside him in the next world and watched over humanity alongside him. It was form so rare that less than a dozen known users were recorded in history.

"Father, be good! You see, mon ami, this is a sign we are in the Father's grace! We shall prevail!" Arnaut laughed.

"Si! Go!"

Pedro cried with Gleam as the Noshfael dragon knight made short work of the second Abra rider, then swooped up and knocked away another who tried to attack Don Rafael from behind. The Grandmaster cheered in appreciation while blasting his opponent back. Rodrigo shook again, but this time, he lost himself to the cheers and applause from their mounted forces. The bashi-bazouks only kept themselves together by their sheer numbers, but blood and human entrails made dozens trip and strumbled over each other. The wall of polearms tore them apart with brutal efficiency, but the Köleaskers remained steady. Their temple ministers likewise absorbed any stray magic sent by the Crusader riders and revitalized the slave soldiers with gleaming light. However, with their flanks secured, the dismounted knights and sergeants came in a proper formation and held their enemy at bay. All they had to do was wait for the men-at-arms to route the bashi-bazouks, and then they could attack the Köleaskers along the flanks.

"Rodrigo." Sancho's booming voice forced him to look back at the main Invadores host. He needed no explanation and almost felt the ground shake once more. Another horn blew, and with it, the entire Invadores cavalry host charged. Horse archers, skirmishers, and sipahi heavy cavalrymen on equoferri raced together in different squadrons. The horsemen had to slow down several times not to outpace the equoferri but still bore down upon their infantry. This was it, their moment to act.

"Father, be with me."

Rodrigo did not need the horn blast. Gripping his lance, Rodrigo spurred Blizzard, who shook the entire battlefield with the other dragons. Sancho and Tremor flew out first with Don Alvaro and his dragon. The other Onyx Knights surged ahead, followed by every other knight in their line. Mounted sergeants and jinetes came along the extreme flanks, with King Ferdinand leading the Crusader cavalry along the right forward. Adrenaline flooded every inch of Rodrigo's body. He imagined this moment for as long as he could remember, and now he charged straight at it. He had years of training, hardship, fighting, and struggles, but it was just a glimpse inside of Rodrigo's Dream.

The prince looked to his left, to his right, and ahead. Arnaut, Pedro, and Sancho. Glancing below with Blizzard's eyes, he spotted Zehra and Seraphina. Then, at last, he looked forward, and with little time left, he embraced Blizzard's neck. The dragon's snarling vanished, replaced by a gentle whine. Without another word, Rodrigo rose up and couched his lance like the knights below and around him. The planet itself shook when the Crusader cavalry made contact. Hundreds of Invadores riders flew from their saddles, many in pieces. Others fell to javelins hurled by the jinetes. As much as he wanted to join the knights below, Rodrigo focused on an abra slithering toward them.

Together, he and Blizzard blasted a torrent of ice into the abra, which coiled around their magic. The rider thrust his lance toward Rodrigo and, with his abra's striking head, sent their own storm of ice forward. It took a moment before Rodrigo realized what was happening, and he cursed himself for delaying. Blizzard dove beneath the magic, which came within inches of his wings. The abra tried to slither down after them, but the dragon turned his wings fast, and he flew up at a sharp angle. The serpent hissed and jerked backward to avoid a collision, but another shift from Blizzard brought him dead onto his target. The steel tip of Rodrigo's lance slammed into the nobleman's Magicae breastplate and shattered like glass. However, the impact, along with a burst of ice, lifted him up and out of the saddle. His abra faired no better, and Rodrigo felt his partner's ferocious satisfaction as he snapped his jaws into the beast's lanky neck. Salty blood trickled into the dragon's mouth, fueling his fiery tenacity alongside the abra's shrieks. Blizzard tossed it around in the air, goring its side with all four sets of claws until, with a final ice-filled chomp, the head snapped off and fell beside its rider.

That was one down, but Rodrigo did not care to think about how many remained. Instead, after confirming there was no immediate threat to himself and Blizzard, he searched for the others. Be breathed again upon seeing his abuelo. Don Alvaro kept close to the king and together helped Sancho battle a trio of abra riders. The Onyx knight's sword exploded in a blue firestorm when he plunged it through an opening in his foe's armor. Sancho, if possible, made the sky itself tremble when his sword and fist slammed into the other abra riders, sending their magic asunder while Tremor crushed the beasts with his tail.

Arnaut was far easier to find. His shouts proved more fiery than the magma around his sword and fists. The prince was not sure if it was the barrage of mordhau strokes to the abra rider's head or heat from the magma that killed him, but it did not matter. Arnaut raised his sword in Rodrigo's direction and then descended on a group of sipahi. Snarling, Inferno culled at least eight with his claws and snatched the temple minister in his jaws. Unprotected, another ten tried to flee but to no avail. Two jets of fiery magma engulfed them and their equoferri.

Arnaut was right where he belonged, and Rodrigo wished he had more Conquete knights among them. However, his Tierron's proved no less devastating. The prince found Pedro, who emerged victorious against an abra rider, only to zoom through the air in a flash of light away from them. Rodrigo soon understood why, for another dragon shrieked in pain while an abra wrapped itself around him with acid oozing out of its skin.

"Help us! Anyone, por favor!" she begged while her rider, likewise, groaned after acid flew across his exposed skin, or rather fur. For the knight's magic gave him the likeness of a tiger-man beneath his armor.

"Ask, and you shall receive!"

Pedro pointed his offhand finger out and blasted the acid abra rider with golden light that exploded upon impact. Gleam did the same against the abra, who recoiled. Now free, the second dragon gouged her opponent's face with her front claws, and the knight unleashed a feral assault. Within moments, the abra rider fell before he could conjure more acid. Satisfied with their safety, Rodrigo and Blizzard searched the thick cavalry melee below. After the initial impact, the Crusaders and Invadores hacked away at each other with swords, maxes, and axes. Finding Zehra and Seraphina proved far harder, but he kept his breath steady. Panicking would not help, and so he let go, putting his faith in the Father.

Soon, his faith was rewarded. Blizzard howled and pointed his shared sight to a group of mounted sergeants. The prince found himself laughing when he heard Zehra's war cries rival Arnaut's. She fought alongside Ozil. Her rapier parried several sabers from the light cavalrymen around them, and Ozil's work with a sword caught Rodrigo off-guard. He mixed in bursts of sand with each stroke that tore into each opponent before his sword did. At last, he found Seraphina absorbing bursts of magic from above and healing some of the sergeants. However, the lumen shot him a stern look and gestured back to the sky.

Rodrigo gave a sheepish smile behind his helmet and heard Blizzard snickering. Spurring him on, Rodrigo and Blizzard flew back into the thick of things. Rather than seeking out an individual opponent, Rodrigo kept his eyes peeled for any other dragon riders in need. However, so far, the Tierreron dragon knights proved more than a match for the Invadores riders. The prince said a silent prayer for two fallen riders and dragons below but remained vigilant so that no others would join them. That's when he saw him. A sleek abra rider moved toward his grandfather from below while Sancho and Alvaro still battled different opponents. Without a word, Rodrigo drew his sword and braced himself against the torrent of wind when Blizzard propelled himself down like a ballista bolt. However, as if by premonition, the abra slithered aside and shook his head.

"Tsk tsk tsk. So uncivilized. Tis just like your filthy race to rush furlong into the fray without thinking first."

"Indeed, partner. Let us deal with this rabble and tend to the king." The abra rider's scrawny body transformed into a cheetah-like man with claws, fur, a snout, and a tail. Blizzard made a sharp turn, but the abra sunk his fangs into Blizzard's side. Rodrigo roared in agony with his partner but threw himself around in time to catch the Cheetah's lightning-fast sword strike toward one of the gaps in his armor plates. However, he found himself unable to launch a counterattack from the barrage of strikes. The Cheetah jabbed his offhand fingers toward Rodrigo, but the prince managed to shift himself, so his armor absorbed the blows. Blizzard snarled and tried to bite, slash, and blast the abra with ice. However, the sleek serpent evaded him at every turn and struck him with two more bites.

"No strategy and no thought whatsoever. How have we lost so much land to you creatures?"

The abra struck again, but this time, Blizzard lashed out with his tail and covered it in ice. The blow came within inches of missing, but Rodrigo blasted ice into the Cheetah and helped drive Blizzard closer to the abra. The Cheetah endured the ice but grunted when Blizzard's tail smashed across the abra's face and knocked out his fangs. 

"Gaaag! You wretched beast!" The abra tried to bite him again. However, without fangs, it did little.

"How dare you! Filthy animal!"

The Cheetah unleashed another barrage of strikes, but this time, Rodrigo had a different idea. He channeled his icy magic around him and waited. He blocked the next sword blow but let the Cheetah job an opening in his armor. The Cheetah threw his hand about, and Rodrigo saw the frostbite spread.

"Surrender," Rodrigo offered, but the Cheetah opened his jaws and tried to bite him while slashing. The prince knocked the sword aside and seized the Cheetah by the neck. He thrashed about even as ice spread over his body. The abra's teeth grew back, but as he bit down, Blizzard followed Rodrigo's example and froze that section of his body.

The abra thrashed about until Blizzard snapped his jaws around its head. At the same time, Rodrigo gripped his sword and performed a mordhau stroke, shattering the man within his armor. Blizzard snarled in victory, and Rodrigo breathed faster. He wondered how he could have convinced the man to turn away. But alas, now was not the time. With the abras thinned, Rodirog and Blizzard descended upon the already wavering Invadores cavalry.

"I've got you now! I am a champion of Tierrero, hey!" Zehra screamed at Rodrigo when he and Arnaut lopped the heads off three light cavalrymen. "Those were mine! Hmmm!" 

Zehra pressed on and downed a temple minister, allowing King Sancho and Don Alvaero to destroy an entire squadron of Invadores Cavalry with fire and tremors. Rodrigo joined in with an icy barrage. Further across the battlefield, he saw King Ferdinand's flank having similar success. In particular, he noted the light infantry in round helms and gambesons aiding his knights. These footmen hurled javelins or ran between the horses, dragging the riders down and slitting their throats. Almogavars, the deadly mountain warriors of Mardierra.

This was it. Just a bit more, and they would win the battle. Rodrigo's Dream could be realized. Yet, a harsh realization struck him. The prince gulped and looked back at the center. There they came, the Invadores' regular infantry. Marching in tight formations, the soldiers lowered their pikes and killed the last of the bashi-bazouks between them and the Crusaders. Despite their far greater size and strength individually, the Aciames men-at-arms started to give ground against the Invadores' soldiers' lockstep discipline. Inch by inch, they pushed the Crusader infantry back up the slope. The holy knights backed up together, but the secular men-at-arms struggled, and Rodrigo's heart rate spiked when he saw their line bend inward against the sheer size of the Invadore host and their discipline.

Rodrigo knew their only chance of victory lay in breaking the enemy cavalry, but the prince's stomach hardened into stone when he saw a formation of Köleaskers moving in from the enemy camp toward them. Calling out amid the storm of steel clashing against steel, horses, equoferri, dragon snarls, and war cries would do little. So he guided Blizzard at top speed toward Sancho. Their flight took them in front of Arnaut and Pedro, who followed after he waved them toward him. Arnaut shouted several curses in Royaume after looking in the Köleasker's direction, but Pedro just shrugged and kept flying.

At last, they reached Sancho and Don Alvaro, fresh off their victory against two more Abra riders. It took the combined roars of Blizzard, Inferno, and Gleam to get their attention, and Rodrigo pointed to the Köleaskers and a fresh wave of abra riders. Tremor and Don Alvaro's dragons snarled, but Rodrigo continued. He gestured to the Onyx knights, still well-formed and rejuvenated by the elite chaplains and Master Panos among them. Rodrigo knew the risk of his plan. His mind conjured images of their cavalry collapsing alongside their infantry, the army being run down and massacred, and all three Kingdoms lying in ruins, with his mother and sisters taken into chains. The prince shook these thoughts aside. Calling upon Saint Petronas for aid. Sancho did not speak, but with a simple nod, he lit a fire inside his grandson.

"Ride well, my prince, and don't do anything foolish without me, my King."

"When have I done anything foolish, Alvaro?"

"Where do I start!?" Alvaro's laughter somehow lingered over the chaos around them. Rodrigo found himself smiling despite the battle when Arnaut and Pedro formed up on either side of him.

"Still glad your father sent you here?"

"This is where I belong! Fighting beside mes frères." His fiery words melted away the remnants of stone in Rodrigo's stomach, who smiled again beneath his visor. 

"Are you with me?"

"Always!"

The knights and their dragons roared together, and with that, Rodrigo surged down ahead of them. A pair of abra riders flew to intercept the trio, but they did not slow. Moments before impact, Sancho and Don Pablo crashed into the abras with their dragons and drove them off.

Blizzard, Inferno, and Gleam raked the ranks of sipahi with their claws and tails, then snatched three riders in their jaws. Rodrigo's magicae sword clanged against armor more than flesh, but the intense speed still threw the riders off their mounts. When Blizzard circled back, Rodrigo saw the Onyx knights pulling out and following Don Alvaro as they wheeled around the brutal melee. Spurring Blizzard on, he came in for another pass, but three more abra riders arrived. Rodrigo threw up a viel of ice seconds before yellow fire could engulf him. The abra rider did not let up as he and his beast blasted a continuous torrent of bright flames at the prince. Blizzard snarled and returned with ice, but neither he nor Rodrigo could overpower the enemy's magic. Instead, they tried to fly in close, but the abra slithered away each time and continued his distance attacks. Sweat soaked the inside of Rodrigo's armor, and he struggled to breathe from the intense heat. Even his ice magic buckled against the fire, combined with the frustration of their adversary's evasive tactics. Rodrigo glanced back at the whole left by the Onyx Knights.

With Arnaut and Pedro both occupied, the Sipahi started reforming. Gritting his teeth, Rodrigo thrust his offhand out and conjured an ice storm that consumed a pillar of fire sent by the abra rider. However, the beast slithered away once more and came from above, unleashing a shower of fiery meteors. Rodrigo gulped when he saw the Sipahi advancing. There was no other way. He would descend upon them, even if it meant being attacked from above. Gripping Blizzard's reins, he readied himself for a martyr's death. He had to save Envidia, no matter the cost.

"I'm here to save you!"

Zehra's laughter flooded Rodrigo with a joy he almost forgot was possible. Blizzard panted and whined at her as she led several dozen mounted sergeants and jinetes into the fray, halting the Sipahi's advance. Standing up in his saddle, Rodrigo laughed with her and blasted a blizzard of his own into the firestorm, consuming it. The abra slithered around again, but this time, Rodrigo and Blizzard saw another angle. Instead of combining their attacks, they unleashed ice in different directions, one at the abra and one near it. The beast and rider held them at bay but soon saw Blizzard using the time to get closer. Instead, they returned to evading. However, Rodrigo and Blizzard kept up their tactic, and when the creature evaded Blizzard's strike, Rodriog's ice struck its tail. This extra weight sowed the abra enough for Blizzard to close in.

However, as he did so, the beast and his rider went for broke. Both engulfed their bodies in yellow fire before counter-charging. Rodrigo gripped his sword tighter and kept a cool mind. Coating his blade and forearms in ice, he parried the flaming sword blows while Blizzard likewise coated his claws and fangs in ice while exchanging blows with the abra. The prince grunted against the intense heat, magnified by his magicae steel, but endured. His ice magic kept the flames from doing any real harm, but the discomfort took its toll. Even so, Rodrigo pressed on, blocking the swifter blade and fist until he saw his opening. The prince delivered an icy punch to the smaller man's head, knocking his mask away. 

Then, gripping the blade of his sword, he stabbed it into the flame-covered face, which extinguished in moments. The abra shrieked and flailed about until Blizzard gored his head open with three successive claw strikes. Rodrigo readied himself to aid Zehra and the others when a sharp pain like nothing he had ever experienced before tore through his back. He tried to scream, but Blizzard's howl drowned it out. The prince almost fell out of the saddle when his dragon lost altitude and shrieked louder. Something wet and thick splashed across the prince's epaulet jacket cape, soaking it, and a pit formed in his stomach. There, he watched half of Blizzard's right-wing membrane sliced open.

"Blizzard!" Rodrigo almost flung himself out to the wing, but Blizzard forced him down with his tail and crashed into the Earth.