If I strained my eyes a little I could see pretty much all the way to the other side of the gap from here and what I saw was sobering and terrifying. It chilled my blood. There were no less than four large armies I could identify. The king's war host was dug in a few miles to the west, close to the hills and mountains, probably to keep the three armies of the council of kings from moving into their back. Of course that meant that the king had decided to abandon the idea of any further maneuvering as well. They were pretty much trapped there. Sure, if the king really wanted he probably could slip out in between the three armies trying to hem him in but he and the troops would be under constant attack if they were to try and break out like that.

One of the mostly human armies I could barely make out. It was further south and even further west, almost beyond the gap in our land. I couldn't tell just how many enemies were gathered there with any degree of certainty but judging by the cloud of smoke and dust in the air above them it had to be thousands at the very least. I could make out a little more detail regarding the second army, which probably was the largest one. Humans and elves spilled forth from that encampment by the thousands, gathering into massive formations, almost like ants spilling forth from a hive that had been disturbed. There were large blocks of pike and the ones behind them were probably archers. There contingents of light and heavy cavalry as well, milling about. It might have looked chaotic at a first glance but the trained mind would quickly come to realize that everyone was moving with purpose.

The body of troops camped closest to us, not an hour of march away if I had to guess, might just be the smallest of the council armies but the still numbered in the thousands. They were deploying from their camp as well, to move upon my king's host. It seemed they were not yet aware that we were here. What really chilled my blood though was what I could see atop the hill at the center of that particular camp. Not a single tent had been pitched anywhere close to it which was quite understandable, really. Sitting there was the biggest damn wyvern I had ever seen or heard about. For a moment I had even mistaken it for a real dragon but the stinger on its tail gave it away in the end. I shuddered. It had to be at least twice the size of the one my friends and I killed. No, it probably was even bigger, judging by the figure sitting in a heavy saddle at the base of the creature's sinuous neck.

It was Kaele who spoke up first. Her voice was trembling. “How are we to make a difference down there? That one army has to outnumber us ten or maybe even twenty to one.” She paused and swallowed hard before continuing. “And how are we supposed to deal with that monster? That … that thing could probably crush half our troops in one go by just falling out of the sky.”

I took a moment to look around, at the others. I could see the tension in everyone's face. Even Tortho seemed troubled. Quu'za tried to act brave but I could see that the tips of her feathers were trembling. I put a hand on her back, rubbing it lightly. I didn't speak up right away though. My sister wasn't exactly wrong after all. What worried me a little more though was the fact, that the enemy already controlled the airspace above the battlefield. There were plenty of smaller wyverns gliding on the thermals up there. A dozen of them at least. More of them lay dead in between the armies. But the dead bodies of wyverns were outnumbered by far by those of gryphons and pegasi. Only directly above my king's war host some of the latter still circled. That particular battle had already been lost as far as I could tell.

That was the most troubling part. The army on the ground we could deal with somehow. The enemies air superiority on the other hand was something we had to negate or we would not stand a chance. Not even a small one. I strained my eyes and started studying the air currents the enemy fliers were riding. There were thermals for sure. There was a choppy wind as well though. I was studying the dust kicked up by the marching soldiers, my hand still on Quu'za's back, when all of a sudden memories, memories of another life, started bubbling to the fore of my mind once more. This one felt even more weird than any I had faced before. It was as if I was watching second hand information. It wasn't something I had experienced myself but something I had watched on a screen? It described a particularly devastating weather phenomenon.

It lasted only a moment but by the time it ended I almost laughed out loud. I didn't even try to keep the ferocious smile off my face as I straightened back up, waving away the worries of the others. “Kaele, sister dear? You learned a spell to manipulate weather, didn't you?”

She nodded, confusion clear on her face. “I did. But how will that help us face such numbers? Never mind that particular monstrosity. Somehow I don't think that a single lightning strike will be enough to kill that maidens cursed, flying giant lizard.”

I just kept smiling like a maniac and turned to face the high plain of the gap again, pointing out across it. “We have two air currents meeting here. One hot and wet wind blowing in from the south and one cooler directly from the east. Add in the thermals from the sun and we already have a decent thunderstorm brewing. I want you to speed it up and strengthen it, if you can.” She nodded and I shifted my outstretched arm towards the army camp around the giant wyvern. “Focus the clashing winds there. Make the hot, wet air rise. Give it a twist.” I turned to face them again, still smiling, showing a scary amount of teeth. “And once a funnel forms in the clouds, make it touch ground just south of the damn giant wyvern.”

My sister had blanched slightly at my instructions. She understood. She probably had learned a thing or two about weather in general as well, while learning her weather manipulation spell. She swallowed hard. “I … I … I'm not sure I can control a whirlwind like that once it forms.” She paused slightly. “If it turns to move our way it will kill us as sure as it will kill any elf or human.”

I just kept grinning. “Well, at least I'm not doing anything reckless this time. Instead I'm making you do it.”

Kaele just groaned and Quu'za elbowed me in the side. My sister was rubbing her temples but I could see that she was already making the mental preparations for casting the spell. Quu'za on the other hand had questions. “Why have the whirlwind spring up to the south of the big wyvern? Why not have it come into existence right on top of it?”

It was Tortho who answered. “The beast will get caught in the storm anyway if we make it just strong enough. These twisting winds are no joke. And the part of the camp to the south of it is the part with the most banners. If they still have cavalry reserves, that is where they will be. If we take those out we will only have to face infantry which will make the rest of the battle much easier.”

I nodded. “There will probably be plenty of rain as well. The ground out there will become much softer. It will slow down whatever they throw at us, giving Yath'zur and his company much more time to bombard them and break up their formations.” I pointed down the hill. “Have Arngard position the troops to one side of that dry creek right at the bottom of the hill. It probably will not stay dry. Either way it will protect one flank. Have Tora'pheer's riders move behind them in the cover of the forest. I don't want her company seen yet but I want them ready to move at a moments notice if we manage to break up the formation of any human or elven units.”

Everyone nodded eagerly. My enthusiasm apparently was contagious. Once I finished relaying my instructions for the placement of the army Quu'za was off like the wind to deliver them. Kaele was already deep in trance, working her magic. I could feel the drain on the ambient mana from a dozen paces away. She was really going all out. Tortho moved up to my side, chewing on a straw. “A good plan, but it will be a hard battle anyway.” I nodded and he spit out the straw. “But if we don't manage to take out that scaled monstrosity with your sister's magic it might all be over before we even get a chance to realize how bad it is.”

I nodded once more. “If the damn monster doesn't get torn apart by the storm I'll lure it up here. I pointed around the glade we were standing in with my glaive. I'll challenge it and we will face it right here.”