Empire Of Souls

Since it was meant to be the site of a large battle, she had chosen this particular location after some serious deliberation. If the Spider Queen hoped to advance further on the Steppes, she would need to deal with Lenia"s army here, but that didn"t mean there wasn"t a possibility that she would send forces to surround and flank them. Lenia wasn"t worried though. Nelay was the one scouting and keeping Lenia informed of the enemy"s movements. With a Legendary being like Nelay constantly sweeping the surrounding areas, there was very little concern of being surrounded. 

Standing next to Lenia"s horse, was the cursed Anathema. Lenia only paid her a short glance before ignoring her. She continued to survey the land ahead, for what, only she knew. The Spider Queen"s army hadn"t arrived yet, but they would definitely arrive soon. It was only a matter of time. The numbers were expected to vastly exceed the size of Lenia"s army, but she wasn"t worried. Her only concern was that they hadn"t yet located the Dragons and their army. Had they been completely routed? She wasn"t sure. Part of her mission was to rescue them and with their help, push back the Dark Elves.

"Even without the help of the Dragons, we will not lose." She mumbled to herself.

Anathema looked at her but remained silent. This was nothing more than a game to her. She could annihilate an entire army all on her own. They were no more than ants to be squashed whenever she pleased. The only threats were the Spider Queen and the Spider Broodmother, but even they did not cause any anxiety for her. They were just bigger bugs, one even literally so. If she had her full strength, the entire Steppes would easily collapse from just a casual strike. 

On the other hand, Lenia was quite nervous. This was her first time commanding an army on her own and she knew that her master was expecting great things from her. She couldn"t afford to let down his expectations. Lenia glanced back over her shoulder and observed the large encampment behind her. There were earthen walls with spikes protruding from them, archer and mage towers, and other makeshift defenses which had been either conjured by magic or constructed by the soldiers. It wasn"t meant to be a solid fortress, but it was still their main camp which needed to be defended. Magic allowed for quick construction of such things, but there was still a limit to what could be done out in the field. Also, it wasn"t wise to deplete the magic power of the magic casters before a battle.

Her army was not as large as the reported numbers of the Dark Elves, but she had worked hard to train her army and selected only the most highly skilled warriors and soldiers or those with the greatest potential. She had whittled the numbers down until she had a solid seventy thousand. Most of them were warriors of the Steppes, but there was also a solid core of Human soldiers that came from distant lands. They formed the most elite force because they had already been soldiers and accustomed to military training. 

To bolster their numbers, only the most elite of Steppe warriors who were either Advanced cla.s.s beings or on the cusp of Advanced cla.s.s were chosen. This force was close to ten thousand strong and would be in the center position of the army formation. They were to hold the center and not allow the enemy to breach the main camp. They would also be used as a hammer to penetrate the enemy army. There were a dozen or so Master cla.s.s beings which were either newly advanced or had been part of tribes which had been a.s.similated. They were chosen as officers and were spread out throughout the army. 

"Why build such fortifications? A single sneeze from me would blow it all away." She was slightly over exaggerating, but it wasn"t wrong to say that she could easily crush the encampment they had constructed.

"This too is training. You are a freak, so you don"t count." Lenia said without any regard for her companion.

Anathema didn"t seem to mind and replied, "Even that oversized bug and self proclaimed Spider Queen could easily smash this camp apart. But I see your point. It is difficult for me to lower my perspective to that of bugs. I suppose when you are an ant, an anthill seems like a proper defense. It is against other ants, but it is just a welcoming meal to the anteater. Cladem always tells me that I need to readjust my perspective for this lowly place, but it is difficult for me. Perhaps I should be more positive and see this as a good chance to understand those beneath me."

Although to Lenia her words were dripping with condescension, she also understood that Anathema was just being honest. Lenia was just a mortal Human. Even if she was created by Aleks that didn"t change the fact that she was Human. She could only try to imagine the world that a being like Anathema came from. This did not discourage her or change her own determination in any way though.

"You can only speak this way because you were born into that world. I may not have been, but I know that one day my master will take me beyond this world. You can gloat for now, but one day I will surpa.s.s you!" Lenia said with fiery conviction. 

She didn"t doubt her master in the least and had absolute confidence in him. 

Anathema chuckled which seemed to incense Lenia.

"Relax girl, I am not laughing at you. I respect your determination. You are right. I can"t change my birth or what I am." 

Lenia wasn"t expecting Anathema to say such a thing and she visibly calmed down, but she was still skeptical of Anathema"s intent. Anathema turned to look at Lenia with a serious expression, which caught her off guard once again.

"I envy you, you know. Just a little bit. You don"t know this, but we Celestial beings have always envied you mortals. That goes for us Daemon, as well as the Angels. The Creator gave us all life, and though we Celestial beings are indeed superior to you mortals, there is one thing that we will never have. We can only be what we were created to be, but you mortals can be anything that you desire. You should understand that this is the greatest gift that the Creator ever gave other than creation itself. It came out of his love for Her."

Lenia eyed Anathema cautiously, waiting for the barb she felt was coming. However, watching Anathema speak, she saw what looked almost like a hint of sorrow. She wondered who she was referring to when she said "Her" with such reverence, but also with such sadness.

"Don"t be mistaken. If my words seem laced with sorrow, it is only because of the sorrow that remains within our very souls from the Creator himself. It is not my sorrow, or the sorrow of my kin. We were created to destroy, and destruction is inevitable. No matter what She intends, the Creator"s will must be carried out. Only we remain loyal, the rest all betrayed him. Soon… perhaps soon we can return to him after finally fulfilling our purpose."

Lenia frowned, it seemed Anathema was talking both to her, but even more so to herself. These were things she didn"t understand, maybe her master understood, but not her. Her only concern was winning this battle, everything else was not important in this moment. 

Suddenly, Anathema"s eyes shot up and she peered intently into the distance.

"They are here."

Lenia was surprised and tried to search the horizon where Anathema was looking, but she saw nothing.

"You can"t see them yet, but they should be in sight soon. I think it is time we returned to the camp and prepared for battle. Remember, I will not help you in this battle at all. It is entirely up to you. I will only step in once the Spider Queen and her pet make their move. You must not disappoint your master. Those that have no use get thrown away, remember this."

Anathema turned and walked back towards the camp, her steps were deep and heavy causing the ground to quiver slightly wherever she stepped.

"b.i.t.c.h… " Lenia spat quietly, "Master would never throw me away and even if he did, that is fine too."

Although she hoped that wouldn"t happen, she would accept anything if it came from him. He had given her life and purpose and she would willingly sacrifice herself for him. 

"But that would just be too sad.."

Anxiety gripped her throat. It was a foreign feeling. The thought of her master throwing her away was something she dared not think long on. Even in her dreams she longed for him with an intensity that rivaled a hurricane.

"Unfortunately, he only has eyes for that thi… No, I shouldn"t say that. Even if I hate her, she is someone deserving of him. I can"t bring myself to say anything bad about her."

Lariel was the only one that made her lose all her confidence when it came to her master. She didn"t feel that anyone else could possibly threaten her position at his side and no one could compare to her beauty. She was very confident in that, except when it came to Lariel whose beauty could make the stars weep.

"Enough useless thoughts."

The ground began to vibrate. It was only barely noticeable, but she could sense it. This was the sign of a huge number moving across the Steppes. A large army and by the vibrations and using her senses, she could come to an estimate. It wouldn"t be absolutely accurate, but it wouldn"t be too far from the truth.

"At least two hundred thousand, perhaps as many as two hundred and fifty thousand."

Carefully eyeing the distance, Lenia could finally make out distant blurry figures. This was clearly the forward units of the Dark Elven army.

"You have finally arrived, good. I was growing impatient."

Lenia took out a small horn and blew it. This alerted the camp and many soldiers began bustling about in preparation for the battle to come. Even though the Dark Elves had finally arrived, it wasn"t as if battle would immediately begin. There was always a bit of time before that took place. It was getting late in the day and even though there would sometimes be battles at night, they were not the norm. 

Magic made things possible that normally wouldn"t be, but it would be a waste. It was usually just better to wait for the day time to begin battle. Either way, she expected that before battle broke out, there would be envoys arriving from the Dark Elves and some posturing. Only once talks broke down would the battle finally begin. Lenia was curious to hear what the Spider Queen"s demands might be. Just to be cautious though, they would need to be prepared for a night a.s.sault. War was always unpredictable, but she didn"t think that would happen. At least not on the first night.

"She is going to be in for a surprise if she thinks she is just going to march over us. Her conquest of the Steppes ends here!"

Lenia turned her horse and rode back to the camp. She was no longer nervous and was now eagerly awaiting the battle to come.