had dropped among them had been concentrated on the center, where, indeed, she had been situated. The high priestess suspected that she could thank luck as much as her patron for the fact that she had survived.
Actually, she could thank one more. “You threw yourself at me.”
“With all due respect, you are more important to our people than I am,” Shandris responded, straightening. “I did not know that I would land just where my mount would fall after the next strike!”
The horns sounded again. Another flight of arrows from the Alliance side flew over the river. The Horde forces held up their shields, creating a wall. Most of the arrows either bounced off the shields or stuck in them, but several still caught their intended targets. A number of warriors fell or pulled back with bolts sticking out of them.
“They have not managed to ford the river yet,” Tyrande noticed.
“It is deep and the current is strong, but that should still not be such a problem for them. They are testing us out; I know it!”
Denea rode up. “General, they did much the same when they attacked our main outpost! The commander thought that they were counting our archers!”
“Likely enough! It will do them no good. We have got far more than we are using. The others will be a nice surprise when they think they have got our numbers down!”
As the Alliance archers continued to fire—and the orcs on occasion fired back—more mounted Sentinels readied along various points of the line. Tyrande and Shandris had come to Ashenvale with a battle plan already in mind that did not need to wait for whatever the Horde intended to throw at them.
Four contingents of huntresses armed with lances now kept their mounts ready for the signal. With them stood double their number of Sentinels on foot, both those with glaives and others with swords. Accompanying them were dwarves of the Dark Iron and Bronzebeard clans, while farther back, Wildhammer dwarves waited for word to urge their gryphons skyward. Humans, draenei, and gnomes—the last armed with some especially vicious devices—intermingled with the first two dwarven clans. A few magi, mostly from Theramore, were also in attendance, their focus on their dark counterparts.
Tyrande’s priestesses had separated into two groups. One went about healing the wounded, while the second watched Tyrande expectantly. They were to assist in her own attack.
Another unit consisting of defenders from Ashenvale formed a new center. Denea had volunteered to take command of them in place of Haldrissa, and Shandris had agreed to that. The general gave the younger Sentinel some last-minute instructions, then sent her off to her soldiers.
Shandris turned to Tyrande. “Are you ready? Can you take over?”
The devastation around the high priestess still fresh in her mind—and especially the deaths of those who had paid for being in the vicinity of her—Tyrande flatly replied, “Be ready.”
With a crooked grin, Shandris secured another mount from one of the other Sentinels, then rode off. Tyrande of necessity led her own cat farther to the rear. Although she ached to join Shandris in battle, for this, she had to be in a safer position. Only when her task was accomplished could she enter the fray herself.
The apparent impasse held. Making certain that the assigned priestesses were ready, Tyrande waited for the right moment.
A horn blew from where Shandris commanded.
The Alliance archers ceased firing.
The orcs forming the first ranks roared, then charged toward the river. Tauren and trolls followed them, while in the back, the undead warlocks of the Forsaken and witch doctors from the trolls began casting spells that Tyrande hoped her own side would be able to counter with minimal losses. Arrows flew toward the Alliance’s own front ranks, where huntresses, lances ready, were forced to crouch behind shields and barriers.
In concert with the other priestesses, Tyrande prayed to Elune.
Moonlight touched her and her followers. It then reached forth beyond the defenders’ lines, stretching across the river. However, where before it had simply glowed everywhere in order to dissolve the false mist, now its light focused as if through a diamond.
And even moonlight in the eyes can blind.
The front ranks of the Horde were caught in their tracks. The hulking warriors stumbled. Whether orc, tauren, or some other powerful fighter, there was nothing they could do. The light caught them by surprise. It dazzled their gazes. Several orcs ran into one another, their positions made worse by the fact that they were half in the water.
Now, Shandris! Tyrande silently