Chapter 25

The warlord's forces surged ever closer to Alexei's kingdom, scouts reporting their numbers and ferocity increasing daily. Though Alexei had mustered his troops as swiftly as possible, they remained outmatched. Grim options weighed upon him.

In the war room, Alexei pored desperately over maps by candlelight, seeking anything that could avail them. He had to find some way to shield his lands and Katrina from the coming storm.

At last a risky possibility emerged - luring the advancing horde into a mountain pass notoriously treacherous and prone to avalanche. It was a desperate gambit, but their best hope of evening the odds. Alexei began issuing orders to covertly funnel the enemy toward the site of ambush.

When the day of reckoning came, Alexei watched anxiously from a distance as the oblivious invaders took the bait, flooding into the narrow pass. The tide of their march would soon turn.

Finally Alexei gave the signal. With a thundering detonation, his engineers collapsed part of the