[Ella, Halime, Talila, Nala and Maeve's POV]
The five girls enjoyed the food Ella had cooked, savoring every bite. Nala complimented her cooking skills and expressed her enthusiasm, saying that once they were back on Draconia, she would treat them all to a meal she cooked herself.
Following that, the girls continued the journey through the forest until they were a few miles away from the fortress. Once Nala was further away, she left the trees behind and sprinted across the landscape.
The other four girls sat on her back while scanning their surroundings as Halime commented, "Will we be sneaking into Novgorod City?"
"Yes, that's why we have the disguise rings, but I'm not sure if they will work anymore," Ella answered while scanning the grasslands.
They passed by villages and towns that dotted the landscape, but the deeper they went into Verdantia, the more build-up areas they encountered. Nala was growing tired, and Maeve pointed at a distant mountain, "Go there! We can rest for a while."
Nala nodded before veering to the right and headed toward the mountains as a spell slammed into the spot they were just in. Halime and Ella stiffened but looked up only to see three eagles swooping.
Talila pushed Halime out of the way as the monster grabbed the silver-haired elf in its talon before flying off. The girls screamed out, but Maeve commented, "That rider is stupid; watch what she does."
As the orange-haired girl spoke, an explosion reverberated through the air, followed by a harrowing screech of pain. All eyes turned to witness a shimmering silver glow as the mixed- elf transformed into her dragon form and unleashed havoc upon the Novgorod Eagles.
Ella spotted Talila pursuing a fleeing Eagle Rider, swiftly seizing them in her jaws and ripping them in half. Blood cascaded down, painting a grim tableau, until the silver dragon descended and resumed her human form.
With a sheepish grin, she landed gracefully on Nala's back. "Sorry about that, girls. I tend to work up an appetite in dragon form."
Amid laughter, the lioness quickened, and the surroundings blurred into a rush until a city appeared in the distance. Ella pointed, declaring, "That's a Church of Light City. We keep going until we spot the golden domes of Novgorod City."
Nala nodded in understanding. She began the ascent as they approached the mountain, navigating the steep path until they reached a ledge offering a perfect view of the sprawling grasslands below.
Maeve and Ella set up a lean-to against the rock wall while Halime and Nala set up their sleeping areas. Talila was looking over the edge and saw hundreds of torch lights in the forest below. She smiled as her instincts kicked in.
She turned back to the girls, "I'm going hunting. Will be back in a few hours," she said before jumping off the ledge.
***
[Talila's POV]
Talila slid down the mountainside, bow in hand, and as she reached the bottom, she cast her tribe's camouflage spell, "Leafstep."
The spell cloaked her movements as she leaped into the trees, darting silently across the branches. She approached the first cluster of torches and spotted a gathering of Novgorodian soldiers in a clearing, their attention scanning the surroundings.
Perched on the nearest tree, Talila crouched low, observing the group below. Twenty men and women were scattered around, unaware of her presence. She heard them complaining overhead.
"Why is the emperor listening to the Pope? He's the one who started this conflict," remarked
one man.
A deep woman's voice cut through the conversation, declaring, "The White Dragon's wives are on Verdantia. They've already killed hundreds of our soldiers and fanatics, they razed a fortress. Of course, the emperor would want to capture them."
leaving us stretched thin."
When the Pope heard this, he sighed before replying, "Return to the barracks to rest, commander. I will send the Battle Sisters after them."
"Yes, My Lord," the Eagle Commander cut the connection.
Jeremiah went to work writing orders for the soldiers his daughter Lysandra Volkovitch led,
which was recently created by church fanatics. After finishing that, he called out, "Justin!
Come in here now, boy."
A young boy rushed into the room as the Pope spoke while handing over the order he just wrote, "Take this to my daughter and make sure she gets it."
Justin took the papers before bowing. Then he left the room and rushed through the church until he stopped short when he spotted the Pope's daughter. She was a sinful, curvy older woman with wavy burgundy hair and beautiful green eyes.
Every man and some woman fancied the warrior priestess who was well known on the Verdantia Continent. Justin shook his head and rushed over to her. Lysandra turned around and spoke in a heavy Russian accent, "What do you want, boy?"
Lysandra gulped but handed over Pope's orders, "Here, My Lady."
She took the paper and waved off Justin. As she read through its contents, she thought, 'Damn,
the old man wants me to hunt Al-Maseeh At-Tinyan's wives. May the Fireheart Goddess bless my
passage forward.'
Afterward, Lysandra headed to her mother's office. It took her just ten minutes to arrive, and upon entering, she saw her aunt Catherine sitting with her mother. When the grey-haired woman noticed her, she smiled warmly.
"My dear Lysa. What brings you here? Missing your lovely aunt, I presume?" "Still as vein as ever, Aunty," Lysandra smiled before turning to Natalia, "'Mama, Father wants me to hunt down Al-Maseeh At-Tinyan's wives, but if I do, the boy will hold a
grudge."
Natalia was about to reply, but Catherine interrupted, "Lure your forces into a secluded place, and I'll kill them all. It will get rid of one of those old man's power bases. We can say you were
lost in the fight."
Lysandra's eyebrows shot up in shock as she retorted, "What would that accomplish?"
"You will earn the White Dragon's favor along with his girls, which is important to our
family's plans," Catherine revealed.
Natalia and Lysandra looked at the grey-haired woman, who smirked at them before talking, "You ladies won't be disappointed and won't have much stress."'
They were confused, but they ignored her cryptic words and started to organize a plan to deal
with the Battle Sisters.