"We are going to enter Ivory Forest at this point," Felis said, pointing at a mark in the map that was rolled out in front of him. Along with his thirteen commanders, he was sitting around a table. Some of them were standing and peering at the map while two of them were listening to their king.
Felis indicated a point in the map that was right in the center of the Ivory Forest. The forest was dense in this area and a perfect cover for them to tread.
"What about Pegasii spies?" asked Brix, the senior most commander. "In the past we have seen that there are spies almost everywhere. I don't know how they detected our movement outside of Aquila."
"It is highly unlikely that the Pegasii spies are going to be in this part of the Ivory Forest," Felis growled. "Or are you afraid, Brix?"
Brix took a deep breath in. "I am not afraid of anything, Your Highness. I am just trying to lay out the probable problems. The last I heard was that Pegasii had loads of faes, and King Biham is using them to protect his kingdom and also protect the kingdoms that ask for help."
"Shut up!" Felis roared. "You must be a dullard to think that there would be faes in this part of the forest. It is too dense and not a single creature walks here. The trees out there are carnivorous. They don't drink your blood, but they will dissolve your bones!"
Brix became quiet as a shudder passed through him. Some of the trees in that part of the Ivory Forest fed on bones. If they sensed blood, they just threw their branches out and rolled the creature in it. Flesh and blood were sputtered out but bones were eaten.
Felis brought his attention back to the map. "This is the only place we can infiltrate. If we don't take the risk, we won't be able to reach Cetus. There won't be anyone near this area!" Felis marked the route with a pointed charcoal. "We will be crossing it here," he drew a line. "And we will walk in a single file to reach Cetus."
Felis's lips lifted in a half smile. "I know," he replied. "But we have to be very careful. I have asked the blacksmiths to send us the armors that we can wear over our wolf forms so that we are able to cross the Ivory Forest without getting injured or becoming the prey of the trees."
The commanders gave yet another appreciative glance to their king.
"Tomorrow night, we shall start!" Felis ordered. "And tomorrow morning your armor will arrive!"
"How are we going to let our fellows know that we have won Cetus?" asked Brix with a frown.
"I will send a few of you back to inform the remaining Nyxers. I would need only about two hundred Nyxers."
He dismissed all of them after that and had dinner quietly. This was the most important part of his battle against Eltanin. Everything depended on it. Once he would take over Cetus, he would use the monks and his Nyxers to attack Pegasii. He was going to attack the kingdom from both sides and will send the monks to kill faes as well.
Later in the night, Felis went out for a walk, satisfied that he was going to win.
---
"There is a group of people who want to meet you, Your Highness," said General Balfour. He was standing in the court in front of the throne where King Biham was sitting. And the king was clearly too distracted. He was glancing at Kinshra every now and then.
"About what?" Biham asked him, but looking at his fae mate. She was so beautiful and intelligent and wise and... he sighed. There were simply not enough words to describe her.