Half a day later, in a forest west of Rayleigh.
The lush plant life and the dark of the night acted as perfect camouflage. Nobody could tell how many mages there were hidden in there unless they actually walked right in.
The mages inside were tightly crowded together, leaving little to no breathing room. Although entire forest was jam-packed, it was still extremely silent. Only Benjamin’s voice could be heard quietly giving out orders.
"You might still be puzzled as to why I have called all of you here to this forest." He was standing on a huge rock, speaking slowly, "The truth is, the demonstration was a hoax, the purpose of which was to lure the Bishop away. Moments ago, I got confirmation that a troop of priests and a thousand soldiers led by the Bishop will be drawing close to Rayleigh in just a few hours. We are here to ambush them."
He had brought a group of mages from the Desert City and members of the rebel organization to act as his standing army for today’s battle.
