Chapter 344: Plans
"Damn it all," Jackal sighed, sounding more tired than upset. "Thank you for the report. At our current speed, when would you estimate our arrival?"
The scout answered immediately. "Assuming we camp for the night, we should see the city before noon tomorrow."
Jackal nodded, and waved his hand, dismissing the man. "Good. Find yourself one of the suppliers and get something to eat."
"Thank you, sir." The scout saluted and left.
I glanced at Korra, but she just shook her head, proving her own confusion. As the column of soldiers resumed marching, she stalked closer to Jackal and folded her arms, staring hard at Jackal. "What’s this about arriving too late? I thought most of the army had already arrived a few weeks ago?"
The old, scarred soldier let out a long breath, turning to look at us, and a rising sense of dread clutched at my heart. I had a sinking suspicion I knew what this was about.
"Our original orders were rendezvous with reinforcements at Bluegate Keep. We were promised the numbers to hold against the demon forces there and prevent them from marching on Brithlite itself, as well as the powerful individuals capable of standing against the Enusian allies fighting with them. Those were our biggest problems, and the reason we’ve requested heroes for battle."
"Than apostles," I mumbled, my tail twitching uncertainty.
Korra nodded, but Jackal raised an eyebrow. "Apostles? I’ve never heard of a title like that. All I know is that they are tremendously powerful, perhaps as much as our heroes. They were solely responsible for defending the Demon Gates until they broke, denying us the chance to nip the assault in the bud. It’s hard to estimate how many gates they’ve opened behind their lines, but our best guess is around five. We’ve killed thousands of them, but their numbers are supplemented daily by a stream of disgruntled demonkin and beastkin. When they forced us to retreat, the combined army was close to thirty thousand, and that’s not accounting for the eight ...Apostles above seventh level."