The Valkea continued to weave her dark energies around Carra's caravan until the foremost riders came into view.  Her veil obscured some of her view, but she could make out the dark shapes of the horsemen against the snowy background.  With an imperious wave of her hand, she silently ordered her soldiers to prepare for the attack.  Her lips twisted into a contorted smile in anticipation of victory when suddenly her heart convulsed with pain when the shouted chorus of the Queen's chant reached her ears.  She staggered and one of her lieutenants reached for her arm to steady her.

"Punish them!" she hissed angrily as she pulled away from his grasp.  "Kill them!  Kill them!"

Whispers buzzed down the slope as her orders were quietly relayed to the archers.  Soon the Valkea was rewarded with the sounds of battle and she watched with a renewing sense of pleasure at the scene of chaos enfolding below her.  Laughter and snickers broke from the lips of those around her when they took note that Rodal's archers were shooting blindly up the slope.  From that angle the arrows struck harmlessly against the rocks.

"So much for the might of Wesperos," her chief lieutenant mocked.  "They're utterly helpless!"

"Let's make a new altar supported by their bones," suggested another.

The Valkea joined in the ensuing laughter and stepped a bit farther out on the ledge to get a better view of the killing.

All of the laughter and jeers came to an abrupt halt when an unexpected flood of arrows started landing on the slope, actually hitting and killing her archers.

"No!" she screeched in outrage at seeing the unexpected carnage on the slope.

For a second time, these idiots were besting her fighters!  It was time to put a stop to it.  The Valkea drew up to her full height as she screamed in fury and then stretched her arms and pointed down the slope at her enemies.  Gathering her will she sent the full force of her powers of Darkness down to crush them.  They were going to pay!