WoG Chapter 62

Chapter Sixty-Two: Green Ocean

Rinold’s desperate flight to the Far-Horizon Bridge culminates in a timely rescue by Ivin’s cavalry, revealing Endelêun as a strategic stronghold against an approaching Histê army. The chapter unfolds through Rinold’s tense escape and Ivin’s strategic planning, leveraging the city’s ghostly reputation and fortified walls to prepare for a pivotal battle.

Rinold’s POV: Rinold, leading his ragtag group of Silone, Kingdomers, and Wiirê, opts for the ancient road to the Far-Horizon Bridge, hoping to outpace the pursuing Histê tutûlê. The road’s pristine condition, despite its age, contrasts with the open terrain’s vulnerability, prompting a detour along the Gerbolê-to Creek for cover. Nehek’s suggestion to cross the treeless Green Ocean to reach the Mûulbon River and the bridge forces Rinold to weigh speed against exposure. Cresting a hill, he marvels at the bridge’s majestic white arches, a God Wars-era marvel, but spots a Histê patrol—or possibly the tutûlê’s vanguard—near the forest. Choosing to run for the bridge, Rinold’s group sprints through tall grasses, pursued by over a hundred Histê warriors. As they near the bridge’s end, Rinold forms a defensive line, expecting a fight, but Ivin’s cavalry thunders in, slaughtering the Histê. Reuniting with Ivin, Rinold reports the imminent threat of three Histê tutûlês, totaling up to 15,000 men, targeting Green Mountain, and shares Nehek’s insights on Histê unity and Wiirê neutrality, setting the stage for a defensive stand at Endelêun.

Ivin’s POV: Ivin, camping near Endelêun’s northwestern gate, welcomes Rinold’s arrival but is alarmed by Kinesee’s disoriented state after her ghostly encounter, confirmed by Rinold’s tale of a Wiirê killed by an unseen ghost. Learning of the Histê armies, Ivin strategizes to use Endelêun’s walls and the bridge’s bottleneck to counter the numerical disadvantage, bolstered by the ghosts’ apparent indifference to non-Wiirê. He orders Leto to rally the footmen from the forest, summon reinforcements from Green Mountain, Foggy Vale, and Forest’s Gate, and spread a policy of Wiirê amnesty to gain allies. Planning to delay the Histê with psychological tactics—displaying their dead on poles to evoke ghostly fears—Ivin rejects holing up, fearing the Histê could bypass Endelêun for Green Mountain’s forests. With 500 horsemen against a potential 5,000-strong tutûlê, Ivin banks on the bridge’s defensibility, superior steel, and Leto’s reinforcements to crush the Histê on the open plain, aiming to deter further invasions by proving the Silone’s dominance at Endelêun’s frontier.

• WoG Chapter 61 — Whispering Streets
• WoG Chapter 63 — Stacked Mountains
• Whispers of Ghosts — Main Chapter Listing