Eve of War

Adil bent over his desk, writing furiously by candlelight. Once this letter was finished, it would be delivered by a spellcaster to Saladin, far away in Damascus.

Just today, he had sent the Crusaders a formal challenge.

Tomorrow, they would launch the campaign to retake Semannud City, and the outcome of this battle would determine Egypt's final fate.

No amount of preparation ever felt sufficient, but he no longer had the confidence to delay any further.

After all, Egypt's resources were limited. Gathering the magical materials required by the advisory corps consumed a terrifying amount of manpower and supplies. Moreover, the war would ultimately be fought on their own soil, and its impact on public morale and military morale had to be considered.

"My King, this battle concerns the survival of the Ayyubids. Though your foolish younger brother oversees Egypt's military and civil affairs, the outcome of this war seems to have nothing to do with me. It all rests upon Shemiel alone."

"Master Shemiel's power is awe-inspiring, but I cannot tell whether he or the Crusaders' spellcasters are stronger."

"If we lose this battle, Egypt will be lost. And if Egypt is lost, the future of the Ayyubids can only be to bow before the Sasanian King."

That was easy to say, but how could things possibly be so simple? Whether the Sasanian King would even accept their allegiance was one matter; whether Eranshahr, said to be fighting nomads from the east in Transoxiana, still had the strength to offer aid was another.

He had once believed this year would be the year the Ayyubids reclaimed Jerusalem, raised their prestige to its peak, crushed the King of Kings in Ctesiphon, and became the supreme ruler of the entire Zoroastrian world.

No one could have imagined that the arrival of