King Ghidorah flew extremely fast.
Viewed from high above, the blue waters of the Summer Sea gradually gave way to plains mottled yellow and green, followed by the distinctive reddish-brown soil of the Land of Long Summer.
This was one of the most fertile plains in Essos, but now it had become a battlefield.
On an open stretch of plain, two enormous camps stood separated by nothing more than a dry riverbed.
Volantis had an army of roughly forty thousand.
Its core was the Tiger Party's elite Black Wall Guard, supplemented by large numbers of mercenaries and conscripted freemen. They were well equipped and in high spirits-or at least appeared to be.
Dozens of catapults and Scorpions had already been set up before their lines. There were also several war elephants, raised by one of the mercenary companies.
On the Free Bay side, five thousand Unsullied formed the central phalanx, their shields interlocked and their spears a forest of points.
Twenty thousand Free Folk troops stood on each flank, their formations somewhat loose but their morale high. Behind them waited five thousand Imperial Cavalry, made up chiefly of the first Dothraki Screamers to submit. Dozens of catapults and bolt throwers had also been set up before their lines.
The two armies stood a short distance apart, drawn up for battle. Banners fluttered, and a murderous tension filled the air.
They had already clashed several times. Since they were evenly matched, each side had won and lost battles. They had therefore agreed to fight at a fixed time each day.
Before the imperial lines, Duke Arthur Dayne sat astride his warhorse, his Valyrian steel armor gleaming in the sunlight. Dawn and another Valyrian steel sword, Daybreak, pointed diagonally toward the sky, their blades reflecting a cold light.
He glanced up at