"Post seven, clear."
"Post nine, clear."
"Watchtower four, clear."
Owls fluttered over the treetops like living secret dispatches, delivering intelligence to Sylvanas.
In less than an hour, ninety percent of the orcs' open and concealed sentry posts around the northern and southern outskirts of the valley had been wiped out.
The remaining ten percent stood close to the orc camp.
Because those posts were too close to the camp, Sylvanas had held off on attacking them. But with ninety percent of the sentries eliminated, the troops responsible for the operation were now converging on the last ten percent, awaiting the order to strike. Those remaining posts were theirs for the taking whenever they wished.
The orc defensive line was like a man whose eyes had been covered and ears plugged. Oblivious, the sentries continued their routine calls and responses, never realizing that those voices were already an illusion created by high elves mimicking them.
"Now it's our turn!" Sylvanas handed the report of their success to Daelin. "Our main force must get through the pass before the orcs discover they've lost contact with their outer sentries."
Daelin took the paper and glanced over it. "Everything's ready. We move out now." He strode decisively out of the command tent.
Sylvanas and Yu Lin Bloodhawk exchanged a glance and followed him out.
Outside the tent, four hundred members of the Steel Torrent and two thousand heavy armored infantry had already formed up.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk walked up to the Steel Torrent of the City Lord's Household Guard and gave a simple order. "Move out. Get through the pass as quickly as possible!"
As quickly as possible! What that really meant was a forced march!
The four hundred members of the Steel Torrent and two thousand heavy infantry thrust toward the valley's