Castor, Merric, and Horace surveyed the pass from the outskirts of its mouth. Theuses, L'arch, and Ilvnag had elected to stay behind and organize plans from the camp. The cliffs on either side stood tall like massive towers looming down on them, waiting to gobble them up.

Castor's grip tightened on his sword even at the thought of having to storm such a strong location. There were a multitude of problems that could go wrong and hundreds of unforeseen attack positions. And yet, they would have to do it. Castor muttered a silent prayer before returning his gaze to the pass.

"We can't go over the shelves?"

Merric shook his head. "They are hundreds of feet high. Scaling them with a force of our size would take weeks. Tunneling isn't an option either. The stone is hard as granite. Even the dwarves wouldn't be able to do it in the time span we have."

"What about a small force? Say, one-hundred men. It would be enough to set a distraction while the main force shoved its way through."

"Not an option," Horace answered. "From their vantage point on the fortress walls, even the top of the cliffs are clearly visible. They would see us coming."

They sat for several moments in a frustrated silence. "What if," Castor suddenly thought, warming up to the idea, "what if they couldn't be seen?"

Merric looked at him curiously. "You mean if they were hidden?"

"Yes. Hidden by magic."

Horace looked up. "Magic? You mean the elves? The idea would technically work, but we desperately need them in the front lines to cover our right flank. We couldn't even spare a hundred."

"But would it work?" Castor asked.

Merric thought for a second. "I guess, but Horace is right. We need the elves to cover our flank. They'll be invaluable on the front lines."

A grin crossed Castor's face. "That's fine. I've got something else in mind." He spun his horse around and began galloping back toward camp. Merric and Horace glanced at each-other; confused, before spurring their chargers after their king.

That afternoon at the command tent, Castor explained the plan. After he was finished, the leaders of the races looked at him suspiciously, especially Theuses. Ilvnag was the first to speak.

"If your plan doesn't work, we will be stuck in the center of a mass of enemies with no place to go. It would take only seconds to strike us down. You know this, do you not?"

"I do, but it is the only way. It will be enough for us to get through to you. Their lines will be disrupted and we will be able to break them quickly, but the timing will be crucial. You will have to wait until the horn is sounded or else it will all fall apart." Ilvnag nodded thoughtfully, though his face still showed concern. He'd be foolish not to, Castor thought. The idea was crazy, but it could work. It had to work. "Theuses, L'arch. Can you hold to the front lines? The men will need to see their leaders and you two will be extremely helpful."

Theuses raised an eyebrow, playfully. "Helpful?"

Castor sighed. Leave it to an elf to be worried about pride at a time like this, he thought. "Extremely needed."

L'arch nodded; the edges of a smile showing on her face. "That's better, and yes."

"Merric, Horace, I will need you two at my side as well. I will, not to mention the men, be reassured to know that two men such as you will be fighting along-side me."

"Of course, my lord," Merric answered. Horace did likewise.

Castor pointed once again to the map. "We will assemble here," He said, pointing to a spot near the mouth of the pass, "tomorrow morning. At noon, we attack." The others nodded grimly. "Good night everyone."