After three days of sunlight and dry ground, the soldiers moved in. The plan was simple. Woodcutters would fell trees just inside the treeline. Soldiers would form a ring around them. Nahash would stay in the center, watching things on the ground, while Sirajuddin flew in circles above.
The plan worked. The workers cut down numerous trees before midday, some of which had grown for hundreds of years.
It was high noon when the star folk arrived in force. Sirajuddin sensed a sudden change in energy as a score of fairies fired attacks at him all at once. They attacked with heat, frost, and lightning. Sirajuddin managed to dodge or deflect most of them.
Sirajuddin whispered to Nahash, The fairies are back.
Do you need assistance? asked Nahash.
There’s a lot of them, said Sirajuddin, but I think I can handle it.
Good, said Nahash. I’ll stay on ground in case this is a distraction.
Sirajuddin fought the angels. For every three hits they landed on him, he nailed one of them with his sphere of iron. Each vanished in a buzz of static. After he got five of them, the rest flew off to the east.
They’re retreating, whispered Sirajuddin. Pursue?
No, said Nahash. If you can still see them, they’re trying to bait us again.
Acknowledged, said Sirajuddin. I did get a few of them, at least.
Fantastic, said Nahash. There can’t be that many of them, or we’d have seen a more sizable force by now.
The workers continued. The star folk attacked twice more, losing more of their numbers and flying away each time. The dragons refused the chase.
At sundown, the soldiers and woodcutters returned to camp with a bounty of fresh timber. The mood was lively, even celebratory.
The mood in Sarah’s camp was different.
"They refuse to be baited," said Quetzal.
"We tried three times.
They won’t give chase.
We lost ten more of our number."
"There aren’t enough of you to risk that again," said Sarah. "What to do next? Ambush them on the ground?"
"I can’t advise it," said Apollo. His huge eye narrowed and looked to the sunset. "We know a few things about dragons. One of those things is that you can’t sneak up on one. They have eyes like a hawk. They don’t see much better at night than we do, but they also have ears like a cat and a nose like a dog. They can even sense the vibrations of footsteps through the ground."
"Then we have no choice," said Sarah. "We have to attack. In force."