The Fate of Three

Chapter 21: When Night Falls

The only light illuminating the cold night was the soft faint glowing emanating from the two villages. Even so the smallest bit of light lit up the whole sky as it glinted off tiny white flecks of the first snow. Neoma crouched in the shadows, barley breathing. Amon was by her side, his hand touching hers just so they could each know the other was still there. Behind them they knew there was Carter, Owen, and Wren, but they didn't dare turn around out of fear that if they did they would miss the signal.

When they had returned from their walk, past curfew unfortunately, they had returned to find all of the orphanage children gathered together and Kratos was explaining his plan to attack. Carter, Wren, and Owen arrived at different times throughout the explanation, apparently they had gotten separated during the patrol. After he had finished explaining everyone split off into three groups; the distraction team, the battle team, and the rest where to stay at the orphanage. Kratos himself would go with the distraction team, who would stir up some trouble but not actually fight while the battle team (which consisted of only five people) would force back the borders where Yang had been cutting into Yin's territory. 

It had all happened so fast, and Neoma knew that she said she would be ready for it when it happened but she couldn't help that her heart was thumping rapidly against her chest. Suddenly without warning a cacophony of noise began to rise up at the border a long way off. The five of them waited with baited breath as the soldiers standing guard at the border snapped their heads in the direction of the noise, then half of them took off toward the commotion. They could even see the Queen riding down from the castle toward the, unknown to her, distraction. Amon reached over and gave Neoma's hand a reassuring squeeze before signaling the others.

"Now,"  he whispered. They all stepped out from the shadows.

"Who goes there!" Demanded one of the guards.

"I am Amon," he said drawing his sword threateningly. Owen didn't have a weapon and Wren didn't draw her whip as she also preferred hand to hand combat. Owen had a dagger gripped in his small shaking hand, once again making Neoma wonder why he had insisted in coming instead of Zannia in the first place. "I come on the orders of Kratos. You have been pushing your borders into out territory. Fall back and return the borders to their original position and we will leave peacefully." Amon voice was firm and clear, ringing out through the night.

"I'm afraid I can't surrender to a bunch of kids like you," sneered the guard.

Amon lunged forward, his sword crashing against the guard's and taking him by surprise of how much strength he had. In an instant all the others had lunged into battle too. There where only three guards, total and things looked promising for Yin. 

Neoma took out one of the guards by hitting him with a powerful blast of dark energy. Owen and Wren took out the other with a little help from Carter. Amon slashed violently at the guard and had him breathless on his back within a few minutes.

"Still think where just a bunch of kids?" Amon sneered as he placed the blade of his sword against the  guard's neck, where his armor didn't protect him.

The guard however sneered right back, and laughed. "Look around you, kid," he said with a triumphant smile.

They all looked up to see that, much to their horror, they where surrounded. Over a dozen guard stepped out of the shadows, all of them had a sword in hand and looked on the enemy without a hint of mercy in their eyes. 

"Surrender," one of them barked.

Amon looked at the others. They knew there was no longer any hope of winning, the most they might be able to do is escape. Owen growled at the nearest guard, Wren held tight to her whip ready to draw it at a moments notice, and even Owen stood his ground. When he finally he met Neoma's eyes he saw a fierce glow in them, seeing her courage gave him the strength to stand his own ground.