The night was filled with last-minute organizing, rousing Guards across the country, shifting the last unsheltered civilians into the basement of The Second House, and setting up attack lines around the shore.
Trebuchets on the beaches were loaded, archers stocked up with supplies, and the last of the cup-phones made and handed out along the rooves of the Citadel.
Weapons were taken from the Smelting House in the village and distributed throughout the armies - who were now under the banner; The Unified Army.
By the time the sun broke, at half-past six, Noxa and Rhi were strutting up the hull of the ship giving his own orders.
Eighteen hundred people sat, divided into two 900 people groups.
A small shell sat tied around Noxas' neck, bouncing as he walked.
"Last night we left two hundred people in The South, two hundred parents, children, caregivers.
Two hundred mothers, fathers, grandparents. Babies. Teenagers. We do this for them. We don't return until we have a home for them", Noxa spoke, pausing for a roar from the crowd.
"We're here today thank you to our friend, Rhi, who spent months, upon months, years - even - to making this possible", Noxa stopped at the head of the hull, just in front of the stairway leading to the deck.
Rhi stopped next to him, waiting for the applause to ring out.
She spoke next, once the claps silenced - "tonight we fight as one; aiming to find a home for our people", the group broke into cheers again, "if in the way of that goal, I can separate the Prince and his head, well, so be it", the hull rang out in applause once more.
"You all have your plans", Noxa drawled, "get ready for launch!".
The mass of soldiers split up, moving out of their seats in order, from left to right, moving between the hull, and the deck upstairs.
Noxa took Rhi by her arm, and guided her away from the departing crowd, behind the staircase.
"Look - I need you to listen to what I'm about to say", Noxa bent down and spoke into her ear, "we are waiting - waiting for the others to clear out the Guards, but they might still have defenses we don't know about - defenses we might not be able to overcome with sheer force".
"What do you saying?", Rhi asked with a scowl.
"If, by some chance, I don't make it through, you need to make sure the army takes out the Prince, okay - once the head's gone -", Noxa spoke.
"- the rest of the body will follow", Rhi finished Noxa's sentence.
"Exactly", Noxa nodded, "and if we're to resist killing civilians, then that's a must-do on the list".
"Kill the Prince", Rhi echoed.
"Kill the Prince", Noxa nodded.
Each looked at the other like they wanted to hug, neither allowed themselves to break, however.
Out on the deck above, Noxa carried the crate of bombs and handed them out to men launching canoes over the side of the schooner.
Boats were tossed over the side of the ship, landing with a crash in the water below.
One bomb for every twenty-odd people, Noxa reasoned.
He stopped short at Perry, placed the crate on the deck, and asked - "you still okay to lead? Cause I can do it if you're not".
Perry shook his head, shaking his cropped black hair - "you need to stay here and protect the child, if we lose her, we lose all knowledge on how this place works".
"Good man", Noxa gave Perry a clap on the shoulder, picked the box up, handed Perry his bomb, and moved on to continue his distribution.
Once they received their bombs, the soldiers moved off the deck and into the rough-crafted canoes below.
Ten men loaded in each canoe, holding their bombs tight at the front, followed by a ten-man canoe behind them - shaped somewhat similar to a semi-colon.
While the first man in the front canoe held the bomb, the nine men behind him held armor, shielding him from remote attacks.
In the second canoe, archers loaded bows, ready to launch at whoever survived the bombs.
Slowly, they fanned out - the beaches of Little Motueka more than twenty kilometers away - still distant enough so they most certainly couldn't be seen from the shoreline.
Over the next few minutes, there was an eery sense of calm washing over the scene.
Waves lapped below, canoes fanning out to form a long line - one canoe in front of the other in groups of two - in a line encompassing five kilometers across - 180 canoes in total.
Noxa and Rhi stood on the tip of the schooner, watching the soldiers line their canoes up - until Noxa blew the shell-horn draped around his neck.
It boomed out a droning tone, and with it, the canoes set off - northwest, towards The Citadel- and with them; The Battle For The Four Pillars was officially underway.
YOU ARE READING
The Toils (Book Two)
Historical Fiction"Magnus gave a brief thought to Thatcher, somewhere in the deep south, surely over the Cold Country border by now" Thatcher has a lot on her plate. The skies have grown black, the ground is shaking, crops are dying and aquifers are drying up. Her op...
XV. Best Laid Plans
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