A/N -- Only mildly proofread, guys. Enjoy!
The first retreat came two hours before dawn, where the baron's men and his allies funneled backwards behind the protection of their walls. Iris was tired and covered in dirt, sweat, and the blood of various people. Both sides had sustained losses, but it was very far from over. After watching Baron Riasion's men take up station back inside the fortress, the rank relaxed and she sought out her sister. They'd gotten separated at some point during the night. Luckily for Iris, Rhalla was easy to spot among the crowd due to her height.
"Thank gods," Iris whispered when she found her sister alright. She walked right up to Hench and asked. "Are you okay?"
Rhalla looked her over with genuine concern, surveying her for wear as well before saying. "I'm fine. Yourself?"
Iris nodded, dazed from the lack of sleep. "I need rest. Otherwise, I'm okay." The rogue looked at their force. "But you should find Azabela now... make sure she made it."
Hench nodded. "As I imagine you should do with Kayde. The front lines got the worst of it." She cursed. "We weren't as prepared as we should've been. If General Rothstead hadn't acted so quickly against the riders, we might have fared a million times worse. I'm to blame for that. I --we should have set up our defensive stakes directly upon arrival. I shouldn't have distracted the Master with... my issues."
Iris swallowed a hard lump in her throat. "You couldn't have known they'd attack us. And plus, they had your son. They had Dane. They had our parents. That's serious. You reacted as any human --any mother, would."
"Even still. You were a military captain, Iris," Hench said. "So you know as well as I that you have to prepare for everything. Even if he'd killed Dane right then and there in front of everyone, I should have still made that defensive call. Lives are in my hands as much as they are in the Master's. And too many were lost tonight. Baron Riasion meant to distract us, and he did. I could have gotten you killed, girl. I'm sorry."
Iris threw up a hand. "It's not so easy to kill me. Now go. Find Azabela. Check on Dane and our parents. Then, get some rest. Tomorrow will be long."
Rhalla nodded and whooshed past her. As she went through, she called out, "Mount the stakes!"
That was when Kayde found Iris. He all but ran up to her. He looked as worn as Iris felt. Like her, he was coated in grime. His sleek ponytail was no longer perfect. Strands everywhere escaped around his face, and there were dark circles contrasting his bright eyes from underneath.
"Iris," he whispered, and grabbed her cheeks in his hands. "Oh, Iris. Thank gods."
"I'm alive," she said. "How are you?"
"The same." Suddenly, Kayde looked very mournful, and his hands fell to the sides. His head shook from left to right, almost in disbelief, and he spoke again. His voice came louder, but incredibly hoarse. "I... At least you made it. I've already lost a very good friend tonight."
"Who?" Iris asked, horror struck.
"I --we lost Sprite." A tear escaped over the path of muck on Kayde's cheek, and his voice broke in fragments. "My trainee. By the time I saw him take the hit... it was too late. I killed the man who did it... but it couldn't save him. I couldn't save him. If I would have paid more attention." Kayde was overcome for a moment. "He was dead immediately. His throat was open and... he was gone. There wasn't even a single moment left for a goodbye --not one that... not one that he could hear." Kayde's fist clenched and unclenched. "Please don't die, Iris. Please stay alive. Please."
Iris threw her arms around Kayde. He tucked his head in the crook of her neck and returned the embrace. "I'm so sorry," she whispered into his ear. ""I'm so sorry." She didn't hear him cry, but she felt his chest jolt against her.
After a long moment, he pulled away and held her at arm's length. "I'll protect you. With everything I have, I'll protect you. I promise," his voice was deep with sorrow. "I failed to save my daughter. I failed to save Allene. I failed to save my best friend --my trainee. But with everything I have, I won't fail you."
"Don't talk like that," Iris tried to console him. "None of it was your fault. None of it."
"I'm not sure if I can think about whose fault it was right now. It's too much," Kayde admitted and took a steadying breath. "We need to rest while we can." His voice wavered. "If we can."
Iris nodded. "You stay safe too, Kayde." She met his eyes. "I love you."
He smiled slightly through his tears. "And I love you."
At those words, they started back for the tents. Everyone was getting resettled, but there were more sentries out now. There was certainly more caution than before. Over halfway to the camp, Iris and Kayde met up with Azabela and Rhalla. Azabela looked far less gruesome than the entire lot of the melee fighters.
"You're alive." Another weight lifted from Iris's shoulders. "I hoped you were."
"The front line held on General Zayn's end," the huntress said. "We didn't come under direct attack."
"How's Dane?" Iris asked. "My parents?"
"Sleeping," Rhalla answered. "All of them now. Dane told me that they'd been holding their eyes open until about half an hour ago when they all but passed out. As soon as he saw I was safe, he did the same. Maybe they'll get better rest than we will." Hench chewed her cheek. "We're going to have a hard day tomorrow. The medic tents are full of wounded. So go sleep. You've only got a little time."
"Will you sleep?" Iris asked.
"I don't know," Rhalla was truthful. "For now, I have to keep watch. I will be fine."
"Let me do it, instead," Iris said. "You've had a hard night, let me take your place."
"No. You need sleep, Iris."
When Iris opened her mouth to argue, Hench threw up a hand. "I won't hear any more on it. Go to your tent and sleep while you can." Iris was about to insist anyways, but Hench noticed it and said. "I love you, sister, but that is a direct command."
That was the first time that Rhalla had ever played the Second Commander card on her. Just as in the military, orders from one's superiors were to be followed without defiance. Iris most certainly knew that. Azabela's eyes went wide in surprise, but Iris just chuckled. An order for her safety --an order for her to be as comfortable as possible, how typical of her sister to do such a thing. Iris's exhausted body could have screamed its gratitude.
Iris straightened her spine and ducked respectfully. Suddenly, she addressed her commander rather than her sibling. "Understood, ma'am." But then, Iris's voice softened. "You're too good to me. Be careful."
Rhalla offered a kind smile. "Hurry along, now."
Iris walked back to the tents, thanking every god there was that no one had been able to breach their camp. Meanwhile, Kayde left her side for a small bit to touch base with his father and make sure he was still unhurt. She was about to go check on her own parents, but decided it would be best if she didn't disturb them. It must've taken every single ounce of energy for them to stay awake so long.
She went back to her tent instead, lit a lantern, and ducked inside.
With one look around, she found everything was still in its proper place. Her things were just as she'd left them before the battle started. Even still, something was immediately wrong --wrong enough to stop her where she stood. All of the sudden, Iris's nerves were on fire. Her instincts screamed at her. It was unfathomable where the sense came from, but it caused her to check every corner of her small space twice.
Iris shook her head and chalked it up to being paranoid from the fight and from the lack of sleep. She got settled as best she could. She pulled open her bedroll to climb in and immediately stopped. Right under the fold... was something sharp. It just barely grazed the skin of her finger. Iris quickly yanked her hand back and pulled her lantern close.
Laying perfectly still under her blanket... was a rose. The thorns on its stem had been what had scratched her.
Cautiously, Iris picked it up. It wasn't an ordinary rose. The normal ones Iris had seen were vibrant red, pink, or sometimes yellow if one looked in the right places. This one... was not. This rose was pale. Its petals were colorless --an almost ashen white. It was close to withering, but not quite. She twisted it in her fingers, surveying it. A single petal broke and landed at her feet.
A chill moved down her spine.
Whatever its purpose, it wasn't a gift. Iris couldn't quite figure out what it was or what it meant. There wasn't anything attached to it; there was no message and no hint of who might have put it there either. She checked her sheets for more and there was nothing else within. She stared at it. As of now, it only meant one thing for sure...
Someone had been in her tent tonight, and it couldn't have been before the battle started either. She would have either noticed it there or someone else would have noticed someone go in, at the very least.
Someone had put that rose in her bedroll when everyone was too busy to notice.
But who?
And why?
----
Iris woke up far before she was ready to the next morning. After she'd found the rose, she'd went to sleep -or rather nap with Kayde in his tent. While the thought of the pale flower discomforted her, she hadn't told him about it. He was already too upset at Sprite's death. She wouldn't give him something else to worry about. The movement of her body stirred him awake.
"It's dawning," she whispered, and sat up quickly.
"I know," he did the same. "Maybe they're still at a retreat."
"Sounds like it. It's quiet enough outside," Iris said, getting to her feet. She helped Kayde to his. "We'll go see." She turned to walk out.
Kayde caught her by the hand. She spun back around... just in time for him to kiss her quickly. He pulled away and whispered, "Just in case."
Iris and Kayde left the tent. They weren't the only ones who had gotten to rest for a couple hours. An assortment of guardians filtered back out of the tents and back into the rank where they belonged. They hardly felt refreshed, but the little sleep they did get was enough to keep them going. At the turn, another few soldiers filtered in for their short semblance of rest.
The two didn't get another spare moment together. Kayde was immediately instructed to return to the front lines, and Iris was likewise ordered to her placement among the rogues. The guardians and soldiers alike were in what appeared to be a position to start pushing for more ground. Kayde whirled to Iris quickly and quickly kissed her forehead, one last time. "Be safe, dear girl."
He left too fast for her to reply, drawing his blade.
Iris swallowed the mass in her throat and rejoined her section. With another twirl of her blades, she readied herself for what might be the longest day of her life. She stood at attention for only about ten minutes when it started.
From the other side, she heard General Zayn's voice call out. "Forward march!"
"File in!" Master Dyran called. "File in to the right! March!" Their answering footsteps were akin to rolling thunder on the ground. The progression was cautious --slow.
From across the field, the baron's men watched the approach of the legion. Captain Anderfail waited on the battlements. He knew with every fiber of his being that this would be a long, hard fought battle. It would very likely be an impossible win, but he wasn't above trying --or at least taking down as many as he could with them. He knew one thing. Where the Eldian army had numbers and the Remorda Guardians had faultless skill, the baron still had a very easily defensible fortress. And... surprises. And it was time for one of them.
He turned to the waiting men. "They'll be in range soon. Bring out the catapults... mount the barrels." He called out to the row of archers standing at ready. "Prepare your arrows!"
A man called Skeevas grinned his best impression of a mad scientist grin. "With pleasure."
The catapults were quickly rolled up to the battlements in a straight line.
Captain Anderfail watched as his instruction was further carried out. He watched as the first barrel was mounted. It was a nasty looking thing --worn and dripping with grease and gods knew what else. Whatever was inside it was malodorous and musty. Captain Anderfail was unbothered by the scent, however, so long as it worked.
"Shall we test fire this one?" Skeevas asked. "The other barrels are being brought up at present."
The captain's eyes flicked to the catapult. "Test fire," came the final command.
The guardians and soldiers across the field could only watch as the barrel was lobbed from the catapult. The march halted at the sight of it soaring through the air. It landed unceremoniously in front of them, rolled a bit, and halted in front of a line of soldiers. Next, something came whizzing in right behind it. A flaming arrow hit it right on the side.
The ground shook underneath them.
Within a two second span, the drum ignited and exploded. The radius of the blast was enough to kill several soldiers. Their death was violent. Blood and limbs were blown back, coating those nearby. Others that weren't quite as close were knocked off their feet. Fire blazed a path in the grass.
The world went still for a very long moment. What the hell was that? Everyone all at once saw as more and more of the catapults were being loaded.
"Spread out! Move back!" came Master Dyran's call. "Brace yourselves for impact!" It was the best they could do. Iris followed the command as bet she could, but she knew it wasn't going to be enough. There wasn't enough time to move the entire force back out of range. Once those barrels hit, it would be up to the gods and luck alone to determine who lived and died.
The archers began moving back, and the front held steady until there was room for them to do the same. Iris stared at Rhalla right in the firing line, praying to every god she knew to save her from the blasts to come. And Kayde. Iris was suddenly very nauseous. Meanwhile, Rhalla's thoughts were a steady stream of curses.
Hench didn't have time to blame herself like she would have had she had an adequate minute to do so, but the catapults were nearly loaded. The battle almost went quiet as everyone waited in horror. It was silent all except for the sound of a horse, which whinnied loudly from their side of the field.
Among the soldiers, one mare broke rank. The incessant sound of fast galloping had everyone looking in the direction of the noise.
The horse came out after a few seconds, bearing a small, female rider.
'I'm not a hero,' Azabela Stryder had said at one point in time, and if someone had asked her now, she'd still say she was far from it. But the next moments, everyone watched her try her damndest to prove her claim false. Despite what Azabela thought, it didn't matter why she did it. It only mattered that when it was time to act, she yanked on her theoretical big girl pants and did the bravest thing she'd ever done in her entire life.
Much to Hench's and Iris's horror, the huntress's horse took off full speed in front of the army. She was standing in the saddle, balancing only on her feet. One arm held tight to her composite bow, and the other held two of her arrows, which she'd already dipped in her lantern oil. She rode like a bat out of the hells toward where the first barrel had exploded. Ducking her arrow tips to the now dying flames, she let them ignite.
Adrenaline pumped her heart. She was the only one that could do this -somewhere in her heart, she knew that she was the only one who could make those shots on the first try. She stuck one of the fiery-tipped arrows between her teeth at the shaft. The other... she nocked. She wished she could stop moving for a second for a sure shot, but there was no way in hell she was going to move out in front of the front lines and sit still. She steered her horse with her knees and had it move forward. She was now in range --and she had to fire now.
From the right side of the field to the left, her mare charged forward. As it went, she pulled back the bowstring. I never miss, she had also once said. To more than one person. Now was that chance to prove that statement. If I miss, Azabela thought to herself, people die. Lots of people die. If I miss, my Rhalla might die.
She loosed the arrow. It arched high to make up for the distance.
It landed... right on the first mounted barrel. As violent as the first, it erupted. But this time, it slung what was now only red sprays of the baron's men and wooden catapult bits and splinters from the battlements. Azabela didn't have time to celebrate her small victory. She had to get them all before they fired.
Her mare kept charging, and she kept shooting, lighting each arrow on the one still between her teeth.
Everyone watched as the huntress shot her arrows one after the other. Time and time again, the explosions went off, turning her enemies into what looked like scorched sandwich meat. Azabela had nearly gotten them all... Nearly.
Two of the catapults went off, slinging forward the detonator drums. Azabela drew back her bow again, thanking the gods they were big targets. She hit one in the air, still close the fortress. It wasn't enough to turn the operator into a smudge as the others... but it was enough to sling him backwards off the walls. He landed with a crunch no one could quite hear through the sound of ensuing chaos.
The other barrel came hurdling closer, and Azabela turned her horse back toward the guardians and soldiers --to temporary safety. The archers were now firing at her from the other side. If she didn't move back, she was going to get shot. But if that barrel landed... she couldn't let that barrel land. It was headed right for Rhalla. Rhalla. Rhalla.
Her next move was a hero's move. Finally, Azabela could actually admit she'd done something heroic --for completely unselfish reasons.
But it sure was hard to feel like a hero when the promise of death came knocking.
She could strap her bow, veer off, and miss the blast, and let it kill both the guardian master and her beloved. Or, she could turn around, shoot it with the arrow in her mouth, and pray to the gods that somehow it didn't take her out with it. In a nutshell, it was her life or Rhalla's.
She picked Rhalla's.
Azabela met her beloved's eyes for what had the possibility of being the final time, and did her best to make her peace when she only had a second. Rhalla looked horrified, and the huntress had run out of time to comfort her. I love you don't be mad at me for this I love you. The thought came through as a single, quick sentence.
Then, time seemed to slow around her. Yanking the last arrow from her teeth, Azabela spun her torso and fired. The barrel was far too close to her for comfort. As soon as she did it, she made one last attempt to save her own ass... because she might as well stick around if at all possible. She jumped with all her strength from her mare's back.
The barrel went off, taking the back half of the horse with it. It splattered all over the huntress, but Azabela was too preoccupied with burning alive to notice. The fire lit the end of her braid and the wolf pelt around her. Of course, she was too preoccupied with the impact to truly even notice that she was burning either. Both her legs were thrown painfully out of her hip sockets, and her body was chucked at Rhalla and Dyran's feet. She hit the ground in a roll, which did well to put the fires out. Silver linings.
Rhalla's shin's stopped her from rolling further forward. She didn't notice that either.
She was disoriented.
Her lower body was a haze of pain. The ringing in her left ear was incessant and unrelenting. As for her other ear, it was... quiet. Completely quiet. Peaceful. She couldn't hear a sound.
A few seconds later, Azabela just barely felt her body being scooped up... and that was because it jarred her legs.
Right then, it was time for her to decide whether she was alive, or she was dead.