Chapter 42 - The Hero's Journey

Lilly felt her heart pounding in her chest. Even the planned attack tonight had made her nervous, now she was expected to end this war on her own?

“I… But…”

Her words failed her. Of everyone in the room, she felt like she was by far the least fitting for such a task. Three elves who had lived dozens of her lifetimes, and one general who mastered tactics like no other in the kingdom. And they expect her to just leave and take care of everything on her own?

Two arms embraced Lilly from behind as Eolande came over to comfort her. She whispered softly into her ear, “I’ll be right beside you, Lilly. Every step of the way.”

Lilly shook her head slowly. She didn’t trust that she would be able to keep anyone safe from danger. Not even from her own flames, should the fight turn great enough. And Lilly expected a fight, one tougher than she had ever imagined.

Lilly put her own arms around Eolande’s in appreciation. “I think I’d rather go alone, Elly. I don’t have to worry about collateral damage that way,” she whispered, well aware of what she was implying.

Now that the war has entered such a phase, innocents could no longer be considered as such. She would try to broker a peace, of course, but she would not hesitate to get violent if she had no other choice. If what happened to Selene was a warning, she was fine with sending one back.

“General Roald, what… Do I just fly to their king? Ask him to please stop the war? Is that the best plan?” Lilly looked at him, feeling a hint of desperation clear in her voice.

Roald exhaled, shaking his head. “I’m afraid that’s the best option we have available, Lady Lilly. Potentially we could strike back against their armies first, to show him what a prolonged war against you would cause. But I fear they might use the same tactic again if we act too slowly…”

Frustration seemed to overtake Dahn as he hammered his fist into the desk, making a resounding thud. “We’re totally at their mercy! And we lost a third of our forces in seconds! Of course we don’t have options; we’re standing in a corner with all our limbs tied!”

He stared at Lilly, looking at her like their only hope. But something stopped him from voicing his thoughts as he shook his head and looked away.

Eolande’s calming voice sounded out instead, still next to Lilly’s ear. “It’s terrible to put this burden on you, Lilly. It is an option to go back to Thundrel and defend the city instead, keeping those you care about safe. I will support you in anything you do.”

The thought had briefly crossed her mind, but Lilly knew Eolande was only putting words to her thoughts so she could hear how dumb they were. There was only one option, ever since Rantas had entered the door, and she had seen Selene on the operating table.

‘I’m ready for this. If I end up fighting Goddon, it will be a battle to decide this war. Even if I resurrect, I’ll need years to get back to my full strength. I trust you to help me, Myndia.’

‘Of course, anything I can do to help!’ Myndia replied, ever supportive.

‘... I’m guessing this is a stupid question, but your father wouldn’t be willing to help, would he?’

‘Ah, he’s… not available at the moment. But even if he was, I’ve never seen him lift a finger to help anyone other than me. So I’m sorry, Lilly, no gods available to help.’

‘It was worth a shot,’ Lilly thought. She felt her spirit returning, and the shock and trepidation surrounding the task ahead of her slowly dissipating.

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She looked at the two generals and Rantas and squeezed Eolande’s arms again. “I’m ready to fly, everyone. Wish me luck, I guess.”

Eolande squeezed back, harder than before. Much harder. It wasn’t just Lilly feeling nervous about this, she realized. Eolande might even have it way worse.

Roald rose from his seat and bowed toward her. “Good luck, Lady Lilly! May the gods be on your side.”

Dahn also got up, looking at Lilly and Eolande with a smile. “You sure know how to pick them, Willow. Lilly, I know we’ve barely had the time to get to know each other, but… well, if you need any help with combat training or anything, come see me some time.”

Lilly heard Eolande blowing some air through her nose before she whispered, “That means he likes you.”

Lilly noticed the whisper was unsteady, spoken like someone on the verge of tears. “I’ll be back, Elly. You know it. Even if the worst should happen, I’ll still survive.” Lilly tilted her head to lean on Eolande’s, feeling her nod energetically, as if to convince herself it was the truth.

Lilly half expected Rantas to also say something, but he mostly just looked out of place, sitting on the floor still. An uncomfortable realization hit her as she looked at him, recalling everything Holtar had done in the past.

If the clan had infiltrated Dortfell, would the bomb still be a secret? Would they have been able to use them to win the war instead?

Those were stupid thoughts, Lilly decided, pushing them to the back of her head. But they still brought a useful question with them. “Elly, could the clan help against the bombs? Finding them, neutralizing them, and maybe even understanding them?”

Eolande reluctantly let go of the hug and turned Lilly around to face her. “Tas is already on the case, Lilly. Rantas wasn’t the only assassin on the frontlines. So you can bet he’s doing everything he can to find a solution.”

It was a small comfort, Lilly thought. But at least there was some hope, in case her plan failed. “Then I’ve stalled long enough. I’ll see you all later, I hope.”

Time was a valuable commodity right now, so Lilly decided to jump into it. With staff in hand, she used the convenient opening where there should have been a window to leave the office.

“Stay safe, Lilly!” she heard Eolande yell from behind her, a voice soaked with emotions. How she had ever doubted her, Lilly would never understand. Or at least she found it hard to forgive herself for it.

But such thought had no place in her head now. It was time to put her ferocious face on again, facing her second king in as many days. It was becoming a dangerous trend. She would have to stop herself from doing the same tomorrow.

‘Dortfell, here I come!’

Flying toward the evening sun, Lilly prepared herself for the task ahead. She didn’t know a single word of Dorthian, their language, but she assumed they would have a translator. Myndia could translate some words if the need arose, but repeated that she would prefer not to.

‘A bit more to the north, Lilly. Their capital city is closer to the mountains, albeit not as close as Eldhaven,’ Myndia called out, guiding Lilly across the unknown land.

No one had thought to give her a map, or even directions, before she took off. But luckily, Myndia had been there before and had a good memory.

The scenery was beautiful, Lilly thought. With the falling sun giving everything an orange tint, it was hard to imagine this land as the enemy. But like Eldoria, Dortfelians had little choice in matters of war. They could only pray for good leaders. From a certain angle, Lilly was doing them a favor.

‘That’s the capital over there!’ Myndia said, spotting the colorful city in the distance. Lilly was surprised by all the different colors they used on their buildings, making the city a spectacle of color. A unique city, with a unique culture and a unique people.

A deep sigh escaped Lilly’s lips. The trip had made her a lot less fond of the idea of fighting. She prayed the king would agree to end the war, or at least that Goddon was in a deep slumber.

‘I’m guessing that huge white castle belongs to the king?’ she asked, floating thousands of meters above it.

‘I would think so, Lilly. How do you feel?’

‘... Like the world is on my shoulders, and like I will lose everything if this fails. But surprisingly good, all that taken into consideration.’

‘... If the worst comes to pass, try to move your flame into the amulet. Then I can use the flame to move you somewhere safe, once things calm down.’

‘That’s not filling me with much confidence, Myndia.’

‘Hey, I’m just saying it to be safe. I care about you, you know.’

Lilly knew, but she had never heard her say so before. It made her smile.

‘I care about you too, disembodied voice in my head. Now let’s go meet this stupid king and end this.’

Lilly started descending, aiming for the large hall near the center of the castle. Surrounded by flames, she looked like a giant fireball dropping from the sky.