The village walls were manned with soldiers clad in leather with spears and even swords. Militiamen and mercenaries alike were armored and ready for battle. Men with bows and arrows were standing by in good discipline. Some among them were from Benarus' personal forces. They were clad in chainmail or even plate and wielding swords. A few militias even wielded axes and no shield, but this was not a popular choice. Only a fool would throw away shield protection for more hitting power.

And Tanith had done just that.

Lord Benarus wore a beautiful suit of armor inlaid with silver. One that could have looked more practical without. At his side was a fancy sword that Relma doubted would be much good in a real fight. Well, it might, but it would be chipped and ruined at the end of it.

They made their way through the village, watching as crowds of people fled into their homes. Others left to join the soldiers already assembled. Carts filled with arrows were hauled by oxen near the walls. Relma saw several ballistae being erected behind the walls. Only they were pointing upwards.

They were meant to kill dragons.

"Do you think we'll be able to stop them?" asked Ronald.

"Possibly," said Pan. "Our best hope is using a hostage. But if it comes to a full-on war, Father and I should be able to even the odds."

"Benarus, the wolves, will be yours to deal with," said Aren. "Pandora and I will contend Telix. And Wrynncurth if he takes the field."

"Can you defeat him?" asked Relma.

Aren remained silent. "I don't know. If it were Telix, I think so. We've had one or two run-ins in the past. But Wrynncurth is another matter. If he actually starts making full use of his magic, I'll be hard-pressed to hold him at bay."

"So we are facing the black dragons alone," said Frederick. "No matter, the valor and courage of the men of Harlenor are greater than any shield."

"I hope so," muttered Ronald. "Wrynncurth can melt shields."

"It may not come to that," said Aren. "Wrynncurth wouldn't have returned Relma if he were interested in a full-scale war. But Telix may do something reckless. That is my concern."

They reached the walls. As they did, Argath looked around. "Where the devil is Tanith? She only just walked out? She couldn't have gotten far before the warning bell sounded."

"She left in a fury with all her men." said a soldier. "She told them that Benarus had refused to pay them. Do you think they'll come back when they see the fighting?"

"No," said Argath. "Tanith may love war, but she never forgives an insult. That's how we got here."

"Permission to join the defense," said Estela.

Argath looked up and nodded to her. "Granted. We'll need all the help we can get. But, Ronald, you don't have to stay if you don't want to?"

Ronald shifted nervously, and Relma saw his hands shaking. "Well, I would. But if the wolves get over the wall, it'll be the end for all of us anyway. And I've been a part of all this. So I'd rather not drop out of the story until the end if it's all the same to you."

"Fair enough," said Argath before looking to Frederick. "Frederick, would you see that these two are armed for war. I don't want them coming into an early grave."

And Relma was forgotten. No one looked at her. Putting her hand to Lightning Trail, she felt a heat within it. Some spell was over her, making her fall from people's memories. Was Elranor making her unnoticed so she wouldn't be killed? Or was it for something else?

Was she meant to do something? Or was Elranor giving her a chance to do something? Relma thought about this as Aren and Aunt Pan moved to other places on the wall. Eventually, Ronald and Estela returned, dressed in chainmail and with new weapons. They held spears and shields. Relma opened her mouth to speak.

And then she felt fear. The same fear she had felt before. Looking up, she saw Telix. He was only a shadow at first. But then he emerged into the daylight, and moans of despair came from the men. Argath and Frederick stood their ground, but Relma could sense that even they were afraid.

The wolf demon loomed higher than the walls, and his eyes were flaming red. His white fur stood on end. He looked skyward and howled. It was a noise like death and screams from all over the village. The fear, a dull sensation, came to Relma.

She wanted to run away. She had to run away. Her instincts were telling her to flee to get out of her. To hide in some out-of-the-way place and let other people handle things. She had to get away!

Then she saw Argath and Frederick. They were terrified. And they weren't detached from their fear like Relma was. Relma had no business pretending to be a hero if she broke and ran the minute things got rough. So she held her ground.

Out of the woods came his broods. Wolves and werewolves were bounding out to stand in great ranks, just out of arrow range. The sound only intensified Telix's spell. Men and women were throwing themselves to the ground, weeping and screaming. A panic, little by little, began to set in. Sweat dripped from Ronald's face as they heard it.

Was Telix's plan to drive the army into a route without even fighting?

"Stand tall, men of Harlenor!" cried Frederick. "Stand up and show no fear!"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Other officers joined Frederick as the howling continued. Little by little, the men were brought back into order. Relma looked at Estela and Ronald and realized that they had fallen to their knees.

She didn't feel the same thing they did? That was odd. Her response to all this was muted. Why? Why did it seem like she saw life through a lens of clarity?

"The black dragons!" cried someone. "The black dragons have come!"

Out of the distance swooped the dragons. They circled above, roaring as well. The beat of their wings together sent gusts flowing across the walls. And they roared. The sound was like an avalanche as it mixed with the howls of the wolves.

It was too much now. Men dropped their weapons and outright fled for the stairs. Argath and Frederick shouted at them, but they were panicking now.

Then Estela stepped in front of them. Her sword lashed out, and she struck one of the men across the helmet. He fell back, lying senseless. Another tried to slip by, but Ronald knocked his legs out from under him. The stampede stopped.

"Get back to your posts!" cried Estela. "Before I carve every one of you into food for the wolves!" Argath came forward with several other men.

"Stand where you are!" said Argath. "Return to your post or lose your heads!"

Order was restored again. Steward Benarus and Aren returned alongside Aunt Pan. The howls continued, but no one else tried to run. The men had faced their fear, and though they still felt it, it passed through them.

"...There are many of them, aren't there?" said Aren.

Then Aren raised a hand and Pandora with him. There seemed a silent battle then, a contest of wills. The fear that was seeping into everything was driven away. Those who had been overcome stood and resumed their posts.

"Why didn't you do that before?" asked Estela.

"I have been doing it," said Aren. "I've been going all over the walls beating back Telix's fear. Unfortunately, this is merely the last place that needed it.

"I hate magic."

The endless howls and roars finally stopped. At last, the dragons landed. Wrynncurth touched down Telix. The two were speaking with one another. Then Anya came forward bearing the white flag of parley. Relma felt a sense of relief that she was still alive.

"Lord Telix demands the return of his son and the surrender of the border towns!" called Anya. "You will also compensate for the flames started within his forest!"

"If Telix wishes to make demands, he may do so himself," said Benarus. "And I wish to make a few of my own."

"Then make them old fool!" came Telix's roar.

In an instant, Telix bound across the fields. Before anyone could even launch a shaft, the demon was among them. He loomed over Benarus, and the men recoiled. With a swing of one claw, he could have killed Benarus. And probably a great many other people. Just how fast was he? "And let me spill your blood across the fields of this land!"

Wrynncurth flew leisurely up to the wall and landed on a battlement. "Calm down, old boy," he said, taking a draft from his pipe. "This sort of unpleasantness is best resolved in parley. I'd rather not wait another sixty years to meet with some human friends. Reigniting friendships after people have been reincarnated is troublesome.

"What say we establish a meeting and talk this business out?"

"Where is my son?!" snarled Telix.

"He is alive," said Benarus, keeping his voice calm. The men around him were trembling. "However, I swear that if you attack any of my subjects, his throat will be cut. Now calm yourself, demon.

"Will you negotiate? Or will you not?"

Relma knew this to be a lie. Telix stood a decent chance of killing everyone here and finding his son. He could do so before any orders like that could be carried out. Aunt Pan and Arengeth might defeat him, but they might not.

It was a bluff, plain and simple.

Telix looked at her. He was the first person to notice her presence. And Relma could see the thoughts turning in his head. Ajax had been pursuing Relma when he was captured. Relma could not have gotten far with a prisoner like Ajax, so she must have taken him to the nearest location. That location was here. Since Benarus had already mustered his troops, Ajax had yet to be moved. So he was here in this village.

Telix laughed and grabbed Benarus by the throat, lifting him into the air. The men fell back as Aren raised his staff. "I will not!" he cried. "I will tear this fortress down! All who stand within it will die! And if my son is harmed, you shall rue the day forever! Your fields will be soaked in the blood of your people! All who threaten my family shall lament the loss of all they hold dear!"

This could have been better. Relma had to do something, or there would be a war. And they would lose. The men were terrified of Telix, and with Wrynncurth, they didn't have a chance. They couldn't even bluff their way to victory.

But Relma had thoughts that couldn't be read. Her hand fell to Lightning Trail, and she felt less like a person and more like the instrument of a higher power. But it was still her choice. She could act.

Or she could not.

"The cities and towns of this kingdom shall burn! Not one shall be spared! Nothing shall be left alive! From the greatest lord to the most insignificant, livestock shall be left alive!

"We will feast on the flesh of your children's, children's children, and you-"

She acted. Lightning Trail was drawn from her sheath almost of its own accord. The illusion was burned away, and the sword was revealed. But it did not merely reflect the light. Now it sent it flowing out from it so that everyone around her covered their eyes.

Telix fell backward. Lightning shattered the sky as Relma leaped to the top of a crenelation. She raised the sword that shone ever brighter.

"What the..." gasped Telix.

"Behold Lightning Trail!" cried Relma. "Behold the Blade of the Skies! The sword of Elranor is drawn once more, and destiny is set in motion!" The words didn't seem her own.

Telix regained his composure. "So the Heir has come forth, has she? Do you really think to oppose me?"

"I do!" said Relma, her voice taking on a different tone. "I am the Heir of Kings! The blood of Anoa runs through my veins! The blood destined to end Baltoth himself!

"But it is not by my hand that you shall fall! For the blades' light musters the courage of all men! To do battle here will be the death of you!

"For destiny weaves a thread, and my bloodline shall bring about the end of Baltoth! I am the last of that blood!

"Dare you to oppose fate itself?! Or will you negotiate and keep that which you have already won?!"

Telix looked around with narrowed eyes. He apparently could have been more impressed with Relma. But it wasn't he who she was trying to impress. The men were ready to fight. Their hands were no longer shaking. Now Telix realized he would not be facing a terrified mob. Instead, he met a disciplined and highly motivated army. And among the wolves, there was a strange series of doubtful murmurs. The spell over them was fading.

He could kill Relma with a flick of his wrist. But that wouldn't win him the battle. Telix looked up to Wrynncurth, who was perched on the battlement. He looked a little concerned. Something passed between them.

Telix looked back. "...I will negotiate. Set up a pavilion before the gates. We will speak there." He set down Benarus. Then, he leaped from the wall to walk away. Wrynncurth took to flight and flew after him. Relma breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on the sword. Then she looked up. The soldiers of Harlenor were bowing before her. Kneeling as if she were their King by right of conquest. Even Ronald. Aunt Pan had her face in her hands. Estela had her hand on her sword and was not kneeling. Her face was cold.

"Well, Relma, you certainly know something of double-edged blades," said Aren. Relma jumped at his voice. "We should have no trouble negotiating now. But, unfortunately, we'll be negotiating with everyone in Harlenor. That will be for the next six months."

"...Yes. I completely agree," said Aunt Pan.

This was going to be a long day.