We don’t have enough men to defend this city, but by the Gods, I will make what we have left count.

As most of our soldiers left this afternoon, I take the remaining forces to go through a bit of archery training. A bit, as in perfecting their skills in a day.

Stand up straight, draw the bow, anchor the arrow, and finally loose. Four simple tips, all easy to understand and learn.

But I’m not teaching them how to use a bow. Those idiots already know that by now. I need them to draw as fast as possible, anchor at any moment, and loose at my command.

From every minute, they line up, from every second; they lunch their arrows till they can hit the target. Repeat until they do it to my satisfaction, which won’t happen anytime soon. Not until they can break my expectations of perfection.

Run and use your bow, volley fire with your team, ride your horse and use your bow.

Every shot must hit its target, your form must be perfect at all times. No mistakes are allowed in my army. Not when we are under strength.

From dusk to dawn, every minute within every hour. Draw, anchor, and loose. They get considerably better during our training. Draw time on average is around 1.3 seconds, the fastest being around 0.7 seconds, the slowest only around two seconds. The average accuracy is around 83 percent, with the most accurate archer being only 87 percent.

Not a good enough score in my eyes. Definitely needing to be improved soon, before the Dogs get to the city. They can hit the target board, but they need to hit the small red dot in the centre to qualify as good enough.

‘Dismissed!’ I shout at them, not bothering to get them into formation. I am too tired to bother with the formalities for today.

‘Head back to your barracks. Eat, shit, and go to sleep. Report back to me at the training yard by o-six hundred. Is this understood?’

‘Yes, Sergeant!’ They shout in unison as they grab their things and head to their dorms for their needed break. Come to think of it, I need mine as much as they do.

I make my way to my dorm, walking past my trainees as they enjoy their free time. At the corner of my eye, on the balcony overlooking the city, sits two men. Huson and Handcock as they casually talk to each other. Handcock lays his eyes on me and smiles.

‘Hello, Hannah. Glad you could be here,’ Handcock smiles as he gestures his hand to a vacant seat. Huson ignores me, looking away in disgust.

‘What brought you two out here?’ I say as I walk up to them, taking a seat next to Huson.

‘We are talking about the Commander of this city. Your friend here seems to distrust the man.’

‘He is an idiot who will get us killed. I’ve dealt with these sorts of leaders before. Thinking their Cianris soldiers are the best, while ignoring the other soldiers they have, only because they are colonist or a different race. He is no different,’ Huson says to Handcock.

‘So what is your view, Handcock?’ I ask him.

He smiles, twirling his moustache. ‘From what I can tell, he is the only one mounting a defence against the Dogs. Something tells me he has potential.’

‘Here we go again. Just because he is the only one setting up defences does not mean he has potential. It just means he is doing the bare minimum.’ Huson bickers.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

‘Well, what do you think, Hannah?’ Handcock questions me.

Why would Handcock see potential in Volas? From what I know, Volas has a deep hatred towards humans, even more towards humans than to the colonist or any other species. Why wouldn’t he have resentment towards him?

‘He is a good Commander, he always has a plan and even if he makes a mistake, or fails. He will always find a way out of it and achieve the impossible. It’s just he has some… Problematic views towards groups of people.’

‘Oh yeah, very problematic indeed.’ Huson stands up to lean onto the support beam. Looking over the city and the night sky. ‘A good Commander accepts the soldiers in his army, regardless of their origins.’

‘He will change Huson. He is an asshole, but he isn’t like the other Commanders. We-’

‘Don’t defend your boyfriend!’ Huson interrupts me. ‘His actions and what he said about me and my men show what sort of a man he is. A fool and a fucking bastard. Don’t be lumped in with him, unless you share his views.’

‘Don’t you dare disrespect me, Huson!’ I yell at him. ‘I know the hardships that you and your men face, the discrimination from my superiors. Never have I treated you poorly or differently from anyone. Never have I gone out of my way to hurt you. Don’t put me next to those racists and bigots.’

Huson frowns, infuriated at my response. ‘Then why would you save one of them?’ Huson lowers his voice as he glares at me, waiting for my reply.

‘I… he…. He’s my friend Huson,’ I reply in confusion.

Huson storms off. ‘And I thought you were mine.’

I stand back in silence as I let Huson walk off.

I am your friend, Huson, but I won’t let you kill my other friend. Not when I know they have a chance to save this city.

‘This will not end well, Hannah. Not if you three are divided like this,’ Handcock says as he sits there. I forgot he was there to begin with.

‘Why do you care? From what I know, you can leave at any time.’

‘I promised my men glory on the battlefield, and this war will provide it.’

‘So why us? Why come to this city?’ I ask him.

‘Because of the young Commander. From the day I met him, I could see potential in what he can do. Even if he is under the tap.’ Handcock chuckles. ‘Volas is not like the other Commanders. He noticed the Dogs were the reason behind the attack of Fort Balis. He also, from my reports, had a solid plan to take on the Dogs, but General Earl rejected it. But he has a downside.’

‘What sort of downside?’

Handcock points towards the city. ‘He has a city built like a fort. Yet, he doesn’t have anyone to defend it. Even if he has soldiers, he has divided them. That is his downside. He cannot bring his men together; he doesn’t have to unite them under one banner. However, he should always bring them together to fight a common enemy. Goodnight Miss Black. Hopefully, I see you tomorrow.’ He tips his hat before heading off.

The city lights illuminate the fortifications on every street and alleyway. Volas needs to change, oh by the Gods, he needs to change quickly.

I want the man to be better. I know he can be better. But what is stopping him from changing? Why can’t he see that we are not different, but just people.