I sit, facing the smouldering remains of last night’s fire. The white ash covers the ground, the smoke trailing to the sky. It’s time, it’s finally time.

Max and Midrax walk up to me, wearing their armour. I just wear my normal rags. No need to get ready now. Not yet, at least.

‘The Cinari are mustering their forces and marching to Bunker Hill. We have five hours to prepare before they get here. In the meantime, we need to choose a leader,’ Max says, her voice stern and ready.

‘If we are choosing a leader, one of us needs to have a plan on how to handle the Cinari threat,’ I say to them.

I need to know if they are up to date with the whole thing. If they have made a plan. If not, then I am afraid we have lost this battle.

Midrax growls, using his hands to dramatize his plan. ‘Bunker Hill is a good staging ground. Knowing how the Cinari operate, they love to keep in their formations. If we focus our attack at the heart of their lines, we can break and splinter their forces into two separate armies. There, we can surround them and crush them without any resistance.’

Max bursts out laughing. Midrax frowns, snarling his teeth at her.

‘You big brute,’ Max laughs at him. ‘They’ve got a flying demon that can shoot at us from the sky. Before you would know it, they would turn our army to dust. You wouldn’t even get close to them.’

‘What do you propose, Max?’ Midrax glares at Max, tapping the hilt of his axe that rest on his belt.

‘We need to get as close as possible to them, breaking their lines before the sky demon can shoot at us. While you two were busy, I got some of my men to dig underneath Bunker Hill. When they get close to us, we can burst out from the soil and attack them from within their ranks. They won’t see it coming.’ Max grins triumphantly at Midrax.

‘Neither of these plans will work,’ I remark.

‘I know Midrax… Wait, why won’t my plan work? Do you have any better ideas?’ Max growls.

I grab a stick near the fire as I draw on the ground to make it resemble Bunker Hill.

‘Assuming you have a spotter, that plan could not take on the entire Cinaris army. As soon as they notice you are coming from these tunnels, they will create a formation to trap you in the tunnels to make it impossible to get out and attack them. Or they will retreat and let their sky demon take you out. Your plan is as simple, if not just as dangerous as Midrax’s plan.’

‘So, what is the alternative, Runt?’ Midrax demands.

I take a deep breath, rethinking my plan to consider Max’s tunnels. ‘I will lead the main force with you, Midrax. We will form up on Bunker Hill with our two armies. Max will split her army into two groups. One to go to the tunnels and the other to hide in a forest northwest from the hill. The Cinari will try to use their cavalry to break our battle lines, but I got my men to bury spikes in front of our flanks and parts of our battle line. When they get too close, we will pull on some rope that lift these spikes from the earth, either halting their charge or impaling them. When they get close enough to our armies Max’s forces from the tunnels would emerge from behind, while the ones hiding in the forest will come out and attack their right flank. Then their army will be surrounded, and the battle will be won.’

Max slowly claps, mocking my plan. ‘How compelling. So how do you deal with the sky demons?’

‘With overthinking and boring everyone to death.’ Max and Midrax laugh together at their horrible joke.

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‘I have a weapon to take them out,’ I say calmly.

Midrax and Max cut their laughter, looking at me, demanding an answer.

‘Normal arrows can’t go near the sky demons, but the crystal arrows can. I have already got the smiths to work on them. They should have enough to take one down.’

‘How can arrows take down something so large? It’s basically the size of a fort,’ Max argues.

‘We don’t use arrows. We have something new to take them down.’

Midrax scoffs. ‘What is it? A flying rock of our own?’

Max proceeds to laugh.

I walk up to Midrax, posturing myself to look bigger than I am. I can almost smell the brute’s horrendous breath.

‘I had my team make a weapon that can pierce through anything. Metal, wood, flesh. With it, we can take down their sky demons.’

Midrax nods. ‘That’s good, so who will lead the army?’

I stand back in shock. ‘I will. It is my plan after all.’

‘Don’t be stupid, Alex. You never led an army before. Only Midrax and I have the capabilities to lead this fight.’ Max retorts.

Midrax nods at her as he grins.

Bastards, I should have known they wouldn’t let anyone but themselves lead the charge. Their original plans are basic and easily foiled. How could they think they would manage following my plan before falling back to their own?

‘I will take charge.’ I turn around to see Dad standing outside of his tent. Looking at us in frustration.

‘I heard all of your plans, and what you have said to my son.’

Midrax panics. ‘Chief we-’

Dad raises his hand to silence him.

‘You have disrespected him and deny him of his rightful place to lead my army. He is more qualified than either of you, and yet you refuse to let him lead. His plan is not just sound, it will also work.’ My dad smiles at me.

Max thrusts her spear into the ground. ‘He cannot lead anyone. How can you believe a boy like him to rule over us?’

My father growls at Max. ‘Because he is my son! And if you dare disrespect him again, I will make sure to find your replacement.’

Max backs off, upset by Dad’s words.

‘How long do we have to prepare?’ Dad questions me.

‘Four or five hours. If we move out now, it will give us time to make extra preparations.’

Dad nods at me. ‘Midrax and Max, you two get everyone ready for battle. Follow Alex’s plan to the letter and get to your formations.’ They both acknowledge his order before dashing off, barking orders for every Dog to grab their arms. The time for war is soon.

‘Sorry Dad, I couldn’t convince them without you.’

‘Don’t be Alex. They don’t know your potential. If your plan plays out well, you will get the respect you deserve.’ He rests his hand on my shoulder with a proud smile.

I glance at his left side of his face, noticing that one of his eyes looks milky and white. ‘Dad, your left eye. It’s cloudy!’

He closes his normal eye, waving his hand at the open one. ‘Weird, I can still see out of it.’

‘Well, as long you could see where you are swinging your sword. That is all that matters,’ I chuckle.

Dad shakes his head, smiling at my poor joke. ‘So, where is Dust? Is he okay?’

My smile disappears as I don’t say anything. I don’t need to tell him that Dust has passed long ago.

His sadness turns to anger; he looks around with bloodlust in his eyes, like a beast in search for his prey.

‘They will pay Alex. I will make them.’ He walks to the armoury tent, his stride giving off a clear message for all of us. We will get our revenge.