Chapter Sixty-Six

After showing Vathwin the graveyard, the group watched as he went to work. Ambrose watched with his eye patch’s runes igniting, showing him the black mana flowing from the pale man. It sank into the graves, laying over the skeletons and corpses like a shroud of midnight.

Bones the color of crushed pearls burst from the earth, flesh-like mold on cheese knitting itself into existence over the bone, black mana writhing like tendrils of living darkness. Vathwin said nothing through it all, merely raising a hand, eyes painted black, swirling twilight iris’s rotating as whatever skill he used did its work.

Before long, a small force of draugr stood before him. Vathwin’s grin was the satisfied smile of a cat who’d just caught a bird. He turned and bowed toward Ambrose,

“Your forces, sir Knight. These dear souls await your command.”

Ambrose snorted,

“Keep them here for now. Let’s go back; we have more planning to do.”

He didn’t wait for a response, merely walking away.

As Ambrose had begun to think of it, the war council reconvened.

“Now that you know why it’s happening, can we get to the actual planning of the battle to come?” Ambrose swept his stare over them all. No one said anything.

Ambrose tapped the map again, looking at Andrea.

“We should buy a shield from Troy; I take it you made a list of our viable options?”

Andrea nodded and looked down at the clipboard she had with her.

“A D-Grade shield to cover the whole island would cost ten thousand SC.”

Thom whistled, and Ambrose grunted. That was a lot, but it felt like a must. A shield would buy them time. Time they would need.

“Buy it. How are we coming along with a wall?”

Darren spoke up,

“An entire wall covering the island is too much. It’s inefficient, first of all. Second, with the shield, it feels redundant, and it would take many of our trees. I think small palisades would be better.”

Ambrose waved a hand,

“Fine. What about anything else? Dannill, you’re a ranger, what about archery? I have a few archers I could give you.”

The ranger rubbed his face,

“What a drag. Yeah, I guess. Maybe the big guy there can build a couple of towers. A well-placed archer can make all the difference.”

Ambrose pointed at Darren,

“See it done. Dannill, arrange the archers we have. I want one at each of these four points. Before you go, what do you know about these orcs?”

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Dannill bit his thumb.

“They’re green? Big, lots of muscles. They have a couple of shaman types that can call down lightning. Mostly, they use a whole lotta smash to solve their problems.”

“Makes sense,” Andrea muttered.

Planning went like that for a while. People offered up ideas, some of which were discarded and others added to the plan.

“We want a small force at each point, waiting to engage. If need be, we fall back to the town, which I want a defensive wall around, no matter how much wood it takes.”

Darren grunted, and before long planning was done.

“We should do something before the battle starts,” Andrea said.

Ambrose looked at her,

“Like what? We could be attacked at any moment.”

She flicked a hand,

“Exactly. That’s why we should do something. Have a meal together, a little fun to relieve the tension.”

Ambrose wasn’t sure why it was necessary, but the others, except Vathwin, were nodding at her words.

“Fine. Arrange a feast for tonight. I need to address everyone anyway. Get these plans into motion first.”

Everyone hopped to it.

People rushed around, moving chopped wood to the areas where it was needed; Darren created palisades and four small towers for the archers to stand and shoot on. The shield array, a silver dish with blue runes etched into it, rested near the middle of town.

The town had grown a lot, with more buildings, roads, and sidewalks being paved and even a couple of businesses opening up. A somber air had fallen over it, a blanket of subtle fear and quiet determination to defend what the people here had made.

A wooden wall began to form around the outside of the town, with a big gate in the middle to let people in and out as needed. They would fall back here if things got dicey. Vivienne appeared beside Ambrose, her eyes studying the activity.

“It has been a long while since I have seen people prepare to defend the island.”

Ambrose glanced at her. The Lady of The Lake seemed far more pensive than usual. Troubled.

“What are you afraid of?”

Her mouth firmed into a line, eyes taking on a sad light.

“Do you know what it is like to be trapped within your mind, sir Knight? Of seeing your actions, knowing they are wrong, and yet being incapable of stopping it?”

Ambrose frowned,

“No, I can’t say that I do.”

Vivienne flashed him a wan smile.

“I appreciate your honesty. You ask what I am afraid of. It is returning to that. Mordred’s curse made me do things, sir Knight. Things I am not proud to have done.”

“It wasn’t-”

Vivienne swept a hand through the air, eyes holding a storm within.

“It was. I was not myself, this is true, but it was me all the same. Should you fall in the storm of battle, I fear I will return to such a state, curse or no.”

Ambrose grew quiet. He would have liked to promise her that wouldn’t happen, but he knew it would be a promise he could not keep. Instead, he offered something else.

“I will do my best to prevent that, Vivienne. I promise I will.”

Vivienne inclined her head to him, hands clasped.

“Thank you, sir Knight.”

Ambrose looked at the table being set up in the meadow outside the town proper. Food was being piled on it, and wooden plates and other items were being placed on top of it.

“We have a feast starting soon. I’ll need to talk to them all.”

Vivienne said nothing.

“I don’t want this, Vivienne. I’m no leader. What’s worse is that I know I will discard them if I have to. Nothing will come between me and Eric Delrosa. Nothing.”

She cocked her head,

“Truly? You would sacrifice them?”

Ambrose twiddled his thumb, looking at the people he had saved and brought here.

Alice’s dead eyes. His unborn daughter.

Jenny ran around, her eyes bright and her smile wide as she helped. Laughter played through the air from the children who had once been slaves. Would I sacrifice them?

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Vivienne’s lips pursed.

“I wish the island could do more, but it’s power…”

“Is low, I know. I should have brought more people here. Instead of killing that forerunner, I could have brought her here. Maybe it would have saved more lives.”

“Mm. Perhaps, or perhaps not. Who can say what will or will not be? You are a fire, sir Knight.”

Ambrose crossed his arms,

“What do you mean by that?”

Vivienne’s smile held all the knowledge of a teacher lecturing a young student.

“Something you should meditate on, I should think.”

Ambrose grumbled, but it was short-lived as Andrea waved at him.

“Come on, big lug! Time to eat!”

So Ambrose went, the battle to come a shadow on his mind.