Cori Brynor
My ears ached with pain as another loud crash resounded through the encampment.
“Incoming!” A man screamed just outside the wall behind me, where I was quickly bandaging a soldier who had been hit by an arrow in his shoulder.
Behind me, I could hear the stones of the wall grow thicker, then a loud crash against them. The earth shook as I threw myself atop the soldier, trying to shield him from any further harm. Dust and chips of stone flew on top of me, but nothing large hit me. I turned around to see several cracks in the wall, like something had slammed into it.
“Field medic! We need someone out here now!” a soldier called from outside.
The soldier ran to the closest nurse who was frantically moving over a badly wounded man. He shook his head at the soldier, then he caught my eye. The nurse pointed to me, then he returned to his patient. The soldier rushed over while calling for me to come with him. I finished bandaging the soldier who had been hit in the shoulder, then followed the other out of the fort’s medical wing.
Outside, I was met with ash and dust. For the past two days, the encampment had been bombarded by everything the Aishyans had to offer. They were spotted across the river a week ago, and preparations for an assault and a crossing had immediately begun, but based on what I was seeing, General Rediff hadn’t prepared enough. Boulders the size of a house launched through the air from the other side of the River of Division. Some of them were even on fire, and they crashed into the ground where archers, shields, and spearmen awaited the enemies coming across the great river. “Was it one of those that slammed into the stone wall earlier? Was I that close to death?” a shiver fluttered down my spine at the thought.
“Come on! Follow me!” the soldier yelled, then took off towards the trench.
Spanning the entirety of the river’s shore was a long, narrow trench, stretching on for miles. Within were soldiers preparing themselves for the coming battle, archers losing arrows from a safe area, injured men and women, and screams. Above, in front of the winding, snake-like trench, was more archers, who loosed their arrows behind shields standing firm, awaiting the coming army, or whatever was left of it after volleys of arrows bombarded them. The soldier led me into the curving labyrinth, and directed me to the injured. There was a man whose leg had been torn open by an arrow, all the way down to the bone. A woman had burn marks all across her face, and shards of stone were embedded in her side. Another man had no visible wounds, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t well. The man had his hands over his ears and rocked his body back and forth, mumbling to himself. With each crash of a falling boulder, his whole body tensed, but he continued rambling to himself as if nothing happened. I wanted to help him, but he was the least of my concerns. He would have to wait.
I turned to the burned woman and sensed the water in the skin at my side. With a bit of effort, I moved the water over her burns. She winced, and let out a cry, but I could tell the cool water was helping. My attention fell onto the stone shards in her side. There wasn’t much I could do, and I was sure removing them would be worse than leaving them in. She needed more help than I could offer, so I said a silent prayer over her, then called for someone to take her in. I moved on to the next wounded, but glanced back as the soldier who led me here picked up the burned woman and carried her off. If God was with her, she would be okay.
For every soldier I helped, twice as many injured appeared. Volleys of arrows would occasionally fly into the trench, but other soldiers covered me and the wounded. I thanked countless people for saving me, but I did my best not to get distracted. Too many people were relying on me to bandage them up and get them out of here. I worked till my bones ached and my Soul grew weary. Many had asked me if I needed a break, or told me directly to stop overexerting myself, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t sit here while someone needed my help, just like I couldn’t sit at home.
“Incoming!” a man yelled as hundreds of arrows began pouring into the trenches.
I threw myself on top of the woman I was treating and waited, praying that I wouldn’t get for the thousandth time. A large shadow loomed over me and the woman soldier, blocking out the dim light of the sunset. I turned to see a familiar face, and my heart swelled.
“You wouldn’t believe how happy I am to see that you're okay! Though, I think it’d be better if you stayed back at the fort where I couldn’t see!” Aaron bellowed.
The second he finished, I threw my arms around him. So many emotions rose up in me in that moment, so many that I had been pushing away. Fear overtook me as I realized just how terrified I was to be out here, only alive because a stray arrow or boulder hadn’t come straight for me. I felt desperate, as there were more soldiers that I couldn’t save than there were I could. I had seen so many die, and so little overcome the pain and injuries they’d gotten. Anger flared up behind all of it. Why did all of this have to happen? Why couldn’t God come down and win our battles for us?
Aaron’s large hand rested on my back as his arms wrapped around me. A sense of calm came over me as all the sounds around us grew distant. For a moment, it was just the two of us. No hurt. No anger. No terror. Just the overwhelming feeling of comfort, family, and love. All of those bad emotions washed away, but this time they weren’t buried. Instead, it was like Aaron ripped them away from me, not letting them touch me.
“Don’t worry, Cori, “he said softly, “I can stay here. I don’t really have a position to take right now, and I‘d prefer it if I always knew that you were safe. Now come on, we have people to save.”
I held him for a few more moments, my strength returning as if Aaron was somehow healing my exhaustion with just his presence. I let go, then immediately went back down to the woman I had been treating. I knew everything would be alright as the large shadow layed on the dirt beside me.
Hours passed as I continued my work, and Aaron never left my side. He knew very little about helping an injured person, but he did his best wrapping up what he could in bandages and defending me when arrows flew by us. I enjoyed the look he always made when I used my magic. The subtle look of awe he wore made me smile, even though I was doing the bare minimum of what a true mage could do. I wished I had paid more attention to the many masters that had tried to train me, just so I could impress him a little bit more. As time went on, a stir began to run through the encampment. Dawn was approaching, which meant I hadn’t slept for a whole day, but I was still aware enough to notice the murmurs of uncertainty that came from the soldiers. They had expected the Aishyans to land on the shore by now, but no one had arrived, and the foggy mist of the morning obscured everyone’s view of the river.
As if called to clarify what was going on, a man zoomed past the trench on a lisyfe, throwing down parchment to any soldier that was able to catch it. The sealed bundle of papers was coming right for my head as the soldier passed, but Aaron caught it before it did so. He unsealed the papers and began reading. The way his face changed as he read was horrifying. Throughout the volleys of arrows, the screaming, and even the deadly flaming boulders being launched at us, Aaron always kept a smile on his face. It was endearing, how he was able to keep his spirits up, and even raise other’s, in such a bleak situation, but whatever was on that paper caused his face to fall. He didn’t look angry, despite what others who didn’t know him would think, he looked terrified. A level of fear I’d never seen him have wore plainly on his face, which caused my stomach to churn. This man was all smiles as literal death rained down from above, but whatever was on that paper scared him so much he was turning white.
“What is it?”
He was motionless, not even noticing my words.
“Aaron!” I yelled.
“Oh! Cori!”
Aaron ran over and wrapped me in his arms. This hug was different than before. This time, he was the one shaking, and I did my best to comfort him. I slowly patted his large back, gently massaging it as he trembled. He let go fairly soon, a smile, though a very tiny one, back on his face.
“Sorry. And thank you,” he said, handing me the paper.
I took it, and read.
“The Aishyans have crossed the river just north of us? Why would they be attacking the encampment then? What does this mean?”
“All of this, it’s just a distraction. Or a preemptive attack to weaken us while their foot soldiers march towards us.”
My hand began to shake again, ripping the paper slightly. They were coming. According to the message, thousands had crossed, and they were marching straight towards us.
“Aaaahhgggg!” A woman groaned from behind me.
I quickly turned and knelt at her side, the one I had been treating before the lisyfe passed us. Everything washed away from me then. The fear of the enemy army marching towards us, the terror of the arrows flying past my head, even the fear that I wouldn’t be able to save this soldier. Perhaps it was the Nex flowing through me that calmed me, or maybe it was Aaron’s presence. Either way, I had managed to steel my nerves.
“What about the soldiers stationed on the river?” I asked, keeping my hands busy with the soldier below me, “The paper mentioned they were retreating and asking for backup, but surely they’ll be able to stop the Aishyans advance.”
“Not forever,” Aaron muttered.
I turned towards him, keeping the water I was using to clean the man’s wounds steady. Aaron’s face was a torrent of conflicted emotions. “You want to go, don’t you? Aaron, I know you’re strong, but I’m scared you’ll—“
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“Arthur is stationed in the north.”
Again, my stomach flipped. My mouth felt dry, and I couldn’t think of anything to say except for one word. “Go.”
Aaron nodded, then leaned his tall body down towards me. His large hand rested on my cheek, the roughness of it soothing me. He kissed me. Only a few seconds went by, but they felt like an eternity. In those moments, nothing else mattered. Then he stood, and ran off towards the stables, ready to charge straight at an entire army himself. Tears formed at the edges of my eyes as I watched him leave, but I didn’t call for him. I knew he needed this. Arthur was his family, and he was in danger. I grit my teeth, and turned back to the soldier on the ground.
The attacks on the encampment continued for another day, not ending until the break of dawn. That’s when an army could be seen marching towards us. Many different orders were shouted into the air, while others were sent on scrolls of paper. I was escorted back into the medical wing of the fortress while others took my place out on the field. I worked and worked, helping any soldier that I could, but it was never enough. More and more of them were brought in, and I could hear the screams of the battlefield not far off. My hands shook, and my stomach lurched, but I kept helping as best I could. That was until I passed out from exhaustion.
I awoke a day later, dazed and confused, checking myself to see if I had died. At my bedside was a man, short but built like a stone wall. His head was bald, but a long brown braided beard flowed down over his chest.
“Alain,” I tried to speak, but only a croaky whisper came out.
“Hush child,” his gruff voice scratched at my ears, “Here, drink some water.”
I could feel the water sloshing in the cup as he lifted it to my mouth. It cooled the back of my throat, and I could feel the dry sensation melt away.
“What happened?” I asked.
Alain’s eyebrows furrowed, “We were prepared enough for the attack thanks to the messengers getting here so quickly, but many soldiers still lost their lives. We managed to capture a few Aishyans, and drove the ones that survived to retreat. Some made it back across the river, while others made their way deeper into the plains. General Rediff already sent men after them. According to the imprisoned Aishyans, their mission was to attack our encampment and capture the General, as well as any other high ranking officers.”
I felt a heavy pressure on my chest as I spoke again, “Thank you, but you know that isn’t what I meant. Where are they?”
Alain’s face scrunched up, his speech strained and slow, “Of the soldiers stationed on the river bank, none survived. Of those that went to help, none of them survived either.”
The dryness in my throat returned, and my stomach exploded into a struggle against my own body. I leaned over the side of my cot and vomited the water I had just drank. My throat burned from the acid, but that was barely noticeable compared to the pain in my chest and the throbbing of my head.
“They’re both… gone?”
Alain fell off of his seat and onto his knees behind me. He said no more words, but his wailing cries spoke plenty for him. All of his children, his wife, they were all gone. I placed my hand on his back, and he grabbed my other one.
Through sobs, Alain spoke again, “Cori, I don’t know what to do! Please, tell me what to do! Please! Anyone! My boys!”
He continued, his never ending cries being heard throughout the encampment. All I could do was suffer silently beside him. They were gone. My new family was gone. All that remained was Alain. Time seemed to speed up as our daily lives continued. Attacks across the river became rare, some of the soldiers theorizing that the last attack was everything the Aishyans had. Some celebrated the victory, excited that the war in the central plains may be over soon. Alain and I spent quiet nights sipping tea, no celebration to be had.
Weeks went by, and finally General Rediff announced a retaliation for the battle. Many of the captured Ashyan soldiers had given up key strategic information about the other side of the river, and the plans they had for the battle. It wasn’t just a full on assault against our encampment, but a chance to gain information. Their goal was to capture as many soldiers as possible, and General Rediff was the primary target due to his high status.
“With this information!” General Rediff’s voice carried throughout the entire fortress, “We believe some of our men are still alive, kept in captivity on the other side of the river!”
Murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd that had gathered in the yard, and my hand slipped, accidentally cutting the man I was stitching up.
“As you know, we are purely a defensive unit, meant to hold off the attack across the river while General Idris makes progress in Ahyan territory to the south. Under the orders of the King himself, we are not meant to cross the river. However, I am not a man who will sit down while the soldiers under my command are tortured and killed, especially when I can do something about it. We know where they are being held, and we know that many are still alive. That is why I speak to you today. I will not order you to come on this mission, as it is in defiance of a direct order of the King, but I will ask you to join me regardless. Any soldier who wishes to take up arms and save their brothers and sisters, meet here in the yard tomorrow. I sincerely hope that many of you feel the same as I do. Dismissed!”
With that, the soldiers began to file out of the newly opened door the earth mage created. Whispers were everywhere as they left, some annoyed at the idea of running into another fight, while others were filled with hope. I was left with nothing. Too many conflicting feelings. Hope, fear, sadness, anger, they all canceled one another out that I continued my duties for the rest of the day, then quietly walked home, no actual thoughts forming in my head. That was until I found Alain outside his tent sitting on a cut log, a bottle of something strong-smelling in his hand.
He took a swig from the drink, let out a long sigh, then spoke, “I’m going, Cori.”
I felt the tears fall on my cheeks before I could even get a word out, “Please. Please I don’t know what to–”
“They could be alive. I have too. You know I have too.”
I wanted to beg for him to stay, but I also wished that he left to go save them right now. If he went, he could die, but he could also bring them back to me. Ultimately though, nothing I said would change his mind. I could see it in his face. The wrinkles that had set in over the years were tightened, like he was straining every muscle on his face to convince me that he was determined. In the end, I simply nodded and hugged the old man. His breath was stained with alcohol, so I took the bottle in his hand and lightly tapped his head with it.
“Hey! Give that back!” he yelled, but hardly moved to get his drink.
I grabbed him under the arm and lifted him to his feet, “Come, you need to get rest. If you drank any more of this I doubt you’ll be able to get up in the morning. You need to be sharp if you’re going to save them.”
I set Alain down on his bed, and he immediately began snoring. I layed there a while against his cot, trying to sort through the hurricane that was my mind. I couldn't think of anything for too long, lest the thought get bombarded with doubts or fear. So, I sent a silent prayer to god.
“Please let them be safe. Please let them come home. All of them.”
The next day, Alain, General Rediff, and many others set out across the River of Division. There was no grand goodbye or celebration for a mission meant to rescue so many people, but a quiet sense of dread filled the air around the soldiers. These men were rushing towards hostile territory, and towards an unknown number of enemies. Many called it a suicide mission, and they celebrated the idea of getting a new General. I simply waved to Alain as he gently flowed into the mist of the river. Then, when he was gone and unable to be seen, I got back to work.
Weeks went by, but I kept my head clear through all of them. With no reliable supply chain for the soldiers that left, it wasn’t unexpected to hear nothing from them while they were out on the mission. They were in the unknown, and we were left waiting, hoping some of them would come back. After a month, it was declared that they all had died. My Soul shook at the announcement. Now, truly, everyone was dead. In many ways, I was the last Brynor, but at the same time, the Brynors were all dead. The family I had made was gone, and I was left all alone, again. Hope had been restored in me that they might have survived, only for it to be ripped away, taking Alain with it.
It took another week for someone to spot a raft crossing the river. I hadn’t gotten to see the returning soldiers myself, but I heard it was only a few. I ran towards the medical wing as fast as I could, still dressing myself as I got closer and closer to the stone fortress. The same woman that had opened the stone gate when I first arrived years ago stood there. As soon as she saw me she placed her hand on the stone wall, her fingers digging into the impossibly hard material, and pulled down. The stone fell, allowing me to pass. I didn’t even thank her and just kept running.
I was met with dozens of wounded men, all resting on cots or on the ground, too many of them to treat at once. Wounds and scars covered their skin, some of them barely looking alive. I searched for a sign of Alain, praying that he had come home. Instead of Alain, I found a huge man larger than anyone I’d ever met. The only recognizable feature was the big, wide grin he had on his face. Everything else had been cut. Scars of red lined his face, some still open and bleeding. His right leg had a large part of it sliced clean off, only a thin bandage soaked red over the wound. The biggest change was the deep black hole in his face that was once his left eye. He looked like a corpse I would find out on a battlefield, which made my stomach churn and gag.
“Aaron,” I managed to get out through my heaving.
The large man turned to me, the hole in his face seeming to grow bigger as he squinted to look at me.
“Cori!” He yelled happily, “I’m back!”
I saw him try to lift an arm to wave, but it only twitched. Tears fell from my eyes, a common occurrence for me now, but I tried to keep my composure. I was happy to see him, overjoyed that the man I loved was still alive, despite the horrific injuries he’d suffered, but I had to know.
“The others. Are they…” I let my voice fall away.
Aaron’s smile remained, but water started to drip from his one good eye and down his cheek. The smile began to falter, like it was the very last defense the man had before everything he stored away inside came out like a flood.
“They’re gone. I– I tried. I really tried!” he said, his teeth grinding against one another. It was gone now, the smile. All that remained was a boy who’d lost everything, and he wailed in agony. I ran to him, ignoring the cries from my fellow nurses to get to work, and wrapped my arms around him, the dam I was using to hold back my tears breaking the second I touched him. We were all we had left. The other two were gone, and all we could do was cry.
Sean Brynor
A dull feeling began to encompass my whole body. I felt my knees turn to jelly, but I held my balance, not daring to fall down on the floor and make noise. They couldn’t know I was here, not after everything I’d just overheard.
“After that, Aaron was discharged,” my mother said through poorly hidden sobs. Ailisa held her hands trying to comfort her, but I doubted it helped at all. “His injuries were so great that he could no longer be of use on the battlefield. Only his family would be allowed to leave with him, so we got married. For a short while, we lived in the wilds. It was quiet for a long time, but it was nice to have each other. Then, I got pregnant. I didn’t want our baby to grow up in such a harsh world, so we went to my parents. They sent us away the second we came to their doorstep. I’d married a vagrant man and was bearing his child. I was nothing to them anymore. We had to return to Aaron’s hometown. To Corvin. I knew he didn’t want to see his childhood home, but we had no other choice. Things have only gotten worse since then.”
Mother’s face fell onto the table while Ailisa patted her slowly. Nothing could be heard except her crying. My heart wrenched and I could feel my breathing grow heavy, but I kept the sound down. My parents were so much more than I had realized. I had always known of the pain my Father faced, that something in his past made him who he was today, but I had grown so used to it. We were so different, yet so similar. Our pasts held us back. Maybe, if I was able to do it, my father could move on from his past too?