The three of us sit around a fire thinking of what we just lived through. Night is upon us, leaving our small fire as our only source of light and warmth. Each of us has a small log to use as a backrest. No one has said anything for awhile now.
Both Thane and Erik gaze into the fire with blank expressions. You can tell it’s not the fire they are looking at; rather, they are looking past it, as if into an empty void. It’s not their eyes fixated on anything--no, it’s more their mind reliving all of the events that took place earlier today. Thane, like me, is a man of war. Erik, however, has never seen battle before in his life. While both of them share a blank expression, Erik looks more like he is dead on the inside. He lost everything he has ever known and had to bury his own wife. Not long after, he was along with the rest of us running for our lives from unnatural beasts produced by Lunis. It’s sad really, though this is the world we live in and I don’t see it changing any time soon. Everyone has suffered loss; Erik is merely another name to add to the list.
Thane lost his family, too--they may not have been blood, but they were as close as you could get. You eat together, sleep together, live together and die together. You always watch your fellow soldiers’ backs and they do the same for you.
I look across the fire and through the thin strands of smoke rising into the air. Thane's eyes--or should I say eye--is visible, and I can tell he is hurting. The entire time we were walking away from the rubble of his base he kept murmuring to himself, “If only I’d waited a little longer. He could have survived.” He is beating himself up on the inside. I can tell he feels responsible for all the lives that were lost today. He recruited anyone that was willing to help, and many of them died under his leadership. That’s a burden I would never want to bare.
I plant both hands on the ground and push myself to more of an upright position. Thane sees me move and looks over in my direction. It may be too soon, but I ask, “So, what’s your plan now? Is this it for the resistance, or do your plans still move forward?”
He takes a moment to collect his thoughts and lets out a little sigh. “No, I won’t let this stop me.” He pauses slightly, then, “This isn’t the first time we have suffered loses. As tragic as this may be, we still must carry on. All of my men were ready to give their lives for our cause. They all fought hard and will not be forgotten.”
I admire his determination--just like the mountain he is, he won’t budge an inch on his goal. I have been wondering this for a while now: “How many do you think managed to make it out?”
He shakes his head in uncertainty. “It’s difficult to tell given how many were killed by the wolves before I sounded the alarm.” He raises his hand to the back of his head and gives it a small scratch, all the while looking down into the fire. There’s a brief pause before he finally says, “My guess would be somewhere around thirty.”
That’s a little lower than I wanted to hear. “Wow. Only thirty members of the Red Heart remain.”
Thane quickly shakes his head. “Oh no, there is more than that left. I didn’t have everyone stationed in one place. There are various outposts around the world that each contain several men in themselves. Not to mention the two bases. One in Moorhall and the other secretly nestled in Lunis itself.”
This is some good news to hear and a little surprising. “You have a base in Lunis? That’s pretty bold. How has it not been discovered yet?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He grins slightly. “I have the very best of my men stationed there. It’s not very big and is only meant to serve as intel. Which has me worried. Either Lunis planned an attack on us and that information went right over their heads, or they’ve been discovered. I will have to send in for an update once I make it to Moorhall.”
Thane certainly knows what he is doing. If he says they are the best he has, than I’m sure they are fine. I wonder now what he plans to do in Moorhall. Continuing the conversation, I ask him, “So is heading to Moorhall your next plan of action?”
He nods his head. “Yes, everyone is instructed to regroup there after events such as this.”
Makes sense--it is the nearest city. “So, then, when do you plan to leave?”
“First thing in the morning. It’s a week's journey on foot and I have no time to waste.”
I lean forward a bit and rest one arm on my knee. “Alright, I’ll follow you to Moorhall.”
“Oh, you want to join us?”
“Perhaps one day, but right now I can’t leave my friends behind. I certainly want to see Lunis pay for what they did to you and your men, but right now I need to make sure my friends are okay. They are all like brothers to me. I’m sure you can understand.”
He nods his head in agreement, though he doesn’t say anything.
“Moorhall seems like the best place to search for them,” I continue. “It’s likely they would have headed in that direction after we were separated. Who knows, maybe once I find them I can convince them to join you and your cause. After all, we left the Lunar Guard to try and make a difference in this world.”
Thane sits up a little taller now and gives a slight smile. “That’s good enough for me. I truly hope you are able to find them.”
I reply, “I’m sure I will find them some day. We have been separated while out on missions before and managed to find each other again. This shouldn’t be any different.”
Thane doesn’t respond to me, instead he looks over at Erik and questions, “So what’s your plan? Do you still want to be a part of the Red Heart?”
I almost forgot Erik was even here. He hasn’t made a sound ever since we sat down by the fire.
Erik doesn’t break eyes away from the lock they have on the fire and says, “I don’t know what I want to do. I thought joining you seemed like a good idea. It’s not like I had anything to lose right?”
Thane gives Erik time to continue but he doesn’t say anything. His mind just sort of closes back in on itself. Thane then speaks up, “So are you saying you regret joining us?”
Erik, still looking into the fire, replies, “No, I mean, I don’t know. I guess maybe in some small way I do. I wanted to avenge my people, but I’m just not a fighter. Look at me--I was a fisherman back home. What place do I have in war? I don’t know how you guys do it. You watch your friends die all around you and yet you want to keep fighting...” His words sort of trailed off as he finished his thought.
Thane speaks up and tells him, “Fighting is never easy. It doesn’t matter how much you train, or how good you may be with a sword. Part of you always knows that each breath you take might end up being your last. I have always taught my men to use this fear as a strength. I would always tell them that whenever I’m in battle, I make sure that if I die, I die making a difference.”
Erik shifts his eyes away from the fire and looks at Thane. “I understand what you are trying to say. I just don’t know if this life is for me.”
Thane seem likes he doesn’t want to pressure him any further. Instead he calmly says to him, “There are other ways to help our cause. You don’t have to be a fighter to do some good in this world. All I am saying is just give it some thought. For now you can accompany us to Moorhall and from there you can decide what you want to do.”
Erik nods his head. “Sure, I can do that.”
Thane stands up and heads over to small pile of wood we collected earlier. He grabs a few pieces and throws them on the fire. It’s not long before they ignite and double the size of the flames. After that he says to us, “It’s about time we got some rest. We have a cold night ahead of us and a long journey after that. You’re gonna want the energy. I’ll take first watch and we will rotate shifts after that. Lunis likely would have sent out scouts to track down the stragglers after the battle. Stay alert, you two.”
Erik lays down on his side and lets out a sigh, upset by the fact that Lunis could still be hunting us. This doesn’t really bother me. It’s all just another part of this life. I lay down on my back and rest my sword on my chest with one hand gripped firmly on the hilt. If anyone comes in the middle of the night, I’ll be ready.