The words had been carefully chosen.
Loch had to appear confident, the tone daring and full of strength. But that was not how Hoskia Silverbark was meant to take them. Loch was approaching him for negotiations, that would tell Hoskia that Clan Brady was not coming from a position of strength.
The strong did not negotiate with the weak.
There was no mention of the prisoners. That told Hoskia that Clan Brady did not know of their existence. The Silver Bark leader could still use them to his advantage.
Asking for an honor guard would restrict the number of people that could be brought to the meeting. It was meant to keep the number of people brought by both sides even. Though, as Elora had pointed out, there was a lot of leeway in what each side thought of as an honor guard.
As the party asking for the parlay, Clan Brady would be the most restricted. If they brought a lot of guards, it would just show more of their weakness. As the requested party, the Silver Bark would naturally not know how many Clan Brady would bring, working off an assumption and would bring more to be safe.
Elora had explained about the rules with parlay, verified by Cerie, which was that there were really no rules beyond those governed by honor. There was a lot of trust in the situation, as the Connection did not enforce anything and it was down to the two Clans. With the amount of power Clans held, and even the individuals at higher Levels, honor was important. Word would spread in the wider Connection and that could hurt the Clan in future negotiations or even individual clan members when out on their own.
Because of that, the Silver Bark rarely initiated parlay or even negotiated. Most times, they refused. But in this situation, both Elora and Cerie were positive the Silver Bark would respond. Maybe not to parlay, but they would respond.
Loch set out two days after sending the message. It didn’t take that long for the group to get ready, but they had planned on the time needed for the messenger to get back to the Silver Bark camp and then the Silver Bark to start the journey to the meeting site. There was no time for the elves to make plans. They would need to leave almost as soon as their watcher gave them the message.
It was a quiet group that started through the forest. Elora took the lead, with Brian taking the rear like usual. The twins, who Loch had not wanted to bring along but had relented, were surprisingly quiet. There was none of their usual back and forth banter. The two had surprised Loch. As soon as they had become Bannermen, they had devoted themselves to Leveling. Both had reached Level 12 in only a few weeks. The speed was crazy compared to everyone else in the Clan, Loch included. With nothing else to do, the two had Leveled. They hit every Dungeon they could with different parties, hitting every Spawn Field when the Dungeons were on timers.
They were still far behind the group, but could now hold their own.
The rest of the group was made up of Julia Montgomery, Bobby McKay and the Brighams, Harold and Sarah. Those two had been an almost last minute addition. Their group had yet to find a replacement for their dead member, Josh Hauser seeming to be reluctant to. They had stopped running Dungeons, doing bare minimum to Level. Unable to break up the team, for the same reason it was hard to find a single DPS member to fill the void, they had asked to come along with Loch. He was glad to have the extra strength, even if he wasn’t sure he fully trusted them. He trusted them more than Josh Hauser. That man had been spending too much time with Roger Lewis and his group.
Loch shook his head, a stray thought appearing and disappearing. It seemed to be happening a lot. Something Kelly had said about gut instinct when it came to people. There was something important about that, but Loch couldn’t place what.
An arrow flew through the air, followed by the yip of a Mutated Chipmunk. The monster thumped to the ground, not getting up.
“Skin it?,” Bobby asked.
“No,” Loch said. “Let’s just keep moving. Maybe the corpse will keep the Mutated Coyotes off us.”
They were able to move quickly, following the same path Loch and his people had taken to get from the clearing to the school. But they didn’t want to move too fast. The timing had to be perfect.
So much had to be perfect.
***
The first night was spent in a cave. It wasn’t big enough for the entire party, but they could crowd around the entrance, lighting a fire just outside. The small stone pit Loch and his people had made the first time through was still there. No evidence of being used.
They didn’t try to hide the smoke, wanting the watching Silver Bark to know they were there. Elora hadn’t seen any on the walk, but knew they were there. She could sense the watchers. Loch took her word for it. He wanted to be seen. Let the scouts return to Hoskia Silver Bark with Loch’s exact numbers.
The mood was somber around the fire. Everyone there knew the risks, had volunteered for it. The twins had tried some of their normal banter, it hadn’t gotten anywhere and they had given up. Loch thought about lightening the mood, but why bother? It fit the impression they wanted the Silver Bark to have.
“There is one thirty feet into the treeline to your right,” Elora whispered.
She sat near the fire, closer than anyone else, just to Loch’s left. To anyone looking, she was staring down into the fire, not looking into the woods. Loch didn’t turn to look. In the night, with the elf’s natural stealth, Loch wouldn’t have seen the watcher. Even if it had been daylight.
“You thought there were two earlier?,” he asked.
“Yes. One would have run off to return to the Silver Bark camp.”
“Good,” Loch said, leaning forward closer to the fire.
The flames danced before him, shadows playing across the ground. Loch loved campfires. Nothing beat having one in his own backyard, sitting in the adirondack chairs, beer in one hand, holding Kelly’s hand with the other, watching the flames and the bats flying overhead. Bat ballet, Kelly had called it, as they flew from one tree to another, eating the flying insects. It had been peaceful.
Some of the clan had built a large pit back behind the school on one of the few flat spots leading down to the shore. Large stones, too round or oblong to be used in constructing walls, had been used to form the pit. They’d had a couple of fires already. No beer as no one in the Clan could make it yet, but it was sure to come soon
Loch had avoided the fires, not wanting to make it awkward with his presence. Being the Clanchief was a negative when it came to social interactions. The only ones not awed by his presence were those closest to him, the girls and the people that made up his adventuring group. Everyone else, they treated him like royalty. Even most of the councilors. Loch wanted to go hang out by the fire with the clan, but if he did, it would become an event.
Stolen story; please report.
There would be no peace.
Not only would people act awkwardly, not relaxing, but they would ask him questions. Some might even air their issues. Loch wasn’t against that, and felt that the people did need to be able to vent, but around a fire meant to relax was not the place.
So he stayed away.
Fires like the one in front of him, they were nice but he couldn’t relax. Not with what was coming up.
He stared into the flames, imagining the day when he could just hang out by the fire again.
***
The clearing was empty. That they could see at least. Loch doubted that it truly was. Most of the grass that had been torn up and ruined by the fighting had regrown. Moss grew over the bones of the triceratops, which had been picked clean by scavengers. The bones dominated the clearing. He avoided looking at the area where they had burned the bodies of everything else killed in the clearing.
“Wow,” Brent said. “That thing is pretty…”
“Freaking cool,” Trent finished for him.
“Freaking freaky,” Brent said, glaring at his brother.
“Did you seriously just say ‘freaking freaky’,?” Trent asked.
“Yeah, what of it?”
“Enough,” Brian barked before Trent could reply.
Both twins fell silent, standing a little straighter and at attention. They still exchanged glares but also focused on the land around them. Since both had chosen to become Bannerman, someday if they proved worthy, Brian had grudgingly taken it upon himself to become their mentor. Elora wasn’t going to do it and Brian didn’t want the ‘two fools’, as he called them, to get hurt in their excitement. He felt someone had to train them to be proper soldiers. It was an odd mixing as Brian barely talked and the twins were rarely quiet.
Loch chuckled, kind of glad now that they twins had come. They’d been dour like everyone else at first, but he’d known it was only a matter of time before their true nature came out.
They made their way toward the bones. Loch glanced back at the Brighams. The married couple were moving slower, looking around the clearing. Sarah pointed at a spot to the side, Harold nodding. Loch wondered if that was where their partymate, Stephen Cross, had died. He noticed the twins avoided looking at specific areas, probably where some of the people they’d been journeying with had died. Loch avoided the spot where Jenny Brannock had fallen.
He hadn’t wanted to choose the clearing. Too many humans had fallen there, some at the hands of elves. But there was nowhere else. Not with as much open space as this clearing had, as well as lines of sight. He had no doubt that there would be elves hidden in the woods, but the distance from treeline to the center of the clearing was great and there was nowhere to hide. They would see reinforcements coming and have time to decide on a plan. The other benefit was the location. The road was close, giving Loch and his people a decent escape route. Others had come down it before, they knew how damaged it was. Loch felt confident they could run down the road and make it to the wall, where they would have the defensive position. With the large pond in the elves direct route, it would mean they would have to go around it. It wouldn’t cost them much time, but it would take them longer.
The other reason was psychological.
Clan Brady had won against Clan Silver Bark in the largest skirmish between the humans and elves yet. Clan Brady had even been weakened from fighting the Triceratops, Bugbears, Raptors and Wendigo. But they’d still won against the more experienced elves. It sent a message that Clan Brady wasn’t afraid of the Silver Bark.
Which went against the message Loch had hoped to send when he requested the parlay. Elora was sure that Hoskia Silver Bark would not see it as contradictory but more reinforcement that Clan Brady was truly scared of the Silver Bark. He would see it as a last gasp attempt by Loch to show strength.
That was what Loch was hoping.
He followed Elora to the bones. Dozens of little bite marks marred the remains of the triceratops, the bones starting to fade, the parts that weren’t covered by moss. It was surprising how quickly nature had claimed the bones.
The benefit of being the first to the clearing meant that Clan Brady got to pick the ground. The land sloped down toward the pond, few trees along the shore facing the clearing, but thick forest everywhere else. Standing with his back to the bones, Loch liked what he saw. The elves would have to come uphill. They’d have the pond blocking some paths of retreat. No matter what, Clan Brady was going to be at a disadvantage, Loch would take any advantages he could get.
He turned around, watching as Brian got the clan members lined up. Both Archers climbed up the bones, getting some additional height. Brent and Trent were set up on the sides where their spears could help protect the flanks. Julia moved to within the bones, using the shell for protection. Brian and Harold stood to either side of Loch, a couple steps behind.
“They’re here,” Elora said quietly.
Loch turned, looking down the slope. A couple of people walked out of the forest, almost appearing out of nowhere. The two elves carried bows and wore short swords. They stopped just outside the trees, looking up at Loch and his people. The two watched for a couple of minutes before one of them re-entered the forest. The other walked further away.
More appeared, stepping from the shadows under the trees. It was somewhat unnerving how there was nothing and then suddenly there was. Loch was glad he wouldn’t be facing the elves in the shadows of the trees. Four total spread out, bows held in hand, an arrow in the other. Looking past, Loch could now see shapes in the trees. The first were scouts with similar Abilities to Elora. Six figures stepped out, moving to stand in front of the scouts. They spread out, forming a line. Warriors like the ones Loch had faced before. Ten Silver Bark. His people were already outnumbered. He’d hoped the numbers would be more even.
Six more warriors followed, those staying closer to the treeline, three to a side with a gap between. Loch silently cursed, not letting his people see his worry.
Three more elves stepped out of the trees. All three different from each other and the rest. On the left was a Crone. Similar to the one Loch had fought, but just a little different. Bent a little more, green robe instead of black. She held a staff, using it to support her body. On the right was a man in a robe. Tall and straight, a brown robe, carrying a staff with the top carved in different animal heads. Loch guessed him to be the Ghostweaver, Loric Greenspire. Elora had described the Rare Class as a kind of Shaman, using totems to power his Abilities.
The last, the one in the middle, was Hoskia Silver Bark. The tallest Elf that Loch had seen, he had long silver hair that hung straight down his back, two braids in the front. He wore armor like the warriors, his just more elaborate and engraved. Most likely enchanted as well. Two swords were belted at his waist, his hands resting on the hilts. Loch couldn’t see his face, but could feel the disdain and hate in the expression sent his way.
Loch let the whole group walk forward, closer and closer. He kept his hands to the side, itching to summon Onyx and Bulwark, to Windstep down the slope and start the fight. He held back. It wasn’t the time. The gaze shifted to Loch’s side, focusing on Elora.
She took a step back, seeming to shrink under its weight. Her expression firmed, her back growing straight and she took the same step forward, even taking another forward. She stared down the slope at Hoskia, standing proud.
“That’s far enough,” Loch said when the Silver Bark were thirty feet away, just shy of where the gradual slope turned a little steeper.
Hoskia looked like he wasn’t going to, but gave the order, stopping the group of Elves. He looked Loch up and down, smirking the whole time.
“So you are Lochlan Brady,” he said, scorn dripping from the words.