371 days until the Arkon Shield falls

We marched out of the village in dressed ranks and set out northeast. In contrast to the last expedition I’d been on, we made good time. Both the foothills and grasslands were easier to traverse than the forest, and this time we were unburdened by construction supplies.

Petrov pushed us hard, though, and by day’s end, I was exhausted. As sunset neared, I struggled to put one foot in front of the other, and when we broke camp that night, I fell deep asleep, leaving the defense of the company in Petrov’s capable hands.

We camped in the foothills, and given the stringent defenses Petrov erected, the night passed without incident. The bearded captain had let me sleep undisturbed, and I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed.

The second day began much like the first, but a few hours before noon, we reached the northern end of the foothills and found Tara’s scouts waiting for us. The expedition’s forces were camped within the mountains, and the scouts had been sent to guide us in.

Our company’s pace slowed to a crawl as we traversed a windy path around vertical cliffs, up steep slopes, down empty gorges, and through rocky valleys. Wherever we were going, it was deeper into the range than I had been during my previous sojourn into the mountains.

The elevation increased, and the temperature plummeted. But just as I began to fear we’d have to spend another day traveling, the scouts called back to report we’d reached our destination.

“Thank heavens,” I muttered, glancing at the too-close snow-covered peaks to the north. I wasn’t sure how far away the enemy village was, but I judged we were east of Doran’s Retreat and the Primal Keep. There were still a few hours left in the day, but I doubted any of the expedition’s leaders planned to move on the enemy today.

We’ll spend at least one night in these mountains, I thought morosely. If not more. I surveyed the surrounding peaks. They were cold and unfriendly. How could any village survive in such hostile terrain? I scanned the horizon, searching for a clue to the settlement’s whereabouts.

A faint shimmer beyond the farthest snow peak caught my attention. “Hey!” I called out to the nearest scout. “What’s that?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know, but Lance says it’s likely the Arkon Shield.”

I blinked. The Shield. Of course. I’d known we were in the northwestern corner of the domain, but I hadn’t realized how close we were to the border. On the bright side, if we were this close to the Shield, the enemy village couldn’t be too far away.

Walking beside Petrov, I followed the scouts into the camp. The five hundred men and women under Tara and Giselle’s command had taken shelter in a deep hollow. I felt momentary trepidation at the thought of meeting Tara again. It had been weeks since we’d spoken, and our last conversation had been an emotionally charged one.

What will she make of me now? I wondered.

Clearing a rise, we beheld the entirety of the camp, hundreds of tents surrounded by a shallow ditch. The spider queen was present, too, I saw.

Passing over the ditch, we found Tara, Lance, Giselle, and John waiting for us. As we hurried forward to greet them, I noticed in passing that the three fighters had enchanted weapons equipped. Lance, though, carried no staff.

“Good, you’re finally here,” Tara said, her gaze darting between Petrov and me. “I was beginning to think we would be made to wait here forever.”

Petrov grunted. “We came as quickly as we could.”

Tara nodded and turned to the lieutenant at her side. “John, will you get Petrov’s people settled? They must be tired, and we want them well-rested before tomorrow’s assault.”

I frowned. Assault? I thought this was going to be a rescue mission.

The spearman waved cheerfully at me before saluting Tara. “Aye, aye ma’am,” he said and hurried away.

Then, much to my surprise, Tara stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. Startled, I remained stiff in her grasp.

The diminutive woman stepped back and looked up at me. “How are you, Jamie?”

I smiled a lopsided grin. “Oh, you know me,” I said. “Surviving.”

She nodded solemnly. “Tales of your exploits were all over the village. I’m glad...” She paused. “I’m glad you found what you’re looking for.” Not waiting for my response, she spun away, all business again. “Follow me. There is something you two need to see. Then we can go over our plans for tomorrow.”

✽✽✽

As we strolled through the camp, I studied the men and women under Tara’s command. As expected, discipline was tight. The soldiers looked competent. But were they ready to face one hundred orcs and a shaman? I didn’t think so.

And what was with her greeting? I wondered, still bemused by the green-eyed woman’s welcome. It had been at one time colder and warmer than I had expected. Had she missed me?

Impossible.

Tara was Tara and too level-headed to let emotions sway her.

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Lance stepped up beside me, and I glanced at the blond-haired mage. “How are you doing? It’s been a while.” The last time I’d seen my fellow mage had been the day Earth had fallen and his world newly turned upside down.

“It has,” he agreed. “I’ve been keeping busy, and it’s helped.” He sucked in a breath. “I’m coping.”

I nodded, glad for him. “You’ve been assigned to Tara’s company?”

A fleeting grin slipped onto Lance’s face. “Yeah, that woman takes some getting used to.”

I smiled in wry acknowledgment and examined the other mage more closely. Like Lance said, he looked well. His face was clear of the distress I had last seen in him, and his gaze was firm. Gone, too, was the arrogant air by which I’d first marked him. He was altogether more contained now.

Lance has grown, I thought, not just as a player but in maturity too.

Catching my gaze, the blond man quirked his lips. “Not what you expected?”

I smiled. “I was just thinking we’ve all come a long way since entering this world.”

The blue-eyed mage’s smile faded. “That we have.” He breathed out slowly. “The Trials has been nothing like I anticipated. It demands sacrifice and gives little in return.”

I didn’t say anything but couldn’t find fault with Lance’s words. “You don’t have a staff, I see,” I said, changing the topic.

He shook his head. “I got your note, but I didn’t want to waste any skill points on the lore Discipline,” he admitted. “I’ve been managing without.” He eyed my own staff. “Still,” he said with a tinge of envy in his tone, “it would be nice to look like a proper wizard.”

I grinned. “Don’t worry,” I assured him. “I’ve brought along a sapling just in case. I’ll craft you a Focus once we’re done with the meeting.”

Lance’s face brightened. “I’ll hold you to that.”

I hesitated. “There are other things we must speak about, too,” I said, thinking about Ash, sorcery, and everything else I’d learned from Cedric.

Lance looked at me curiously. “Like?”

I waved away his question. “We’ll talk later. Looks like we’re here.”

✽✽✽

Tara and the rest of the expedition’s commanders had stopped at the edge of a ridge and were looking down. She looked back and waved Lance and me forward.

Stepping up to the ridge, I nodded at Giselle.

“Jamie,” she said with a smile, “you survived the dungeon, I see.”

“Barely,” I replied with an answering smile. “How’s the spider queen doing?”

Giselle laughed. “Bunny’s leveling faster than I am.”

I stared at her. “You named the spider queen… Bunny?”

The fighter folded her arms and glared at me. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” I said, carefully hiding my amusement.

“If you two are quite done yet?” Tara said, tugging at my arm and gesturing downwards.

“Sorry,” I mumbled and followed her gaze.

“You see that circle of green a mile north of here?” Tara continued. “The enemy settlement is located there. You can’t see the village from here—it’s concealed by the mountain slopes ringing the valley—but it’s there.”

“One mile?” Petrov asked sharply.

Tara glanced at his concerned face. “If you’re thinking we’re too close, you’d be right—” she snorted—“if the enemy bothered sending out any patrols. In all the time that our scouts have been watching the village, no patrols have entered or left the valley.”

“Sloppy,” Petrov grunted, reassured by Tara’s response. “What about the orcs?”

“They are camped outside the settlement,” Tara replied.

I was sure I’d misheard. “Outside?”

Tara nodded.

My brows flew up. Why would the orcs camp outside the settlement? If they were protecting the village, it would make more sense for them to do that from within the walls. “Do we know why they aren’t inside?”

“We don’t,” Tara said, shaking her head. “Their positioning confuses me too.” She shrugged. “Perhaps they don’t want to trust their own safety to the gang. While the thugs are lax, the orcs aren’t. They have fortified their camp and patrol it incessantly. Our Patrons may not care about their human subjects, but they have taken pains to protect themselves.”

I frowned. “All that should make extracting the villagers easier.” I paused. “So why are we planning an assault?”

Tara didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze turning eastward, the captain stared at the intervening rock and mountains hiding the enemy village. I glanced at Lance and Giselle, but they, too, wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“Because,” Tara said finally, her voice so soft that Petrov and I had to lean forward to hear her, “we can’t evacuate the village, not without a fight.”

“Why not?” I asked, perplexed.

Tara turned around to pin me with her green eyes. “Tell them, Lance,” she said.

The blond mage sighed. “Our scouts have been spying on the settlement for days now. The village itself is locked down. Whether by day or night, there is minimal movement on the streets. But from afar, our scouts managed to analyze some of the villagers.” He met my gaze. “They’re enslaved.”

I nodded. “The commander informed us of that, but once we free them, we—”

Lance shook his head. “No, Jamie, they’re not slaves like on Earth. They’re Overworld slaves.”

I froze, finally taking his meaning. “Oh,” I said, the air deflating from me.

Petrov’s gaze flitted between Lance and me. “What does that mean?”

“It means they’re Trials-bound to serve their masters,” Giselle said, tugging angrily at her braid. “Even if we free the villagers of their physical bounds, they cannot escape. They’re forced by the Trials to remain loyal to their masters.”

Petrov’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Are you saying there is no freeing them?”

“There is one way,” I said, understanding now why Tara meant to assault the town. “Kill their masters.”

Petrov’s eyes narrowed. “I see.” He fell silent, thinking for a moment. “Who holds the villagers’ contracts?”

“The gang members,” Tara said, re-entering the conversation.

Petrov looked relieved by her response. “So we only need to deal with the human thugs. The orcs, we can avoid.”

Tara shook her head. “It may not be that simple,” she said.

“Explain,” Petrov demanded.

“By our best guess, there are close to four thousand civilians in the village,” Tara said, “a disproportionate percentage of which are children.”

My eyes widened. “Four thousand?” That was about half Sierra’s own population. The enemy settlement was larger than I’d anticipated.

Tara nodded, her face void of expression. “We can’t shepherd that many across the mountains without the orcs noticing. If they pursue us, we’re doomed. It is better to face them while we retain the advantage of surprise.” Her lips twisted. “Or withdraw and abandon the mission.”

“We can’t do that,” I said firmly.

Tara held my gaze. “Agreed. We free the villagers or die trying.”