Chapter Fifty-One

Rhylix

Evening had settled around me and her and our various guests, but despite the glorious sunset painted above us, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, this woman I loved. She was beautiful and kind and witty, everything I’d ever wanted, and Joining with her would be the greatest privilege of my life.

When we breathed each other in, we became one in mind and soul, a glory I’d ever be eager to repeat, but soon enough, the Join broke, returning me to a singular existence. Despite this loss, I smiled. I still had her, after all.

That smile quickly flattened when I opened my eyes. Her body was utterly broken, leaving me unsure of how she was still standing, and as if prompted by the thought, she collapsed into a pool of blood, one that expanded until it had risen over my head.

I swam in this viscous liquid, recoiling from its awful warmth, and around me, the shadows of familiar forms flickered in and out of view. It was a host of my dead: my family and every loved one, and on recognizing them, a question howled through me.

WHY COULDN’T I SAVE THEM?

My sister floated into view with her black hair drifting around her drained-white face, and as she opened her mouth, I cringed in anticipation of the accusation that she’d surely hurl at me.

“Rhylix,” she said before pausing. “Healer! Wake up! You’re—”

“—needed.”

Gasping, I shot upright, clutching at my chest. A dream. It had only been a dream.

Why did my nightmares still affect me like this?

“Are you all right? You were thrashing something fierce.”

Rapidly blinking, I looked up into the concerned face of Chela. The Eselan healer was leaning on her knees with her head cocked, and in answer to her question, I wearily nodded.

“Just a bad dream,” I croaked. “You said I was needed?”

Damn, speaking hurt. Had I been screaming during this one?

Straightening, Chela doubtfully eyed me, but she didn’t pry further.

“Um. Raimie… the king… he asked for you,” she said.

“I see.”

That Raimie had given in to his rightful place still caught me off guard at times. If Chela’s fumbling with words was any example to go off of, uncertainty about his status seemed fairly common among the others as well.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“I’ll take you to him,” Chela said.

We found him much deeper into the woods than the rest of the army. Nestled among the roots of a massive tree, Raimie had several pieces of parchment spread in front of him, hovering over them with his fingers spread and Silverblade in his lap. Not an unusual sight when coming upon a commander on the night before his first battle.

The young woman lounging at his side, casually chatting, was different, though.

Chela made her farewell of me, and I slowly approached the two, watching them. Raimie muttered something, glancing at Ren with a smile tugging on his lips, and throwing her head back, she laughed, such a contrast to the silently restless slumber of the soldiers behind me.

Damn. She liked him. Well and truly liked him.

That could end in disaster if not handled carefully.

As I came closer, Raimie tiredly smiled at me.

“Rhy. I’m glad Chela found you.”

He leaned over his spread of parchment, quickly getting absorbed in it.

“Figured you’d want to know that your sister’s here,” he said. “She has news.”

He’d sounded exhausted, not that I could blame him. In the last two days, none of us, least of all him, had gotten much sleep, too busy getting ready to indulge in rest.

In contrast, my sister looked vibrant, even with an ugly look spread across her face. She was in a bad mood. That wasn’t my fault, was it?

“I was just telling Raimie about my efforts with Dury,” she said. “There was no way in hell that he’d provide more troops or supplies to aid your cause, but Raimie and I both hoped he’d at least offer refuge to people in need.”

“I’m guessing from your presence that he gave you an answer about that?” I said.

In the dim light of a nearby lantern, I watched Ren’s face darken with a sigh. In this case, expecting compassion from Tanwadur had been too much to ask for.

“His exact words were, ‘You can tell them to go to hell’,” Ren said.

Apparently having already heard this, Raimie barely reacted, only tightening his lips, but I knew how much this rejection had crushed him. He’d always desperately wanted to protect his people, seeming to need nothing more at times, and knowing this, I couldn’t help myself.

“I’m sorry, Ren,” I said. “I know Tanwadur’s your father, but he’s a selfish, judgmental, small-minded asshole.”

He’d condemn thousands of people to death, just because he hated their leader!

Biting her lip, Ren nodded acceptance of what I’d said while beside her, Raimie rearranged his pieces of parchment, content to ignore my outburst.

“Thank you for delivering the news, no matter how bad it was,” he said.

Ren and I stared at him for long enough that he shook himself. With a tremulous smile, he joined me on my feet.

“And of course, thank you for everything else you’ve done. Perhaps if my people and I survive tomorrow, we can further build on that effort. I’d love to see an alliance form between us,” he said.

Then, he performed the most graceful bow, which dropped Ren’s mouth open.

Holding the uncomfortable position, Raimie continued, “If there’s nothing else, you should head home. I have many tasks to finish tonight, and you need to be safe behind Tiro’s walls. On the off chance that I get some sleep tonight, I wouldn’t rest easy if you placed yourself in danger for something that’s not your fight.”

Snapping her mouth closed, Ren leapt to her feet before shoving a finger in my friend’s face.

“I’ll decide what is and isn’t my fight, thank you very much,” she snapped.

Sighing, Raimie folded to the ground again.

“You’re right,” he said, “and I’d never think to stand in the way of any decision you might make.”

Wait a minute.

“Raimie…” I muttered.

He’d better not be encouraging my sister to participate in something that was tantamount to suicide. Ren was wonderfully capable, and like Raimie, I’d never tell her what to do, but joining forces with us made no sense for her. She had no stake in this fight.

When she turned her ire on me, however, I found myself reassessing that belief.

“You were saying?” she hissed.

I raised my hands to calm her down while below us, Raimie clicked his tongue.

“If Ren were to join our fight tomorrow, it would mostly be in a last-ditch attempt to gain us Tiro’s aid,” he said. “She may love you, Rhy, but from what I’ve seen, she’s also entirely Audish. She won’t throw her life away for nothing.”

With a yawn, Raimie rubbed his eyes, missing how red Ren’s face had gone. I wasn’t sure if that was due to irritation or something else.

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“If you want to help, you can stick to the fringes of the fight and cast illusions among the enemy to confuse them,” he continued before frowning. “But there I go again, being rude and assuming you can use magic. I’m sorry, Ren.”

He looked up at her so pleadingly, and for a moment, my sister choked on herself. Soon enough, though, she cleared her throat.

“There’s no need to apologize,” she said, “and I can play distraction. It’s a good idea.”

“Thanks,” Raimie said with a smile. “Let’s hope my other plans are just as good.”

He returned his attention to his work, and when Ren didn’t move, I nudged her.

“Why don’t you find somewhere to bed down?” I said. “I’ll catch up with you before you fall asleep, and you can ask whatever questions you might have.”

“Sounds… good.”

Hell, she’d sounded dazed.

“Good night, you two.”

With nothing else, my sister trudged away, leaving me alone with Raimie, and resting my hands on my hips, I watched him work for a good minute.

“You know you can’t think of everything, right?” I eventually said.

“I have to try.”

Another thirty seconds passed with nothing to fill it but the wind, rustling the leaves.

“Are you planning on sleeping tonight?” I asked.

When Raimie didn’t deign to reply, I breathed out through my nose, crouching opposite my friend. I looked at this contradictory mess of a man—too noble toward those in his care, too understanding toward those he called friend, too absolutely thick-headed to think about his own needs—and a decision I’d never been aware of pondering was made.

Damn the possible consequences. Lifting a hand, I placed a finger on Raimie’s forehead, and as I had with his hands so long ago, I Let Go. As a wave of exhaustion washed through me, Raimie reared back, crashing into the tree’s trunk with a hand slapped to his head.

“The fuck was that?” he asked. “I’m…”

Pausing, he lowered his hand to examine it.

“I’m not tired anymore.”

“No. You’re not,” I sighed, “and before you ask, I won’t explain now.”

Keeping his promise to give me space strained Raimie this time, clearly biting his tongue as he was, and oh, if his restraint didn’t warm me.

“But,” I said, lifting a finger, “I will tell you everything, every secret I’ve hidden and every mystery you’ve wondered about, once the battle’s over tomorrow.”

Pursing his lips, Raimie narrowed his eyes.

“If we survive it,” he said.

With a laugh, I said, “Yes. We’ll have to do that first.”

Slapping my knees, I rose to my full height.

“Good night, Raimie. Please, get some rest.”

But then, I left him to his worry, hoping the promise of resolution that I’d provided might help him in some way.

----------------------------------------

The next day dawned clear and beautiful. Any other day, I might have run through weapons drills, anticipating a pleasant morning once I was finished. Today, I watched enemy soldiers march down a slope toward my allies.

Behind me, someone crashed through the forest, which made me wince. The enemy wouldn’t hear their minimal noise over the sound of their advance, and my new companion was trying to be stealthy, but still. Their efforts pained me.

When Raimie lowered himself to the forest floor beside me, it only made me cringe harder. Apparently, I should add stealth lessons to everything else I was teaching him.

That was provided we survived today, of course.

Then, Oswin stepped into view on my other side, again having managed to sneak up on me, and I chuckled to myself. Maybe he could take that slew of lessons off my plate.

“How’s it going?” Raimie whispered.

Wrinkling my nose at the unnecessary noise, I glanced at my friend.

“As expected,” I said. “You’re not wearing armor?”

Flashing a smile, Raimie said, “What? You don’t like the uniform?”

He picked at its sleeve before turning serious.

“From what I understand about a certain ability, I thought armor would only slow me down, and I’ll need speed today,” he said. “Plus, I don’t see you wearing any.”

“I don’t need it,” I absently said. “Are you sure using… that ability is a good idea?”

When I glanced at Oswin, curious if he was listening, I found him coldly smiling at me, which was odd. Had I angered him in some way?

“Rhy, we’re likely to die today,” Raimie said. “By the time this is done, no one will give a fuck what I am.”

“Fair point,” I said.

Like he’d said, his identity as a primeancer wouldn’t matter if he was dead, and on the off-chance that we achieved victory today, his efforts to guide us toward it would negate anyone’s murderous desires toward him, at least for a time.

Toward me, on the other hand…

“You’ll have to be careful, as usual,” Creation said above me.

I shot a glare at them, but that was all the attention that I could spare for them now. Something about the advancing enemy had caught my eye.

A while ago, I’d noticed that their size was smaller than projected, which had seemed fortuitous at first. As they’d approached the cliffs, though, our people’s archers had started raining arrows on them, and this had raised some concern.

Getting to my knees, I shifted my eyes to resemble an eagle’s, scanning the enemy soldiers, and failed to see lines of black painted under their skin. When an arrow took a soldier in the neck, bringing her down, she failed to rise, which had me cursing under my breath.

“Something wrong?” Oswin drawled.

I didn’t have time to address the hostility found in his voice. Focusing on Raimie, I pointed at the enemy.

“They’re not Kiraak,” I said. “They’re Conscripted, normal people who were forced into service for this fight.”

Rapidly blinking, Raimie said, “All right. That’s unexpected, but it works in our favor, right?”

“Except for that unit is much smaller than one with nine thousand in it. Shit,” Oswin said. “I was just wondering about that.”

Huh. I didn’t know why Oswin’s insight had surprised me. He was a spy for a godsdamn reason.

“Exactly right,” I said. “Teron’s probably using this Conscripted unit to test your ruse. Once the people on the beach retreat, forcing us into a charge, he’ll send in the Kiraak that he’s held in reserve.”

Raimie went pale and still.

“Fuck,” he said with his lips barely moving.

I caught the briefest glimpse of a pained look spreading across his face before he vigorously rubbed his face, and this told me exactly what he’d say next.

Not that he’d have much choice with it. If this plan was to maintain the slightest chance of success, we only had one course of action available to us.

He looked up at me, almost as if to beg for my forgiveness, but all I could do was nod, encouraging him to continue.

“If this is so, then our plan must change,” he said. “Those volunteers on the beach will have to stand their ground, holding until Teron believes that no one is coming to their rescue. The rest of us can only relieve them once he orders the Kiraak forward.”

“Yes,” I softly said.

Beside us, Oswin had gone stiff, looking between us, but fortunately, he chose not to interrupt.

“I need someone to carry the order,” Raimie said.

“You know I’ll do it,” I replied.

“You don’t have to stay with them once it’s done.”

“You know I will.”

As Raimie stared at me, I itched to get going—gods, we were approaching a point of no return—but he had to ask me to do this. He had to truly understand everything that was coming for him if we continued down this path.

Squeezing his eyes closed, Raimie turned away for a moment, taking a few shallow breaths, and when he turned that blue gaze on me again, my friend was gone. Before me, I saw a king, one I’d follow to my dying breath.

“You’re to hold the line until the Kiraak join the fray, after which you’re to retreat,” he said. “None of you is to needlessly waste your lives. Once the trap closes, you’ll fall back along the coast, and once you reach the forest, lose yourselves in it. We’ll regroup once the last enemy has fallen.”

And now, he knew.

With the Conscripted unit halfway to our volunteers, there was no more time to waste, so despite how many witnesses were nearby, I pulled an Ele bubble around myself while drawing more of that energy to my feet.

“Thank you, my friend,” Raimie whispered.

And I was gone. With Ele at my disposal, outpacing the Conscripted unit was easy. Even still, I arrived at the volunteer’s camp with hardly any time to spare. Having already ‘roused’ from slumber, they’d formed into ranks, and as I hurried the last stretch to them via mundane means, someone raised a shout.

“New orders from the king!” I bellowed before they could get too agitated.

While on the way here, I’d modified my vocal cords, so my voice carried far, quickly garnering the volunteers’ attention. Stopping in front of them, I stood at parade rest with my arms folded behind my back.

“I have been tasked with helping you hold a nearby position as retreat is no longer an option,” I shouted. “While I’d love to explain the reasoning for this, we simply don’t have the time. Anyone who can’t obey orders should leave. Now. Otherwise, follow me to the cliffs. If we hurry, we can form up before the battle’s joined.”

It wasn’t an inspiring speech, but as I’d said, there was no time. If we were lucky, they’d get one after we’d moved.

Turning on my heel, I flat-out sprinted for the cliffs. Putting our backs to them would undeniably get us surrounded, but it would also limit the fronts we’d have to handle. Plus, if this didn’t end up being a suicide maneuver, I had other means of getting us out of a trap.

“Do you think this is wise?” Creation asked from ahead. “What if no one follows you? You may be powerful, but you can’t hold off that many, not for long enough anyway.”

Eyeing them, I said, “I’m not changing my mind. Will you overrule my decision?”

For a moment, Creation looked torn before sighing.

“Not this time,” they said. “Will you expose yourself? If you do, your companions will string you up after the battle.”

“If I don’t, I’ll die now,” I said. “I’d rather delay death for as long as possible, if you don’t mind.”

Creation had nothing else, and when I reached the cliffs, I spun around, assessing what I had to work with.

Shockingly, most of the volunteers had trailed behind me, leaving me with thirteen hundred at a rough guess. In a strange mix of haste and discipline, they formed up in a semi-circle with the ends touching the cliffs. It was done so quickly that I ended up having time for that speech.

Pacing in front of the volunteers, I shouted, “You have one job: to survive. If you can’t avoid death in the coming quarter-hour, I expect you to take at least one of those bastards with you. Fight dirty. Use everything at your disposal, and forget about honor. In this way, you serve your king. The longer we fight here, the more we defang the trap that he will eventually lead our comrades into.”

Pausing, I took a deep breath, noting how tightly Creation had drawn their shoulders together. Was this really a good idea?

Did I have another choice?

“I will distract them as best I can,” I shouted, “and I can already hear what you now want to ask. ‘How will he do that?’ It’s a valid question. In answer, I’d ask you another one. Do you know what this is?”

Lifting a hand, I pulled Ele to it, and the reaction to its flash was immediate. People drew away from me with their lips pulled always from their teeth.

“That’s right. I’m an Ele primeancer,” I shouted, “but before you run me through, I’d ask you to consider everything you’ve heard about my kind. With that in mind, remember that I am on your side, and I will do my utmost to keep you alive. Do you want me dead now or after the battle’s over?”

I gave them a moment to think about that before continuing.

“That’s the plan. I’ll distract them as much as I can, and you’ll kill any that get past me. If we last for long enough, we’ll have a chance to retreat, and when that happens, you follow me. I’ll make us a hole.”

I held as many of their gazes as I could before facing the enemy, and as I did, I half-expected someone from my side to end my life. Instead, I continued breathing, watching the Conscripted close on us until they could see me.

Then, I again lifted my hand overhead, shooting a stream of Ele into the sky. With a shiver running through the enemy line, it shifted to converge on my position, and I drew my weapons.

“You and your fool plans will be the death of me someday,” Creation said.

With a swing of my sword, I settled into a ready stance.

“Is that possible without Lighteater around?” I asked.

Clicking their tongue, Creation said, “You know what I mean.”

I just chuckled at that. With the enemy nearly in range, Creation joined my position.

“Here we go again.”

Spraying Ele in front of me, I charged into the Conscripted with a howl.