Emerging from the forest, I saw that something new was waiting for us today. Skinny’s report made me expect the usual clashing of squads full of hot-headed idars but then I noticed something unusual — among the mentors was Suav.

I turned to Skinny, who faltered under my angry gaze.

“He wasn’t there when I checked, young master, I swear,” he muttered.

“That better be the case,” I snapped.

If Suav was here, it meant that something big was brewing.

And I wasn’t wrong. A little more than twenty-four fledglings and two hundred and forty of our soldiers had gathered in the clearing. And seeing that Suav was about to begin another one of his tirades, we wouldn’t wait for the rest.

“The Council of Idars has appointed Lial of House Denudo to be the gongan, to lead the united army.”

I felt many eyes on me, but my gaze never left Suav. Not even when he taunted me.

“Let’s see how much blood of the Great House that once ruled the North and defeated Andomo’s armies remains in his veins. Let him remember that if he fails, he will lose his allowance. After all, everyone knows that the defeat of an army is the fault of the commander, not the soldiers.”

A few laughs rang out, which I didn’t react to.

“If he loses, for the next four days, his squad will only receive four shields, even if they manage to complete their tasks. And if they fail those as well...” Suav looked into my eyes for several heartbeats, chuckled, and continued. “The Council has distributed the armies as follows. The center — Lial, Treido, Fatu... Right flank: Hasok, Estro... Left flank: Biho, Slyde....”

“Sir!” the chorus responded.

“Glebol,” Suav called once the names had been listed.

At his command, nine mentors stepped forward, each raising a standard above his head — three rectangular and red, and six square and blue ones.

“Gongan, your army will number three Great and six regular Paladins. I hope you and your men remember how far their auras can reach. Watch over the color guards so that your men will always be protected.”

As if waiting for this, three more mentors stepped forward. Instead of banners, they held bows.

“Both armies have three archer units. Rest assured, the enemy archers will exploit every gap in your defense.”

I grimly observed the blue fletching in the mentors’ quivers.

“Hand over your weapons,” Glebol ordered us with a grin.

My men stepped forward, threw their spears and axes into a pile, and received ones with glowing blue handles and blades in exchange. I did the same.

“Next squad!”

Suav nodded approvingly after the last soldier had exchanged his weapon and announced:

“You have one hour before the enemy approaches.”

I punched my chest, unable to resist a snide remark:

“At your command, Your Highness.”

He just raised his eyebrows, then smiled and waved me away as if to dismiss me.

I turned and surveyed our position. Behind us was the forest, and in front of us was a field — the battleground. To the right was a ravine with steep slopes, densely overgrown with large bushes. So thick that even now, with no leaves and only a light dusting of snow, it was completely opaque. If I were in my enemy’s shoes, I’d try to slip through it and hit the flank while we were distracted.

The forest to the left was the worst. It stretched for three or four thousand paces before it thinned out into a clearing, where the other half of the students were likely to be. Going through it to get behind us seemed too tempting, especially since they couldn’t afford to spread their forces too thin.

I sighed inwardly. Everything seemed easier and simpler in treatises. There was absolutely no joy in being singled out and assigned to command such a large army. I would’ve preferred to be the last and learn from the mistakes of others. But there was nothing to do but shout orders.

“Right flank — Hasok. Left flank — Biho. Send two scouts forward each. Hasok to the ravine, Biho to the forest.”

Hasok nodded and touched his chest with his fist. Biho grinned and repeated the gesture.

Behind me, Treido spoke softly:

“You do know that Biho will be happy to see you lose? A perfect chance to get back at you at the cost of just a few days of suffering.”

“Yes.” I turned to him and nodded. “He’ll either say that he found no one in the forest or that he didn’t see the approaching enemy troops. That’s why I’m asking you to take the far left position. Watch my back.”

Treido smiled, placed his hand on his chest, and returned to his squad.

“Skinny,” I called.

“Young master,” he immediately responded.

“You heard them,” I said without turning back. “If we lose today, we’ll be hungry and cold for the next five days.”

Skinny and someone else, I think it was the Old Man, grunted.

“Head into the forest to our left. Come back in half an hour with a report. I want to know how many of them are hiding in the woods.” I looked at him. “I don’t need to tell you that you shouldn’t be seen.”

“At once, young master.”

Turning around, I watched him disappear into the trees and sighed. That was the easy part. Now for the more difficult tasks.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I shouted at the top of my lungs:

“To all idars and their squads! Back away from the forest by two hundred steps! We don’t want to get hit in the back.” I shifted my gaze to the mentors with the bows and smirked, pleased that I’d be ordering them around for once. “One squad of archers — to the right flank, another — to the left. The third squad stays near me in reserve, waiting for orders. Hasok! Chop us some more wood! We’ll make a barricade on the slope.”

“With what, gongan?” he asked, lifting his sword with the glowing blue handle. “This?”

I glanced at the mentor standing over the weapon pile. He shook his head in response to my silent question, causing me to curse under my breath. May their children forget them.

“Gather any wood you can! Break branches! Do whatever it takes to build that barrier, no matter how flimsy!”

Hasok grimaced but moved with his squad toward the forest.

Fatu grinned beside me.

“No one will come from that direction. Who’d be crazy enough to risk breaking their legs on a slippery slope and falling right under our swords? A single group of archers on top of the hill would be enough to stop them.”

“Not if they have a Great Paladin with them,” I countered and looked back at the mentors. “Lower your standards and stay close.”

The mentors lowered their banners.

“Remember, gongan, that while the standards are lowered, the Paladins won’t use their gifts,” one of them snorted. “If the flag isn’t fluttering, they’re considered either dead or exhausted.”

I nodded and hesitated, deciding how to position them. It’d be better not to complicate things.

“One Great Paladin each in the center, left, and right. Regular Paladins on the edges.”

Judging by the grin on Adalio’s face, he had some advice for me, but he kept it to himself.

There was nothing left to do but to wait for the scouts to return.

The first to return was Hasok’s man.

Nothing.

Then came Biho’s man.

Nothing.

The panting Skinny arrived when the hour allotted for preparation was almost up, the barricade on the slope was ready, and everyone was standing silently in the gusting wind, freezing under the fine, needle-sharp snow. Pushing through the ranks, he rushed to me, leaned close to my ear, and burned me with his hot breath.

“There are two squads about fifteen minutes from here, young master,” he reported. “They’re approaching fast.”

I nodded, piercing Biho for a moment with a loathing glance as he smiled and said something to Slyde. I turned away and, surveying the trees that merged into a single strip, ordered Skinny:

“Keep an eye on the edge of the forest. Yell as soon as you see them.”

“They’re coming!” someone cried out as soon as I said that.

Both Skinny and I turned toward the voice. It was one of Hasok’s men shouting and pointing forward, to the field in front of us. Indeed, figures were emerging from the snowy veil. Squinting, I tried to count them, but couldn’t. They were too far away.

Snapping back to reality, I yelled:

“Spearmen! Front row! Get ready!”

“Teach us more, Northerner!” someone commented quite loudly, not holding back his voice.

Losing my patience, I rushed forward, only realizing what I had done when I was already five steps ahead of the formation. But I didn’t go back, even though I knew how stupid it all looked.

“Who said that?” I asked.

To my surprise, Adalio answered, he who grew up where skirmishes with the Reolians were constant. I could hardly teach him anything. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to let it go. Not here, not now. Although...

Smirking, I shrugged.

“The head of a Minor House thinks he could do a better job than a gongan appointed by the council. Nothing new.” Adalio clenched his teeth. I could clearly see the muscles on his jaw bulging. One of the others, maybe Biho, even chuckled briefly. But I didn’t stop there, remembering Suav’s speech. “The enemy force equals ours, which means we must use every trick to win. Adalio, I’ve heard that the fiercest fighters are from the South. Move your squad twenty paces forward. Position them in a wedge formation. You and your men will cut through the enemy army, breaking their ranks.”

“What if I don’t?” he asked calmly.

“You will die.” I shrugged. “If not by the enemy sword, then by the order of the king.”

Adalio glanced at the Great Paladin standing three paces away. The mentor was grinning, not even trying to hide his amusement. Adalio’s cheek twitched.

“Follow me,” he grumbled after a while. “Twenty steps forward.”

I nodded and moved back to our ranks. This was all nothing more than a performance, not a real battle. The fact that our weapons could only “kill” once made Adalio’s whole wedge formation meaningless. Either they’d be bypassed or they’d kill no more enemies than their number allowed. But I couldn’t contain my anger. As if Bihor, who “didn’t notice” the enemy scouts in the forest, wasn’t enough, now there was Adalio...

Meanwhile, the enemy army came closer, their faces now fully visible. Still, it was impossible to count them. They moved quite close together, in several rows, covering each other. I couldn’t figure out if the twenty people in the forest to the left were all of them or not. How many idar robes were there under the cloaks? Fourteen or sixteen? Fourteen or...

I spat, giving up.

“Paladins! Use your gifts!”

The wind fluttered the banners. After a few heartbeats, flags rose above the enemy formation as well — one of a Great Paladin, red, and two blue.

I gritted my teeth. What did all this mean? Were we unevenly divided? Why send more than one Paladin into the forest with two squads?

But there was no time for such thoughts.

“For the king and the Forge! Fight!”

Unexpectedly, my cry found an echo.

“For the Forge!” several throats cried out at once.

Our armies clashed. There was cracking of wood, rattling of iron, screaming of men. Adalio’s people disappeared under a flood of bodies, as if they never existed.

Three attackers pounced on me immediately. Biggie drove his spear under the left one’s ribs. Nimble threw himself under the right one’s feet.

I stepped forward to meet the last of the foes, deflecting a sword with my forearm. My opponent’s improperly held weapon glided harmlessly over the dense fabric, unable to even scratch me. I hit him in the throat. The man fell gasping at my feet. I stepped over him, picking up his sword in my left hand.

Taking another step forward, I encountered a burly guy hammering at one of the mentors with his sword, growling in frustration. Fool. He couldn’t wound a Paladin like that. I kicked the idiot in the back, and immediately someone from our side pounced on him.

I wasn’t sure who was on our side and who wasn’t. I only remembered the faces of my squad, though I wasn’t sure I could tell Biggie apart from any other similarly dressed commoner.

“Stay in formation!” I yelled, snapping back to reality.

Only my people seemed to have heard me. Only seven stood with me. All around us was chaos: people were screaming, gasping, swinging swords and spears and fists. Someone charged the mentor again, but he promptly kicked the brazen attacker in the stomach.

“They’re coming!” a strained cry rang out.

I turned toward the vaguely familiar voice to see Skinny pointing somewhere. Before I could even follow his finger, he was stabbed in the back. I suddenly remembered telling him to watch the forest, not to fight.

I turned around and peered between the trees but I couldn’t see a thing.

A scrawny man lunged at me. I hit him with my shoulder, leaving my sword in his body. I jumped again, trying to see the enemies to my left, feeling that I had done everything wrong. I hadn’t even ordered the archers to...

Suddenly, there was a crunching sound nearby.

I spun around. While I was distracted, we were attacked. There were ten enemies against my remaining six soldiers. Jumping to help, I ducked under a clumsy spear thrust, kicked at a leg, and barely stopped myself from breaking it. I drove my sword into another enemy and reached for his weapon.

I barely managed to duck as a blade flashed past my temple. I deflected the next blow with my sword and almost lost my footing when I finally saw my opponent.

It was a girl.

I dodged the blow aimed at my throat out of reflex alone. Recovering my footing, I deflected the next blow with my sword. If I had my blade, this would’ve all been over by now. I would’ve pushed up, deflected her sword, and thrust my blade under her chin. And it would’ve been done. But I was holding a short, unbalanced sword.

The girl pressed on, swinging faster and faster. But I had never boasted of the traditional Denudo strength and always relied on speed, so I easily parried all her blows.

Left, down, down, up, a stab.

Her sword tore through my cloak and shoulder, but mine pierced her stomach and ignited with a blue flame. I let go of the hilt and stepped back. The girl’s eyes were wide with pain. She gasped something, but I couldn’t make it out. Pain shot up my back, my chest filled with cold, and I fell to the snow beneath the girl’s feet.

I didn’t even see who killed me.