‘What do we do with them, actually?’
Elethien, Teion and Tarigen looked at the newly joined groups of young Foresters camped just next to the original warriors, the camp naturally divided into two with the groups occupying either side of a stream in the valley. There was little mingling between them save for meals and the distribution of supplies. It wasn’t that there was any particular animosity, but just a seemingly peculiar sense of awkwardness between the few veterans who fought countless battles and the many recruits who had not yet seen real combat.
They had been marching east almost ceaselessly for a week now, approaching closer and closer towards the front. Looting several more convoys along the way, they would always find another batch of Foresters along with the much-needed supplies, swelling their numbers significantly yet also increasing the logistical pressures. All of the rescued Foresters were in the same condition: weak, malnourished, locked up tightly together. Some of them were clearly noncombatants, their bodies malformed in some way that would’ve otherwise rendered them unfit for battle. And still they were found in those convoys.
The Foresters under Elethien now numbered nearly seven thousand, six thousand more than the numbers of those who initially left Maerila. With every convoy looted there would be hundreds more added to their ranks, with supplies only enough to feed that amount for a few meals. The Forester vanguard led by Teion had been foraging, but with an increasingly sparse number of villages, they simply couldn’t collect enough. Lush grass and woods gradually changed to dry dirt and shrubbery, the availability of food slowly fading away with the change in climate.
They were nearly arriving at Prentdor, the region laid waste from decades of destruction, the primary battlefield of the past few decades of war. Once they would enter the region, there would be no other way of replenishing supplies other than openly attacking the kingdoms of Trelven and Rhinn.
‘We definitely do not have enough food to feed us all for an extended campaign in Prentdor,’ Tarigen stated plainly. ‘The increased numbers are definitely a boost to our strength, but not when we can’t support them.’
‘Should we attack a major town nearby?’ Teion suggested.
‘There isn’t a major town nearby, that’s the problem,’ Tarigen responded. ‘To find even a village in this region is becoming difficult. There are only valleys and plains as far as the eye can see…’
‘We continue with our plan,’ Elethien said. ‘A fortress in Prentdor, and from there, we use it as our base of operations.’
‘Elethien, that might’ve worked with our small numbers before, but not with seven thousand Foresters,’ Tarigen said. ‘Looting the enemy in Prentdor will not be enough. You also have to consider the many thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Foresters already in the region that might join us. We should reconsider our current plan.’
‘There are still many Foresters for us to save. We can’t sacrifice the many yet to join to satisfy our existing population,’ Elethien said.
‘For once, I completely agree with Tarigen,’ Teion said. ‘We’ve been barely sustaining ourselves even without encountering major enemy opposition. I want to believe in another miracle, but not when the strongest troops from both Trelven and Rhinn are there.’
Elethien raised her hand, feeling the air pass through her fingers. ‘The wind is blowing east. We continue east.’
‘Elethien, once we step into Prentdor there will be no turning back,’ Tarigen argued. ‘Our supplies cannot possibly support us. What we need is a stable base of operations with a steady flow of supplies. Supplies, supplies, supplies. The kingdom can’t be built without a stable foundation of supplies.’
‘Fate is telling me to head east,’ Elethien emphasised.
‘Elethien, all signs are pointing against continuing on our current path. Our best chance is to head south towards Ereven where there will be cities for us to take over and settle down,’ Tarigen pointed out. ‘Logically speaking, there is no way we can survive long in Prentdor.’
‘The wind… It’s blowing east.’
It was natural that Tarigen wouldn’t understand her stance. It wasn’t rational. She understood that point. Yet Fate was continuing to direct them east towards Prentdor. It had a plan for their victory, a plan far beyond any current comprehension. She had seen what happened when they disobeyed Fate’s plans. The battle at Maerila was one blunder too many for her.
And she needed to regain her dominant position within the Forester ranks.
‘Are you saying we should just blindly follow Fate’s directions?’ Teion questioned. ‘Even when it may very well lead us to a death trap.’
‘Yes,’ Elethien answered firmly. ‘Our only mistake in the rebellion was disobeying Fate at Maerila. You of all people should know the consequences, Teion.’
‘Elethien…’ Teion fought for his words. ‘Are you still scared of what you did after Maerila? That another major defeat will make you lose your mind?’
‘We will continue heading east,’ Elethien reiterated, ignoring Teion’s question. ‘Only I am Queen of the Foresters, the leader of the rebellion. And only I should bear the burden of making a decision for our people.’
‘How about this?’ Teion suggested. ‘We can—’
‘No need. I’m sure Fate will have something in store for us.’
Teion opened his mouth as if to argue, but instead, he merely sighed and backed away.
Instead, Tarigen approached Elethien… and lightly slapped her on the cheek.
‘Elethien.’ His glare struck her like daggers, his comparatively frail body unmoving and firm. ‘Wake up. You’re endangering us all. Your blind, stubborn confidence… It scares me.’
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Without waiting for Elethien’s response, he turned and left, heading back for his tent.
The air continued to cool as night again began to arrive upon the camp.
----------------------------------------
Elethien wandered in the dry plains near the valley, the lights of the campsite merely a faint spark in the horizon. She couldn’t sleep. She was shivering from the cold winds that directed her eastward. She caressed her face, the feeling of the slap still strong despite the physical pain being long gone.
‘My God… Tell me, what should I do?’
She had asked this question many times. She was the only one who fully trusted her God, but she was also the only one who had shared a personal connection with it. Tarigen had never witnessed the miracles she and Teion experienced. Naturally, he would be averse to believing in such ‘nonsense’. There was no way to convince him without seeming like she was insane.
She understood the reason for the slap. Tarigen had told her of an incident during one of the few times they managed to cross paths after becoming mercenaries. A stubborn mistake by a superior had caused his entire group to be annihilated save for himself and a couple other companions. What she said likely reminded him of that incident.
Still, if there was just some way to convince him…
‘Tell me, what should I do?’
The wind stopped. A sense of stillness surrounded her. It was as if the world just stopped, the sounds of nature absent from her mind.
Are you not following the path laid out for you, my dear child?
‘I am, but I can’t convince my companions of your power and to follow your path.’
Go south. There will be a large convoy waiting for you. Tell your companions, so that they may believe in the power of Fate. Follow the wind.
‘And then what?’
Trust in Fate your God.
The wind began blowing again, the world back in movement. Yet everything, from the leaves, the blades of grass, the dust, the wind… Everything began moving south.
Fate’s instructions could not be clearer. This was her chance.
‘Elethien! Elethien!’ Tarigen came running at her from a distance. As he approached her and stopped, she noticed he was clearly out of breath, his hair badly dishevelled from the winds. Unlike before, there was only an expression of relief as he looked at her, interrupted with moments of coughs and sneezes.
‘Found… you…’ he gasped.
‘How did you know I was here?’
‘Some of us saw you leave the camp and head east, so I figured, maybe, you were being pushed by the wind. I’m glad… I’m glad I wasn’t wrong.’
He stood up tall and looked into her eyes. ‘I’m sorry for lashing out at you earlier.’
Elethien nearly broke into laughter. ‘Lashing out? No, not even close. Besides, I have something to tell you as well.’
‘What is it?’
‘The wind… Fate is telling us to head south. At least for now.’
‘Did I just manage to convince your God?’ Tarigen chuckled.
‘There will be a larger convoy there. Large enough to feed us all,’ she said.
‘Your God just revealed it to you like that?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure it’s not just you deciding to go with my decision? We haven’t encountered any convoys in a while even though we’re approaching closer towards the battlefield.’
‘No. Feel the wind, Tarigen… It’s directing us south.’
For a moment, Tarigen just stood there, not knowing how to react.
‘We should go now,’ Elethien said.
‘Now?’
‘Now.’
‘No, not now,’ Tarigen argued. ‘At least let us all rest first.’
‘Do you not believe in my words?’
‘Is there a reason for everyone to head in the general direction of the wind right now?’
Elethien paused. ‘No, not really…’ Though a feeling inside her was already urging her to follow the wind.
‘We can wait, alright?’
‘Alright.’
With an unexplainable heaviness in her chest, Elethien followed Tarigen back to the camp. They were to head south at the start of the next day.
----------------------------------------
‘Elethien… You’re right,’ Tarigen gazed in shock.
‘But what will there even be left for us to loot?’ Teion questioned in disappointment.
The Foresters approached the smouldering ruins of an extremely large convoy, the scale incomparable to any they had encountered before. The transports were all broken and burnt in some shape or form, splinters of wood and metal laying everywhere across the barren field. Weapons, helmets, and even plate armour sprawled around the site, each damaged to various degrees.
And scattered across the entire site… were the corpses of many Foresters and Trelvenese alike, slowly rotting away and picked apart by various scavengers.
‘What happened here?’ Teion found himself asking.
‘Judging from the sheer density of the corpses, the dead probably outnumber us,’ Tarigen commented.
Elethien had managed to convince everyone to simply follow the wind for what seemed like nothing more than a promise, and she did deliver on her promise… Yet not in this form.
She stepped towards the site, holding her nose before the stench could overwhelm her mind. As she rummaged through the transports, there were still small stores of dry crackers protected from the destruction, yet nowhere near enough to feed all of them for an extended period of time.
‘Elethien, is this what you had in mind when you led us here?’ Teion asked, cautiously following in her footsteps.
‘No, it shouldn’t be… This is the site of a battle.’
‘They rose up and fought against the enemy.’ A young Forester approached them, examining a male corpse that had a spear lodged in his head. ‘That must’ve been what happened.’
‘What do you mean?’ Teion asked.
‘The Foresters here rebelled against the enemy,’ the Forester continued to mumble. ‘They fought and struggled, but in the end, they were probably all killed. The supplies the convoy would’ve had… This is probably all that’s left.’
There were traces of campfires, some of them with embers still lit with flickering flames. In this desolation, that was the only trace of movement and life that remained, quietly fading away in the aftermath of destruction.
A rebellion. A large conflict. The destruction of the rebellion at great cost to Trelven.
‘So this is how it is, huh…’ Elethien muttered. This was probably what Fate intended for her to see. The cost and futility of fighting for one’s own freedom without the guidance of a God.
She looked at Tarigen. He was silent. He probably believed her now. But that belief wouldn’t bring any of the dead back.
The wind began shifting once more, this time towards the northeast. As Elethien’s eyes moved towards that direction, through the expanse of wood, metal and bones… she noticed a path of crushed grass leading out to the open.
‘You’re also seeing this, right?’ Teion pointed.
The possibility of survivors. Quite a lot of survivors.
‘Collect what we can here,’ she commanded. ‘After this, we’re heading northeast. Let us pray there are still people left alive who are able to join the kingdom.’
Tarigen followed in silence as the Foresters salvaged everything that was of use in the wreckage.