25 Tavorhel.
‘We’re cornered.’
‘Where are the reinforcements?’
‘Fled, probably.’
‘What now?’
‘Die, probably.’
‘Shut up.’
Elethien peeked out of the wooden palisade for a moment, taking a glimpse at the hundreds, perhaps thousands of torches that surrounded the tiny camp. Her sisters Aletha and Enaien sat nearby and on edge, their magic ready to be unleashed at any moment. Behind her were a few dozen Foresters, all of them young recruits who had only one or two battles’ worth of experience under their belt.
Naturally, none of the younger ones had ever faced a night raid before.
It had been roughly a year since that battle which took out Elethien’s entire unit save for her sisters. Their exploits were already long forgotten, the three of them were now reassigned to a fresher unit to provide some experience. Though only a couple years younger, the new recruits saw the three sisters as their guardians and role models, veterans who refused to die in this brutal war.
Their job was supposed to be a simple one: guard a small passageway in the northern regions with the support of several other Forester units. Trelven had recently taken over the area, and the parched dirt still smelled faintly of ash and steel. It was well into summer, and even here in the north the air felt warm, wild flowers blooming despite the harsh, ruined terrain. They only needed to wait for the Trelvenese main army to pass by, then they could follow into Rhinish terrain. It was a very simple task, perhaps one of the easiest Elethien had seen in her career thus far.
At least until the Rhinish decided to ambush the camps at night.
She could see pillars of billowing smoke in the distance. The other camps had probably all already been sacked. They were the last ones left.
‘Do you think we should just surrender?’ a Forester asked, his legs quaking to the point where he could barely even stand.
‘You’re too young,’ Aletha responded flatly. ‘Surrender is never an option for Foresters. We either live, or we die.’
‘Stick together,’ Elethien said. ‘Survival is still very much possible.’
Unlike most battles, there was no Trelvenese commander supervising or controlling them. That was enough to give her hope.
‘Do you already have a plan?’ Enaien asked.
‘Of course she does,’ Aletha answered. ‘This is our big sister Elethien, after all.’
‘I know,’ Enaien smiled as she turned to the rest of the Foresters. ‘We just need to put our trust in her.’
The enemy gradually approached the camp. There were Foresters at the vanguard, but the attackers were mostly Rhinish, armed with short swords and small shields for better navigation over the rocky terrain. The torches lit up the environment, illuminating the faces of hundreds of soldiers. Flags and banners appeared from all sides, encircling the unit of Foresters and leaving no gap for escape.
Elethien could only hope that more than half of them would survive the onslaught.
‘Defend the gate,’ she quickly commanded. ‘Even with torches, it’ll be difficult for the enemy to light the camp on fire. The air feels wet. Grab any spare plank or scrap metal and strap it to your back as a shield. We can’t afford to divide our attention. Aletha, go out, distract and direct the enemy to the gate. Enaien, maintain order and support the back. Your healing magic will be extremely important. Everyone else, prepare yourselves and meet me at the gate as fast as possible.’
Elethien’s words were slurred together in quick succession, but it was enough for her sisters to understand.
‘Anyone who wants to die, we go!’ Aletha shouted, effortlessly leaping over the palisade with her agile body, carrying nothing but a crude dagger as she immediately attracted the attention of the enemy.
Enaien, meanwhile, had already begun collecting various pieces of scrap metal and planks, piling them up for the others to grab at a more convenient location. She didn’t say a single word, spending all her focus instead on the task Elethien had delegated to her.
With her sisters already at work, Elethien led the Foresters to the gate. Taking up her position at the top of the watchtower, she began to wave her sword around, firing erratic blasts in various directions. Hearing the sounds, the enemy halted for a moment, bringing up their shields while the Rhinish Foresters fired a couple of shots back in retaliation.
‘Come at us, cowards!’ Elethien taunted.
With no Trelvenese commander in the way, the three of them could finally operate at maximum efficiency together. This was far different from the campaign last winter, where the three only survived due to a combination of luck and fate. With full control, Elethien could command as she pleased. Her companions, her sisters’ lives were fully in her hands.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
And she would never waste that sort of responsibility, especially in the face of life and death.
She looked at Aletha skillfully dodging the energy blasts and arrows, occasionally firing back blasts of her own towards the Rhinish. None of her shots were aimed at Foresters, even if they fought for the enemy. Her feet danced gracefully while her arms spun rigidly, gradually making her way towards the gate.
Behind Aletha, the Foresters were already in position and firing at the enemy, the makeshift shields protecting them from the arrows that showered them from all sides. The efficiency of this could only be attributed to Enaien, who was now treating the wounds of a few already injured Foresters.
In Trelvenese and Rhinish, and even in most Forester eyes, magic could only be utilised as energy blasts or other forms purely used in the killing of fellow people. For Enaien, magic was a tool for healing, swiftly closing the wounds that would’ve otherwise caused more pain and suffering for the victim. She had fired energy blasts before, but that wasn’t her calling. Only Elethien and Aletha knew about her gifts from the start.
The battle was going to be a brutally beautiful one.
----------------------------------------
It was sunset again. The enemy had retreated as soon as day broke out, leaving the corpses behind to rot. A few of the Foresters also died, though being inside the camp, they had been collected and were being cremated already. Sections of the palisade had either burnt down or been destroyed over the night, but the camp was never breached. Comparing the numbers of the dead, it would be stupid for the enemy to attack again without significantly reconsidering their plans.
Elethien breathed heavily as she sat exhausted on the ground. She was spent, her body shaking from weakness. Aletha was lying down next to her, being in an even worse state as Enaien examined and healed her wounds.
Still, for yet another day, the three of them survived.
‘Not bad for a quick, improvised plan, huh,’ Aletha chuckled weakly. ‘Those bastards never expected to be beaten back like this.’
‘Be quiet,’ Enaien hushed. ‘You’ve exerted yourself enough. It’s crazy you managed to stretch your body even further than whatever happened last winter. Now rest.’
‘And I’ll do that again.’
‘I think we can afford a bit of rest before the enemy decides to attack again,’ Elethien said. ‘I haven’t been in control like this for ages. It feels… liberating.’
‘Elethien, you too,’ Enaien glared. ‘Shush and rest.’
‘Don’t be too harsh on her, Enaien,’ Aletha persuaded. ‘She just led all of us to victory, after all.’
A few Foresters came up to them, in their hands a crude wooden triangular pyramid.
‘Elethien, here’s something we made,’ the one at the front said meekly. ‘To thank you for saving us.’
‘O-Oh, thank you…’ She didn’t quite expect this. Still, she put her hands out as the pyramid gradually rolled into her palms, the wood feeling a little warm as she held it.
Without another word, the group of Foresters shyly retreated, leaving the sisters to their own once more.
‘That was nice of them,’ Enaien smiled. ‘You’re appreciated, Elethien.’
‘Gifts are rare,’ Aletha added. ‘Better keep it, at least as a memento.’
Carefully, Elethien placed the pyramid into her backpack, safely cushioned between her supplies inside.
Just as she was about to close her backpack, another Forester came running towards her, his expression worried and in mild panic.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘T-The enemy… A small group of them showed up. Armed.’
‘Enaien, stay here and care for Aletha. I’ll return soon.’ It didn’t take long for Elethien to spring into action despite her weakened state.
Following the Forester, she soon arrived at the gate, and looking outside, she saw a few dozen Rhinish and Foresters walking warily towards them, shields and swords strapped behind their back. The enemies’ eyes were fixated on Elethien and her Foresters, every step they made filled with caution. There was a tense silence between them, neither side willing to budge or let down their guard.
It was a Rhinish soldier who finally broke the silence. ‘Let us collect our dead,’ he simply requested. ‘Leave us alone, and we’ll leave you alone.’
‘And what makes us believe you won’t ambush the camp?’ Elethien responded in hostility. ‘Drop your weapons.’
‘What makes us believe you won’t use this chance to kill us instead?’ the soldier said in kind. ‘We’re completely exposed to your fire. We need measures to protect ourselves.’
In war, there was no trust to be guaranteed between enemies. Both sides knew that well.
‘My companions will stand down so long as you are just collecting corpses,’ Elethien suggested. ‘You have my word.’
‘How will I know that your word is trustworthy?’
Elethien turned to the Foresters. ‘Open the gates.’
‘Elethien?’ they asked puzzledly.
‘Open the gates,’ she repeated. ‘And stand back. Do not attack unless I’m hurt.’
She walked out towards the Rhinish soldier, completely unarmed and clearly unprepared to fight. ‘Put down your weapons.’
‘You’re ridiculous,’ the soldier scoffed. ‘What kind of idiot walks towards the enemy without any measure to defend herself, expecting them to also do the same?’
Yet contrary to his words, the soldier immediately untied his strap, letting his sword and shield fall to the ground in a dull thud. The others soon followed his example, dropping their weapons while maintaining the same sense of caution towards Elethien.
‘Looks like you all are idiots as well,’ Elethien smiled.
‘Do not even dare to fire a single blast at us,’ the soldier warned. ‘Break your word, and I’ll break your neck.’
Elethien said nothing. For a while, there was no further exchange. The Rhinish collected their dead while Elethien merely watched. Both sides maintained their part of the deal. The environment felt oddly peaceful, that in the bloodstained field there’d still be some sort of calm exchange. The air smelled of iron and flesh, but there was still a hint of fragrance from the wild flowers.
As soon as the dead were collected, the Rhinish picked up their weapons and began to return. Elethien, too, walked back into the camp. There was nothing of note. Truces for corpse collecting wasn’t uncommon, but it was probably the first time a Forester was involved in the communication, at least to Elethien’s knowledge.
In that moment, she felt she was an equal to the Trelvenese and the Rhinish. But it would be a fleeting moment.
‘Goodbye, Forester,’ the soldier said before he left. ‘May we never meet again.’
Elethien nodded.
For a passing moment, she imagined the Rhinish to be a better people to the Trelvenese. But alas, they were the enemy.