Chapter 20

Year 163 – Summer – Quartus Mensis – 42nd day

Avem, town of House Valmai, land of the Vale

The Eagle of Vale was standing on top of the northern gate with General Thorkel.

Ethen – “Are you going to burn the forest down?”

Thorkel – “Why are you asking?”

Ethen – “You’re following the orders of a different lord. While I cannot disobey, I can clearly agree that it is a good idea.”

Thorkel – “I cannot do it without orders either. My lord doesn’t have enough valuables left to pay for that even if he wants this to happen.”

Ethen – “If we all die here, money and gold won’t matter.”

Thorkel – “I’ll see what I can do.”

Thorkel looked at the sun slowly rising and the town becoming alive again.

Thorkel – “Aren’t your scouts supposed to be there already?”

Ethen – “Yeah, I don’t like it.”

Ethen – “I’ll go prepare my men, just in case. If you see them, ask them for the report.”

Thorkel – “I will.”

The Eagle of Vale left and went to the training camp where his soldiers were fighting dummies. He walked onto the large wooden balcony next to the training camp.

The Eagle – “SOLDIERS!”

All of them turned around before placing their right hand on their heart and waiting for orders.

The Eagle – “TODAY ISN’T A TRAINING DAY. GO GET SPEARS, SHIELDS, ARMOUR, AND BOW AND ARROWS, THEN FORM THREE LINES IN FRONT OF THE NORTHERN FORT. WE MIGHT HAVE FOUND THE POSITION OF THE KALATOR SCOUTS, AND IF IT IS NOT THE CASE, THEN IT WILL BE A GOOD THING TO SEE HOW FAST YOU ALL ARE IN PREPARING YOURSELVES.”

Ethen then returned to find General Thorkel. To his relief, the scouts were talking with him.

The Eagle – “Report, soldier!”

Derfel – “The Kalator scouts should be about 15 miles north of town as of now. They were three groups, totalling about 200 heads. The largest group is around a hundred. They are still walking south as we speak.”

The Eagle – “Good. Derfel, how do you feel?”

Derfel – “I’m ready to show them what we’ve got.”

The Eagle – “You’ll lead the way with your men. We’ll go through the eastern hunting trail, then we’ll walk through the meander going northwest of the large broken oak. We’ll follow the trail all the way to the small creek before leaving the trail and walking north until we find them. Stay half a mile ahead of us and look at the road from afar. If you find them, carefully retreat to us. If you get ambushed, use your war horn, and we’ll come to your aid.”

Derfel – “Yes, my Eagle.”

Ethen grabbed Derfel’s shoulder and nodded while looking at him. He then walked toward the northern bridge. As he was walking, Thorkel followed him in a hurry.

Thorkel – “You shouldn’t go alone, General. If they happen to be together, you could need a hand. My men could help you. I could help you.”

Ethen – “I won’t be alone. We will be 300 against less than 200.”

Thorkel – “Five hundred against 200 is far better odds.”

Ethen – “These odds are far enough to succeed and crush them. I want to test my men and build their morale. A few wounded is a meagre cost to forge their tenacity for the upcoming siege. Use that time to find a way to deal with what we talked about.”

Thorkel – “Good luck then.”

Further away, in the armoury next to the storage area and the garrison, Marco had taken command over the distribution of the equipment.

Marco – ‘’PICK THREE ARROWS AND ONE SPEAR. WE NEED TO BE LIGHT. DON’T TAKE THE MANTLES.”

The soldiers each picked up a large shield with an oval shape, a pair of armoured greaves made of steel and leather, a gambeson with a belt, a linen arming cap, a chainmail hauberk and coif, a tabard of House Valmai, a sword and its scabbard, a spear, a bow, and three arrows.

When Vatra took her gear, she let a greave and her belt fall without noticing. She went outside the storage area to find a place to gear up.

It’s way too heavy! There’s no way I’ll be able to fight with all that on me.

She let her equipment fall on the ground and realised she was missing a greave, but when she looked toward the storage area, the other soldiers were already swarming the area.

Guess I’ll search afterward.

Vatra put on the gambeson before adding the chain mail hauberk. She took her new scabbard and sword, as well as her old one, and attached them.

There’s no way were fighting with that weight!

The girl looked around and saw Marco coming out of the storage area geared up. She waved at him to get his attention, after which he came right away.

Marco – “Vatra, right?”

Vatra – “Yes, that’s me!”

Marco – “You’re having a problem with your gear?”

Vatra – “Yeah, it’s way too heavy. How are you moving with that?”

The second-in-command looked at her and noticed the issue.

Marco – “Where’s your belt?”

Vatra – “I don’t know . . . but it’s still too heavy.”

Marco – “The belt is there to support the weight. You’ll feel way lighter once you have it on. I’ll go get you another one.”

Vatra – “While you’re at it, I also lost my other greave . . .”

Marco laughed while going back to the storage area.

I’m so goddamn stupid.

After a moment, he came back with her greave and belt.

Marco – “I found them on the ground. You probably dropped them by accident. First, attach that belt around your waist the same way I did and then stretch your armour and gambeson to feel comfortable. Once it’s done, tighten the belt a bit more.”

Vatra equipped her tabard before adding the belt.

Vatra – “I have to admit that it really is lighter now!”

Marco – “Now, put on your other greave, your arming cap, and your mail coif. Hold your three arrows and your spear in your right hand and hold your shield and your bow in the other.”

Vatra – “Thank you, I should be fine for the rest.”

Marco – “One last thing. If we ask to draw your bow, you stick your spear in the ground and lean your shield against your spear so that you can retrieve them quickly. Also, you’ll have to hold your three arrows in the same hand in which you hold your bow. If we ask you to align your spear, you drop your bow and stick your arrow into the ground to find it after the battle. If you lose your bow, it doesn’t matter; we’ll build a new one. Your life and the life of your ally are the only things that matter. Understood?”

Vatra – “Understood!”

Marco – “Then I’ll be going. Don’t be late.”

When she was about to cross the northern drawbridge to join the formation, Ethen stopped her.

Ethen – “Vatra.”

Vatra – “YES, MY EAGLE!”

Ethen – “You won’t take place in this attack. I don’t want to risk any kind of breach in the formation. I want you to train today so that you can join the formation during the upcoming siege. You’re good, but not good enough.”

Vatra was insulted and was about to answer back, but she swallowed her pride instead.

Vatra – “Yes, my Eagle . . .”

Ethen left the town and joined the soldiers outside. She looked at them and sighed before turning around to walk toward the garrison. At that moment, General Thorkel walked down the fort’s stairs and approached her.

General Thorkel – “Soldier.”

The black-haired girl turned around to see the man she saw with Ethen a day ago.

Vatra – “General?”

General Thorkel – “Thorkel, General Thorkel of House Krain.”

Vatra – “Yeah, sorry.”

General Thorkel – “It’s fine. I noticed you’re not taking part in the raid.”

Vatra – “No.”

General Thorkel – “I need your help with something if you are available.”

Vatra – “What is it about?”

General Thorkel – “We need someone to set the forest on fire. Since you’re the one who came with the idea, I thought I’d give you some credit by letting you do it.”

Wait, they agreed with my idea?

General Thorkel – “Of course, if you’re not interested, I’ll tell another of my soldiers to do the work.”

Vatra – “I’ll do it.”

General Thorkel – “I’ll give you what you need for the task. I’ll be back here in an hour. Be ready.”

Vatra – “YES, GENERAL!”

General Thorkel – “Oh, and you will not need that bow. If you encounter a threat, run back.”

The general left the area.

That Thorkel is so much more agreeable than Ethen.

Vatra walked back to the storage area and left her bow and arrows before walking up the northern fort’s stairs. The other soldiers were lined up north of the bridge. The Eagle of Vale seemed mad about something. Vatra was still wondering why the army hadn’t left when a voice she recognised reached her ears.

Morgan – “Hey! The little girl is now a soldier!”

She turned around and saw the old giant. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and had black and white war paint with large red tears painted on his cheek. He had a gambeson and a large steel halberd.

Vatra – “Morgan?”

Morgan – “The one and only! Aren’t you coming with the army? We are going to show the Kalator what we’re made of.”

Vatra – “Well, Ethen doesn’t want me to.”

Morgan – “Ah, well, if he says you’re not ready, then he’s probably right. See you later, little one!”

Vatra – “Yeah.”

The seven-foot-tall giant walked towards the army and joined the Eagle of Vale at the front.

The Eagle – “WHERE’S YOUR HELMET, YOU MORONIC TWAT?”

Morgan – “Ira Arcum only bestows his watch onto the worthy! If I wear a helmet, they won’t see the mark of Ira Arcum, and the offering won’t work.”

The Eagle – “Right, and that clearly matters more than protecting Avem.”

Morgan – “I won’t die if that’s what you are afraid of.”

The Eagle – “MARCH!”

The footsteps of 300 armoured men resonated through the air. A shiver of envy roamed through Vatra’s body as she set her eyes on the sight of a tomorrow she hadn’t lived yet. Her life had been shattered by the Kalator, leaving her with anger and regrets, yet through despair and hardship, she had found a thin rope of hope to hold onto. Inside her, a wishful ember was fiercely burning.