Chapter 46

Year 163 – Fall – Quintus Mensis – 15th day

Avem, town of House Valmai, land of the Vale

The light had been swallowed by the night. In the cold northern wind, breaths became clouds. The thin flames of the few candles were extinguished one after the other. A hand was protecting one of them from the wind like a totem of hope. She stood near the jail of Avem. The Eagle of Vale walked to her. Vatra was leaning against the wall next to the entrance. As Ethen came close to her, she pinched her flame.

Vatra – “So fragile, yet so warm . . .”

Vatra dropped the candle to the ground as her eyes adapted to the dim light.

Vatra – “It’s time?”

Ethen – “Soon, but I think it’s time I tell you who she was.”

Vatra – “I was about to think she was the fruit of your mind.”

She couldn’t see it in the depth of the night, yet she knew he was smiling.

Ethen – “Her name was Kalia. When our mother died, she was barely four and I was six, and since that day, a maelstrom of will was burning in her eyes. I saw the same temerity in yours. Like an unbreakable hope.”

Vatra – “The greater the hope, the greater the fall . . .”

Ethen – “When the war with the East began, she was one of the first to volunteer in the army. I tried to stop her, but once she had set her mind on something, it was a lost cause. She joined the army, but I was too afraid to follow her.”

Vatra – “You? Afraid?”

Ethen – “Yeah, I was stupid back then. I kept telling myself my father was getting old and needed my strength at the farm. Three months later, she came back decemherus of the Union.”

Vatra – “Is that a high rank?”

Ethen – “In the Union army, a decemherus holds 10 soldiers under his command. I felt proud as she went to war again, but six months passed without any news. One day, a Union general came to our farm to report her death. She had died protecting Avem.”

Vatra – “So she’s buried near the town?”

Ethen – “Behind the temple.”

Vatra – “And you enrolled to avenge her?”

Ethen – “No . . . My father was really sick at the time, and the news made him fall into dementia. I took care of him for a year before he passed away. After that, I joined the army out of guilt.”

His breathing shivered between each of his words.

Ethen – “It’s only after the war that I joined the Valmai army, believing that I’d forgive myself.”

Vatra – “I . . . I’m sorry that we live in such a horrible world.”

Ethen – “Would you mind doing me a favour?”

Vatra – “I’d be glad to. You did so many for me.”

Ethen – “Then take this and escape to Rock Eden through the southern gate. You’ll go unnoticed among the other soldiers.”

Vatra’s breathing stopped as Ethen gave her a tabard of House Krain as well as a bag of provisions.

Ethen – “Run five days to the southeast and you’ll find a village by the name of Fresh-Bay. Then follow the road to the east for another 13 days, and you’ll arrive at Rock Eden.”

Vatra – “You can’t ask me this. I’m not running away again. I’m not leaving you behind. I want to take back Avem!”

Ethen – “I’ll show you my sister in the other world. I’m sure you’ll like her. But your time hasn’t come yet. It has barely begun.”

Vatra – “Wait a little more . . . I can’t . . . You’re all I have left . . .”

Ethen gently grabbed her shoulder and pressed her against him.

Ethen – “Don’t die, Vatra Xīwàng, and thank you for your presence.”

Vatra let out a sob as she tried to speak.

Vatra – “For my presence?”

Ethen – “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt at peace with myself, and you managed to make me feel that way again. I couldn’t save her, but I won’t fail you!”

Vatra – “You’ll wait for me . . . in the other world?”

Ethen – “I promise you I will if you promise me to survive.”

Vatra – “I will!”

Ethen – “Then it is a farewell.”

Ethen kissed Vatra on the forehead before leaving her to the cold wind of the night. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath full of shivers before putting on the tabard and joining their rank.

She could barely tell the citizens apart from the soldiers in the midst of the night. Men even younger than her were holding tools, awaiting command. A quarter-hour later, the Valmai army opened the temple’s gate.

Led by Lord Valmai, half a thousand conscripts launched an assault toward the north. As they entered the main road, tens of Kalator war horns sounded the alarm.

Lord Valmai – “FOR THE VALE!”

Further south, the Silver Lining had been alerted.

Nelis – “What do we do?”

Lanaya – “We wait.”

Owen – “We’re not going to help them?”

Lanaya – “Lord Egmond wanted us to keep the fort, so we’ll keep the fort. I’m sure they can handle it themselves.”

Tomos – “It’s not your style to let a bloodbath happen.”

Lanaya – “Tonight is an exception.”

The screams of both armies slaughtering each other rang throughout the north of Avem when Lanaya noticed a movement in the depth of the night.

Lanaya – “Get up everyone! They are coming!”

The rest of the conscripts and the Krain soldiers were walking in silence toward the southern fort. At that moment, Vatra heard a shrill sound as a light came through the sky and left as suddenly as it arrived. Screams of panic erupted.

It started. I need to help them! No . . . I must escape! I promised him . . . I won’t fail you, Ethen!

Vatra pushed through the civilians, advancing toward the southern gate. She heard another loud noise followed by even more screams. The people around her pushed her as if they tried to run back to the castle they had barely left. After the next noise, Vatra forced her way through and between them with even more conviction until she finally reached the front. She could barely see a few steps in front of her but could hear the steel of their swords clashing.

Vatra raised her guard while advancing step by step through the inert bodies laying on the ground.

C’mon, show yourself.

She was breathing faster and faster when a burst of light appeared in front of her and hit her right sword, sending it flying in the air with so much strength she felt like the bones in her arm were shaking. It had only been a split second, yet this image of despair was frozen in her mind as she dropped her left sword to grab her pained arm.

They . . . No . . . It can’t . . .

She could feel her blood filling her head as the pain made her fall to the ground. Another light appeared, revealing a second time the many limbs and agonising bodies of the Valmai conscripts being murdered by the wicked warrior as the Krain soldiers were running away, leaving their citizens to a certain death.

Another flash of light appeared, injuring the citizens by the dozens.

General Thorkel – “TO THE EAST!”

I can’t abandon now . . . Not after I gave him my words.

Vatra grabbed her sword in her left hand and kept her right arm next to her chest as she counted her breaths. When the next flash of light appeared and left again, she rose up and ran toward the drawbridge.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

She then dropped to the ground and hid herself aside a dead corpse. Another flash of light appeared as she witnessed three more soldiers getting killed by the silver-eyed girl. Close to 20 mercenaries were standing between Vatra and the drawbridge. When the obscurity of the night took back its place, Vatra rose up and ran by her blinded enemy. Her feet were clapping in the blood when she passed by Lanaya.

Lanaya – “NELIS! BACK OFF!”

Vatra then thrust her blade toward the man holding the wicked engine, but her blade struck a chunk of steel. Vatra crouched while running to the side, closing the gap before striking again. When her blade hit the steel engine, she cleaved it onto her opponent’s weapon and shoulder, creating a line of sparks bright enough for her to see the drawbridge right behind her enemy. It was closed. Vatra ran past him to escape. As she got next to the drawbridge, she slashed the rope holding the rotating wheel.

The wood and the chain spun as the drawbridge fell, releasing an uproar as it hit the ground.

Vatra began to run unto the drawbridge when she received a strong hit at the back of her waist, breaking through her armour and shredding her flesh. Carried by the impact, Vatra stumbled and fell in the Oluja River.

As she sank in the water, she tried to grab the shore despite the dark web of the night, but the water was swallowing her because of the weight of her drench armour.

Lanaya – “Nelis, are you alright?”

Nelis – “Yeah, it’s a minor hit.”

Vatra tried to remove her mail hauberk, but her injury was paining her movement. She was about to drown when she felt a strange presence crawling under her skin. Out of fear, Vatra panicked and opened her mouth, letting the water flow, but the presence closed her mouth. As Vatra lost control over her body, she passed out.

Further to the east, General Thorkel and Lord Krain were running away, followed by the remainder of their men.

Lord Krain – “WE NEED TO ESCAPE!”

General Thorkel – “TO THE SHIPYARD! THEY’VE LEFT A FEW RAFTS! WE’LL USE THEM TO CROSS THE RIVER!”

Lord Krain – “WE’LL NEED FOOD!”

General Thorkel – “PLUNDER THE GRANARY AND THE STORAGE. TAKE THE FIRST THING YOU SEE AND GO TO THE SHIPYARD!”

In the chaos of the night, as the Kalator were regrouping to surround their opponents, the soldiers of House Krain plundered the granary and entered the shipyard. The Kalator had forsaken the area, and no resistance was in their way.

General Thorkel – “Fast! Before they see us!”

Lord Krain – “Over there!”

The soldiers pushed the raft off the shore and followed the river current until they reached the southern shore, away from the southern wall.

Lord Krain – “Let’s head to Fresh-Bay!”

General Thorkel – “Stay silent. We don’t want them on our tail!”

As House Krain forsook the battle, the Valmai forces were getting surrounded in the north.

Lord Egmond – “DON’T KILL HIM! DON’T KILL RULFUS! I WANT HIM ALIVE!”

Lord Valmai – “TO THE SHIP! WE’LL REGROUP SOUTH!”

As the Valmai forces reached the ships, tens of Kalator soldiers were waiting for them. Surrounded by all sides, the Valmai forces kept pushing their way through the Kalator ranks, falling one after the other until solely the hovering dust remained.

Egmond – “TEND TO OUR INJURED! TAKE THOSE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE AS PRISONERS. IF YOU FIND RULFUS VALMAI, HEAL HIM!”

Lord Valmai’s sight was soiled by blood when a hand grabbed his shoulder and dragged him through the dirt before tossing him to the feet of a man.

Lord Egmond – “Rulfus! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Rulfus raised his head to look at his nemesis.

Rulfus Valmai – “Your act of treachery won’t go unpunished.”

Egmond crouched and grabbed him by his hair.

Lord Egmond – “Treachery? You barbarians stole the lands of my ancestors. We founded the Vale. We lived there for a thousand years. Don’t act all brave and mighty when all you did was sit on the death of my people!”

He then spat on Rulfus’s face before throwing him back to the ground.

Lord Egmond – “Bring him with the other prisoners! Varok, your men will sleep; Trygve’s men will take the relay until sunrise.”

Varok – “Yes, my lord!”