After eating the stalk of Doom Shroom, I smile at Gavin without saying anything. A hint of confusion flashes through his eyes before disappearing and even after a few moments pass, nothing happens. It was a nice try by him to out me and check if I’m up to something nefarious but Doom Shrooms need a bit of processing before they can truly shine. Just eating a stalk raw isn’t going to do anything to me except give me a bout of diarrhea later if I’m unlucky.

Gavin eventually turns around and walks away when he sees I’m completely fine. He’s playing a lot of games and setting a bunch of traps but I don’t understand why. If I were him, I would have had myself killed weeks ago in my sleep. Maybe he can’t for some reason? Hmm, if he’s going to keep what’s happening between us under wraps, I should be safe as long as I don’t do anything too egregious.

Gavin inspects the valley for another hour before he gives the order to return to the citadel. He has to meet up with the rest of The Fold’s hierarchy and let them know his findings and recommend the location. While he talks with the other leaders in the cult, the rest of us are going to start work on chopping down trees for logs before sharpening them for the barricades. It’s hard, exhausting work but as soon as Gavin is finished speaking with the rest of the leadership, we’ll be able to stop which shouldn’t be too long.

…

An entire week. It took an entire week before Gavin finally came to tell us we could stop. I’ve never seen him look more drained or frustrated but he convinced The Fold’s hierarchy to approve the ambush at the valley. All I know is I’m glad I could finally stop chopping down trees.

My hands were already covered in calluses from wielding a sword but holding a woodcutting axe and swinging it at the trunk of a tree opened up new blisters in spots I didn’t think were even possible. If a blister popped, all I could do was grit my teeth and keep swinging because Eldon was always there, watching me from behind. I guess Gavin appointed him as my overseer before he left and if I showed just a moment of laziness, he’d tell the cooks at the canteen I wasn’t allowed to eat that night. I can’t count the number of times I wanted to lash out and sink the axe I was holding right into his stupid, smug looking face. I also can’t remember how many splinters have been lost inside the skin on my hands the past week as I sharpened those chopped logs into spikes. The amount of regret I have for even suggesting the barricades in the first place is immeasurable and from now on, I’m going to keep my big mouth shut.

With the higher ups’ approval, we quickly got to work with setting up the ambush. The first thing we had to do was re-secure our surroundings because without Gavin or me out and about, the Vipers have had the upper hand in the skirmishes between us lately and our normal operating area has shrunk considerably. Though with a smaller area to patrol, we haven’t had as many losses and over the past week, we’ve only lost ten more members. Once our immediate vicinity was cleared after a thorough sweep with a huge hunting party of more than 50 riders, we discreetly started moving the spikes to the ambush location using the cult’s wagons and tarps.

Transforming the spikes into actual barricades was simple and only needed a bit of rope and another log acting as the support pillar in the center. These barricades certainly won’t stand the test of time and will probably break after a month or so, but we won’t need them to even last that long as tomorrow is our planned ambush date. After hiding them behind some bushes and covering them with fallen foliage, we left the valley and started our preparations for tomorrow. We had to decide who would be the bait, who would be inside the valley itself and set up the barricades, and who would be above the valley, firing down on the trapped snakes.

Gavin volunteered himself as the leader of the bait group because he couldn’t trust anyone else to pull it off as well as he could. He also said he’d be running into as many of the Vipers’ known patrol routes to gather as many of them as possible before leading them all into the valley. It’s a bit surprising because I thought for sure he’d have me be part of the bait group since that’s the most dangerous position but I guess he can’t let things go awry tomorrow. I’ll be inside the valley, making sure the barricades are in place at the right time and I’ll also be directing the melee that’s bound to occur when the trap is sprung. Eldon will be joining me down there which is more of a testament to his distrust of me than anything else since he should be above the valley as an archer.

With everything in place and everyone knowing their responsibilities, we dismissed our little war council and went to sleep that night, each of us feeling vastly different things. For some like Gavin and the rest of the leadership, they’re feeling apprehension because the success of this one fight could determine whether The Fold survives this entire ordeal or gets buried along with their bodies. For others like Eldon, he’s probably not nervous at all and thinks it’s just another day in the fold. He’s lived here his entire life and questions of the cult’s very existence have never crossed his mind. How wonderful it is to go through life, living like a simpleton.

For me? I’m filled with excitement. I can’t wait to see tomorrow’s bloodshed and how in the end, I’ll be the final victor. This hellhole will go down in flames, one way or another.

…

At the break of dawn, nearly two hundred people set out from the citadel in droves, leaving only the infirm and the children behind. The Fold is throwing everything they have into this one operation and if they fail, well, it’ll be curtains for them. But I suppose this only makes the weight on Gavin’s shoulders exponentially heavier especially since this is pretty much his plan. He did pick out the valley after all. I’d love to see his face right now and taste the dread on it but we’re in different groups and his team will be resting until noon when the Vipers usually show the most activity.

On our way to the ambush spot, I’m riding Genuine as I scout out ahead for the main convoy. I can’t be complacent right now because if a Viper scout sees us beforehand, the jig will be up and everything will be for naught. And that can’t happen. But we safely made it to the valley by early morning without a problem and split up to our respective positions.

Our archers, numbering somewhere around 50, aside from Eldon that is, split themselves even further and hid in the two forested areas above the valley, taking with them a group of 20 close combat protectors just in case. The remaining 130 valley dwellers also split themselves up again into two groups, one consisting of 80 and the other 50. The group of 80, myself and Eldon included, would be positioned inside the valley around the midway point right next to the barricades. The group of 50 will be hiding at the entrance of the valley, ready to bring up the rear and enclose the Vipers in our trap.

In actuality, it’d be better if the group of 80 swapped spots with the group of 50 since whatever’s left of Gavin’s team is going to join up with the midway point group. Along with the advantage of the barricades, the rear group encasing the snakes is going to face the fiercest fighting out of everyone but I don’t point that out to them. I want this fight to be as close as it can possibly get and the Vipers are already at a significant disadvantage. In exchange for that, I’m giving them an easy path of retreat behind 50 unwitting sacrifices. It’ll be up to them whether they can find it or not. Once everyone was hunkered down in their positions, we began to wait.

…

The midday sun above us is shining down with all its might, trying its best to sap us of our strength and fortitude. I can hear intermittent yawns all around me as everyone grows more complacent with each passing second despite the impending danger. It should be sometime in the middle of May right now and the cool spring breeze is keeping the sweat off our brows but at the same time it’s too comforting, too intoxicating, resulting in the widespread lethargy I see all around me. Perhaps I expect too much from an inbred cult masquerading as forest bandits.

I can’t help but compare them to Candle in the Dark since that is the only other outfit I’ve ever been a part of which is admittedly unfair to The Fold. Derriv and Bertrand were part of the Nasaaran army before they left and they’ve implemented a lot of the military discipline that was ingrained in them into the outfit they made. They were nowhere near as strict with us as the army officers were with them considering we were still bandits in the end, but a sight like this where everyone is sitting around listlessly or laying down half asleep would never be tolerated. But it’s fine by me. In fact, I want them to be more languid, more careless, because the more members The Fold loses here today, the easier my job will be later.

As I watch over all of them from the side, judging their frivolous attitudes with a sneer, I’m enjoying a mouthful of roots from an Alara flower I found to keep myself sharp and focused. I’ve also been keeping my hands busy and carving a piece of wood I found with my knife, making a small figure of the ghost hound I saw a few months ago. It’s not looking too bad if I do say so myself. Yeah, look at them lying down over there without a care in the world, not like me. It’s as if they don’t realize that at any moment now-

A quick whistle from above breaks the silent and lazy atmosphere around us as everyone scrambles to their feet, grabbing their weapons with terrified looks on their faces. That’s the signal. Getting to my feet, I toss the half finished carving on the ground and stuff the knife back in my pocket before dusting myself off. Seeing the 80 people around me still acting dazed and shuffling around without actually going anywhere, I bark my orders, “Time to get to work, ladies and gents! Left side team, get ready to haul your barricades! Right side, same order!”

Finally having someone to tell them what to do, the 80 people quickly split into two teams and stationed themselves hugging the left and right walls of the valley. They slowly lift up the barricades by the central supporting beam, careful not to hurt themselves on the spikes. This time, two quick whistles sound out and everyone grows tense because Gavin’s almost here with, assumedly, a whole lot of Vipers chasing after him. With the way things are, I’m not sure these nitwits can accomplish their seemingly easy task which puts me at risk.

Feeling anger boiling in my chest, I snarl out, “What the fuck are those faces you’re showing right now!? Are those the faces you want the Savior seeing from his throne!? Today’s the day we show that den of snakes who’s in charge of this fucking forest! Today’s the day we show the whole fucking world who The Fold are and they’ll all kneel at the Savior’s white jade-like toes! Now let me hear you scream!”

Thunderous roars erupt from the men and women carrying the barricades as their nervous looks are replaced by heated ones. Even Eldon’s red in the face as he shouts with vigor. Maybe we should be keeping quiet since this is supposed to be an ambush after all, but if they’re too tense to carry out their job then this whole thing will come crumbling down with me right in the middle of it. Besides, at this point, their shouts were drowned out by the deafening stampeding noises swiftly approaching us from the other end of the valley. Even the final signal, the three whistles made in quick succession, was barely heard by anyone aside from me. Though if they did hear it, I doubt whether it would’ve registered with them or not because right now, their attention is wholly fixated on the horde of horsemen chasing the remnants of Gavin’s team in front of us.

As a bloodied and battered Gavin clears the spot where the first set of barricades will go, I scream at the top of my lungs, “Both sides! First hurdle! Set ‘em up!”