163 Dawn

Captain Caleb could see something lighting up the sky far off. His troops were marching through the night hoping to get some rest and relief when they reached the garrison. Aurora had sent him personally to secure the fort, and he took that charge very seriously. But now the pillar of light and smoke—for he could see now that is what it was—caused him to quicken the pace.

"I hope the troops from further south have already made it," he said to no one in particular.

The officer on the horse next to him grunted. Caleb had expected to run into the other division at some point, but so far they had not made contact.

Over two dozen loud bursts of energy shook the air, causing the Captain to nearly fall from his steed. He had never heard anything sound so violent. Caleb was glad his horse had nerves of steel, or he would have been thrown clear. As they entered the twilight of the morning, the soldiers could feel their bodies tense. Something was very wrong.

"Keep moving," the Captain ordered. "We have to get to the fort." Those on foot struggled to keep up, but none wanted to be left behind. One of the scouts came riding from the fringe of the division.

"Sir! There is a group coming up from due south. I think it is the other reinforcements," the scout said.

Caleb nodded and rode parallel to the group as he went to meet the other division's leader. Their leader, a tall man with a thick beard, intercepted him as he came near. They both saluted and came in tandem. "You heard it too?" The bearded man asked.

"Yes. And I think the garrison is in flames. We will charge as soon as the enemy is in sight. Can you come in at their side while we hit them from straight on? Perhaps we can stop them and cut off their retreat." The Captain's question was really a command.

The other man nodded. "Yes sir." They parted and Caleb marched his division forward. The exhaustion in his troops was gone; the coming action filled them with tension and excitement.

The Captain called to the flag bearer. "Raise the banner high! We do not want to be attacked by our own men. Perhaps the enemy will surrender when they see our might." With a fierce grin, he added, "Though hopefully they will give us a bit of a show first!" At his words, the men nearby cheered and passed on his words to the others.

The sun rose as the front line came into view of a battle. A smaller group of imperial troops, less than three hundred by the Captain's quick math, were being chased down by a much larger force of various uniforms and pirates combined. Then Caleb saw Spymaster Brinn was one of those on horseback. But she was sent on a mission to get… The Captain reared back his horse as he shouted, "The Princess is in there! Protect her at all cost. Charge!"

The troops needed no more encouragement. The cavalry ran down with the infantry not far behind. As his soldiers safely enveloped the haggard troops from the garrison, Caleb rode through the ranks to find Brinn and Mairwen. Spotting them, he maneuvered his horse until he was even with the spymaster. "Thank you for the assist," the elf said, her previous panic completely gone.

"Get the Princess out of here!" Caleb ordered.

"Working on it," Brinn snapped. She had been doing just that when she had seen the Captain.

He nodded and looked at the princess. Her face was a mix of fear and relief. "We have got this, Your Highness," he assured her. "It will all be over soon. Glory to the Empress!" Caleb reared back again and rode off.

"You heard the man: get out of here, Princess," Brinn bellowed. Mairwen turned to continue her escape, motioning for Renat to join her. He hesitated until Brinn scolded him. "She is not leaving without you, you idiot. You are not a warrior. We need your brain to help battle another day."

The boy nodded and passed a few parcels wrapped in parchment to the nearest officer. "Crush this in your hand and throw it quickly at the enemy. It should slow them down. Just do not get any on yourself." The three, joined by Eira, took off away from the fighting.

—————

The enemy, believing they had won, had made a race toward the small band of survivors from the fort. Victory was assured, and a loss for the Empress guaranteed. As the daylight broke, the tide inexplicably turned. An army stood along the skyline before quickly barreling toward them. Because the enemy consisted of a mix of groups, no clear leader could command them how to proceed.

The pirates, seeing their advantage gone, began to run in an attempt to melt into the background and leave others to take the beating. Others noticed their retreat and realized it was their best option also, leaving only a few to engage the oncoming imperial onslaught. Outmanned and unorganized, some threw down their weapons in surrender while others chose to fight and be cut down where they stood.

The fleeing pirates did not have better luck. The other division, having circled not just to the side but also behind them, crashed upon them like the top jaw of a hungry crocodile. The melee that ensued was short lived. The Empress's army had won.

Watching from afar, those guarding the princess sighed in relief. Renat looked at Mairwen, who stared emotionlessly forward except for the silent tears running down her cheeks. Having never seen death, her heart hurt for all the ruined dreams and what ifs that now lay lifeless. But the princess did not know any of their names. The one name she did know escaped her lips. "General Beadu," she breathed.

The others heard her, and their collective gaze went toward the garrison. It was only a smoking dot on the horizon, but it was clearly still on fire. They all placed their hands on their hearts to show respect. "He was a good man and a worthy general," Renat said into the silence. The others nodded.

"We will have a hero's funeral for him at the capital," Mariwen promised herself. "For all of them," she added as she viewed the carnage before her.

They watched in silence as those who had surrendered were rounded up and tied into lines to be escorted to Valiant for trial. By the time Captain Caleb returned to them, their spirits had much improved.

"Thank you for your help," Brinn said as he neared on his horse. "Not sure what we would have done without you."

"What are you doing here?" Caleb asked directly. Although their positions at the palace were not equal, they were close enough that he felt he could question her.

"You know I was sent to bring the princess home. I was extracting her from the garrison." Brinn waved her hand dismissively.

"Lieutenant Mund said that you have been here for days," Caleb raised his eyebrows.

Brinn silently cursed Mund. Did he not know that snitches lose fingers? Or at least that is how it worked in the elven world. "It was a long extraction," she responded defiantly. "Anyway, how did you know to come for us?"

The Captain cocked his head to one side. "We did not come for you; we came to help the garrison. Emperor Devrim sent word that it would be attacked, and the Empress dispatched reinforcements. Finding you was a happy accident. If you will allow us, we will escort you directly home."

"That would be lovely," Mairwen piped in, having had her fill of adventure for the time being. "We owe you, Captain Caleb."

"Yes," the spymaster reluctantly agreed.

"I can think of an easy way for you to repay me." Caleb gave an innocent smile.

"Name it," the princess responded.

"All I ask is that you let me be present when you tell Her Majesty this tale. It is sure to be quite enlightening."

Mairwen looked tentatively at Brinn. "Fine," the elf agreed petulantly, "But if you tell anyone, you will lose a finger too."

"…too?"