Ambush

Valia looked out at the approaching army. Wind tore through the air, pushing her black hair up in waves. 

"We don't have to do this," Alon said to her quietly. He fiddled with his bow nervously. 

"Just pour the tar on them as accurately as possible. Immediately after, kick their ladders off the wall. That'll stop any attempts of them getting over," General Hawke said, giving last-minute orders to his soldiers.

The three Raiders stood off to the side, just out of earshot of the General.

"I don't want to do this," Guron chimed in. "It's a death sentence. He said he knows who we are. This might be his way of revenge."

Valia shot him a look. "Or…what if this really is our best shot? What if he needs us? One job, one distraction. Once we help him out, we won't have to be on the run anymore."

"That's only if we win. Have you seen House Styte's army?" Guron asked, gesturing to the thousands of soldiers approaching the city.

They were getting close now. In less than ten minutes, the city would be under siege. 

"I've seen them," she responded quietly. "But what else do you suggest we do? I don't care if he knows who we are. Let's go along with his plan for now."

"For now?" Alon asked.

"For now."

"My new friends," General Hawke said with a smile. "My men have their orders." He looked out at the approaching army. "Follow me, we only have a few minutes to set up our ambush. Elond, you're with me too."

The young boy nodded eagerly. He seemed confident to Valia, at least on the outside. Yet she could see his anxiousness in the small movements. In the way he tapped his sword sheath, and how his eyes couldn't seem to find a single spot to focus on.

It reminded her of Alon. Both of them were too young for war. 

"This is suicide," Guron grumbled. "You'd take your son on such a mission?"

"Yes," General Hawke said. "But only because I'm confident this'll work. Now let's get moving. It'll take a minute to reach our destination."

The old man set off down the wall, and Valia followed behind. "Can you at least tell us the plan? I want to be prepared."

"Bah, you shouldn't need any sort of preparation for a plan as simple as this," General Hawke retorted. 

"If it's so simple, you should have no trouble explaining it," Valia said bluntly.

"Very true. Very true." He said nothing else. 

Valia clenched her fists. It was taking everything she had to keep herself from attacking the man.

The group reached the farthest side of the wall, off to the left of the approaching army. 

General Hawke gave his son a look, and the boy ran and grabbed a ladder. Setting it up on the outside of the wall, he gestured to Valia to begin her descent. 

She reached the ground, holding the base of the ladder steady while her companions descended. 

Valia thought about it for a moment. As soon as both Guron and Alon were on solid ground, she tightened her grip on the ladder. 

I can pull it out from underneath them. We can make for the forest. Escape before Styte's army attacks.

But something stopped her. Their situation was already looking grim, and the old man had thought it was safe enough to bring his son.

And the offer of citizenship. They wouldn't have to be raiders anymore. It was just as Quoros had always wanted. 

Maybe…maybe I'll buy some land, just like he had always wanted. Start a farm.

The thought occupied her mind until the two soldiers stepped off of the ladder.

"Thank you much," General Hawke said, chuckling. "I'm grateful you didn't pull that ladder out from under us while you had the chance."

So, he had anticipated even that. Not much got past this old man.

"Maybe I should have," Valia said quietly. Before he could respond, she started off toward the forest. "We going this way?"

General Hawke smiled. "Indeed. Those trees will offer some cover while we're accomplishing our task."

"What task?" Valia asked.

"Yeah, we still need the plan," said Guron. "I'm not going into this completely blind."

Alon shook his head. "He's not going to tell us. Are you?"

General Hawke raised an eyebrow. "Why, you are a persistent bunch."

They reached the forest edge just as the attack began. The five of them turned around and watched for a moment as a barrage of soldiers surrounded the wall.

"We're running out of time. Let's move," General Hawke said, starting into the forest. 

Valia looked back one more time. House Styte had the advantage. 

Kaladia would fall.

*******

Kaladia will not fall.

Sir Hawke pushed through the foliage, moving his legs as fast as he could. 

His soldiers just needed to hold out for a moment longer. As long as they followed his instructions, the wall would stand. 

Elond and the others were following close behind him.

He had yet to tell them the plan, because he needed them. If he had told them before, they would've run away a long time ago.

Curiosity.

Sometimes that was all it took to keep a person interested. 

Sir Hawke came to a stop, kneeling quietly behind a bush. He held his hand up and the others came to a stop behind him. 

Except for the girl, Valia, who stepped up next to him. She gave him a disapproving look. "This is a jest."

Sir Hawke smiled. "You know what, Valia? You remind me of my sister. Rude, brash. But also intuitive and extremely intelligent. In all my years, I've realized very few are clever enough to see through others. But you can. We are alike in that way."

"We are nothing alike, General. Now, we're here. What the fuck are we gonna do with them?"

Sir Hawke looked back at the nest in front of them. 

Terrocerous. 

The animals were the largest known to man, their backs standing over twice as tall as a full grown horse. Horns studded their bodies from head to toe, a natural defense mechanism against any predators.

"I found them out here a year or so ago, when I took Elond hunting. We ran upon this nest. Last we counted, there were over fifty of them," Sir Hawke said, glancing over the bush at the animals. There seemed to be even more of them now.

The more the better, Sir Hawke thought. Though they were extremely dangerous animals, right now that was to their advantage. 

"How're we doing this?" Guron asked. 

"We need someone who's light on their feet to sneak around them," Sir Hawke said, looking around at his companions.

They remained silent.

"Well it's obviously not me," Sir Hawke said, indicating his legs. "I'd get us all killed."

"I'll do it, General Hawke," Elond said stiffly. 

Sir Hawke ignored him, instead looking at the other three. "Who thinks they can do it?"

"Me," Valia said, sighing. "What do I do once I get over there?"

"Scare them. Though Terrocerous are dangerous, they're easily frightened."

"And what are you doing? If I scare them, they'll just trample over you."

"Don't worry about it. Your friends are safe with me. If this all works out, we'll be back inside the walls before sunset," Sir Hawke said. He hoped his own words would come true. 

Valia gave one last look at her friends, who shook their heads, telling her not to go. She turned around and disappeared into the foliage. 

*******

Valia was already regretting her decision.

As she moved through the forest, she thought about going off in a different direction, leaving everything behind. Maybe she would find an uninhabited place where she could build a home, hunt for food, and maybe even farm. It's what Quoros would've wanted for her. 

But she couldn't leave Alon and Guron behind. No matter how much they annoyed her, they were her friends. Neither of them had a family to go home to. And they'd stuck by her side, through every bad decision she'd ever made.

The leaves crunched quietly beneath her boots. 

Valia kept an eye on the animals, who she could see grazing on vegetation. If she hadn't been used to sneaking all her life, the Terrocerous would've charged by now. 

Finally, she made it to the opposite side of the clearing, which stretched almost a half a mile.

These creatures frightened easily, Sir Hawke had said. What could she do that would frighten them? 

She looked around, searching for an object to throw. But there wasn't anything large enough to cause a disturbance. 

What should I do?

The trees here in the north were massive, their branches reaching so high up you couldn't see how high it reached. Each branch was covered in thousands of leaves, creating a lush green blanket that blocked out most of the sun. 

There was a hole in the blanket of leaves. A tree still stood beneath it, but unlike the others, it had no leaves. Its bark was blackened as if it had been burned. 

Or maybe it was struck by lightning, she thought. 

Valia glanced back at the creatures behind her. Sir Hawke and her friends were waiting on her, counting on her. The whole city was counting on her. 

Taking a deep breath, she set to work. 

She used her sword to cut at the base of the tree. Unfortunately, it was the only thing she had that would do some damage. 

Thankfully, the tree was dead. The lightning strike must've been long ago, as much of the tree seemed to be hollowed out. 

It's a wonder it's still standing. 

She smacked her sword against the bark again, and chips of wood flew out. The tree groaned as if it were in pain. 

Valia hit it again.

The tree swayed back and forth now, threatening to fall at any moment. Valia dropped her sword to the ground and began pushing on the tree, trying to knock it over.

Something rustled ahead of her. 

It was big.

And coming closer.

A rogue Terrocerous, straying from the pack. Its footsteps felt like an earthquake beneath her feet. 

Valia watched as its eyes locked on her. It immediately saw her as a threat. 

The animal snorted and began to lower its legs. It was about to charge.

A second Terrocerous appeared from the foliage, then a third.

Not good not good not good, Valia thought frantically. 

The three animals charged at her. With their massive size, they would be on top of her in seconds.

The thought of death gave her one last burst of strength, and Valia felt the tree crack beneath her hands.

She stepped back, watching as it fell forward. 

The top of the tree must've been very fragile, as chunks of burned wood rained down from above. 

Some of these pieces hit the charging Terrocerous, and their charge came to an abrupt stop. 

Valia watched with relief as they turned around and took off in the other direction. 

The tree slammed to the ground, shattering into thousands of pieces.

Valia shielded her face from bits of flying wood. Luckily, nothing big had hit her. When she lowered her arms, the creatures were gone.

The ground still rumbled, as if Erosia itself was splitting in half. 

The Terrocerous were retreating in the other direction. The plan had worked.

They were headed directly for Styte's army.