I am reposting this one, it was a challenge and a one-shot. Mercedes Lackey owns Valdamar
Last Man Standing
Gareth looked into the night, a shiver of cold fear running down his back. He could taste it in the back of his throat. He started at the heavy arm slapped over his shoulder.
"What's eating you" Mauli asked his friend.
He turned to the other man "Don't you hear them" he whispered.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. There's nothing we can do about it now" he said.
Gareth shook his head, Mauli didn't know, and he didn't know how to tell him. He had seen their deaths, in the dark, In his dreams. And he knew to his horror, when he dreamed one of those dreams, they always came true.
"Go on get some sleep, it's my watch now" Mauli said, giving him a shove back to camp. He nodded and turned back to camp, it was all he could do, let his friend have one more night of peace.
He lay in the dark, trying to rest, he knew come morning he would be needing it badly, but it was a long time coming. Finally he drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.
"Time to get up" a sharp nudge to his side woke Gareth and he looked up to see his Sargent.
"What is it" he asked, sitting up.
"They've finally started to march" he said, a pleased look on his scarred face.
Gareth nodded and gathered his things, packing quickly "How soon" he asked looking up at the other man, where he was waking the next man.
"Another candlemark, perhaps two" the man said, before going on down the line.
Soon the men were ready, most had been waiting for this for the last month. The Karsites had finally crossed the border in mass. It had been frustrating for many, the bandits or Karsite army, depending on who was doing the telling, came across the border in small groups that were too small and fast to catch easily. All they could do was clean up the damage they caused and to try to save as many people as they could.
Many of the men were angry, especially those who came from these border towns. Gareth was just tired, he didn't hate these men. He just wished the killing would stop, but he couldn't see it happening any time soon, so he would go on and do what he had to do in the time he had left.
It was today, the feeling passed over him in a cold wave, they would die today. He had tried to warn his Sargent a couple of days ago, but the man thought it was just nerves talking.
As they moved into formation, he looked up startled at a flash of white, a Herald, when had a Herald come to camp. He turned from the man, he didn't want to see his death too, like the others. The order came and they fell into the march.
The attack when it came was a surprise, for all that he had been expecting it. A wave of men, rolled over his fellows from the side and soon he was too busy to think much further than the next swing of his sword, a duck under the Karsites blade and a back swing that cut through the man's neck.
He was warming up, falling into the rhythm of the fight, all fatigue gone as he fought for more time, for himself and his fellows. Though he knew they would die, they would make their enemy remember them.
The fight sent him to the side away from his fellows, he tried to rejoin them, but he couldn't get through. A sob stuck in his throat as he saw Mauli go down, just as he had seen before.
As he fought further and further away, he saw more of his comrades fall, then he was too busy to watch, his blade shattered on the shield of the man before him and something snapped in his mind, the scene shifted and he watched as in double vision as he saw himself dropping and rolling against the mans legs, following his vision, he knocked the man down and smashed his neck, grabbing the man's sword. Ducking he ran down the slope, skidding as he chased another man, just as he finished with him something struck his head and he fell into the dark.
He groaned as he woke, sitting up he grabbed his head, it felt like it was going to fall off.
Silence, it was then that he noted the sounds of battle were missing, he looked up at the sound of a bird singing.
He was alive, he had never seen his own death, but then his dreams had never been about himself. He just assumed. Looking down, he saw the sword he had taken in battle, cleaning it he put it into his sheath, not a perfect fit, but it would do.
On the second try he was able to stand, he swayed before gaining a degree of steadiness, and was soon walking warily back the way he had come, he rubbed his head as it throbbed, but kept a careful watch of his surroundings.
It was worse than he thought, all of them were dead, he had expected that,but to actually see it. But he didn't see the Herald. Gareth hoped the man had gotten away.
He was about to walk over to the first of the men, when something bumped the middle of his back, he whirled and crouched, headache forgotten to stare in disbelief.
A Companion, stood there watching him, he looked into it's eyes and fell into the blue.
:I Choose you Gareth, my name is Herris and you are my chosen:
He stood there dumbly as he felt the wave of love shift into amusement.
"But the others" he said, softly.
:I'm sorry, but I got here as fast as I could, there is no way we could have saved them: his Companion said, sorrow in his mindvoice.
"I know" Gareth whispered. "I know".