Qymaen hoped that this last fight, with the Huks' high lord reported in the raid, the war would end. A thirty year war got tiring after a while. Jalaen, however wanted to come along with her parents. Understandably. The fourteen year-old Kaleesh had never been in a real battle.
The Kaleesh, using a guerilla tactic that Jalaen had suggested, hid up in the trees; there was a clearing that the Huks were camping in. Ronderu wished to lead the left side of the clearing, Qymaen agreed. The reddish leaves of the trees hid the warriors well.
Ronderu, with anyone who was good with a lig sword or Shoni spear, snuck down into the camp, all that Qymaen saw of them in the dark were the glimmer of their yellow eyes. As her warriors invaded the camp, of course, the Huks cried out while they were killed. It was the small period of quiet fighting that they would get; soon the entire camp was awake.
Qymaen and his group open fired, and he heard screams from his warriors as the Huks fired back and the Kaleesh were knocked out of their perches. Qymaen slid out of the tree and joined the melee. Soon he found himself back to back with Ronderu, and together, they were invincible. But how they managed to be surrounded in a few minutes, Qymaen would never know. They must have called for back up, Qymaen thought.
"I don't know if we can fight out of this!" Ronderu said angrily through her teeth.
"Yes." Qymaen answered. "It would take divine intervention to get through this."
Ronderu felt in a similar place, fourteen years ago. She hated feeling helpless! And Qymaen was with her too. He was in the same position. Secretly she hoped that Jalaen would come crashing through the forest, slaying any Huk in her way.
She heard Qymaen gasp, and it was just as she had hoped! There was Jalaen, a lig sword in one hand, a Shoni spear in the other, with her rifle over her shoulder, in her mumuu mask; a formidable sight. She cut through the Huks effortlessly, leaping onto some and driving the spear through their heads, or slicing off their limbs with the sword, and when there was no immediate Huks, a simple matter of shooting some down.
She reached the center where her parents were caught. "Thank Abesmi, you saved us." Qymaen let out a sigh of relief.
"It's a sad day when one's parents trust their daughter to save the day!" She said, and continued fighting.
000
The amount of casualties shocked and horrified Ronderu: out of 100 Kaleesh warriors, over 80 had been killed. She would mourn them. Many had been good friends.
"We need to make this a barrow ground." Jalaen insisted. "That would be the best way to honor all that have fallen in this last battle."
Ronderu loved her daughter's honor of those who had fallen, and wanted to commemorate them as much as was humanly possible.
"That was a good thought, Jalaen." Qymaen said.
Ronderu looked at her two sharpshooters, both in their mumuu masks, bloodied but emboldened. She smiled.
The war was finally over!