A/N: Whew. It took me half a year to finish editing this part (it's still quite a mess, but please be patient with me!) and get it organized enough to put it down here. This rather patchworked bit of writing is the result of much disorganization and about two hundred different editing sessions, therefore producing conflicting ideas and general discord, along with about a thousand little parts that needed to be tied together.
As always, please tell me what you think and drop me some hints as to what I can improve on. I'd love to hear from you!
Special thanks to:
Link015: You rock! Thanks so much for encouraging and reminding me to keep at it! You are one the biggest forces behind my continued (if a bit broken up) fanfiction writing career! Your support helps in ways you have no idea of! (And yes, I was wondering why mercenaries were a separate category. I mean, weren't they technically all mercs?) I'll try to update the others soon!
Lemurian-Girl: You, too, help me in countless ways! Thanks for sticking with me even on an OC story! Your comments are always so helpful! Danke schön!
Lao Who Mai: Fear the Serra! Run away! Ehehe, I love Serra very much; you'll be seeing much more of her in the next chapter! Thanks übermuch for your encouragement!
The Incarnation Pokemon: Wow! Two other OC Irenes? The possibilities are blinding… Your comments are hilarious! Thanks for the Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu advice! It is much appreciated!
ShadowSight101: Heya, Shadow-chan! You made an account! I'm so proud of you, mei-mei! Your writing's totally sweet! Good luck!
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"Under attack!" I shoved my stockinged feet into my boots and raced to his side. Digging in the pocket of my robe, I found a roll of bandage and a small jar of salve. I thanked my lucky stars that Felix had at least remembered this. "You're hurt! Hold on- let me fix that. What's going on?"
He drew in a sharp breath as I smoothed the salve over his shoulder. "Holy Elimine, that stings!"
"That probably means it's working," I said frankly. "What happened to you?"
"I was hiding from Serra up on the walltop when I saw a cloud of dust on the road ahead. It was a platoon of Laus's soldiers trying to retake the castle. I managed to sound the alarm before they reached the gates." The mage winced. "An arrow nicked me when I was running for help," he remarked dryly, eyeing the clumsy dressing, "although thanks to your wonderful bandaging attempts I doubt I'll die of blood loss."
"Don't mention it," I said, jamming the hat onto my head and slipping the armored gloves on. "Does the castle know?"
"About the soldiers? They're planning their defense and holding the gate right now." He tucked the ends of the bandage into his sleeve. "Let's go. They'll need us there."
I snatched Matthew's dagger and bundle of maps from the tabletop and grabbed the door handle. "You coming or what?"
We reached the walltop in time to hear another loud boom! The wall shuddered as we were thrown to the floor of the parapet. I staggered upright, clutching my stomach. "What was that!"
"Battering ram!" a red-haired cavalier called over his shoulder, throwing a glance in our direction. His companion, another cavalier, this one in green armor, ran a scornful eye over the army massed below.
"Scurrilous Laus dogs! They don't know when to roll over and play dead!" The green-armored cavalier raised his lance, pointing it towards the army massed below. His eyes gleamed almost fanatically and I winced in apprehension. It was the same expression that crossed my brother's face when he was about to do something incredibly stupid. "I, the noble Sir Sain of Caelin, vow to vanish them all! Hah! Come, curs, and taste my lance!" Leaning over the walltop, he stuck his tongue out at the Laus invaders.
The red-haired cavalier grabbed the back of Sain's shirt and hauled him up as a score of arrows whistled overhead. "Sain, you idiot!" he yelled, clouting his companion on the head. "Don't provoke them! We're supposed to be defending the gate, not trading insults!"
"But Kent!" Sain protested, rubbing his head ruefully. "What will the ladies think when they hear that I simply stood here while the enemy gathered round our castle? Why, they'd hardly be impressed! Surely you of all people would understand my plight!"
"Start wondering what Sir Marcus will think if you turn us both into pincushions!" Kent retorted. "I doubt you'll impress anyone with an arrow through your head!" He looked over to his right at a brunet young man. "How's the oil coming, Wil?"
"Great!" replied the cheery-looking archer. A pretty girl with a pair of green braids waved at us from the other side of a large, bubbling vat. "Rebecca comes up with the best ideas!"
Rebecca gave him a thumbs-up. "Ready, Wil! Let's go!"
Together they pushed it to the edge of the wall. Each grasping a handle with both hands, they pulled hard. Boiling oil rushed out to engulf the Laus troops below, a deadly golden cascade of heat and agony. Screams pierced my ears as the scalding oil hit the battering ram crew. I heard Erk shout a word behind me; a fireball roared into existence, plummeting towards the Laus soldiers. As it hit the troops below, the oil caught fire and transformed the men into a swirling, tempestuous column of flame over twenty feet high. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
The defenders gave a cheer and clapped the two archers on the back, retreating from wall's edge and away from the smoke that billowed upwards in smoky, broiling clouds, carrying with it the stench of charcoaled meat.
"Very clean," Kent approved, surveying the scene with a practiced eye and stepping away from the edge of the wall to avoid singeing the tip of his nose. "Well done, Rebecca."
"All right, Rebecca!" Wil cheered, giving his friend a high-five. "That was brilliant! Lady Lyndis couldn't have done it better herself!"
Rebecca grinned. "Thanks, Wil. See, I told you to pay attention during class instead of falling asleep like you always used to do. You actually do learn stuff. Hey Erk, that fireball was a nice touch."
Erk looked down modestly. "Ah…" he murmured. "Thank you."
Sain slipped between the two archers and took her hands in his. "O lovely Rebecca, well done, well done! Your superb intelligence is only surpassed by your divine beauty!" he proclaimed. "A single glance from your angelic face stirs in my heart the strength of a thousand warriors! Ah, the fire of a vivacious young woman such as yourself lights my soul!"
Kent clapped a hand over his companion's mouth. "Are you a complete idiot?" demanded the cavalier of his friend, who was making indignant sounds beneath the impeding hand. "This is hardly the time for that!" He looked meaningfully at Rebecca, indicating the irritated Sain. "I'm sorry, Rebecca; those arrows must have come closer to his head than I thought."
The friends laughed as Sain made a rude gesture in the other knight's direction. As Wil leaned chuckling against the ramparts, he happened to glance my way. Immediately noticing that something was wrong, the archer frowned and moved away from the others, taking a step in my direction. "Hey, Erk, your friend- maybe you should take her inside. She doesn't look well at all."
While the others were celebrating I had stood as if rooted in place, paralyzed by the sight of the flames lapping hungrily at the castle walls. The heat of the fire seemed to reach even here, well away from the burning battering ram crew, pressing against my face in a red-gold wave. My knees buckled suddenly, and I slid to the floor, eyes locked on the fiery blaze. The smoke drifted over the walls, pressing in around me and filling my senses with the smell of burned hair and flesh. The scene wavered and changed before my eyes; for a moment I was back in the burning village, running as hard as I could from the bandit hard on my heels. Buildings lit afire by the torches of careless looters collapsed around me, spraying embers and debris everywhere. The screams of the soldiers merged with those of the villagers as they were butchered by the marauding axmen or burned to death under the fallen debris.
Then I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, shaking me back into the present. Purple eyes stared intently into mine, searching. I breathed in deeply, letting the breath out slowly and letting reality seep back in. "I did it again, didn't I?" It was a statement, not a question.
Erk did not answer; grasping my hands, he helped me up. "It's all right," was all he said. The company had gone silent; every face, even that of the irrepressible Sain, wore a worried, apprehensive expression. The mage turned to the others, bringing me with him. "She's be fine," he told them. "It's an aftereffect of the painkillers; the line between reality and memory gets a bit blurred. The medicine's a hallucinogen." His face revealed nothing else.
"Who is this girl, Erk?" Kent finally asked. His eyes, orange and seeming almost red in the firelight, were fixed on me. "What is she doing up here on the battlements? It's a dangerous place for a child to be."
I gulped and met his gaze. "Sir, I- I'm-" I managed to say. My voice squeaked an octave or two higher than usual, much to my embarrassment. Heavens, those eyes were unnerving! "My name's Irene."
"I didn't ask for your name; I asked who you are. You look too young to be a Caelin soldier, and I haven't seen your face on the training grounds before."
"A search party scouring the area for remaining bandits found her half-buried under some smoldering rubble," Erk stepped in smoothly. "Apparently she's the sole survivor of the northeastern village of Pinesgard. She was spending the night there when the bandits burned it down. The fire must have scared her."
I nodded, eyes downcast. Trust Erk to cover for me, I thought with an inward sigh of relief. That's two I owe him.
Rebecca drew in a deep breath. "That's awful. Erk, you should take her back down into the keep. She shouldn't have to see this."
"We need him here," argued Kent. "You're right about the girl, though. Irene, is it? You should go back inside. You might get hurt."
I gathered my resolve and shook my head. Kent's eyes hardened. "Irene-"
A rain of arrows cut of any chance of further argument. We hit the floor as the volley whistled overhead and struck a turret behind us, bouncing harmlessly off of the walls and clattering onto the stones. Kent instantly took charge of the situation. "Archers and mage, stay here and keep them pinned down. Don't let them get back to the battering ram, and if they do, make sure they drop it fast," he ordered. The pair of archers nodded and began to fit arrows to their bows. Erk flipped open the book he had taken from the infirmary and started to recite passages in a foreign, archaic tongue. Kent glanced at me. "Little girl, if you won't listen to common sense and go back down, you'd better be ready to follow orders. This isn't an epic or ballad; people will get hurt and die." His voice was stern. "This is real life, and this is war. There's no guarantee that you'll come out alive. Are you still bent on doing this?"
I nodded. "Yes, sir."
Kent shook his head. "This is going against my better judgment," he muttered. "All right, girl, see those towers over there? I need you to go and gather the arrows that landed on that far parapet. Stay low and bring as many back as you can carry. No sense in wasting valuable ammunition." He turned to the knight beside him. "Sain, make yourself useful and check up on the back wall. And don't stop to chat with the ladies on the way!" he added when the other cavalier's eyes grew bright. "Stay focused! This is a siege!"
"Spoilsport," the green-armored knight muttered as he jogged off.
Ducking down to avoid the enemy's arrows, I half-crawled, half-slithered towards the far watchtower. Gathering up a bundle of arrows, I removed my hat and shoved them point-first inside of it. Then, my makeshift sack clutched tightly in hand, I made my way back to where Kent and company were repelling the invaders. Rebecca held in her hands a bow the size of which I had never seen before. The tip of the massive yew weapon stretched about two inches above her head, around which a well-waxed bowstring was stretched tautly. The arrows were the length of short swords, with formidable armor-piercing tips. Searching through my bundle of arrows, I found a couple that matched hers and slipped them into her quiver. As I sidled cautiously around her to reload Wil's, I couldn't help but whisper, "For Pete's sakes, what kind of bow is that? It's enormous!"
"It's a longbow," he replied, sighting down his arrow. "Those things have far more range than the kind I'm using. You could probably take down an enemy at about one hundred and eighty yards with one."
I eyed the bow with a profound sense of respect. "Really, now? Someday I'm going to have to learn more about these longbows of yours."
"You won't get the chance if you're hit by a stray arrow while you stand here yakking away," a familiar voice snapped. Matthew had come up behind us, a wicket basket piled high with little orbs of high-fired clay under each arm. He and his companion, a slender Sacaean youth with green, almond-shaped eyes and a fat black sack slung over his shoulder, deposited their loads on the floor. I noticed that the sack seemed to pulse with a faint, flickering glow. "What's going on? If that half-witted mage Erk brought you up here, I swear I'll-" He broke off, ducking just in time to dodge an enemy arrow. He swore and lowered his voice. "Don't you know it's dangerous? This is not a game, Irene. You might get injured."
"I'm not fooling around," I snapped. "I'm helping, Matthew, and I know the risks. Sir Kent already jammed them down my ear once, and an encore isn't likely to make me change my mind."
"That's not what I meant. That idiot could have at least put you behind a wall or something instead of leaving you out in the open. There are countless magical defenses he could have used, like these light runes for example." He indicated the sack on the ground. "Even a novice should know to protect the weaker units. You're supposed to be a tactician- you should at least act like one."
"Let's just say I'm working on it. What're these light rune things you're talking about?"
"Erk didn't explain light runes? What's that mage been teaching you about this whole time?"
"One can hardly become all-knowing in the eternal period of two weeks," I told him sweetly. "Might we discuss this later? I'd rather not get hit by a stray arrow while we stand here yakking away."
Kent clanked around the corner, a bundle of javelins in hand. When he spotted the thief and the young Sacaean- who, due to Erk's lecture earlier that morning, I identified as a myrmidon- he made his way towards us. "Matthew, I've been looking for you all morning! Did you get them?"
Matthew chuckled and nodded towards the basket. "Of course. You'd be surprised what you can find around here, Sir Kent. There are all kinds of goodies in the villages nearby." His expression turned sly. "Oh, and I see you've put Irene to work already. Why weren't you more prudent with her personal defense? Lord Hector will have a fit if you accidentally kill our army's new tactician."
It was so quiet that I was sure that everyone on the walltop and below had stopped breathing. I had, at any rate, and by the look on Kent's face it seemed that he had too.
Matthew feigned astonishment. "My goodness, you really didn't know? Irene's only an apprentice, of course, but since Mark, our last tactician, was slain in battle, she'll be taking his place. That would make her our army's head tactician. Technically, our only tactician, but hey- who knows? Maybe we'll pick up a couple more on our way. They seem to be turning up in the strangest places recently."
"Tactician," Kent echoed finally, his voice sounding choked. "Tactician."
"Tactician?" I squeaked, breaking through my shock just enough for my throat to squeeze out that one little word.
"Yes, tactician," Matthew repeated patiently. "I didn't think I made it that hard to understand. I'll be right back. I have another load to bring up. Come on, Guy," he called to the Sacaean myrmidon. "I'll need your help with this one too."
Guy opened his mouth, but the thief reached behind him and tugged sharply on the braid hanging down his back. The young man yelped and grabbed at the back of his head. "Yowch! Why can't you just leave me alone, y-you infernal thief?" he demanded, his face taking on the hue of Erk's cape.
"You're just too much fun to tease," Matthew grinned. "Besides, your face reminds me of a pomegranate when you're mad."
The myrmidon turned even redder at that. People in Elibe seemed very prone to odd coloration, I noted. "S-shut up!" he snapped, clenching his fists. Matthew snickered and danced away from the irate myrmidon, skipping down the stairs with Guy in hot pursuit. "Coward!" The Sacaean swung at the agile thief, who ducked the blow easily. "Get back here and fight!"
"Later, Irene," came Matthew's cheery reply as he bounded down and out of sight.
I gulped as I watched Guy race after him, seeming to almost fly down the stairs. "I hope Matthew'll be all right," I muttered, turning back to the edge of the walltop. However, the look on Kent's face stopped me in my tracks. Forget Matthew- time to worry about my own safety, I thought, suddenly cold all over.
"You-" Kent's voice was hoarse; he looked as stunned as I felt, his face livid. "Why didn't you tell me you were a tactician?"
"What do you mean I didn't tell you?" I demanded, suddenly furious. Why didn't anyone tell me anything? I'd had no idea that Matthew was going to thrust me into this role, and then the gall of this- this- "You never gave me a chance!"
"You should have told me straight from the start!" Kent's eyes were the color of molten steel, seeming almost as if they could sear my face like the flames that had raged below only moments before.
I was done with being burned; it was time to burn him back. "Look, you pompous knight-" I hissed.
I never got any further than that, however, for the enemy took the momentary pause to charge. Something heavy slammed into the weathered gates with a sickening crunch. The castle shuddered again from the vicious attack, knocking us off of our feet and causing the archers to drop their weapons. Kent braced himself and caught me as I was thrown back against him, keeping us both from tumbling from the wall. I winced as I struck the cavalier's breastplate; the armor was iron-hard and my back was still sore. Erk lurched forward over the side; Rebecca grabbed his cloak from behind as he pitched towards the edge and hauled him back.
"They've got another battering ram!" he gasped when he was on solid stone again. "This one's twice as long and has three times as many troops manning it! The gates won't stand much longer!"
Kent swore vehemently, pressing back against the tower's side as a sudden rain of arrows rattled overhead. "Damn it! Just what we need!" He set me down, placing me against the wall out of harm's way. The cavalier raked agitated fingers through his hair, his entire frame tense with apprehension. "What next? Pegasus knights armed with javelins?"
"Don't tempt fate," drawled a voice in my ear. "Think how disappointed Lord Hausen will be if he wakes up to find his castle in ruins." I suppressed a startled gasp and whirled around, unconsciously scrunching up against Kent. It was Matthew, his trademark half-grin on his face as usual despite the gravity of the situation. The thief and his myrmidon companion were back, lugging a large laundry basket between them. Instead of dirty clothes, however, this was filled with kindling and dry brush. Matthew let go of his end as he turned to salute Kent and me, causing Guy to stagger as the entire weight of the burden suddenly tipped to his end of the basket. The basket landed with a solid thump, coming down squarely on his toes. As the Sacaean cursed and tried to pry his foot out from under the weight, Matthew winked at me and murmured, "We've got much work to do, haven't we, Tactician Irene?"
"Why didn't you tell me that I was a tactician?" I demanded, glaring up at him. "You could have at least warned me before you pulled that last little joke of yours."
He grinned. "That wouldn't have been half as fun. So, what's the plan, Little Irene? We're boxed in and the enemy's eyeing that gate as potential firewood. We don't have the men to hold the castle if they manage to breach the entrance. You're up to your neck in this one, I'm afraid."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I remarked dryly, eyeing the battering ram crew as they backed down the dirt path, their commander barking orders and making sharp gestures with his spear. "This is going to make for one heck of a first assignment. What's the enemy count?"
"Two scores." Matthew shaded his eyes, peering down at the men milling around on the ground below. "Five archers, two mages, and assorted foot soldiers, myrmidons, mercs, and the like."
I bit my lip, narrowing my eyes against the glare of the noonday sun. This wasn't going to be easy. So much for the in-game tutorial, a voice in my head grumbled. "What do we have in terms of men? Archers? Mages?"
Matthew did a mental count. "Including those of us up here… almost one score. As for archers and mages, what you see is what you've got." He pointed to Erk, Rebecca, and Wil, who were busy flinging projectiles down at the Laus soldiers below. "Not much to work with, Irene, but it's all we have."
I muttered something obscene under my breath. "Outnumbered more than two to one? How are we supposed to get out of this one alive?"
"That's very encouraging coming from our army's head tactician," Matthew murmured softly. "Come on, Irene. You can do this."
I drew in a deep breath, willing my heart to stop fluttering wildly around in my chest. At the rate it was going, it was bound to impale itself on one of my ribs. "What are our specifics? Axes? Swords? Lances?"
"We have three axmen, four mounted horsemen, including one who can use lances, axes, and swords, and two healers." The thief ticked off the numbers on his fingers. "There's a servant of Elimine here too, along with a pegasus knight and four or so swordsmen, minus myself. Oh yes, and one of those armored knights who look like walking trash cans."
"A servant of Elimine?" I asked, my mind sorting pieces of new information and rearranging them like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Little bits were clicking together to form bigger ones, and by shifting them around I was starting to piece together the beginnings of a plan.
Guy had limped over to join us, having freed his foot from underneath the laundry basket. Now he stood next to Matthew and me, a bundle of arrows under one arm. "That'd be a person- one of the clergy in service to Saint Elimine of Light- who wields light magic." He brushed his bangs away from the headband that unsuccessfully attempted to keep them from falling across his face with one hand, green eyes intent on the troops. "Things are getting pretty ugly down there," he observed.
"Light magic is strong against heavily-armored units and those on horseback." Matthew scratched one ear and added, "Light mages also have high resistance to other magical attacks."
"Thanks," I murmured absently. The sound of shouted instructions floating up from the enemy's camp was very distracting. Light mages? Erk had mentioned light magic on the first day of lessons, but that had been so long ago…. And a pegasus knight? I vaguely remembered something about a pegasus knight from Chapter Three. High movement and resistance to magic, but vulnerable to arrows; and, and…. That was all that I could remember. There was something else I was missing, but what….?
The wall convulsed again, and I decided that I was out of time. "Matthew, what're those things you have over there? The ones in the basket?"
"Oh, these?" He indicated the wicket basket containing curious little clay balls. "Those are something a village woman came up with some time ago. It's amazing what people can do when they have a little extra time on their hands. We modified them a bit so that they can be set off when exposed to combustion instead of waiting for an unlucky someone to step on one. They're called mines."
My mouth went dry. "Mines?" I whispered. "You have mines?"
Guy hefted the black sack he had brought up earlier and spilled the contents onto the floor. Fist-sized glass globes that shone brightly rolled across the stones. "And these too," the Sacaean myrmidon added, nudging one with a foot. "These little beauties blind the enemy and trap them inside walls of light when placed in a circle around them. They're called light runes."
As I leaned back against the wall, chewing thoughtfully on the tip of one of my braids, I bumped into something on the ground. It was the basket of kindling. Something clicked mentally; I glanced back at the thief, a wry smile on my face. "Mines, of all things. Mines, and you just happen to have enough wood to build a bonfire the size of Castle Caelin." Matthew gave a half-shrug and grinned. "Erk, if we set the mines and kindling up, can you take care of the rest?"
He nodded, his eyes never leaving the battlefield as he called lightning down to fry three foot soldiers. "Leave it to me. This isn't easy, though, and I'm starting to feel drained, so be careful to get it exactly right. For a fire that big, I won't have enough in me for a second shot."
Great, more to worry about. "And the light runes?" I asked Matthew.
"Lucius can set those off," Guy interjected. "I can fetch 'm if you'd like."
I nodded and he darted down the stairs, resurfacing moments later with a slender, white-robed girl following in his wake. She was heartbreakingly beautiful, with pale, delicate skin, wide blue eyes, and long, blonde tresses that flowed down her back like a cascade of gold. I felt a slight twinge of envy; even her smile was perfect, filled with white, even teeth and glowing with sincerity. She exuded a kind of serene beauty that I knew I could never match, like a candle in a dark room. If I had even one iota-
Stop that! scolded that little voice in my head called common sense. The enemy's knocking at the gates, and what are you doing? Get a move on! This is hardly the time for that!
Irritating though it was, the voice was right. I banished that particular thought to the back of my head and bowed politely. "Um, hello. I'm Irene, the new tactician. I don't believe we've met before, have we?"
She smiled that radiant smile again, a masterpiece worthy of either a Van Gough painting or one of the pictures in my dentist's office. "I don't believe we have. My name is Lucius. It's wonderful meeting you, Irene." Her voice was sweet and melodic, like the ringing of silver bells.
I found myself smiling back. Despite my misgivings, it was hard not to like someone so charming. "The pleasure's all mine," I assured her. "Ah, so you're the servant of Elimine Matthew told me about?"
She inclined her head, looking rather like a princess out of one of my little sister's storybooks. Definitely the dentist's office. "Yes, I've heard that term before. You require my light magic?"
"Yes, please. Guy says you can set off the light runes. If you could help us out with that, I couldn't thank you enough." I paused, remembering another part of Erk's lectures. Something wasn't quite right here. "Are you a healer?"
She shook her head, her golden locks drifting around her hips. "No, I'm afraid not. While some of the sisters here are skilled in that area, my field is slightly different. I specialize in combat magic."
I blinked. Combat magic? According to what Erk had told me, women pledged to Elimine were either clerics or bishops. However, it took a long time to achieve the status of bishop, which discouraged many lukewarm clerics from taking that particular path. That was why it was usually only the elderly abbesses who could use combat magic.
Lucius couldn't be much more than eighteen. How advanced was this girl?
That didn't matter- now we had an extra mage! "That's even better!" I clapped my hands together, beaming up at her. "You have no idea how thrilled I am to hear that!" I turned to Guy. "Could you go the pegasus knight for me? Great! And Lucius, could you help us pin down the battering ram crew until she gets here?"
Lucius murmured her consent. Flipping open a slender book with a white cover, the priestess glided over to join Wil and the other defenders at the wall's edge, the edges of her form beginning to glow even as she approached them.
As I unrolled a map of the surrounding area, Matthew raised an inquisitive eyebrow at me. "What are you planning to do, Irene?"
I flinched. Unwilling to give up, the thief pressed, "This castle is old. It's seen too many wars and battles to be anywhere as steady as it was in the past. Two magic users and two archers aren't enough to keep those Laus soldiers at bay. Even Florina- that's the pegasus knight- won't be much help if she's shot down by an archer."
"Tell me, Matthew." I didn't meet his eyes. "Were those Laus soldiers the ones who burned down Pinesgard?"
Matthew glanced at me. "No. It was a group of bandits from the mountains who ravaged Pinesgard. It wasn't the soldiers- but they did nothing to prevent the attack, though they could easily have defended the village."
"You mean they just stood there?" My hands were clenched into fists; I could feel them shaking. This time, however, it wasn't with fear. It was fury that ran flaming hot in my veins, burning deep in my heart. "You mean they could have stopped it from happening? They could have wiped out those bandits? They could have saved all of those lives- but they didn't? Instead, they left the villagers of Pinesgard to die at the hands of those monsters?" I took a deep breath. "Maybe they didn't burn Pinesgard down to the ground. Maybe they didn't make orphans and widows of the few tortured people who managed to survive. Maybe they didn't rape, loot, and pillage- but by leaving the people at the mercy of heartless bandits, those soldiers murdered those villagers just as well as if they had been the ones soaked up to the elbows in blood."
"When the circumstances are terrible enough, human nature can be an ugly thing," Kent murmured. He had come up from behind, a lance in hand. Now he stood by my side, watching the archers shoot, reload, and reshoot over and over again. His eyes came to rest on me. They were neither angry nor offended; instead, they were infused with a cool, steady calm. "Sometimes disasters bring out the worst in us. Even the most noble of us can be corrupted by greed, lust, or envy. Even the very people you thought you could trust with your life fall prey to their own desires. These soldiers were motivated only by personal gain. What was there for them to obtain by defending dirt-poor peasants? Absolutely nothing."
I flushed and looked down, thoroughly ashamed of myself. "Sir Kent, about earlier…" I mumbled. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't really mean what I said. I shouldn't have called you pompous. I was angry, and I was being rash. I'm just an apprentice, and this is my first assignment. It might have helped if Matthew had told me that I was supposed to be the army's tactician before the battle started."
The knight fixed his gaze on Matthew, who stared back, absolutely dripping with innocence. "Yes?" the thief asked blandly.
Kent threw him a look of utter disgust. When he glanced back at me, his expression was one of dry amusement. "Ah. That explains quite a bit, wouldn't you say, Irene?"
I coughed guiltily. Then Matthew interjected: "Well, little missy, now that we've been… erm, enlightened on those points, why don't you explain what you have in mind for our guests?"
I turned back to the doorway that lead to Caelin's keep, my expression bleak. Guy was leading an orchid-haired girl in riding gear up the steps; the girl seemed to shrink back against the walls, keeping the maximum distance away from her escort. Despite this unusually strong aversion to the young Sacaean, she seemed utterly fearless of the enormous beast that trotted behind them. Clasped tightly in her hand were the reins of a magnificent, white-winged pegasus.
My eyes wandered over the supplies, stopping at the bundle of javelins and the hamper of kindling. From behind the pile of brush peeked that ever-present little wicket basket of mines. There was so much potential power, so much possible destruction packed into those tiny, innocuous-looking balls, just waiting to be tapped into. A single one of them would set the men below into a state of chaos, blowing bodies apart, scattering limbs and ripping through flesh like-
I stopped myself and shuddered. There was no possible way that I could order the Caelin soldiers to carry out the plan that I had in mind. There was no possible way that I could make myself carry out the plan that I had in mind. I'm no soldier! I cried out in the depths of my mind. I'm no hardened mercenary used to war! I'm supposed to be at home studying for next year's AP exams, not planning the murder of dozens of people! I can't do this!
But I would. For the sake of my friends, for the sake of the people of Pinesgard, I would, even if it meant sacrificing my own humanity to do so.
"I have an idea." I swallowed hard. "But you aren't going to like it."
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The commander of Laus's forces craned his neck and peered up at the top of the wall, shading his eyes against the brightness of the sun. The barrage of arrows and magic had stopped, but not before claiming the lives of all five of his archers and four others. Now the walltop was strangely quiet. Not a single living thing stirred; an eerie silence hung over the ramparts like a heavy velvet mantle. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. Something wasn't right here.
A loud clattering sound startled the foot soldiers; men ducked beneath hastily-raised shields as branches and bits of wood rained down on them. The missiles clattered over the polished metal faces of the soldiers' shields and armor to the path below. The commander threw up the visor of his helmet and stared at the kindling and little clay balls littering the ground. Sticks. That was it. No arrows, no thunderbolts or blasts or anything remotely dangerous. Just sticks and dry brush. Shakily he began to laugh, more out of relief and an attempt to calm his rattled nerves than actual mirth. "Sticks! Look at that!" he crowed. "They've run out of ammunition! They're so desperate that they're throwing their firewood at us! We've won! We've got them now!"
There was a flutter of wings, a rush of wind overhead, and a white shape launched itself from the battlements into the sky. A single pegasus knight wheeled overhead, its rider clutching a bundle of javelins. With precise accuracy, the slim rider hurled the spears at the troops milling below. As the men leapt out of the way, they failed to notice the little fist-sized pouches tied to the shafts of the weapons; nor did they see that the fallen javelins, tips buried deep in the grassy turf, formed a neat crescent around them.
Mages sent fireballs racing towards the knight, hoping to scorch the rider out of the sky. Dipping and weaving, the pegasus batted the magic bolts away from its passenger with its brilliant white wings, staying just out of range. As girl and mount pulled back, a rain of arrows sailed over the walltop. Weighed down with identical pouches, they closed the gap between javelins to form a complete ring around Laus's troops.
Too late, the commander realized his mistake and screamed for his troops to retreat. There was a bright flash of light from the walltop, and a blinding radiance flared up in front of the soldiers' faces. Startled, they leapt back with shouts and yells. Flailing limbs connected with the barrier cast by the pouches of light runes. A cried word rang out from above; a stream of fire erupted from the clear blue sky. As the ravenous flames engulfed the little clay balls, the mines detonated in a searing blast of heat and noise. The ground exploded from under their feet, tearing the remaining Laus soldiers apart in a flash of blazing light and utter agony. Chunks of charred flesh and pieces of armor were incinerated before touching the ground.
All around them, the wall of light glowed intensely as it battled to contain the massive burst of energy. The circle of runes became a boiling column of smoke rising to the heavens, unable to escape anywhere but straight up. As the fumes cleared and the column slowly dissipated, little gray flakes of ash drifted down into the enormous crater where Laus's forces had made their last stand. The only thing that remained of men, horses, and armor was the pale gray shower that slid down the sides of the crater to form a pile in the middle of the gaping hole. A little gray pile, the last traces of what had once been the peerless army of Laus.
Up on the walltop, no one said a word. The deafening blast that had obliterated the remnant of Laus had stunned the occupants into complete silence. The flakes continued to fall, fluttering down like a polluted snowfall. Absurdly, I wondered if there would be enough ash to walk through once it all settled. I had an unshakeable feeling that if, at this very moment, I stepped through the gates and onto that soft gray carpet below, my footsteps would remain there, indelible, for all of eternity.
The silence was broken by a sudden clattering sound. The company started; people whipped around in the direction the noise had come from. An arrow had slipped from Wil's nerveless fingers to fall to the stones below. The archer stared, ashen-faced, up at the sky, where the flecks continued their relentless shower. A clump drifted past his face; he flinched away from it, recoiling as if it was a poisonous snake. His expression was horror-stricken.
Slowly, as if time had slackened to a crawl, the company turned as one to fix their gazes on me. Those looks were filled with a mixture of fear and trepidation, dread even. I forced myself to look away from them, feeling those eyes burn deep into me. Instead, I turned to Kent. Meeting his eyes, my voice broke the silence.
"Kent…." After that first word, the horrible reality of what had happened- what I'd done- hit me full force like a punch to the stomach. Something in my heart splintered and broke; tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, but I couldn't bring myself to wipe them away. "Oh, Kent, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." My voice cracked. They're dead. They're dead. "It worked, but it wasn't- I didn't-" No! my heart screamed. No, no, no, NO! They can't be-
They're dead.
Sliding down to the stone floor, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.
The orange-haired cavalier was silent. When at last he spoke, he said only this: "Well done, Tactician Irene."
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A/N: I have this horrible sinking feeling in my stomach that I'm going to get shot by hardcore fangirls for my unorthadox use of light runes.
Thanks for sticking with me all the way to Chapter Four! (And when Irene mentioned Chapter Three, she meant in the game, not in this fic. Sorry!)
Oh, and could you do me a quick little favor? If you drop me a review (or even if you don't), please mention your favorite Fire Emblem pairing (minus Path of Radiance; I've yet to play that one… ;; ), least favorite one, and your reasoning somewhere in it. Don't ask- you'll have to find out!
Thanks so much, guys! Tschüß!
