“My army is staying here,” Tamira stated at last.
“What did you just say?” Barren seethed, yet took a small step backwards.
“My armyis staying here.” Tamira’s chin rose high. “I do not answer to you, duke, I answer to the crown.” Her voice dropped a few octaves. “And regardless of the crown's decision, my duty is to do what is best for the warriors I am responsible for. I will never put my people into jeopardy. And what you are offering is madness.”
“Your duty is to follow orders of the crown, commander.” Barren nodded. “Given that the crown is no longer with us, you are to answer to me.” His body shook, the muscle on his temple twitched. “Gather your people, commander, we are leaving these grounds.”
“My people will never flee from hardship, we were trained to fight till our last breath, we were trained to protect, not run.” Tamira shook her head. “And we are surely not running into the uncertainty you propose. I will not expose my people to more danger than we are already in.”
A bright laughter broke through the halls, bouncing off the walls, as Barren’s lips stretched into a sneer. “My army is bigger than yours. There will be no man left afterweevacuate, leaving you behind with only these devils.” He shook his head. “Arthur,” he called, opening the doors to the hall.
When Arthur didn’t move, Barren's voice screeched through the room. “How dare you, bastard!” Saliva splashed out of his mouth as he spoke, “Iput you in that position, you are to answer to me!”
“Forgive me, Your Grace.” Arthur swallowed, his head hanging low. “I cannot order my warriors to run from this battle, not when many of them have lost so much at the hands of Wurdulacs.”
“They aremywarriors.” Barren’s piercing scream cut through the air. “I don’t need you to rulemyarmy.” With that Barren escaped the hall.
The court hall fell into silence, six pairs of eyes piercing through my flesh.
“What is our plan?” Tamira voiced the question that lingered in the air—the question I did not know the answer to—as she looked at me, her hands locked together on the table.
I’d told Roxanne I knew nothing of strategy, and I hadn’t lied. Mother never allowed me into the war room; besides, when thelast war ended, I was a seventeen year old girl, still believing in princes from fairytales.
“We must use fire to our advantage,” Roxanne began when I glanced at her. “Set our first wave of protection at the perimeter of Silverstone. Our best archers should be there, hiding within the tree lines. Once the Wurdulacs cross the border, our armies should attack from behind: trapping them in.” She looked over the table. “We will lure them here, to the castle, where the rest of us will wait, prepared.”
“We only have fifty archers currently at the castle, that is not enough.” Tamira shook her head.
“Faris will bring a hundred more,” Roxanne argued. “They will use fire arrows, giving them a slight advantage against Wurdulacs: vampire flesh burns within seconds.”
I drew a breath as Simon burned in my mind, his last screams echoing through my heart.
“Once Wurdulacs have nowhere else to go but here, we will launch our second wave of defense, surrounding them on each side,” Roxanne continued. “The Royal steel weaponry will be to our advantage.”
“What then?” Arthur sighed. “The numbers remain on their side. Even if we manage to kill half of them before they make it here, what good would it do if we have no one left to fight.”
“We need to create a trap,” Gabriel’s voice boomed through the room; every pair of eyes landed on him, waiting for elaboration. “Oh, I don’t have a trap in mind, I am merely stating that is what we need to do.” He shrugged, leaning back on his chair.
My gaze met Roxanne’s as my lungs squeezed shut. Her eyes narrowed as though the same thought reached her mind. She crooked her head, her brows rose high in question. I offered a small nod, swallowing the growing lump in my throat. “Thiscastle has portcullis as well,” I answered her silent question, forcing a sinister smile to spread across Roxanne’s lips.
I lost track of time as we sat in this candlelit room. Maps and small figures splattered on the table, covering its every inch. The conversation, the planning, all swept through my head without lingering long enough for me to comprehend.
Arthur and his second had left a while ago to organize the evacuation of the nearby residents, leaving Roxanne and Tamira to plan through each line of defense.
My eyelids fought to stay open as the exhaustion, hunger, and... heartbreak took over every ounce of my being.
What awaited us when we returned to the palace? What kind of suffering had Francis to endure right now, as I sat in this room being utterly useless? Was he strong enough to survive the damage inflicted upon him until I could reach him? Were his last words to me a goodbye...
“His Grace left the estate, along with fifty three of our warriors.” Arthur walked back into the hall, pulling me away from the dark thoughts in my mind. “He headed South, as he planned.”
Those who followed after the Barren were as good as dead if we failed this battle. All of us were.
“Is the plan complete?” He studied the maps with wooden figures.
“Yes, merely small details left to finalize.” Tamira nodded, getting up from her chair.
“I should start on the weaponry, then.” Gabriel stretched his open palm to Roxanne. “We mustn’t waste time.”
“I will go with you.” Roxanne got up from the chair, her hand lost in the pocket of her cloak.
