The Final Hour

Chapter 12

I keep my eyes transfixed on the hillside.

"Derrin?" I interrupt. People turn to look at me. I point to the hill where the golden sunrise is just beginning to peer over the horizon.

"We've got bigger problems."

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All eyes follow my outstretched arm. Tiny pinpricks of light dot the hillside. A inexperienced soldier might brush them off as nothing.

But I know better.

They are fires. Fires mean people. All of our soldiers are in the camp.
It's not my people camping out there.
Its the Echidninarian army.
Derrin and I exchange a look. I snap out of my shock.

"You!" I point at a random man. He jumps up and salutes me.

"Please go check if there's a way out. Quickly. Then report back to me." I say, my voice shaking. I'm not going to lie-I'm scared out of my mind. We're in a valley, hills surrounding us. We could be trapped. It would be a bloodbath if they decide to attack us.
I look back at Derrin-wide eyed.

"What should we do!" I whisper. He just shakes his head. I've never seen him look so....beaten down. In his eyes, there's a mixture of fury, confusion, and sadness. Derrin has seen too much for his 17 years.
I guess in a way, so have I.

"Wake everybody up quietly. We can't let them know that we are awake. We need as much as a head start as possible. Tell them to prepare for battle. We'll stand our ground." He mutters to the few men that surround him. They take off, leaving us alone. I grab his arm.

"Derrin we can't do that! We need to get out of here now!" I tell him. Derrin shakes off my grip. He turns to me.

"What do you want me to do Eadu? Those men won't want to run. They would want to fight and die honourably!" He says angrily.

"Standing and fighting a hopeless battle isn't honour! It's stupid! Nobody wants to die Derrin! They'll follow you. That's what being a leader is all about! Making tough decisions, but ultimately doing the best you can for your people!" I yell back. Derrin glares at me.

"What would you know about not wanting to die!? Every other day you run off and try get yourself killed! All you do is run!" He shouts back.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm still alive, so obviously my 'suicide attempts' didn't work. And if I hadn't done what I did, you wouldn't be alive!" I glare.

"But Laura would be." He mutters bitterly.

I stumble back.

Did he honestly just throw that in my face? How could he do that to me!? I thought we were friends-best friends. Best friends don't do that to each other.

Why would he hurt me like that?

I trip over a rock and fall back. I sprawl out on the ground. A sharp pain shoots through my head as I bang it against a rock.

Derrin rushes over to me and try's to help me up. I slap his hands away.

"Don't touch me!" I yell. He retreats back a little ways as I sit up.

"Eadu-" He starts before I cut him off.

"Save it." I say. My voice is eerily calm.

"You've changed Derrin. The boy I used to know didn't try to kill his comrades. He didn't used to be so caught up in all this 'honour' crap. He used to care about other people. He would never have hurt me like you just did."
I whisper. By this time, I can feel tears welling in my eyes. I turn away so he doesn't see how upset I am. I blink a couple times then turn back to him.

"I trusted you Derrin. You were the only thing in my life that would never leave or change. I poured my heart out to you. But I guess that was just a act to you. I made a mistake trusting you."

I stand up and brush myself off. I shoot him a look of loathing before walking away. I can hear him shout my name, but I don't turn around. If I turn around, I know I'm going to break. I'll snap if I don't keep walking.
I bump into somebody.

"How are you feeling?" Briss asks.

"Awful." I murmur. She looks concerned. Briss grabs my wrist and drags me to the tent. I lean back on the couch as she changes the bandage on my neck. When I sit back up, Briss comes and sits next to me.

"Spill." She says.
And I do. I pour my heart out to her. I explain how angry I am at Derrin, how confused I am, and how insanely scared I am.

Through it all, Briss just sits there and listens to me rant. After I'm done, she throws a arm around my shoulders and hugs me.

"I don't know what will happen, but your going to be ok. You always are." She whispers. I nod and stand up.

"Thank you. Now I should probably start getting everybody ready to get out of here." Briss nods and stands up. I begin to walk out of the tent, but as a afterthought, I turn back around to her.

"Briss, when the fighting starts, get out of here. Take Branwen with you and don't look back." I warn her.
I can't handle anybody else I love dying because of me. She nods again and I stride out of the tent.

People are quietly moving around, packing the stuff and loading horses. Thank goodness army's travel lightly-we'll be out of here soon.
The man I sent to scout earlier runs up to me panting.

"There's a small opening to the west. We'll have to fight, but I think we can make it." He breathes heavily. I nod.

"Thank you. Can you show me?" I ask. He nods and begins to walk off. I follow him.
True to his word, there is a gap in the enemy lines. It's rocky and a difficult path, but I know we can get through.

"I think we can do it." A familiar voice says. I turn around and hug Mufar. He squeezes me tightly and mutters something about killing me the next time I run off. Another body appears at my side.

"I'm going to give the order for the men to start leaving if that's ok with you." Derrin says. I tense up. He smiles apologetically.
It feels like my face is made of stone. I look at him for a long second before turning and looking back at the path.

"Ok." I mutter. Derrin nods, and walks back towards the camp. I wait a couple seconds before walking with Mufar.

"I sense a little tension." Mufar teases me. I don't smile.

"I'll tell you later." I mutter before walking into the camp.

We leave most of the tents up, hoping to trick the enemy into thinking we're still camping out. By dusk, they still haven't attacked. As night falls, our small army creeps up the path. The road to freedom. I'm at the back of the path, trailing behind. I want to make sure everything goes as planned. Derrin and I ride side by side, but I don't speak to him.
The shadows loom ominously. Every so often, I think I see something move. But each time it turns out to be nothing.
Except for once. I see something out of the corner of my eye. This time I know it's not my overactive imagination. I maneuver my horse right next to Derrin's. I still haven't forgiven him. Not by a long shot. But right now, walking into a potentially fatal situation, I need to put our differences aside for the good of the soldiers ahead of us.

"Derrin?" I mutter. He looks at me in surprise. I hold a finger to my lips, motioning for him to shut up.

"Don't turn around. I think that we're being followed." I whisper. He nods and touches the hilt of his sword.

"Why don't you ride ahead?" He suggests politely. I glare at him. He's trying to protect me. If there is truly something following us, then right here is the worst place for me.
I don't want or need his protection.

"I'm comfortable right here thanks." I say icily. Derrin looks at me and sighs.

"Eadu when will you-" He is cut off by a screech. I frantically whip around trying to locate the scream. A loud horn blows, and the still evening air is suddenly full of sounds of battle.
I exchange a look with Derrin.
I knew this would happen. I knew we wouldn't get away with this!
The battle has begun.