Mortance: A Miscarriage of Hope

Lily Ⅷ

The storm was still approaching fast. I took a deep breath and prayed to whatever gods were real that Winter would cross the river before it reached us. The prince of Sacreon believed we could win, but I wasn't so sure his knights would get here in time. They'd be coming from the huge lonely mountain in the distance called the Caldera, but I saw no saviors on the horizon. Still, he was the hero with the white sword, and the spider said he was to save us.

Half of us were still defending the walls, but Prince Angus put me on the gate. I ran my hands along Rose's bow as I waited for them to order the gates open. There were deep cuts in the wood from the fight. But it was too well-made to fall apart from just that. Rose made this herself, I remembered. It's perfect. She was perfect. She should be here instead of me. If she was in my place here, maybe she would've thought to funnel the enemy through the gate sooner. The sounds of chaos reached my ears as I waited on Prince Angus Kingson's order.

He is a good man, the spider told me. Misguided, but good. I stared out at him as he gave orders to the first line of defense, where he would likely stand. He is a natural commander, I observed. Aye, the spider agreed, that is where he belongs.

Then I heard the prince give a shout. His words drifted from the front lines to the rooftop I was perched on. "The blood upon your steel may never dry!" he called. A chorus of cheers went up. I shall loose no arrow that does not find its mark, I vowed.

A noble promise, the spider agreed.

A chill went through me as the prince gave the order to open the gates. Whether it was from the sudden wind or the anticipation, I couldn't say. Bloody screams reached my pointed ears as the elves rushed through the gates. Nock, draw, aim, loose, I told myself. Nock, draw, aim, loose. The repetition was endless. Each arrow brought an end to another elf, so long as I aimed it right. An arrow in the throat or eye could be lethal, but anywhere else would be lucky to even slow them down. Still, I had been perfectly prepared to shoot an arrow through the throat of the Wolf Witch, and these elves were hardly any smaller of a target.

Nock, draw, aim, loose. My arms quickly grew sore from it, but I couldn't stop. The invaders kept coming, and so my arrows did too. Even with my calluses, my drawing hand soon began to feel raw. Nock, draw, aim, loose. It hurt to keep doing it, but I had no other choice. If I falter, Lucian and Albert and Prince Angus and all those in the front lines will die, I thought. I will not falter.

Fighters who'd been defending the wall slowly began to turn their attention towards the gate as more and more elves poured through it. I smiled to see them come, but it was a short-lived victory. There were still elves coming, and there were still so many deaths on both sides. The blood on my hands today was enough to flood Espar. So much death... I despaired, but I couldn't stop. Nock, draw, aim... an elf knocked down one of the villagers. Loose! That elf died.

But it was a short victory. Another elf quickly killed the nameless villager and the slaughter went on. Help, I prayed meekly as I loosed more and more arrows. To whichever gods are real, please come down and end this. There has to be a better way. So much death... a tear slipped down my cheek.

Would that there were any other way, the spider whispered in my head. But you must remember that this is not for nothing. These deaths are not meaningless.

Right... Winter was getting the people to safety, and as long as the sky was dry and our defenses stood, she had a chance. I could make a difference in one of those, but the other... Whatever gods are listening, please keep the rain back until they're safe.

The prince's strategy was holding well. He had nearly thirty fighters standing by his side. I hated the massacre that this was, but nearly all the bodies on the ground belonged to invading elves. For every arrow I loosed from my position, there seemed to be five elves that fell to Prince Angus's white sword. The blade had long since turned red with blood. The spider was right, he was truly in his element here.