Ten of Swords (Draft Only)

Chapter 13

Inside the guest house was more comfortable than one might expect. Beds made of animal pelts and plant materials were surprisingly soft compared to the straw beds they usually slept on. Because of this, Elise found herself falling asleep almost as soon as her thoughts started to slow down. Having a bit of a cry probably also helped, thanks to both the exhaustion and the relieving of built-up tension. Being as she was not used to not having a plan, it was wonder she had been so on edge. Going to the village for refuge had been a bust, and instead of getting some aid from the druids they got bad news. Though, seeing as they would be leaving with Legom in their team that was one positive at the very least.

The song of the night forest was interrupted by voices. It wasn't enough to wake them at first. Not until the shouting started. Elise woke from the middle of a dream about finding tasty things to eat in the forests, entirely disorientated and only able to think of how annoyed she was to have her sleep disrupted. As the noise continued, she woke up properly to find the others in a similar state as they were so rudely woken.

"What are they doing out there," Elise slurred, gesturing for someone to go look outside.

Sniffles groaned and rolled out of bed. He opened the door to the grove to see the druids up and about. Something had them on edge. They prepared spells and called for their animal companions. Some strapped on leathers and others collected and handed out weapons and arrows.

"Protect the grove!" Boomed Rieza's voice, magically amplified. Men and women responded with a unified cry of recognition as they hurried to get in position.

Hearing the rallying cry, the others quickly came to the door to join the boy in seeing what was happening. Elise pushed past him, and the others soon followed. She ran toward the nearest druid and grabbed their attention with a firm grip on their shoulder. "What's going on?" she demanded.

The druid, having known they had guests but not knowing what they looked like, was startled by the sudden appearance of the strangers. He looked around quickly to try and figure out if this was ok or not, then determining that there was no problem with their guests being there he proceeded to answer her question. "Someone's marching on the grove. They've passed the perception barrier. They will find us eventually. It's clear they're not here to talk. They have already started setting fire to the forest."

As soon as Elise let go, he was off to join his brothers and sisters in protecting their home. It made no sense. No one should have known where to find the grove unless they had been invited before like she had. The only reason her companions could get so close to the grove was because she was leading them. Someone in the march had to have been an invited guest.

Or they had followed Elise and her team out of town.

"No. No no no." She turned to her group. Her son's expression was difficult to read, so she assumed he must have been in shock. Knowing how he had taken to the place, he probably suspected what she was certain of, and it was too much for him. Meanwhile, Pepper looked around with intense nervous energy. The smell of smoke was becoming stronger at each moment, like a predator slowly but surely encroaching upon its prey.

A gentle touch to the shoulder took Elise's attention away from them. It was the mage. "I must go speak with the archdruid. It should be safe here for now but if they have come in force, it may be better to run."

"Run? Are you insane? We have to help. We can't just do nothing!"

"No." It was Pepper's turn to speak. Her eyes were wide with panic and agitation. There was an edge to her voice. A cornered animal, desperate not to die. Desperate not to be set alight. Every second the fires drew closer. "No, we don't have to help. If we die here, it doesn't matter what you want to do or how you want to help, because we won't be able to help anyone anymore."