Shadow Bound Fate

Trekking Along Side Shadows

Lira's POV

"They're coming"

My eyes widened as I processed Kieran's words. They're coming? Here? Now?

Caius moved immediately, his body tense with urgency, and without a second thought, I followed him and Kieran. My heart pounded in my chest, not from the exertion, but from the overwhelming dread seeping into my bones. We'd been training for weeks, and while I had improved, I wasn't anywhere near ready for this. A real battle?

"What do you mean, they're coming?" I asked, my voice edged with panic. I didn't care which one of them answered—someone had to explain how bad things were.

"With the outpost under attack, it's only a matter of time before they find this one. We need to intercept them before they get too close," Caius replied, his tone clipped as we hurried towards the town hall.

The tension was palpable as we entered. Thalia was already inside, standing with a few other rebels—people I'd seen but hadn't interacted with much. A large map was spread out on the table in front of them, marking locations with small, colored figures. My eyes zeroed in on the red marker—a miniature statue—that represented Kael's forces. They'd attacked not far from here.

"When did we get word of the attack?" Caius asked, his eyes glued to the map.

"About thirty minutes ago. That's when I came to find you," Kieran replied, leaning against the edge of the table, his face drawn tight with concern.

We all stood in silence for a moment, staring at the map. The reality of the situation was sinking in.

"We need to come from the south and cut them off before they get too close to the village," one of the rebels said, a woman with long brown hair clad in battle-worn armor. Her eyes flicked to me, giving me a once-over before dismissing me entirely. The subtle disdain in her gaze made my skin prickle, but I stood firm.

I studied the map, trying to visualize the battlefield in my mind. The others were still talking, but my thoughts drowned them out as a plan slowly began to take shape. A risky one, but maybe...

"I agree, let's start preparing," Caius announced, his voice firm. "We leave in two hours."

"Wait," I said, my voice cutting through the chatter. The room fell silent as every head turned towards me. I could feel their eyes on me, but I didn't falter. I kept staring at the map, my mind racing.

"What if... what if we send a group to attack them from behind?" I suggested. "They'll be expecting us to hit them head-on from the south, right? They know we're coming for them now. But if we hit them from two sides—"

"That's a dumb idea," the female rebel interrupted, scoffing at me with a roll of her eyes.

I narrowed my gaze at her, bristling at her tone. What's her problem?

"I know I don't know much about strategy or battles," I continued, ignoring her as I moved closer to the map. "But if we split our forces and send a smaller, stronger group around this way"—I pointed to an unmarked path on the map—"we could catch them by surprise from behind while the rest of us hit them from the front."

The rebel opened her mouth to argue again, but Caius silenced her with a sharp glare.

"Enough, Clara," he said coldly, his eyes hard as he looked at her. She snapped her mouth shut, though her expression remained tight with disapproval.

Caius turned to me, his brow furrowed in thought. "Who do you suggest for this surprise attack?" he asked, his tone calm but serious.

I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest as I paced a little, my mind still racing. "They'll have to be fast and strong. You, Kieran, and Thalia should be part of it," I said, meeting Caius' gaze.