A/N: Hey everyone. Just a little warning: chances are that this will be my last post for about a month. I'm going on vacation for a while, and I have a feeling I'm not going to be posting a lot while I'm on this vacation. But when I get back, I promise there will be an amazing chapter waiting for you. Pinky swear.
~ Nicole
Oh and P.S. Twenty points if you can figure out what Adella has.
“A group of four archers will be placed here, with patrols switching out at noon, dusk, and dawn. Same for the foot soldiers, the first ring of which will be patrolling within the village, and the second ring will patrol 500 paces away from the center of the village, which would be here. Each ring will consist of four soldiers. There will be one guard on each wall of the castle, in order to sound the alarm,” Alexander explained, placing small pebbles on the map in front of him to represent the soldiers.
He and the leaders of all the companies were in the strategy room, and they had been going over patrol plans since sundown. It was now well into the night, and they still had not come to a viable plan.
The men around him mumbled complaints at this newest plan, but they understood why the guard shifts were so small. Only one among them argued Alexander’s decision.
“My lord, that isn’t nearly enough soldiers to ensure our safety. You should double the guard,” Garrick, leader of the seventh company, argued. Alexander glared at Garrick, and was about to respond to his demand, when a voice cut in for him.
“That must be the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”
Garrick and Alexander spun around to face Adella, who was glowering at Garrick with a look of complete disdain.
“Excuse me girl?” Garrick spit out. He was still angry about the lost match earlier, and was not about to lose to this girl again.
“He can’t possibly double the guard,” Adella said slowly, as if she were speaking to a five year old. “You have a total of six and sixty men, including my company. Counting out Acton and Remy, who are far too inexperienced to defend anything at this point, that leaves you with a total of sixty and four soldiers. That means that there will be four patrol groups of sixteen. If you double the men, you cut that down to two patrol groups, which will leave our men exhausted and even more vulnerable to an attack than if we had no guard at all.”
Garrick gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Listen girl, the only reason you are here is for the sake of pleasantries. Now I suggest you shut up and—”
“No,” Alexander interrupted. “She’s absolutely right. We cannot exhaust our men and then risk them failing in the battle field because they are too tired to fight. We must have at least four guard shifts so that our men may rest. That is final.”
Garrick practically growled at this telling off, but nodded none the less.
“You are right, but if I may make a suggestion,” Adella cut in.
Alexander sighed. “I do believe we’ve already decided on a plan.”
“Oh,” Adella murmured. For a moment Alexander wondered if she had not been listening for most of the meeting, but that line of thought was cut off as Adella began talking once again.
“Well, if my idea seems silly, you can reject it immediately. It’s just an idea.”
“Adella, this is a matter for men, and—” Alexander began, only to be cut off by Adella once again.
YOU ARE READING
Mercenary
Historical FictionThe Phoenix is a terrifying mercenary, a soldier who travels the ten kingdoms, fighting for any who can afford his price. It is said that he is eight feet tall, with the strength of ten men. He breathes fire in battle, burning his victims alive. It...
