Broken Hero

Chapter 5

Elsa's POV

Raul was back the next morning with another ration of food and water. He sat himself down nearby and began gluing feathers to an arrow as I ate. The army camp was still empty, which I took as a good sign. The defenders on the wall were turning out to be more trouble than they expected.

"Wondering why I'm not with the rest of the army?" Raul asked, glancing up at me. I shrugged. To be honest I was curious. But I wasn't going to break my policy of not speaking.

"It's because I'll be Toten," he confided. He laughed at my blank look. "Jut kidding. Even future Toten have to serve in the military. No, I'm not fighting because I'm prepping a little side project."

He applied more glue to the arrow and held it up. He glanced at me again.

"You don't know what Toten is, do you?" he asked. "It's the leader of our people. So that make me royalty."

He put the arrow away and tied me to the tree again.

"Almost time for our little surprise. Tomorrow, I think. They'll be ready to hear it then. And then you and I will be legendary, Miss Snow."

Raul walked away as my heart pounded. I hadn't spoken a word aside from my shouted warning to Jack.

How did Raul know my name?

Jack's POV

The siege of arrows seemed endless. It had been worse in the beginning. Now it was the suspense keeping my men down. Would we survive? Would the attackers lose interest?

We'd holed up in the huts we'd build on the top of the wall during construction. Three guards always remained outside, far from the edge but ready in case the invaders tried to use a ladder or something of similar use.

"Have we lost anybody?" I asked.

"Several injuries, but no casualties so far," one of the men answered.

"Let's keep it that way. Let everybody know we haven't lost. We can hold out weeks."

I turned to Kristoff who was watching the door.

"Any sign of Elsa?" I asked quietly. He shook his head.

"She might've escaped," he suggested. I shook my head.

I knew she hadn't escaped. I knew because I'd heard what Kristoff hadn't. Elsa had shouted right after the attack began.

"Jack, they're on all sides!"

She had stayed behind. And if she wasn't on the wall, she was in the hands of our enemies.

"You can't go after her," Kristoff warned. "You're the only thing holding us all together. Leave, and everyone on this wall will be slaughtered."

I sighed and turned away. It was the warfront all over again, only this time I didn't have any control.