Saved

•• Chapter 56 ••

Ryan POV

"The city is under attack, we must go back now!" I ordered to the reunited generals making them fly away with their men without any questions.

As for I, there was still a Prince running in the wild. With most of our forces going back to protect the city, the small army and I could easily take care of the unorganized army here. But for now, we were safely hidden in a cave deep in the forest. We needed this little time to heal the wounded and to rest. Even if the enemies army wasn't that fearsome, we still needed to be careful and take care of ourselves.

When we were settled and our encampment was taken care of, I started to explain my plan to the captains of the teams even if we were still waiting for the report of the enemy's location. In my opinion, they went back to their main encampment, but I needed the confirmation of it.

"Sire, how about we use this path and strike them from their rear lines?" asked one of the captains.

"Good idea, let's do it like that. Half of our troop will attack from the front as the other half is on standby. Then at the sound of the horn, they will attack too and overwhelm the enemies troop," I explain as I move the small statues on the map. "If by any chance we must retreat, we will send the dragons to attack. They should burn everything in their path and give us enough time to distance ourselves from them."

"Do we take any prisoners?" asked another one making me think about it.

"If they surrender yes, if not, don't risk your lives worrying about that. However, the Prince is to be taken back alive," I insisted on the last detail.

"Yes, Sire," they all answered making me nod.

After that, I stopped the meeting and waited for the scouts to come back before planning anything else. It will be a loss of time if my predictions were wrong. So, I went to check on our supplies and the injured. Everything was going well until I heard some clashing sounds. I ran toward it and barely dodged a sword that swung in my direction. I winced when I felt a throbbing pain in my arm. Ignoring it, I rapidly unleashed mine and took a defensive position. I ran toward the man who attacked me and went for his neck. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't fast enough and I successfully slit his throat.

"Men! Into position, do not let their ambush surprise you! Don't forget about your training and fight back!" I shouted as I killed another enemy proving my point.

Soon enough, the confusion lifted and we fought back strongly. I searched for the Prince, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I clenched my teeth in frustration, the coward, but concentrated on the actual fight. In the end, I was proud to say that my men repealed the enemy away. However, casualties will never be exempted even if we were on the winning side.

"How many left us today?" I asked the doctor that was tending to a young man with his leg.

"We lost ten of our men, my King," he looked up with sadness clouding his eyes.

"And how many were injured?"

"Almost everyone, but seventeen of them were gravely injured... How about you, Sire?" he eyed my arm. "Please, let me have a look at it," he said and stood up leaving the bleeding man behind.

"Later, please take care of those who badly need it first."

"Of course, my apologies."

I nodded at him before walking away. I gave my support to the people in need. No matter how small the task or how gruesome it was, I helped. I needed to be there for my people. If they believed in me as I believed in them, we could overcome everything.

"Sire," called a man making me look away from an injured woman.

"Be strong, your family is waiting for you," I encouraged before leaving her side.

I walked toward the man and told him to follow me. Once we were far enough from prying ears, the messenger said, "It was as you said Sire, all the scouts were killed. As requested, my team and I have brought back the bodies to the city where they will receive a proper burial."

"Good, but were you able to see their encampment?"

"Yes, it was as you said, they went back to their main encampment. They were all there, I even saw their leader being treated back to health. He was bleeding heavily."

I knew he was injured but to this extent? "Could he walk?"

"Not without help."

That would explain the surprise attack. The Prince was injured and wanted to finish everything as fast as possible, so he could go back to his Kingdom and be treated.

"Anything else?"

"Lord Sebastian wrote this letter for you," he took out a rolled paper before giving it to me.

"Thank you. Go rest and have some food."

With that said the messenger walked away as I opened the letter. I read it attentively and discovered that Zack was now commanding the troops without any apparent troubles. Fortunately, there were one hundred and fifty men ready to fight. They will do their possible to hold the enemy down until reinforcement arrives. As for the non-fighting citizens, Keith was leading them toward the safe house. There was no way to contact them because of the lack of resources. In sum, everything was going without troubles, but it may change soon. The Prince was still injured and most of his troops were on their way to attack the capital. We will use this to our advantages and ambush them with all our might.

The sun will be setting soon. We still had a few hours to settle everything down. I went to call for the captains as a new strategy sprouted into my mind. I smirked as I thought of the following events. It will be a very long and hot night.