Golden Eyes

6 - It is a trap!

The following morning, Karandra woke up very early. A soldier came in minutes later with bread and water. She thanked him, and followed him to Garona's room, eating on the way.

Garona helped her put on her blue and golden armour, and secured her belt with the dagger. The soldier was waiting at the door, and then led them to the throne room. They met with King Llane there, and went outside. Lothar and the escort were waiting for them. This time Karandra had one horse for herself. Lothar handed her a boom stick.

"Can you shoot?" he asked her.

"I never used this thing before," she answered.

"It's simple. You aim, and you pull the trigger. You can do it if it turns bad?"

"Yes".

"Good".

They rode quickly to the location of the meeting, silent all the way. When they arrived, she was about to dismount to stand beside Llane, Lothar and Garona but Lothar gave her a look. She nodded shortly and stayed on her horse, one hand on the boom stick.

She carefully watched the exchange between Durotan and Llane, with Garona as translator, Lothar sometimes adding questions. Something was odd. Something was feeling out of place. She couldn't quite guess what it was. She exchanged a nervous look with Lothar.

She saw the green Orc a second before anyone else. She quickly pulled the weapon Lothar gave her and aimed. She shot just when the Orc attacked one of the Frost-wolf Orc, killing him instantly when the bullet entered his head.

"It's a trap!" Lothar shouted.

The three quickly ran back and jumped on their horses. Green Orcs were arriving from behind the Frost-wolves. The humans – and Garona and Karandra – started to retreat as the Frost-wolves were trying to resist against the attackers.

Orcs started appearing on the retreat path. Karandra did her best at shooting them, trying to keep them away. A whole pack of them arrived right at them from another way.

"Cover the flank!" someone shouted.

They were getting surrounded, and outnumbered. Lothar was analysing the situation with wide eyes, doing his best to keep his calm in all that panic. An Orc came at him and impaled his horse on a shield. He jumped over him and quickly killed him. Karandra was shooting, her horse was staying still. Lothar saw the Orc charging toward her, and started running like a madman.

"Karandra!" he shouted, trying somehow to warn her.

She turned her head, she could have sworn Lothar called her. She didn't find him in the battlefield. And the next thing she knew, she was flying and landing harshly on the ground. She saw her horse dead on the ground and groaned. She was trying to get up when she saw another Orc running toward her, axe raised. He never reached her however, because he was tackled down by a very angry and very protective Lothar, and pinned to the ground by the sword in his heart.

She quickly stood up and joined him.

"Thank you," she said.

"Anytime. But you have to get out of here, now!" he urged her.

"I'm not leaving you!" she replied, not missing a beat.

"Watch out!"

Three Orcs were coming their way. She picked up a spear on the ground and charged with Lothar. He killed one quickly and dodged an attack from another, while Karandra violently plunged the spear in the third one's chest, then grabbed her dagger and swiftly cut his throat.

"Stay together!" a human shouted.

Karandra was now flanking Garona, and they were doing quite a good job on their own. Khadgar was trying to protect them, setting some Orcs on fire. Lothar was protecting Llane. But many human soldiers were already dead on the ground. Too many.