Chapter 17

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Kadence stood with his daughter in the tent they had pitched for the morning. The army had fanned out, completely surrounding the valley, most hidden beneath magical shields. Karina's companions were waiting outside the tent, ready to give the signal as soon as Shorgut appeared.

Kadence watched Karina as she buckled on her armor, adjusting her greaves and tightening her breastplate. A silent beast prowled inside him at the thought of his little girl going off into battle. No, not going off into battle... leading battle. This was his daughter, his only daughter, examining her sword with the eyes of an expert. Holies above, how can I let her do this?

"Karina—" he stepped forward as she swiveled around, eyebrows raised. But hers was not the face of a child. Twenty winters, he had to remind himself. Twenty winters and she is ready for this.

"Da?" Karina searched his face worriedly, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword.

Kadence sighed and lowered his head, feeling the oppressive emotions of the day press down on him. With one long stride, Karina crossed the distance between them and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I love you, da."

Tears pricked his eyes as he held her close, trying not to see her words as a goodbye.

"I love you too, wildflower," he whispered into her hair, shutting his eyes tight against reality. To wrap her in a cocoon, to hide her away... but she was already pulling away, purpose glimmering in her teary eyes. So he stepped back, watching with the pained, but proud, eyes of a father.

Both Kadence and Karina turned as Maxen poked his head through the tent flap. "He is here," the falconer stated grimly. The burly man wore a mask of steel, but Kadence noted how his shoulders tightened and his eyes darkened.

Karina nodded and glanced down at her satchel as she slipped something spherical and dark into it.

"I'm ready," she said coolly.

Kadence bowed his head. So it begins.

~~~~~~~~~~

Karina's feet carried her to the front of her small troop. Something propelled her on: courage, willpower, or destiny, she did not know. She felt it stir deep in her bones, tugging at her heart and soothing the pits of her stomach. A wind blew over them, catching her unbound hair and tossing it behind her in a dark stream. With her helmet cradled in one arm and her other hand resting on the hilt of her sword, she cut an impressive figure.

She ignored the distant figure that could only be the wizard Shorgut and turned instead to her men. She studied them intently, her gaze sharpened and fierce.

"You carry our people's destiny," she called, her voice firm and steady over the deathly moaning of the wind. "You carry their hearts and souls with you on this day. You whose blood has filled the breach between innocent and denizen. You who have fought and died for this cause. Let your fallen comrades triumph this day. Through the haze of death we will be victorious. We are of Ashana. Her waters flow through our veins, her soil is our lifeblood. We will not let her fall!"

The men chorused her passion, raising their swords in the air.

Karina finally turned towards Shorgut and the undead soldiers gathering behind him. Timus walked to her side and glanced down at her, his gaze soft.

"They believe in you," he murmured.

"They believe in our cause," she corrected him, still staring at the enemy gathering on the horizon. Covering her satchel protectively, she said, "I can't let Ashana fall."

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