Children of Blood ✔️

Chapter Twenty Nine

After regrouping our large army and going over the final plans, we set out for the Bellator Clan. We sent a few scouts ahead to look for traps and ambushes.

Dusk rests upon our silhouettes as our decision becomes clear. We've taken a big chance on bluffing our opponents. We put our money on the Bellator thinking we'd attack during the day because we don't know their land well and want to see what we're up against. We're hoping they'll lessen their army strength at night and don't have to worry about ambushes. It's possible their scouts have spotted and reported us already, so we should be ready to fight a fully mobilized army.

One of our scouts comes flying from a tree and tells Alaric their army is mobilizing fast. We need to attack now.

As we near our fate Alaric pops onto a horse and yells, "these people have taken your families, children, parents and homes!"

An uproar of angry and painstakingly loud shouts erupts from the crowd. Alaric turns to me and I click my horse to his side.

"These people have no dignity, humility or respect for anything." I shout and walk through the fuming 800 warriors. "They are cowards who fall under the rule of Lady."

"The Fide will teach them a lesson!" Alaric booms. "We will put them where dead men belong. In their graves!"

I shout with the warriors this time. We raise our arms and beat them in the air. Alaric turns to me and nods.

I turn to the brave souls around me, I'm drowning in their pride and spirit. Roxy belongs here, she deserves a life. "I want you to fight for someone you lost, you love. I want you to leave everything out on that battlefield like your lives depend on it, because they do."

"We will win if we protect each other, so let's fight as one!" Alaric raises his large sword into the air and initiates a battle cry. "Don't limit your challenges, challenge your limits. I believe in everyone of you. So, prove to me I chose the right men and women at my side."

We release a final battle cry into the darkness as Alaric's sword falls we charge out of the woods and into the streets of the Bellator Clan. The army we meet is intimidatingly large, but we spread wide and protect our flank from attack.

Arrows shoot from above and strike our soldiers and cavalry. I stay back and snipe the ones perched up high, before scanning for more in the buildings. I instructed other archers to move up to the buildings and attack any archers before taking their places.

I move my aim to the soldiers and protect the back of my warriors who are open and vulnerable. Arrows shoot, spears project into the sky, and swords swing mercilessly. I gallop and release my string, trying to remain unscathed from the deadly weapons.

I aim for a soldier who's about to attack one of our men. As I release the arrow my horse stumbles, her legs buckle as she falls. I fly into a few warriors as a painful whinny passes through her. A man drives his sword into her chest and she lays limp on the ground.

I sit shocked as the swordsman approaches me, smirking. "Women don't belong on the battlefield." He raises his sword and I roll to the side.

"Neither do you, you sexist piece of trash." Adam stabs the man in the back as more blood covers his face. Walking towards me, he yanks me up.

I smile at my long-lost friend who's been through as much as I. Who's buried themselves in hate and violence, just like me.

"Roxy was right about you." I draw my string back and hit a soldier. "You are an equal rights activist."

Adam lets a tiny lopsided smile press on his lips, "she was right about you. You're a child on a battlefield."

I frown and shoot another man, while Adam blocks a strike from one aiming for me. He flings the man's sword away and thrusts his into the warrior's stomach.

"Don't pout and get to a building to protect us from above." Adam strikes another man down as I shoot. "God only knows how long I can keep you alive."

I nod, he's right. "Be careful."

"Hard to be careful when everyone's trying to kill you." Adam locks swords with a man and pushes him with incredible force. "Now go!"

I run to find a spot low enough to aim and hit men. On my way I pick up many arrows before perching in a window. I take a few shots before it dawns on me.

Even with the fading light, I can see our numbers dwindle significantly. Too many of our men are getting slaughtered and I know why. I watch as we push our way with skill and strength, but the Bellator has put their weakest men in the middle. This has made us funnel, they're now surrounding either side of us and pressing in. The only side we are safe on is our flank, we're being squeezed to death by the Bellator Clan. On the field you can't possibly see this, but up here it's clear as day. If they cut us off, that's 150 soldiers dead.

I need to warn Alaric, everyone will die and this will be for nothing if we don't retreat and regroup.

I spring down the steps and rush back into the battle, avoiding swords and shields. I don't know where anyone is, so I take the matter into my own hands. It's risky, they could kill so many people if we retreat because our backs will be open to fire. But we'll all die if we don't. What's the lesser of the two evils?

"Everyone retreat!" I scream and a few men stare at me in shock. "I SAID RETREAT!"

They spread the news and I run with them. Within a minute all of our men are running, but many are being slaughtered on the way out. Was this the right choice? They're all dying, we can't protect ourselves.

We sprint and some of our men fall, being killed on the spot. I'm exhausting our resources. These men and women will have no energy to fight with because I'm making them run away. What if I made a bad call? What if we lose because of me?

We reach our medic centre and I stop. We have retreated enough; we aren't surrounded by our enemy. I look around me to stare at the drained army. This will be like slaughtering a lamb to the Bellator. We move into a defensive position as I move around to avoid more weapons. A sword nicks me in the arm before Adam pops from behind the man and cuts his throat.

Adam holds the sword of a man before kicking him in the side and driving his blade through his chest. He grunts as he flings another man off him and smashes the handle of his sword into a man's face, "There are a lot of wounded soldiers, Alaric is in the medic centre—"

My stomach drops and I sprint to the back before Adam finishes. As I approach the screaming and crying of the medic centre my eyes fall onto Alaric covered in blood- just not his own. He wraps bandages and sew flaps of skin back together.

"Everyone is dying," I walk next to him and put pressure on a man's wound Alaric is tending to. "I told them to retreat and now they're dying."

Alaric shakes his head, "Stop talking like that. This war was inevitable, it would happen either way. We have reinforcements coming around to flank the Bellator. I just prey to god they get here on time."

"If they don't?" I ask as Alaric wraps a bandage around a man's arm.

Alaric's eyes fill with concern as he looks around the overwhelmed medic centre, "Then we're all dead."