Savage Rising: Eternal Forest Saga - Book 1

Chapter 23

It was a long night for Firefly, but a productive one. As the rumbles of thunder grew louder from the south, the faerie acolyte zipped quickly from house to house in the city of Stonemouth. With each visit, she met with the families cowering inside. She was there to comfort them, sure, but she was there to rally them as well. Killika had left a sizable portion of his army in Stonemouth to keep an eye on the dwarves, but the dwarf population far outnumbered it. Taking the army on could be accomplished with few casualties.

It was the massive fire demon that kept them cowering in fear. Standing three times larger than the biggest bear Firefly had ever seen, the creature was an enormous beast of living flame. Like a wildfire, it charged through the forest swiftly and left nothing but smoldering destruction in its wake. The dwarves had seen its power firsthand when it attacked the marketplace, and none of them were brave enough to venture out as long as it patrolled the base of the mountain. If she were to have any hope of rallying the dwarves to strike back, she would need a sign from the Lady that they had hope of victory.

With the thunder rumbling in from the south, she had her sign. It hadn't rained in months and the forest was dangerously dry. The conditions were terrifyingly perfect for the fire demon's destruction to increase exponentially. However, with a storm, rain would fall upon Stonemouth once again and the demon's powers would likely be weakened. Firefly didn't honestly know what effect a rainstorm would have on the unnatural creature, but it was all they had.

There were many who met her with resistance when she entered their homes in the middle of the night. They'd lost loved ones during the invasion, friends and family members who still lay lifeless in the marketplace that they may never be able to bury properly. No matter the odds, they couldn't bring themselves to face more violence and bloodshed. They would choose fearful obedience instead, for it allowed them to cling to the loved ones they still had left.

However, with each opposing voice she heard, the thunder boomed louder and closer. "Listen to that," Firefly would cry out. "The Lady sounds her battle cry. Her strength is behind our cause and we will not fail." The thunder did indeed inspire the dwarves of Stonemouth. For the rain to come now, at their most desperate hour, surely it must be a sign.

The coming storm did more to rally the troops than Firefly could have hoped to, for she only had to help the dwarves interpret the message in the thunder. When the dwarves were finally ready to fight, it was coordinating their efforts that proved to be the greatest challenge. It would take a massive surprise attack to overrun the soldiers before they were able to react, and that meant zipping quickly and silently from home to home all night as she conveyed messages and laid out the battle plans. When she could finally hear the beat of the rain against the southern trees, Firefly was already exhausted.

It was a couple of hours before dawn when the rain finally fell upon the city. Hungry for the moisture, the dry earth soaked up the large droplets as they struck, turning dust to mud rapidly. The balisekt soldiers hissed low in protest as their fair-weather guard detail soon turned most unfavorable.

Firefly watched a cluster of soldiers from behind a potted plant in the window of a small home. She had started at the bottom of the city and worked her way up as the night progressed. She was now near the top of the mountain where the wealthier dwarves lived. Most of the soldiers were patrolling up near the spire. Firefly figured it was because the higher-class dwarves could afford better weapons and armor, making them the most formidable threat. Also, the fire demon patrolled near the base, which negated the need for a large force.

As the rain crept up the side of the mountain, the quiet terror of the night was filled with the loud, steady roar of millions of water droplets striking walls of stone. Rainwater pooled in the leaves of the plants above her head and dripped onto the granite windowsill. Shaking a droplet from her hair, she turned towards the family within the home that sheltered her.