by Tony Johnson
“They’re on board with everything we’re doing. Commander Artazair was amicable. He said, 'I'm not going to come in here and take over. You're the leader and these are your plans. I will give you advice of things I think should be tweaked, but I'm not going to undermine your authority. Whatever you need, I am willing to help. All my captains and warriors are in service to you.’”
“That’s good,” Ty smiled, knowing some commanders tended to be egotistical and difficult to work with. “How are you doing? You look exhausted.”
“It’s been a long day,” Steve explained.
“Yes, but a good day,” Ty proposed, “I can't believe Almiria is here. This doubles our chances of victory.”
Steve nodded, but didn't verbally agree. Ty could tell something was bothering his brother. “What’s wrong?”
“I can't do this,” Steve’s shoulders slumped in a throe of inadequacy.
“Can't do what?”
“I can’t lead all of these people. It’s been weighing on my mind all day, ever since Grizz left. He was right about what he said. When have I ever proven myself capable in battle? The Hooded Phantom, Silas, the orc in the sewers, Jarek, even Grizz, I barely put up a fight against any of them. How can I lead a fight when I can't even succeed in one myself? I don’t have what it takes.”
Ty was silent trying to think of a response, long enough for Steve to know his worries were not based on overthinking but were grounded in reality. Stammering, trying to find an answer and give his brother confidence, Ty reasoned, “You passed through Warrior Training faster than anyone.”
“But that was all simulated. Maybe that's the problem. I’ve haven’t even been a warrior for a full two years. I don't have enough experience. Up until the siege, the only real battle I was in was against Sabertooth and I only survived because I got lucky. I have no idea how I’ll defeat Silas, especially now that we know he has two elements.” Steve reached out to pet Copper who came over to sit next to him and laid his head across his lap.
“Maybe you’ll get your fire element and that’ll help you defeat him.”
“What makes you think I’ll get fire?”
“Come on,” Ty said, “There's two elements left, fire and ice. Your last name is Brightflame, so of course you're going to get the element of fire,” he smiled, trying to boost Steve’s morale. When it didn’t work, Ty began searching for other positive qualities to encourage Steve. “Being a warrior isn't all about your skill in battle. It's about your character as much as anything else. And you have more character than anyone. We wouldn't be here preparing to defend Casanovia if it wasn't for you. You're one person, but your leadership has influenced two-thirds of a city to stay and fight for their home.”
“That’s the whole problem!” Steve argued, his anxieties growing as Ty sat before him. “It's all on me if we lose. There's so much pressure it feels unbearable!” Realizing how loud he’d become and thinking he didn’t want to shout and disturb anyone, even Kari in her coma, Steve quieted down as he continued voicing his concerns, “Everyone’s looking to me as their leader. I didn’t mind it when I was jousting in the Tournaments and was the center of attention. If I lost, people would have only been temporarily disappointed. If I lose this battle, not only will I have condemned everyone in Casanovia to death because of my actions, the entire kingdom will likely fall if this city is taken.
“After I thought you died, Ty, I was in such a state of shock. And then seeing all the dead bodies and destruction of Serendale reminded me of all the horrible things I saw during the siege and it made everything worse. I lost all hope and refused to go on. I nearly had a mental breakdown. What if I lose you again? What if people all around me start dying? If I’m the leader, I can’t fall apart like that.” Then, summing up everything he was feeling, Steve shared, “Based on my lack of success in battle and lack of mental fortitude, I’m worried that I don’t have what it takes to lead our army.”
Ty sighed, feeling bad for his brother’s troubles. I've never seen him as anxious as he is right now. His confidence is in question, and he is insecure about himself and his abilities.
“Steve, all you're doing right now is thinking negatively. You haven't said one positive thing. You have to change that mindset. Remember in the Evergreen Forest how you were trying not to show weakness? How you put on a front that you were physically and emotionally healthy when you were actually battered and broken?”
Steve nodded his head. “I did that for you and Kari.”
“Right. That is exactly the way you have to act now. You are our leader. People are going to be feeding off your emotions and confidence. You have to appear strong, even if deep down you're scared and anxious. It’s okay to feel that way, but you can't show it. Courage is contagious, and we need it. When it's just us, the elect, you can tell us how you really feel, but for them, confidence is what they need.
“Do you remember how I was telling you about falling on Wildwing, and I had that near-death experience and it made me take a hard look at my life?”
After Steve nodded, Ty continued, “Well all this time on our journey to Casanovia, I've been wondering why I had a second near-death experience in the Spider Queen’s lair. I know big events like that grow us and teach us, so I've been trying to figure out what the purpose of the lair was because it didn't affect me like when I was on Wildwing. It didn’t make me reconsider the way I was living my life and the legacy I was leaving behind. But now I realize it wasn’t me that was supposed to get a lesson out of what happened, it was you.
“You needed to be broken down physically and emotionally so you could experience what this kingdom will go through if the monsters win. More than anyone else, you felt how the people would feel: broken, sad, and displaced. Because you didn’t want others to go through what you did, you were unwilling to follow Nereus and yield to Silas’s army. That is the kind of person I want to lead me in battle, a man with an undying love for this kingdom and its people. I know it’s a lot of pressure, but if there’s anyone who can do this, it’s you.”
“Steve. Ty.” A weak voice came from the bed as Ty finished his best attempt to encourage his brother.
Kari was awake.
Chapter 97
Slowly opening her eyes, Kari repeatedly blinked, trying to understand where she was, but the pain she was in registered with her brain before she could acclimate to her surroundings.
Groaning, the Halfling clutched at her broken ribs and then began hyperventilating because she couldn’t take a full breath, which only served to increase her agony.
Moving to hold her hand and comfort her, Steve saw the sheer terror on Kari’s face as she tried to comprehend everything and remember what caused her to be in such terrible pain. “It's okay. It's okay,” he spoke in a calm, relaxing voice, trying to soothe her.
“I'll go get a cleric,” Ty said, already halfway out the door and calling down the hall for someone to come and give Kari pain medication.
“I know it hurts, but try to focus on controlling your breathing,” Steve said as Kari's eyes met his and he exaggeratedly showed her how to breathe in a way that would cause her less pain. “In through your nose, out through your mouth,” he repeated again and again, coaching her, and allowing her to squeeze his hand as tightly as she needed to.
One cleric rushed in, followed behind by Ty and another cleric shortly after that. While one talked to Kari, the other ran tests, poking and prodding her to check that her responses were normal.
“You've been in a coma for three days. We were starting to think you might not come back to us. How are you feeling?”
“My head feels foggy, and I'm sore all over, especially my side and my leg.”
“You sustained a severe concussion and you broke at least two ribs and injured your knee from that fall you took,” the cleric said as she pulled a shot out of a pouch on her waist and inserted the needle into Kari’s arm. The Halfling’s eyes closed and she smiled, feeling a warm rush fl
ow through her veins. “That should help you tolerate the pain for a while. Can you tell me what you remember?”
“The last thing I remember was shooting at the phoenix with a fire arrow,” Kari answered with her eyes still closed.
“Good, she doesn’t appear to have memory loss,” the one cleric spoke to the other. “Ms. Quinn, you seem fine for now, but we’ll have the head cleric come and check on you when she gets in first thing in the morning. Until then, I suggest you keep still and continue resting as much as possible.”
“Three days of rest wasn’t enough?” Kari responded in a way that was partly intended to be a joke, but also an assertion that she didn’t want to remain confined to the bed she was in.
“She should only be fed non-solid foods,” one of the clerics told Steve and Ty before as they left. “We’re working the overnight shift so holler if there’s an emergency.”
“Hi Copper,” Kari said, letting her arm dangle over the side of the bed as she felt the direfox brush up against it and begin licking her fingers.
“Can I get you anything?” Steve asked kindly.
“I’m thirsty and hungry.”
Immediately letting go of her hand and getting up, Ty offered to get Kari food and drink, but Steve insisted he get it himself.
He still feels guilty or he wants to be the one that cares for her every need, Ty realized. Maybe both.
Alone with the Halfling, Ty took Kari’s hand, and spoke to the woman he had a platonic friendship with, “I’m so glad you’re okay. You know, Steve was in here every night with you. He worried about you so much it took his appetite away. He barely ate or drank anything. All he did was sit right in that chair,” Ty pointed to the empty seat, “and watched you every day, praying you’d get better. Those flowers are from him,” he nodded to her nightstand. “I told you in the Evergreen Forest how I thought he liked you, but now I’m sure of it. I can see it in the way he looks at you.”
Kari smiled widely at the idea of the compassion Steve showed her, but hid it right away, not wanting to look like she was an excited twelve-year-old girl with a crush on a boy.
Changing the topic of conversation and turning it to the romance in Ty’s life, she asked, “Is it the same way you look at Shana? I saw you two together right at the start of the attack. There was definitely a spark there.”
Now Ty was smiling and trying to conceal it.
Reentering the room with ice-cold water in a pitcher and a bowl of soup, Steve handed them to Kari.
“I’m going to give you two some alone time,” Ty said. “It’s past midnight. I need to get to sleep. There’s a lot of preparation to do tomorrow.”
“Have a good night,” Steve and Kari said goodbye to the Elf.
“Fill me in on what's been happening,” Kari requested as Steve helped prop her up in her bed so she could eat the food.
After explaining the deaths of Commander Lockland and Mayor Hughley during the attack, Steve then moved to Shana getting the element of wind.
“I saw the vision even though I was in a coma,” Kari replied. “It was good to see my dad again.”
“I thought you might’ve seen it,” Steve guessed. “Shana said she had seen Grizz’s vision while sleeping, and Ty had seen Grizz’s even though he was knocked out. I guess even if you’re sleeping it’s still apart of your memory when you wake up.”
From there, Steve explained Grizz and a third of the city leaving with Nereus, but he was most excited to share the revelation about Cyrus and Wexley’s heritage as Oliver Zoran’s grandson and great-grandson. Lastly, Steve mentioned Almiria arriving on dozens of ships, and how the monster army would be arriving within a few days.
“Do you think we can win?” Kari asked.
“It’s too hard to say. The plans we’ve made so far are high risk. The payoff will be either catastrophic or immensely helpful to our cause. We don’t know yet, but we don’t have the luxury to not gamble. We have to take big chances and be aggressive. We can’t go into this battle conservatively.”
“I want to fight,” Kari said, looking at her bow and quiver propped up against the wall.
Steve shook his head, “You’re still injured. You’re malnourished and dehydrated. It’ll take a while before you’re back to normal.”
Kari knew he was right, but it burned her up inside, knowing she couldn’t help defend Casanovia. “Is there anything I can do?”
“The best thing you can do is do nothing. We need you to get better. There’s a long road between now and taking back Celestial. Fighting now might extend your recovery and make you unavailable to help in what’s to come. Just be praying this all works, and please pray for me. I’m nervous about this battle.”
“Come here,” Kari beckoned him to come and sit on the edge of the bed beside her. Once he did, she took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his own. “Stephen Brightflame, I believe in you. You’re going to lead Casanovia to victory.”
With the two of them in such close proximity, and each knowing there was a deep level of care from the other, Steve and Kari smiled and held hands tighter.
“You know, I really missed you,” Steve whispered. “I'm glad you're okay.”
Kari gulped at how soft Steve’s voice sounded. “I missed you too. Despite the fact I was sleeping, somewhere deep down I knew I couldn’t wait to wake up to see you and talk to you.”
Even though she was in less pain because the medicine had kicked in, Steve still wanted to make her feel good, so he lightly drew with his fingers on the skin of her forearm.
“Ty told me you were here around the clock. Not to mention you brought me flowers! Thank you for being so caring.”
Not letting go of her hand, Steve reached to the nightstand and plucked one of the flowers from the vase, then gently slid it through her hair, resting it on her ear. In that moment, despite her knotted hair and the bruises she sported, Steve was convinced, She’s the prettiest woman in the world.
For a second, he weighed the words of what he was going to say next. He didn’t know how Kari would respond, but with his heart beating fast, he decided to risk it.
“Ty’s still pushing for us be a couple, isn’t he?”
Kari smiled, “Would that be so bad if it happened?”
“Not at all. When you got hurt, it broke my heart. I hated seeing you in pain like that. I wished I could take it upon myself so you didn’t have to suffer.”
“That’s exactly how I’ve felt many times. When I held you in my arms after you passed out in Evergreen; when I listened to you in pain as Mr. Sep stitched your shoulder; and when Haruto sewed up your forehead. I hate seeing you in pain.”
After a few seconds, Steve gathered the courage to ask his next question.
“Would it be wrong, with all the chaos going on in the world, to ask you if you wanted to start dating?”
“I think the way things are right now the world could use happiness like that.”
Steve smiled, brighter than he ever had before, and began to ask the question officially. “Kari, would you…”
“Yes! Of course,” she responded before he even needed to finish the question.
His heart filled, Steve and Kari simultaneously leaned forward and shared their first kiss. It wasn’t long or deep, it was just a sweet, gentle, romantic kiss that made them both blush and smile.
After a while of holding hands and talking, Kari said, “I’m tired.”
“The medicine they gave you has probably fully kicked in and is making you sleepy. You should go ahead and close your eyes. It’ll be good for you to rest.”
“Will you stay here with me?”
“Of course!” Steve squeezed her hand. “I’m pretty tired myself.” Standing up, he fluffed her pillows, pulled her blankets over her, and turned off the nearby kerosene lantern.
“I love you, Kari. I'm glad you’re okay.”
“I love you too,” Kari sweetly replied before the two kissed again, this time
longer and more passionately than before.
With that, Steve moved his chair as close to her bed as it could be and the two held hands as they fell asleep with full hearts.
Chapter 98
In the morning, Steve brought Kari a bountiful breakfast. Afterward, the head cleric asked Kari to try to get up and walk. The Halfling limped to the doorway and back, but collapsed on the bed, exhausted from the six-step walk.
Five minutes later, however, she was already up again, pushing herself to regain lost muscle.
“You should keep eating, drinking, resting, and doing your therapy stretches. But try not to overdo yourself with walking,” the cleric cautioned. Handing Kari a brace for her knee, she added, “Wear this whenever you go on extended walks. It’ll help keep your knee from buckling until it strengthens itself a little more. I’ll come and check on you tomorrow to measure the swelling and see how far you’ve progressed.”
“Do you mind if I get back out there to continue with the planning?” Steve asked Kari.
“Not at all. It’s far more important that you’re out there getting everything ready than staying here to keep me company. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I’ll stop by tonight,” Steve promised, kissing her on the forehead and heading out the door.
Moving throughout the city, Steve spent the day checking in on all the different preparations and found things were coming along nicely. The Almirians were pitching in, helping wherever they could. Around midday, Steve was surprisingly engulfed by Ty, who greeted him with a bearhug, saying, “I was hoping this would happen for you! You know I get credit for bringing you two together, right?”
Smiling, realizing Ty was happy for he and Kari, Steve asked, “How’d you hear about us?”
“I went to check in on her earlier and she told me.”
“Thanks, Ty,” Steve was encouraged by his brother’s support.
As Ty headed back to work on his secret project, Steve ran into Shana, who was arguably working harder than anyone as she was the center of communication, relaying messages between teams and ensuring everything ran like clockwork.
