by Candy Crum
She knew how they felt. It was up to her to be their backbone.
"Archers, aim!" Arryn ordered. She heard wings behind her before she saw the large golden eagle who was Cathillian’s familiar fly overhead. "Echo, warn Cathillian that the remnant are here. Oh! And that the ladies will eat him alive, and not in the good way.”
***
"Did ye hear that, laddies?" Ren asked. "Sounds like we’re on the wrong side of the city."
Cathillian and Samuel shared a look just before Echo's screech pierced the skies.
"They're coming from the east," Cathillian stated. "We need to get on the ground and prepare. Arryn will have the eastern wall covered, but they'll need us at the gate."
As Cathillian and the rearick avoided running through a crowd on the ground, making their way across the wall toward Arryn, he sent Echo to point the other Guard toward the gates and along the walls.
Cathillian ran as fast as he could, knowing the rearick would catch up soon enough. As he got closer to Arryn, he heard the familiar sound of bowstrings snapping. The remnant cried out as arrow after arrow pierced them.
Before Cathillian had even reached her, he saw Arryn staring at the remnant, her eyes never leaving them and her face fierce. She looked strong, like she was built to lead in battle. She lowered her bow and stood before shouting, "Archers! Move south toward the gate!"
Arryn ran and her men followed, stopping every fifty feet or so to loose another barrage of arrows into the horde moving southeast toward the gate.
It was obvious that the remnant had had no idea the city had archers, which was why they had approached the eastern wall directly before moving south. It gave them the best opportunity for a sneak attack. Coming directly toward the south gate, they’d have been seen a long way off.
But they weren’t prepared for Arryn.
As Arryn and her group stopped again and took aim, Cathillian turned and raised his hands, causing vines to shoot from the ground and snatch a dozen or more by the throat. He roughly yanked his hands downward, and the vines pulled the remnant to the ground, breaking their necks.
He couldn’t summon so much magic very often, so he decided to only do it once more and to save the rest for the battle on the ground.
"Cathillian!" Arryn called. "Glad to see you join us."
They ran another seventy-five feet down the wall before Arryn stopped the group again and loosed another barrage of arrows. It seemed strange, but her tactic was working well and thinning them out as they charged toward the gate.
Her men weren't the best archers, but they were able to hit their targets. Whether it was in the legs, arms, or something vital in a few cases, their arrows found the enemy.
Once again, Cathillian used his magic to take out some of the horde. With more than a hundred and fifty of them, it was the largest group he'd ever heard of.
"What's the plan once they hit the front gates?" Cathillian shouted.
Arryn pointed toward the southern wall as they drew closer. Magicians stood on the walls raining fireballs down on the remnant.
"It looks like Amelia has already begun!" she shouted back.
Right then, a gust of wind blew through, pushing the hood of Arryn's cloak back to reveal her face. A few Guard on the ground took notice and began shouting her name and pointed her out to the rest.
"It's her! It's the murderer. She's come back!" one of them shouted loudly enough for Cathillian to hear.
The moment he heard it, Cathillian became enraged. His hand whipped out to his side and a vine burst from the ground and snatched the man up to bring him face-to-face with Cathillian.
His eyes revealed just how angry it made him to see Arryn defending the city she'd dreamed of coming back to for so long, only to be treated so harshly.
"She's no murderer. She's defending the city. Defending you. In case you hadn't noticed, she managed to take out several of the remnant before they have even come around the front of the city. Why don't you spread that? Because she's about to be your fucking hero."
The man's eyes were wide, and Cathillian didn't give him a chance to respond before lowering him down far enough that the remaining drop wouldn't hurt him. At that point, the vines released him and dumped him on his ass, giving Cathillian a small amount of joy.
He ran hard to catch Arryn, the woman who was strong enough to put her life on the line to save the city after being framed for murder and ostracized. At that moment, he wished more than anything that her parents could see her. He knew they would be proud.
***
"All right, ya skinny little bastards," Samuel shouted at the Guard as he made his way through. "Lots of ye are about ta get yer arses handed ta ye, but ye can prevent that if ye keep your eyes open and fight with yer head."
Samuel had never seen most of these men before, so he had no idea what their skill level was, but he hoped it was higher than beginner. He watched the men glancing at one another before nodding and focusing on him.
"You're a rearick," one of them said. "I'm sure you've fought them before. What do we do?"
"Stay low. Stay outta the reach of their weapons, and go fer the legs. The legs might be big, but that’s the weak spot. They use their upper body more than anythin’—it's why they prefer weapons. Make no mistake, they're fast and they're strong, but if ye keep yer eyes open ye'll survive ta tell the tale."
"Rearick must be pretty crafty to go against them, little as they are," one of the men told him. "Not to mention weird-looking."
Samuel laughed. "Ye'll find there's beauty in bein’ short and ugly. Fer instance, that pretty face o’ yers is gonna be the first thing they notice. I'm bettin’ the remnant will find ye pretty appetizin'. If I was you, I'd rub some dirt on that face."
The smartass turned pale as he quickly ran to the side and began packing dirt all over him. The rest of the Guard laughed at their fellow soldier before it was cut off short by the scream of the remnant at their gates.
Samuel headed toward the front gate, motioning for the men to follow. There were already dozens of men waiting directly in front, but Samuel wanted to bring up more.
As he got closer, he saw Amelia standing on top of the wall, giving the orders for the magicians to fire. The sounds of explosions rang out from the other side of the wall as hellfire rained down on the remnant bastards.
"Brace for impact!" Amelia shouted just before twisting her body to the side and leaning back, narrowly avoiding a spear thrown in her direction.
It sounded like thunder hit the gate as the remnant crashed into it, but as Amelia had told them, the Guard on the other side were ready.
Again and again, the remnant bombarded the gate, the sound of splintering wood echoing throughout the immediate area. Several magicians on the wall had been hit with spears, axes, and other weapons that could be used as projectiles, but Amelia continued to fight.
Arryn soon joined the fray with her archers, firing arrow after arrow.
“Hey, short and handsome,” Cathillian said, finally making his way to the front lines. “How’s it going up here?”
Samuel gestured back to the men behind him. “This lot likes ta think they’re funny. Pickin’ on a short, old man. I’ll show ‘em.”
“That’s not nice. Bastards.”
“Thanks, lad. Appreciate it,” Samuel responded with a nod.
“Yeah! No problem. Making fun of you is my job,” Cathillian said, turning back a moment to size up the men. “Talk about lack of job security.”
The wood began to crack, the sound echoing out around them. It wouldn’t be long.
"Brace yerselves, lads!" Samuel shouted. "The remnant are coming."
"From what I've heard," Cathillian told him with a wink before looking back at the men, "that's not necessarily inaccurate. I hear they like to have fun with their new toys after all."
"Wh-what?" a scared Guard behind Samuel stuttered. “When you say fun…”
The rearick had heard him make nasty remarks about his people at some poin
t or another. So, he was happy to have Cathillian’s quick humor at his side right then.
Samuel pointedly looked the man up and down, raising his eyebrows. "Yeesh. Lad, I'd suggest maybe ye should rub some dirt on that face of yers, too. Better safe than sorry and all that."
Cathillian couldn't hold back his laughter, enjoying the rearick's ability to give people a hard time no matter what the situation.
***
Amelia's chest grew tight as she watched as the remnant succeeded in smashing through Arcadia’s gate from her perch on the wall.
Her instinct told her to throw fireball after fireball, but at this point, her people were mixed with theirs. She couldn't risk hurting anyone, and using that much magic this early in the game was a bad idea anyway.
"I'm out of arrows," Arryn reported. "I'm out of arrows, and I'm not as good with the vines as Cathillian is. Mine are wimpy. Tell him that, and I’ll smack you myself. I'm gonna have to get down on the ground."
Arryn turned to leave, but Amelia grabbed her by the wrist. "Can you call a storm like you did the last time? A few lightning bolts could thin out their ranks. Look!"
Amelia and Arryn both turned to the horde of remnant threatening the city. Arryn and her men had killed fifty or so, but there were still more than a hundred about to crash the gate.
"I can't call on magic that big without a surge of emotion—you know how it works. I might be angry right now, but I'm sure as hell not blindly raging. That, and I don't know if it would be wise to use that much magic this early," Arryn told her.
Amelia knew she was right, but she also knew Arryn was right about something she’d said a long time ago. The Guard wasn't ready, not for this. A dozen or so of the bastards, sure. Maybe even fifty. But there was no way in hell they would survive an onslaught by more than a hundred remnant, even with hundreds of their own men.
The city would fall.
"You're right," Amelia replied, "but we can't let them take the city. You know as well as I do—even better than I do—that the Guard aren’t ready. You don't have to call it for long. Focus on the lives that are about to be lost. Use it. Think about the fact that Talia and Scarlett are sitting somewhere safe right now, watching this unfold."
Judging by the look on Arryn's face, that was the nerve Amelia had needed to strike. With only a single nod, Arryn took a deep breath, her eyes now a vibrant green while the corneas had turned the deepest obsidian she had ever seen.
Arryn slowly gazed toward the horde, the wind suddenly whipping around her as she did. The thinning fog began to thicken as it rose into the sky, joining the other clouds that were turning black.
The remnant slowed their attack as they looked at the sky. It was the distraction that her people needed, but as she glanced around Amelia could see they were just as intrigued.
Arryn's arms were raised at her sides as lightning webbed across the sky. Rain began to fall both inside and out of the city—on their side, though it was an absolute downpour.
Amelia's eyes were wide as she watched the girl work. She could only imagine how much magic and strength Arryn was using right then, but it was working.
"Amelia!" Cathillian shouted.
***
The moment Cathillian felt the wind, he knew what was happening. He could sense the change in air and the magic that was being used. He swung his sword relentlessly, slicing through remnant after remnant. Although he was covered in blood, both the enemies’ and some of their own men’s, he continued to fight.
He looked toward the wall and saw Amelia standing next to Arryn, who was casting with outstretched arms. It began to rain, but it was nothing like the deluge that was pouring down on the other side of the gates.
As he saw the lightning snake across the sky, he knew what was about to happen.
"Amelia!" Cathillian shouted.
Amelia looked down, her eyes meeting his.
"She's too strong, and her aim is bad! She can’t control the direction of lightning! It's raining over here, too. If she calls down lightning, it could fry everyone!" Cathillian yelled before tearing into another remnant who had run for him.
He kicked the remnant’s chest hard, sending him backward before swiping upward with his sword and effectively cutting the beast in two. There was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to attack, but it was Amelia. She’d climbed down from the wall.
"Use your magic to blow everyone outside the gate back. I'll put up a shield. Whatever remnant are inside will be protected, too, but we can’t help it. I didn't expect her to conjure anything that big."
Cathillian laughed. "Have you met her? She doesn't do anything small.” He rolled his eyes. “I hate serious moments. I keep missing out on good jokes. That was prime opportunity. Look… She's strong, but she doesn't have the skill to control it yet. She can't help herself—it's all or nothing. She’s winding up right now, but I should be able to help guide her. I'm going to the wall, so get your shield ready."
A limb from a nearby tree broke free to lift Cathillian onto the wall. He could sense the shift in Arryn's magic as the lightning increased.
Cathillian's eyes turned dark green as he brought his arms out to the side, focusing on the remnant below. He thrust his hands forward, and a large gust of wind threw them back several feet.
Pulling his arms back, he hit them with another blast, making sure they were far away from the gate.
Grabbing Arryn's hand, Cathillian allowed her to lead. He helped guide her magic as they reached to the sky. As they did, lightning rained down into the field before the gates.
The plan was working, but not as well as Amelia had hoped.
By that point Arryn's magic had already begun to weaken and as a result, the lightning was weak as well. Judging by the number of bodies on the ground, Cathillian calculated that about half of them had been killed, but the rest were once again running at the gates.
He shook Arryn, and her eyes quickly faded to their normal dark brown. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "A little weak. I didn't mean to go that hard."
Cathillian smiled. "I'm gonna let that go because we're in the middle of the battle and you need healing. Dammit, I let one of Amelia's go, too. I don't like war. It makes my jokes inappropriate."
"Your jokes are always inappropriate." Arryn snorted. "Now, hurry up and heal me. We have to get down to the ground."
***
Arryn wanted to jump down outside the wall and run straight into the horde more than anything, but she knew it would be a bad idea. She was glad she'd been able to take out as many as she had, though she regretted using that much magic that early. Even after being healed by Cathillian, she could still feel the fatigue pressing down on her.
But that didn't stop her from swinging her staff with fury.
The battle had begun to fan out through the city, which allowed everyone to move more freely. It also meant that more remnant were able to enter through the gate now that it wasn't so congested.
Someone on the wall began screaming that a second horde was approaching, though it was much smaller than the first, around fifty or so.
It was obvious at that moment that had Arryn had not taken the measures she did, the city would have been overrun in minutes. While they were still in danger of falling, they also stood a chance at surviving.
When a large group attacked her, she used only enough magic to blow them backward, allowing her to take them down with her staff. It may not have been sharp, but it was stronger than any of their weapons, and it was more than capable of smashing skulls.
Arryn heard a loud scream, and she turned to see two remnant dragging a woman into an alley. Arryn growled as she ran, staff in one hand and newly crafted fireball in the other. As soon as she was concealed in the alley, she threw the fireball at one while striking the other in the head before kicking him backward.
She looked up, ready to help the woman to safety, but immediately regretted her actions. It was not a helpless woman she saw, but the smiling fa
ce of Scarlett. Behind her were several people with confident expressions and a few remnant, and Arryn turned to see even more remnant piling into the alley.
"Fuck—me." Arryn sighed, shaking her head.
Scarlett’s laugh echoed through the alley. "I would love to, gorgeous, but I don't think we have enough time, and Talia might get mad at me. She's never been respectful of my… needs."
Arryn turned to Scarlett. "Judging by the excited look on your face, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say these remnant are yours."
"You have no idea how right you are about that. So, are you ready to have some fun?" Scarlett asked, her expression growing even more excited.
Without warning, Arryn spun backward, throwing her hands out as she did. Telekinetic energy exploded forward and pushed the remnant behind her out into the street. Arryn surrounded herself with a barrier before running toward the light.
While she was very confident of her abilities, she knew she'd made a mistake by weakening herself to the point that she had no hope of standing against so many magicians in such close quarters.
Before she made it into the open, the buzzing in her mind came back, and then it became painful. Sharp, searing agony shot through her brain, bringing her to her knees. She was unable even to scream as she clutched the side of her head.
Arryn was only vaguely aware of someone lifting her head, the pain easing just enough for her to see Scarlett nose to nose with her, smiling.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give you the illusion that this meeting was voluntary. Attendance is mandatory, I’m afraid."
Scarlett got even closer, placing her lips by Arryn's ear. Arryn desperately wanted to move, but her body was useless. Scarlet had far too much power.
"Between us girls," Scarlett whispered, "it's really me who needs you out of the way. You distract Talia too much, and if she's to do what I need her to, you have to vanish. It's a shame, though. It would've been nice to have fun with you first. But Talia has plans, and for now, I need to entertain them."
