The distance between Cecily and myself can be felt like a living entity, a chain wrapped around me, pulling me back toward her. My heart wants me to close the distance, but my mind knows this is where I need to be. I left her three excruciatingly long mornings ago. Gave her a kiss on the forehead and forced myself to walk away, back toward Silas’ castle.
I extended my time with her a little too long, because Silas was already searching for me when I arrived, and ten minutes later we were marching on the road. Traveling with such a large party, for three dreadful days, has taken longer than we intended.
Alas, we are now camped out about an hour away, at least that’s what I’m told. “I want us to set off at first light. When we see the castle walls, we’ll strike right away. No hesitation, I don’t want them having any time to figure out a plan. I want them scrambling about like chickens,” Silas orders as we stand in the command tent.
“It shall be done as you command, Uncle. Can you enlighten me as to where the castle is from here? That way I can lead the men right there?” I ask him, trying to be nonchalant in getting the information I want.
Silas gives me a searing glance, showing his distrust. “I’ll let you know in the morning.” Well, there goes my plan to find a way to warn her parents. I’m running out of time to figure something out. Every night of our travels, I’ve sat in front of a letter I penned to them as a warning, hoping to send it via magic.
I don’t know if it’s possible, but I do remember Cecily telling me anything is possible with our magic, we just need the imagination to think it up. I’ve tried for hours on end to send the letter I wrote, but nothing has worked. Before I sleep each night, I burn the letter to make sure there’s no chance of Silas getting his hands on it. Tonight is my last chance to figure it out.
“Of course, Uncle. Is there anything else you need from me tonight? We should get our rest before the battle tomorrow,” I respond to him, trying to make sure he doesn’t suspect me of anything. I’m itching to gain as much distance from him as possible.
“That is all.” His tone is sharp, and he goes back to scrutinizing the drawing of the castle we attack in the morning. I turn around and make my way to my tent. There are very few people who aren’t required to share a tent, and I count myself as lucky to be one of them.
Upon entering my tent, I immediately light a candle to see, and write a new letter to the Alpha Queen in hopes I finally figure out how to send it magically. This is my last chance to warn her family, and I’ve yet to figure out how to send a letter. One would think it should be easy magic, and yet I haven’t accomplished it. I open the satchel I’ve been carrying with me, and pull out all of the items, spreading them out in front of me.
After having remembered something Cecily told me about magic, I’ve started collecting things. Every new tree bark I’ve come across, I took a chunk, every mushroom and flower as well. I systematically try each individual item, placing it on top of the letter I’ve written. Once I’m through with the individual items, I start going through them again paired with another.
Working through the night, never giving up, I even try coming up with a chant to go along with the items. Nothing has worked, and as the rays of the rising sun brighten my tent, I know I’ve failed in more than just this simple task. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do when I arrive at the castle in just a short time from now.
Sounds from the camp beginning to stir reach me, and I know it’s almost time to leave. With a deep breath, I pack away all the materials in front of me, and burn the letter. I’m out of time. My last chance is to lead Silas’ army to the castle, and somehow make it inside before everyone else, and protect her parents. I know they’re the answer to figuring out how to wake Cecily up. They have to be.
A desperation washes through me, and I hope to make things work in my favor. With my sword in hand, I walk out of my tent. Immediately, I find my second-in-command and give him the orders to rouse the camp. We need every soldier ready to go when Silas gives the final order. Now I just need to find Silas to get the directions for where the castle is located.
Mud squishes under my feet as I walk through the maze of tents until I reach the main command tent where Silas can always be found. That is, until this morning. He isn’t in the tent, and every man I ask hasn’t seen him. The next best place to find him is in the empty field where our troops will be forming before we head out.
When I reach the field, I see his bright yellow coat pacing back and forth in the wisps of fog covering the entire area. As I get closer, the glee on his face is apparent. He’s becoming manic again, like he was the night Cecily was betrayed. His eyes land on me and he rushes toward me. Grabbing my shirt, he pulls me into his face. “Today’s the day, Marcellus! We’re going to remove them from power and everything will be right in the world again. Everything can return to the way it’s supposed to be. Make sure you save the Queen for me. I want to watch the life fade from her eyes.”
The putrid smell of his breath makes me nauseous on the best of days. Paired with those words, my stomach is a turning mess. I hold my mouth shut, trying to control the bile from rising in front of Silas. If it does, I’m done here. He’ll know he doesn’t control me.
“I’m going to need a moment with you in the tent before we go. I have a spell to be completed before we leave.” He walks away from me with a skip in his step before I can ask him where the castle is located. Everything in my body is screaming at me to make sure I don’t let him catch me in that tent. I know better now after the other night, and he won’t be able to get me in the same manner again. Mistakes are something to learn from, and I’ve learned from making the worst mistake imaginable.
My troops file into the area as they pull themselves together after a night of rivalry. These men are so blinded, they’ve begun celebrating their success before the battle has even begun. So pumped up from the lies Silas has fed them from the moment they stumbled upon him. I suppose if what Cecily said is true, every person here has done something to earn their magic’s desertion. So they must not all be the best type of people in the first place.
If a true battle takes place, every single one of these people are going to end up dead. There’s no way I’ve trained them to stand up against magic, I wouldn’t even be able to begin knowing how to train against it. While the living force behind magic doesn’t allow for it to be used maliciously, it’ll sure enough allow it to be used in self-defense. And with that kind of backup, there’s no way for the people in front of me to prevail today.
More and more men accumulate in the field and form lines in their assigned groups. I was one of them not long ago, blinded by the lies I was fed. Now there’s nothing I can do for them, but maybe I can work toward preventing something like this from happening again. The sun is peeking over the horizon, and I hope I’ve pushed time long enough for it to be too late for Silas to force the issue of gaining my cooperation in his spell plans.
A blob of yellow catches my eye. In a moment, I’ll find out if he’ll push the issue. His long strides bring him up to me before I know it. “Marcellus, you forgot to join me in the tent as I requested.” He’s miffed, but before I can respond, he continues on, “It’s of no mind. I want us to march out immediately. We’re on the right side of things here and I don’t need any boosts to accomplish our goals. The castle is due south. Let’s initiate the march.”
The fog in the air swirls around us as I lead our troops due south. We march through woods full of underbrush, making progress a bit slower with how spread across we are. The men around me joke and talk without a care in the world, while I keep silent with too many worries on my mind to count. An hour goes by, like a blink of an eye, and we’re stumbling from the forest into an open area where we can see a village before the castle.
So lost in my thoughts, I never realized the moment when Silas reappeared next to me, his unexpected voice startling me. “Sound the alarm for all our men to attack the castle. I want no supporters left alive.” I gulp down the bile shooting up from my stomach. Pulling my sword from its scabbard, I lift it into the air and scream out the command to attack.
This is my chance to beat everyone into the castle. I already know I’m the best fighter out of all my men, and the swiftest. My legs shoot me out in front of the swarm of men, and I run forward toward the main thoroughfare that will bring me to the entrance of the castle. I need to warn the Queen and protect her, no matter the cost.
The war cries shouting behind me cut off abruptly, as the scene in front of me changes drastically. It takes a moment for my running to come to a stop as I survey the devastation laid out before me. Where family huts used to be, there’s just smoking remains. The castle in front of me is no longer standing. Now it resembles a huge pile of rocks that tumbled down the slight hill where the castle was built.
What had previously been a fully intact community is now a pile of abandoned ruins. Not a single person is around. Is it somehow possible one of my letters actually did get sent to the Queen, and a physical copy stayed with me? Whatever the case may be, I’m beyond happy her family is no longer here. I’m also thankful no innocent lives will be lost today.
It sounds so peaceful on this side of the barrier, I almost forgot about the soldiers who were supposed to be charging the castle with me. That is until I turn around and see the scene behind me. My expectation is to find others standing behind me, in just as much surprise as me with the trickery the barrier pulled, having fooled our eyes.
What I actually find is carnage. The bodies that crossed the barrier are all dead on the ground, with more being pushed through by the onrush of more soldiers coming through on their charge to reach the castle. They panic as they try to stop, but are pushed along by those behind who haven’t seen the reality waiting for them.
The bright yellow of Silas’ jacket catches my sight as he waits by the tree line, watching his army attack as he’s sheltered in safety. That bastard has no idea what it means to lead, and yet all the soldiers before me follow him blindly. Well, they used to... now, they’ve followed his orders into their death.
Those who came in from the back are beginning to realize the scene before them hasn’t changed. At least I assume that’s the holdup. I’m positive if anyone was watching and could see me just standing here with my sword tip in the ground, they wouldn’t have continued charging forward as long as they have. I also know if Silas could see me standing here, he’d be staring me down.
