After a lengthy explanation and catching up with Agnar, we were forced to separate as I was summoned to the final strategy meeting before the battle. It did not take long for people to gather in the large theater inside the city. Unlike our last meeting, far more people were allowed to join. There were countless soldiers I had never seen or met before, most likely leaders in some capacity.
On the stage was a makeshift board with various maps, symbols, and other things pinned to it. Honestly, it looked like pure chicken scratch from this distance with no discernable information from the mess. However, it was probably just for the man reading off of it.
Lord Vasquez observed the settling crowd in his pitch-black Mythril armor. Those piling into their seats were quick to sit down and remain still under his intense gaze. Within a handful of minutes, the entire theater was silent.
Lord Vasquez gave one final check of the place before speaking out. "Let's get down to business. Scouts have made their final report. The undead army is making a direct line for the city and will be here by daybreak. We have no reason to believe they will stop for a siege or even surround the city. Their intentions are clear. Overwhelm us and break through the already damaged wall."
There were a few hushed whispers, but Lord Vasquez spoke over them. "Our goal is also clear. We are to defend the wall at all costs. The repair of the wall has gone smoothly, thanks to the Dragonslayer's quick thinking. However, the current patch job is no substitute for a proper defensive structure. We've set aside a team of barrier mages to protect the wall and gate from magic and other ranged attacks. This will still not be enough."
"The mages have confirmed that they may not be able to stop a charging Corpse Giant, of which there will be several. For those unaware, a Corpse Giant is as it sounds. A grotesque monstrosity far taller than a house capable of barreling into the wall at a sprint, bringing it down. For this measure, we are to focus on all Corpse Giants in the initial assault. I, along with others skilled enough, will see to it that not a single one of those abominations reaches the wall."
Lord Vasquez allowed the crowd to speak amongst themselves for a moment but reined everyone in with a single hand. His deep voice carried through the entire theater.
"This is but one facet of our defense for the city. The majority of you will be given exact orders and placements after this meeting. We will be manning the defensive siege equipment and spreading out our mages. Also, everyone will be placed on a three-hour rotation to maximize rest and efficiency. The civilians of Curia will be supporting us, and we expect this battle to last well into the following day," said Lord Vasquez.
A single hand from the front row shot up. "And how exactly do we plan on winning this battle? Simply defending the city when no reinforcements are coming is essentially admitting defeat," Prince Leopold questioned.
"Prince Leopold, you are correct. Simply defending Curia is not enough. The undead, as they currently are, are infinite in numbers. For every man we lose, they gain another. That means in order to win, we must cut the undead off from their ability to rise again," Lord Vasquez said with a nod.
The War God spun the board around on wheels, revealing the other side. On it were long sheets of thin paper, and once he unpinned them, the rolls hit the floor. There were dozens upon dozens of names going down the list already but much of the space was left blank. Lord Vasquez's eyes narrowed as he addressed the crowd in a grave tone.
"The only way to stop the undead is to kill the Liches commanding the army. Our scouts have confirmed that eighteen Liches are present amongst the undead, all capable of raising the undead and using magic. Standing atop the walls, we will not see the destruction of the Liches as they will be hiding in the backlines. Therefore, we must go to them."
Lord Vasquez put an armored hand on the board to steady it, then quickly wrote his name atop one of the columns with his other hand. From the sides of the stages, out walked Professor Garrison, Ms. Taurus, and Marshal Cloudsun. They, too, wrote their names at the top of the lists.
"We will be accepting people into squads to strike into the heart of the undead army to take out the Liches. We've already gathered many elites from everywhere. Those here will personally take the lead against the Liches."
And then the crowd was set off.
"What? Are they crazy?"
"That's impossible! Are they just asking us to die?"
It made sense, all things considered. If we allowed the Liches to remain, they could just sit outside of our range of attack and infinitely raise the undead. Sure, we could attempt to destroy the bodies of the undead entirely, but it would take us a significant amount of time and effort to achieve anything worthwhile. By the time we did enough damage, we would be out of supplies, energy, and people. Striking at the heart of their forces was the only real answer to our predicament.
"This is basically suicide! We might as well just run now while we have the—"
"We'll go."
The first to offer their name was Guildmaster Elora. She stood up from her seat in the front row and turned to face the crowd. "I'll lead my men as well," she said somberly.
Standing up in a large group were about forty or so adventurers. They followed alongside their Guildmaster to the stage, and all began writing down their names and filing off to the side.
I let out a small sigh and stood up. "Might as well go next," I said to my family.
There was no world in which I was not a part of a team taking on a Lich. It was the only job for me and my family, really. The real question was if Varnir and Tsarra would join us.
Sylvia, Cerila, my mother, and I all walked to the stage to write our names. But we were not alone for long. Varnir and Tsarra followed behind us, and on cue, entire sections of people stood up to join us. When I made it to the board, Professor Garrison patted me on the back with a grin.
"Thanks for the save," he whispered.
Well…I don't think I did anything special. If anything, Guildmaster Elora broke the silence of her own accord before I could even stand up.
As I wrote down my name, Sylvia asked a question that sank my heart. "Lord Vasquez, can I go alone?"
I turned on my heels to protest. "Sylvia, you can't—"
She put a hand up to silence me as she stared up at the man. Lord Vasquez raised a bushy eyebrow as he stroked his mustache. "Is there any logic for this particular request, Sylvia? As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a sane person in this room who would utter those words."
"I can handle it myself. If anything, it would be easier for me not to worry about everyone around me," Sylvia said earnestly.
I…I see…
"She can do it. Trust her," I told Lord Vasquez.
"Kal? Are you sure? This is far too dangerous…" Mom asked hesitantly.
I gave my mom a firm nod. "If anyone can go alone and be fine, it's Sylvia."
In truth, this was for the best. There was no point in holding back or hiding abilities anymore. This was a life-or-death fight for the sake of everyone here and in the entire kingdom, Mila included. Sylvia could unleash her full potential now, and it would be better if she could go on a rampage without fear of hurting anyone. And if we were lucky, Sylvia's Blood Sorcery may just be the key we need to destroy the undead.
Sylvia smiled softly at me and eyed Lord Vasquez. "So? Will you let me?"
The War God closed his eyes and nodded. "If Kaladin believes you can do it…I see no reason to disregard his words now. We'll talk about it in detail after this."
Sylvia nodded in agreement, and together, we filed off to the side. After the long line of people made it through, more from the crowd joined and filed in, people who had already signed the papers beforehand. There were so many of us we were bleeding off the stage and onto the ground level. In the end, there were thirty groups of twenty people, including Sylvia. Six hundred and one people would challenge the eighteen Liches for the fate of the battle.
Lord Vasquez strode out in front again and looked up into the highest seats where the royal siblings sat. All three of them were standing and bowing toward us.
"These brave individuals will be our spear to strike the undead. As for the rest of you, rest well tonight. Orders will be handed out and disseminated to you and those under you within the hour. Dismissed."
—
After the strategy meeting, which was less of a meeting and more of just a run down with direct orders, we all went to have dinner together. It was a somber evening, to say the least. None of us were particularly talkative, only keeping up small talk. We simply enjoyed each other's company as we ate without addressing the elephant in the room.
Perhaps there was no need to do so. There was no point in pretending that tonight would be the last time we shared a meal or that this was going to be the end. That would only serve to crush our spirits. So instead, without a word to each other beforehand, we treated it as just another dinner. Afterward, we went our separate ways. I decided to take a walk around the castle grounds, and Sylvia joined me.
"Is there any particular reason you never mentioned this to me?" I asked her.
"What? My decision to go alone?" she asked.
"Yes…it was quite the shock," I admitted.
Sylvia giggled and wrapped her arms around mine. "Why? Afraid that little ol' me may get eaten alive?"
"That's not even remotely funny," I sighed.
Wait…
"Could…could you actually get eaten alive?" I asked hesitantly.
"Probably? But I wouldn't die or anything. It would just hurt a lot," Sylvia said innocently.
…
"Is it too late to convince you to change your mind and join our squad?"
Sylvia put a finger to her chin and smiled. "I don't want to hold back, and I definitely don't want to hurt any of you. I've thought about this for a long time, Kal, so it's too late."
"Even though it makes complete sense…I just don't like it. Well, a warning next time would be appreciated," I said.
Sylvia lurched forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll keep it in mind. I just didn't want you to try to stop me."
Embarrassed, I rubbed my face as I said, "Yeah, I probably would have tried to."
I stopped walking and looked Sylvia directly in her eyes. "But promise me that you'll retreat if it becomes too much. I can't let you get captured or worse."
Sylvia smiled softly. "Of course I will. I won't die, Kaladin. We have someone who needs us to come home. And if something goes wrong on your end, I promise I'll drop everything and run over to save you no matter what," she said softly.
"Then that's enough for me," I said.
Suddenly, the ground shook slightly, followed by a loud crashing sound. Sylvia and I immediately went on high alert as we sprinted toward the noise. We clearly weren't under attack as the bells to the city weren't ringing, and there was no way the undead managed to sneak this far into the city unnoticed. No, the noise came just a short distance away.
When we arrived, a lone person stood next to a downed tree, swinging a giant dark silver greatsword. It was Cerila. We stopped at a distance and watched her together for a time, but she didn't even notice our presence.
Sylvia let out a long sigh and nudged me forward. "Go talk to her."
"What? I—I mean, I will, but…" I trailed off.
Sylvia rolled her crimson eyes at me. "You act like I hate her or something."
You don't? Well…that's what I would say, but I don't think that would go over very well.
"She's been like this for a long time. Even when we went on patrols, she seemed out of it. Just like you, she hasn't had time to grieve. At least, that's what I assume," Sylvia said.
Have I just not noticed because I was so busy? It's not that I'm ignoring her or anyone else…
"What?" I questioned, unsure of what she meant.
"Kaladin…I know. I may not have liked that old man very much, but he was still family. You even lost your aunt. You've been charging forward for everyone's sake, yet you haven't even given yourself a moment to breathe. I hear you mumbling in your sleep all the time. If it was hard on you, then no doubt it's hurting her. Not everyone is as strong as you are," Sylvia said solemnly.
"I…I didn't know I was doing that…" I said, trailing off.
Have I been mumbling in my sleep? What was I saying…I…I'm not sure how I feel. Maybe she's right. I haven't even had time to think about any of this properly. I've just been doing what needs to be done.
Have I gone numb?
"So go do what you need to do. The last thing I want to see is her suffering in silence. Especially doing it alone…I know what it's like to lose your family," Sylvia said as she walked away.
"Yeah…I'll do that," I said to her back.
I watched Sylvia until she disappeared and turned my attention back to Cerila. She still hadn't even stopped and was continuing to swing her sword. I took a deep breath and walked right up to her. I got so close that I could reach out and grab her, but she still didn't stop.
I gave her a moment, but seeing that she had no intentions of stopping, I reached out and grabbed her sword arm. She jumped in surprise, and I felt her muscles tense as she swung around with hollow eyes. It looked as if she would actually attack me, but the moment she saw me, she stopped, dropping Hubris to the floor. The sword unnaturally moved itself on the ground until it touched her feet.
I just held her arm in the air while she blinked a few times. Her body finally relaxed, and I could see what I noticed before. Cerila looked beyond tired as if she hadn't slept in days. Her usual lustrous white hair seemed dull and thin. She was a mess.
And I feel terrible…I hadn't even noticed…
I released her arm and hugged her tightly. I didn't know what I could even say. Sorry for not talking to you in the last week. Sorry for dragging you off to some far off city to fight in a pitched battle that could be the end of us all? Sorry for not noticing your pain and helping you when you needed it most?
It's not like I was responsible for any of it. Maybe I shouldn't have felt bad at all. But I did. I didn't want to see Cerila hurting, and I felt terrible having to be told by someone else.
She seemed so small in my arms, and it didn't take any amount of time for her to start crying. I thought things were handled when we got back to the capital and that a simple hug would solve the problems then. But I was wrong.
We stood like that for a long time. Cerila's muffled cries went on until she had nothing left in her. I could feel the strength drain from her body, and when it seemed like she would give out, I motioned for us to leave.
—
Together, we made it back to the castle and to her room. I told her that it would be best for her to get some kind of sleep, and Cerila just nodded and went to wash herself, but I didn't leave. The last thing I wanted to do was just disappear the moment she got back.
I sat back in a chair and waited in silence. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long, but my heart jumped slightly. I had a slight bout of anxiety that history would repeat itself and Cerila would just waltz out wearing next to nothing, but that worry was dashed as she was fully dressed.
Am I that bad that I would just up and leave?
I looked to the sheathed Hubris, then to her.
The conversation turned awkward as we sat in silence. It didn't seem like Cerila wanted to talk much, so I swallowed my nerves and went first.
Cerila shook her head weakly.
It was my turn to shake my head at her.
Cerila smiled softly as she reached out and grabbed my hand.
Her words were meant to comfort me, but they only served to frustrate me more. I wasn't mad at Cerila but at myself. I had failed her once again. It seemed I could never get things right with her.
Cerila let go of me and signed,
Cerila's eyes went wide, but she broke out in an ear-to-ear smile.
I let her get comfortable as she slipped into bed and underneath the sheets. She was restless at first, but after about ten minutes of not moving, she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was rhythmic and relaxed.
I stood up and sighed once I was confident she was fully asleep. My heart felt heavy after our talk. I had been in a battle with myself for a long time. What was right and what was wrong? What I should and shouldn't do. But it all came down to what I wanted in this life.
Life was short and full of misery. But it was also full of so much more. So, what was the point of imposing self-suffering?
Before I left, I gave Cerila a kiss on the forehead.