“Everyone’s ready, correct?” Axton looked over at Kailyn, who was standing in front of her troops. She nodded, fully armored and armed. “We are. We’re going to be marching towards Norvstrom. We’ll arrive by tomorrow morning, and we’ll spend two days getting the lay of the land so to speak. I’ll send Vern to our rendezvous point just north of Norvstrom with any pertinent information that we could gather plus our positions. With any luck, you’ll be able to either revise your strategy so there’s fewer casualties or proceed as planned.”
Axton nodded. “Perfect. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again in a few days, with Norvstrom under the control of the rightful government of Eshal. I wish you good luck, and should your ruse be discovered, please be sure to escape without a second thought. Understood?”
Kailyn nodded. “Understood Sir!”
Axton smiled and nodded. “Now off with you.”
Kailyn turned and motioned forward. “Everyone, we march!”
Axton looked on as Kailyn and her troops marched away from the outpost, soon disappearing into the thick treeline. Taking a deep breath, Axton nodded, trying to calm his nerves. There’s no turning back now…we screw this up…
“If the troops saw their commander unsure of himself, that would tank morale, don’t you think?”
Axton looked back and glanced at Jaylee, who was standing behind him.
Axton chuckled. “You aren’t wrong…but you’ll have to forgive me just this once. I’m putting hundreds of lives at risk. If their deception is discovered, not only will they be slaughtered, but our forces will be at a major disadvantage, and we’ll have to prepare for a counterattack. We’re already in a precarious situation as it is, despite the recent reinforcements. If the enemy gets serious, they’ll be able to overwhelm us in moments.”
Jaylee chuckled to herself. “Well, look at that, you are human after all.”
“What…are you talking about?”
“Since our first year at the academy, you always seemed so sure of yourself. I remember in the second year when you even argued with a third year during the second and third year joint exercises.”
Axton smirked. “Well he deserved it. He was completely wrong, and my team would have lost if we went with his tactics.”
“And yet here you are now, second guessing yourself despite your natural confidence. Keep up that confidence. That’s your strength.”
Axton stared at Jaylee in disbelief for a few moments before shaking his head, smiling in the process. “Who would have thought that you of all people would be giving me a pep talk…”
“Somebody’s got to. After all, if you’re thrown off even just slightly, my life is at risk as well. Just think of it as looking out for my own life. I do want to be alive after this war is over after all.”
Axton smiled and nodded. “Well then, you certainly did achieve your goal then. Now it just up to Kailyn and her troops to pull through for us.”
“Do you think she will? She could use this moment to rendezvous with the enemy, tip them off, and set an ambush for us.”
“She could, but we do have to have some trust in her. Without trust, we’ll fall apart as a fighting force and second guess everything.”
“True…”
“Am I interrupting a meeting?” Aric walked in from the left and saluted Axton.
Axton saluted back and shook his head. “No, you aren’t. We’re just discussing the upcoming battle. What do you need?”
“We finally had a messenger pigeon arrive from the capital. You might want to read it…”
Aric handed Axton a wrinkled piece of paper. Quickly reading the contents, Axton sighed and nodded. “Thank you for giving me this. I’ll send a response shortly, so get a pigeon prepared within the next hour.”
“Yes sir!” Aric saluted Axton again and walked away.
“So, what does that letter say?”
“It’s surprisingly nothing major. I would have thought it would have been some orders or an update from the capital, instead it’s an inquiry about the number of troops we possess, and if we’re even still in control of the outpost.”
“Well at least they haven’t completely forgotten about us out here.”
Axton chuckled. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…”
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Merist, who had been bound in a heavily guarded dungeon, listened to his stomach as it loudly growled in hunger. He had long since eaten his ration of dried meat and stale bread for the day and his cup of water was bone dry. Just before his stomach growled again, he heard the clink of a door being unlocked. Looking up, he listened to a series of footsteps as the group of people walked towards his cell. Within moments, he spotted Alira, surrounded by four guards, two of them who used to have been members of his honor guard.
Alira glared at Merist as he came into her vision. “‘Commander’ Merist, I assume you’re satisfied with your accommodations. It’s much better than what you deserve, but orders are orders.”
Merist remained silent as Alira squatted down, looking him in the eyes. “I wonder how the six children you threw into ‘protective’ custody in a holding cell and then forgotten about would have felt if they had seen the same accommodations you’ve received. You at least got some food and water, receive a visit from guards to ensure your wellbeing, despite what’s going to happen tomorrow afternoon.”
Merist’s eyes grew wide as he understood what she had meant. Alira chuckled. “Oh, so NOW you decide to show fear about the consequences of your actions. Unfortunately for you, there’s no Prime Minister to pardon you for your crimes this time. You thought that by joining our side that you would ingratiate yourself with the new national leaders that would look the other way. Unfortunately for you, our general has a sense of justice.”
Alira stood up and motioned for the guard to give Merist an extra ration of food and water. “Enjoy your meal, as it will be your last.” She said coldly to Merist as she turned and walked away.
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