Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Sara

Sara stood at the edge of the wall, overlooking the river. It was a blue worm from this distance, winding around lush green hills spotted with trees.

It was easy to tell the two sides apart now. Jamie’s army - or what was left of it - stood guarding on this side of the river while their enemies swarmed across it.

Stryde against Tachlem. Blue against red.

Sara didn’t give a shit either way.

It was not an even fight. Waves of red-armored soldiers were wading across the flowing water, holding up shields against the arrows volleyed by Jamie’s men. Even with every Stryde man firing down the bank, they could not fall the enemy quickly enough. Only the rapid current prevented a blitzkrieg.

“It won’t be long now,” Sir Moralis said with a sad shake of his head. “It has been an honor to serve you both, Jamie, Tom.” He stood beside Jamie on Sara’s left. Between them were the three servant girls, including Sapphire.

Tom looked forlornly out at his meager forces on the field, comprised of two rows of archers and a handful of swordsmen, many of who were still badly injured. Only a ring of wooden barricades stood between them and the on-coming Tachelm army.

Sara glanced down the wall. She made eye contact with Sapphire. The girl didn’t seem to be hurt and Sara was grateful for that. She had a terrible feeling all of that might change, though.

At last, Jamie spoke. His voice was hollow, his words almost rehearsed. “The First Stryde failed in his quest to obtain a Goddess. The Second failed to gather the courage to try again. But I, Jamie Stryde the Third, Prince and Heir to the throne of Cold Castle, will not repeat their mistakes.”

Tom let out a gasp. “Lord Brother. The river.”

On the east side of the watery worm, a squad of Tachelm soldiers had made it across. Holding their red banner aloft, they threw down their clumsy shields and charged. The archers on the banks pivoted, firing a volley of arrows that managed to take down only a few. Sara held her breath. She waited for the collision, the moment steel meets flesh.

Even on the wall, she could hear the screams.

The Stryde soldiers pressed themselves against the back of the barricade, which had now turned from protection to a cage. They tried their best to shoot into the funnel of red soldiers, but with their focus taken off the river, more were making their way onto the shore.

Sara looked away just as another section of the barricade was breached.

“No.” Jamie grabbed her chin and forced her to take in the carnage. “You must see what we are up against. You must see the cruelty of our enemies.”

“All I’m seeing is your cruelty,” she told him.

Jamie laughed and pushed Sara right up against the ledge of the wall. “Just watch. You’ll see what true cruelty is.”

Wind blew around Sara’s bare legs, raising goosebumps along her skin. In the distance, corpses were piling between the barricades, their bodies stuck like pincushions.

But as Sara watched, something seemed to be happening to those bodies. They started to twitch, small movements at first, then building into seizures until suddenly they shot straight up.

Sara gasped and backed into Jamie, who gripped her shoulders. “They infect their own with the Blight Sickness.” The Prince’s voice had an edge of a smile in it, like even he couldn’t quite believe what was happening below.

Red armor glinted in the sunlight as one by one, the fallen Tachelm soldiers stood up. They dragged their broken bodies through the mud, clambering over the barbed barricades with their bare hands.

“Goddess above,” Tom breathed. “Three out of a dozen?”

“They’ve made progress since the last siege,” Sir Moralis said softly.

The hands on Sara’s shoulders tightened. “What you see here will play out across all of Arcadia. Villages will be decimated. Innocents will burn. Unless you intervene.”

Under the collective force of men and monsters, the blue forces were obliterated. The last of their screams echoed long after the final soldier fell.

Sara had no words to say. But Jamie did.

“It was never supposed to be like this,” he said. “Just last year, I was still fantasizing about winning my own tourney and gaining knighthood. And now, I find myself sentencing death to all those around me in my father’s name.”

“It’s not too late to see reason,” Sara told him. “You can retreat like you did yesterday. You don’t need to die on this hill.”

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Jamie squeezed her, then let go. He stepped back and walked past Sir Moralis, stopping behind the three servant girls.

“Blood has already been spilled on my land.” Jamie spun the girl around so she was facing him, then in one motion pulled out his dagger and stuck it into her belly.

“What- no!” Sara lunged forward but Sir Moralis was quick to hold her back.

Darkness encroached upon the top of the wall. Jamie twisted the blade, drawing fresh blood. The girl crumbled into him and he shoved her away, letting her fall down the wall.

The thud of the body was like someone taking a hammer to Sara’s heart.

Jamie wiped his bloody dagger in the crook of his arm, and then stepped over to the second girl.

“W-wait,” Sara said. “Hold on a second. I feel like we need to just sit down and have a long talk about this.”

Jamie pulled back his foot and kicked the girl straight into empty space.

“You monster!” Sara struggled to get free but Sir Moralis was astonishingly strong for an old man. “You’re the worst human to ever exist, Jamie!”

Coming now to the last girl, Jamie commanded her to turn.

Through tearful eyes, Sara watched as Sapphire spun around. “Dear god, no,” she said. “Run away, Sapphire!”

Jamie grabbed a handful of the girl’s blouse and walked her to the edge. “You gave her a name?” he asked with a laugh.

Dread settled deep inside Sara’s stomach as she came to the sudden realization that everything up to this point had been orchestrated by the prince. “You knew I’d refuse,” she told him. “You knew it would come to this, so you sent her to get close to me.”

Jamie’s reply was calm, devoid of the emotion Sara was showing. “If the enemy takes this fortress, the fate of these girls will be one of torture. Sometimes, death is a mercy not everyone is lucky enough to get.”

“Bullshit,” Sara said, then screamed when Jamie pushed Sapphire over the edge. “Wait, wait. Jamie!”

Jamie stopped, his fingers slack around Sapphire’s blouse. The girl was halfway over, her hair flowing freely in the wind. Far below, the Tachelm forces were making their way over, red banners flying high.

If only I was stronger, Sara thought bitterly. I would kill them all. Not just those coming through the trees. These three on the wall, I will cut them down too.

As she had the thought, Sara’s world took on a blue tint. Everything slowed, stopped. A holographic box appeared in front of Sara’s eyes. She blinked, trying to adjust to the bright light as her mind decoded the words coming to view.

> Strength.

>

> Agility.

>

> Finesse.

>

> Constitution.

>

> Mana.

>

> Chaos Control.

These were the words shimmering on the left-hand side of the table. Sara recognized some from the games she watched Yuzuru play when they were young, but that was too many years ago, when she hadn’t learned to mask her emotions under the guise of rage yet.

Sara wished she could remember more of those days, but now was not the time. There was a second part to the table. Casting her eyes over it, Sara saw she had a total of 25 unspent attribute points, and also something called Total Chaos, which was at 35 out of 100.

She didn’t know what the numbers were referring to, but the unspent points were self-explanatory. She reached out and tapped on Strength.

The effect was immediate. She felt a wonderful surge of power. She tapped again, then again, adding more points. It was magical. She felt like one of those inflatable punching bags, only what pumped through her veins wasn’t air but pure might.

Time resumed. Jamie’s hand continued to let go, pitching Sapphire closer to her doom. Sara reached behind her, grabbed Sir Moralis and threw him over her head. The old knight careened into Jamie, knocking them both towards the edge. Tom dived to catch them but couldn’t get Moralis in time. The old man slid off the side of the wall, screaming as he plummeted out of view

They all heard the crunch.

Sara hauled Sapphire back from the ledge. The servant girl was speechless, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared up into Sara's.

“No!” Jamie howled as he clambered to his feet. “You were supposed to learn magic!” He pulled out his sword and came at Sara. “You’ve wasted all those lives!”

Sara pushed herself in front of Sapphire. "You forced me to do this, Jamie,” she told him, but the prince wasn’t listening. He raised his sword and swung. Something cold pressed into Sara's hand. She didn’t have time to question what it was. Bringing it up, she blocked Jamie’s strike in a shower of sparks.

Jamie’s eyes widened as he stared at the dagger, locked against his sword. Then he cried, “You dare use my own dagger against me?!” And lunged.

Steel clashed, shivers running along Sara’s arms. The Prince came at her again and again, yelling incoherently.

It made sense, and yet it didn’t. With each swing, Sara found it easier to fend off the prince’s attacks. Soon, she was the one forcing him back. When the prince slowed just enough, she stepped in and shoved him staggering back into his brother. For a moment, Jamie and Tom stood in stunned silence. Even Sara couldn’t quite believe what just happened. She looked down at her hands.

“The power of the Goddess,” said Tom. “It’s real.”

Sara snapped out of her thoughts and pointed the dagger at the brothers. "Enough of this, Jamie," she said. "I've already told you, this is crazy." She inched towards the wooden lift down the wall, gesturing behind her for Sapphire to do the same.

Jamie’s face deepened into a scowl. "The Prince of Skulls will chase you down," he said. "If you leave, all of Arcadia will be his."

“That’s too bad,” Sara said. “Because, and this is true, I don’t live in Arcadia.”

Jamie launched himself across the wall, his sword slicing the air. Sara traced the path of his blade. It was sluggish, his form all over the place. She side-stepped and thrust with her own weapon.

She meant it to push him back. After all, it was only a dagger. So when the blade pierced right through Jamie's steel sword and sank hilt-deep into his chest, she was as surprised as he was.

"Shit." Sara let go and stepped back. “Sorry. Shit.”

Jamie dropped his sword. His hands went up to the dagger. Tom was by his side, screaming into his face. Blood cascaded from their joined fingers, pooling onto the stone. The Lord Prince fell to his knees with a heavy clang.

"I didn't mean it..." Sara stood where she was, unable to move. "I swear..."

Tom was silent. He held onto Jamie as the prince slid further down. They were so alike, each with light hair and gold studs in their ears.

“It is time to leave,” Sapphire whispered, tugging Sara onto the rickety platform. “You have chosen a side and now you must follow it.”

What side? Sara wanted to ask, but words failed her. She held Jamie’s eyes as the lift descended, and even when the brothers disappeared above the dark stone, she could not forget that look of complete betrayal.

My own, or someone else's?