My brother rode up next to me as we looked onward at the great metal monster that the black swan had constructed. âSo, are you bringing this one down too?â
âNo⦠Well⦠Noâ¦â
âIt seems you're still making your plan.â
I leaned forward on Fritzâs head, hugging her neck as I stared at it. âIâm running low on juice⦠And Fritz canât kick through metal⦠It would just dent, not to mention the metal is over stone tooâ¦â
âSo you donât have a plan?â
I groaned, closing my eyes. âNo, I have a plan⦠I just donât like it⦠So Iâm trying to come up with a better oneâ¦â
âAnd how long will you wait before you give up on doing that?â
âUntil Mo gets here.â
âKaiâs sister?â He glanced back at Kai.
âOh yeah⦠That⦠Might be an issue⦠But it should be fine right?â Just as I thought that my eyes focused on Mo who was entering our camp from the side, frozen stiff at the sight of him. âWell⦠Itâs too late to worry about it now⦠Itâs impressive sheâs avoided him for this longâ¦â âJust go tell Kai to pretend like he doesnât recognize her because of the hood and mask. And if you can get him to say he loves her and doesnât hate her, within earshot, thatâd be great.â I clicked my cheek and got Fritz to head over to her, pulling her up behind me.
âSiyaâ¦â She muttered.
âI know, donât worry, he doesnât know youâre here, and you're wearing your disguise too right? If you arenât ready to talk to him you wonât have to.â
After his short talk, Airsidh rode back over to us. âOk, whatâs your plan then?â
I stared back up at the castle walls and groaned. âMo and I get over the castle walls and open the gate from the inside, while we are causing a ruckus, we have a few men free climb up the back wall to take out the archers and guards there, which should be distracted by us.â
âOk⦠So how do you two get over the wall? Whoâs going to distract the guards for you?â
I looked over at Mo. I couldnât say how exactly she knew from my expression, but the look on her face told me she was already aware she wouldnât like what I was going to say next. âNo oneâ¦â
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âWhat?â My brother asked.
âWe wonât need a distraction⦠Because⦠We wonât be climbing the wallâ¦â
âOh? So how are you getting over it then?â
Moâs eyes were suddenly as wide as a cat about to pounce on a resting bird, but she didnât say a word.
âYouâre going to throw usâ¦â
Dead silence filled the air between the three of us, and after enough of it, Mo finally started to relax⦠Until Aisidh started to slowly nod. âOk.â Her eyes instantly widened again at his agreement.
He dismounted, walking next to us and offering a hand. âIf you touch me Iâm going to stab youâ¦â Mo muttered.
He shifted his hand from between the two of us to just me. âShe seems nice.â He said calmly as I took it and let him help me down. Mo got off on her own but stayed hiding behind me, clearly opposed to the idea and just not saying anything.
âIâm not sure I could get you over the top of the wall from here though.â
âRight⦠Thatâs why⦠Fritz will help you⦠We ride up like lightning and then you toss me straight up right in front of a guard. Iâll take him out and land while you toss Mo right behind meâ¦â
He nodded. âSo then⦠Why did you both get off her just now.â
âThatâs⦠Becauseâ¦â I quickly felt my face start to turn red. âBecause you offered your hand!â âI was just stretching my legsâ¦â I mumbled. âLetâs just get this over with⦠And⦠If I end up not making it and falling⦠Please catch meâ¦â
The whole way there Mo clung onto me even tighter than before, almost as if she was the one scared of heights, but she let go without issue the moment it was time for Airsidh to toss me. After being kicked into the air by her strong legs my brother threw me and I flew up like the wind. The moment the wind rushed past me I began feeling a strange euphoria that sent shivers down my spine and made my back twitch, my eyes surging with a tinge of orange as I landed, kicking the guard in the face and pulling my sword to quickly block incoming arrows that were too hard to dodge.
I was a bit worried for a moment, but sure enough, Mo came right behind me and together we took out the guards lining the front wall, running down the stairs and unbaring the gate, kicking it open for our waiting army. While they advanced the men Airsidh led around the back scaled the back wall and surrounded them, in almost no time at all, we won.
When the battle was over, and even after my heartbeat began to slow, the tint in my eyes never left. I had to separate myself from the noise and the crowd out of fear I might threaten to cut someone's head off again⦠Although admittedly I found the likelihood of me losing control like that was low. Still, while the others celebrated by burning the flag of the conquered, I stood alone atop the wall, staring out over the field, thinking back to the many battles, and the lives that would have been lost had it been a real war. There was a deep longing inside me that I just couldnât explain as I began drifting closer to the edge of the wall, no matter how scared I was of falling offâ¦
âSiya?â Mo asked from behind, taking a step back when I turned to look at her.
âHey⦠Moâ¦â I turned back over the battlefield. âThatâs right⦠We arenât done yet⦠Thereâs one castle leftâ¦â
âWhen⦠I was alone⦠And scared⦠And a little confused too I guess. You showed up and gave me a hug. I donât know why, but it made me feel better⦠âDo you need a hug, Siya?â
I almost laughed at how bluntly she spoke, but the deep sorrow overtook that moment in an instant. âDo I look scared and confused?â I asked calmly.
âI guess notâ¦â
âMy whole body feels hot, but not like Iâm boiling⦠Itâs like even the heat coming from me is sad⦠I used to feel a deep hatred toward all humanity⦠But no itâs just only sorrowâ¦â âIâm not scared⦠And not really confused either⦠Someone cut off my wings⦠And ripped out my heart⦠And in place of rage, all I feel is a deep longingâ¦â I lowered my gaze down to the bottom of the wall. âIâm scared of heights⦠And yet I feel an overwhelming urge to jump, feel the wind rushing past me as I fall.â
I suddenly felt a tug pulling me away as Mo grabbed me and quickly stepped back, holding onto me tightly âI think⦠You should just wait for a windy dayâ¦â She said calmly, her eyes as wide as they were before.
âHa⦠Maybe you're rightâ¦â âI wasnât really going to jumpâ¦â