Chapter 38. Her Highness.
The room fell into silence as Tamira, the grayhaired man, and their seconds, took their seats across from each other; their features were unreadable as they awaited their orders.
“Arthur,” William addressed the grayhaired man—his personal commander, I guessed. “Tamira,” he turned to the commander of the Royal army. “I have summoned you here on such an early morning, for it seems we will be attacked by Wurdulacs. I order you to—” Barren started.
“By our knowledge, Kane and his army will be here within the next couple of days.” I interrupted before Barren managed to finish his sentence.
His jaw clenched at my boldness, yet he refrained from saying a word: his eyes flickered to the dagger at my waist. “Kane’s army is approximately a thousand people, but they don’t have enough Royal steel weaponry to supply every warrior.
Which means, we can fight on equal grounds once Gabriel produces enough Royal steel for our armies.
” I pointed at the man by my side. “However, the numbers are still on their side, and we must find a way to eliminate as many as we can before they arrive at Silverstone.”
“We must evacuate the residents of Silverstone first.” Tamira nodded, glancing at Barren. “Then we can establish our forces around the perimeter of the region.”
“The residents can seek shelter at the human village near Faris,” Roxanne suggested. “They will be safe there for the time being, as long as we manage to funnel the Wurdulacs here—at the castle, where stone walls can protect our armies from direct attack.”
“Agreed,” Arthur offered a slight nod, turning to Barren for approval. “Do I have your authority to start the evacuation of the local villages immediately, Your Grace?”
“Are you mad, people? We all must evacuate!” Barren stood up from his chair. “The Wurdulacs are coming here, their army is five times as big as mine—”
“Evacuate where? If we run, we would just prolong our suffering, not be rid of the threat.” Roxanne rolled her eyes; her arms crossed at her chest. “They will attack Faris next if they are successful here, it’s best to have the battle at this castle: when we are at our strongest.”
“Surely you wish for my people to die for your kind,” William snickered. “Have a battle here, so we have time to flee,” he mocked.
“As I already said, we will retrieve Faris’ warriors once the sun is down.” I forced a slow breath into my lungs before turning to Arthur and Tamira. “Evacuate everyone who cannot fight to the human village near Faris,” I told them.
Arthur looked visibly nervous as he met my gaze.
Tamira, however, nodded at my suggestion; before she managed to say anything, Barren slammed his fists against the walnut–wood table.
“It is my army; I give out the orders!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, his face reddened.
“Hence, I decide what is right for them! We are evacuating,” he told Arthur and Tamira.
“Where!” I repeated the same question Roxanne had asked through clenched teeth. “They will hunt you anywhere. Only, by then, your army will be tired and without shelter. These walls are stone, they will protect humans while fire erupts!”
“My word was final, Cordelia. You’ve lost your right to speak on the issues of our people once you turned into the devils’ spell,” he spat out, pushing the chair out of his way.
The chair hit the marble floor with a muffled thud as Barren’s graceful steps clicked against the marble, walking towards the door.
Arthur got up from his chair, his second—a blond boy that looked barely past eighteen—followed his lead, yet the uncertainty shone bright, deep in their human eyes.
Arthur’s lips were sealed as his eyes watched William departing from the room, it was Tamira who spoke, “Your Grace, you are making a mistake.” She faced William, her shoulders straightened, nothing but determination present in her features.
“Her Highness makes a compelling argument.”
Silence. William froze at the door before turning on one heel.
I could have blamed fear for Barren’s rash decisions and emotionality, yet I knew better.
“Her Highness,” he tsked, laughing. “Her highness,” he mocked.
“Oh, sweet Tamira, you are mistaken: she is no Highness—merely a filthy vampire like the rest of her kind, with no respect for human tradition and value.” He put his hands behind his back as he rounded the hall.
“Her rich speeches about wanting to help are no more than a ploy you are getting trapped in.” He smirked when his eyes burrowed into mine. “We are evacuating.”
Tamira stood from her seat, her hands inches from the weapons she kept at her belt. Barren’s eyes fell onto the blades as his throat bubbled.
“My army is staying here,” Tamira stated at last.
“What did you just say?” Barren seethed, yet took a small step backwards.
“My army is staying here.” Tamira’s chin rose high.
“I do not answer to you, duke, I answer to the crown.” Her voice dropped a few octaves.
“And regardless of the crown's decision, my duty is to do what is best for the warriors I am responsible for. I will never put my people into jeopardy. And what you are offering is madness.”
“Your duty is to follow orders of the crown, commander.” Barren nodded. “Given that the crown is no longer with us, you are to answer to me.” His body shook, the muscle on his temple twitched. “Gather your people, commander, we are leaving these grounds.”
“My people will never flee from hardship, we were trained to fight till our last breath, we were trained to protect, not run.” Tamira shook her head. “And we are surely not running into the uncertainty you propose. I will not expose my people to more danger than we are already in.”
A bright laughter broke through the halls, bouncing off the walls, as Barren’s lips stretched into a sneer. “My army is bigger than yours. There will be no man left after we evacuate, leaving you behind with only these devils.” He shook his head. “Arthur,” he called, opening the doors to the hall.
When Arthur didn’t move, Barren's voice screeched through the room. “How dare you, bastard!” Saliva splashed out of his mouth as he spoke, “I put you in that position, you are to answer to me!”
“Forgive me, Your Grace.” Arthur swallowed, his head hanging low. “I cannot order my warriors to run from this battle, not when many of them have lost so much at the hands of Wurdulacs.”
“They are my warriors.” Barren’s piercing scream cut through the air. “I don’t need you to rule my army.” With that Barren escaped the hall.
The court hall fell into silence, six pairs of eyes piercing through my flesh.
“What is our plan?” Tamira voiced the question that lingered in the air—the question I did not know the answer to—as she looked at me, her hands locked together on the table.
I’d told Roxanne I knew nothing of strategy, and I hadn’t lied. Mother never allowed me into the war room; besides, when the last war ended, I was a seventeen year old girl, still believing in princes from fairytales.
“We must use fire to our advantage,” Roxanne began when I glanced at her.
“Set our first wave of protection at the perimeter of Silverstone. Our best archers should be there, hiding within the tree lines. Once the Wurdulacs cross the border, our armies should attack from behind: trapping them in.” She looked over the table.
“We will lure them here, to the castle, where the rest of us will wait, prepared.”
“We only have fifty archers currently at the castle, that is not enough.” Tamira shook her head.
“Faris will bring a hundred more,” Roxanne argued. “They will use fire arrows, giving them a slight advantage against Wurdulacs: vampire flesh burns within seconds.”
I drew a breath as Simon burned in my mind, his last screams echoing through my heart.
“Once Wurdulacs have nowhere else to go but here, we will launch our second wave of defense, surrounding them on each side,” Roxanne continued. “The Royal steel weaponry will be to our advantage.”
“What then?” Arthur sighed. “The numbers remain on their side. Even if we manage to kill half of them before they make it here, what good would it do if we have no one left to fight.”
“We need to create a trap,” Gabriel’s voice boomed through the room; every pair of eyes landed on him, waiting for elaboration. “Oh, I don’t have a trap in mind, I am merely stating that is what we need to do.” He shrugged, leaning back on his chair.
My gaze met Roxanne’s as my lungs squeezed shut.
Her eyes narrowed as though the same thought reached her mind.
She crooked her head, her brows rose high in question.
I offered a small nod, swallowing the growing lump in my throat.
“This castle has portcullis as well,” I answered her silent question, forcing a sinister smile to spread across Roxanne’s lips.
I lost track of time as we sat in this candlelit room. Maps and small figures splattered on the table, covering its every inch. The conversation, the planning, all swept through my head without lingering long enough for me to comprehend.
Arthur and his second had left a while ago to organize the evacuation of the nearby residents, leaving Roxanne and Tamira to plan through each line of defense.
My eyelids fought to stay open as the exhaustion, hunger, and... heartbreak took over every ounce of my being.
What awaited us when we returned to the palace? What kind of suffering had Francis to endure right now, as I sat in this room being utterly useless? Was he strong enough to survive the damage inflicted upon him until I could reach him? Were his last words to me a goodbye...
“His Grace left the estate, along with fifty three of our warriors.” Arthur walked back into the hall, pulling me away from the dark thoughts in my mind. “He headed South, as he planned.”
Those who followed after the Barren were as good as dead if we failed this battle. All of us were.
“Is the plan complete?” He studied the maps with wooden figures.
“Yes, merely small details left to finalize.” Tamira nodded, getting up from her chair.
“I should start on the weaponry, then.” Gabriel stretched his open palm to Roxanne. “We mustn’t waste time.”
“I will go with you.” Roxanne got up from the chair, her hand lost in the pocket of her cloak.
“No, you need rest before the trip to Faris. The sun is going down in a couple of hours.” Gabriel shook his head. “I can do it myself.” His hand was still in the air, waiting for the flint.
Roxanne bit her lower lip as her eyes filled with concern when they lingered to me. If only I knew what to do... With Barren gone, I worried not for our safety in this castle, though the risk was still there: despite Tamira’s and Arthur’s reasonable minds.
“We can assign a few warriors to your aid. How many do you need?” Tamira turned to Gabriel.
Gabriel looked at me before replying. “The forge of Royal steel is highly secretive. I can do it myself.”
“It’s fine, Gabriel,” I protested. “Take as much help as you need, there is no reason to keep this a secret. Humans are privy to this information, especially in times like these.”
Gabriel nodded. “Ten, if possible,” he told Tamira.
“Consider it done.” She nodded at her second. “Louis, take Gabriel to the forge and find the best smiths among our army for his aid.”
Louis—a middle-aged man with long, light-brown hair that reached his waist—nodded, walking out of the hall. Roxanne threw the flint at Gabriel, who effortlessly caught it, hiding it into his pocket.
“Would you like someone to accompany you to a room in the meantime, Your Highness?” Tamira faced me, her hand inclined.
“It’s Cordelia,” I said as Tamira frowned at my desire to ignore my foolish title—something she no doubt considered insubordination.
“And no, I know my way around the castle, thank you.” I gave her a swift nod, gesturing for Roxanne to follow after, as I led us to the only room in this castle I could bare: to the room that used to be my sanctuary—most of the time, at least.