LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 138: Out Of Options
"Almost half of us. Gone! Just like that!" Kael spat from the top of his dragon as he rode beside Bellamy.
The Chief said nothing, his back straight and eyes forward. Instead of flying, the dragons were walking. Leading.
Behind him were the rest of his aerial forces, and the still intact ground forces. They were making their way to the edge of the Ross barrier to lay their siege.
"Is this really the right move?" Kael growled. "Going back to where Ross had called the wrath of the heavens down on us himself. The riders are afraid, Chief. If only one man could do that, what could more do?"
"Do you want to be chief, Kael?" Bellamy hissed, fingering the battle axe affixed to the side of his saddle. "Challenge me and you can lead the tribe and make the shots. Do you?"
The two men glared at each other, before Kael looked away. They both knew who would be losing their life if the challenge happened. Until then, Kael would stick around and look menacing.
Bellamy turned back to stare forward, not letting any hint of weakness slip through. The whole army was looking up to him. He couldn't fail them. Not like he had thirty years ago.
Kael did in fact have a point, but Bellamy wasn't about to admit it aloud. There was, however, a reason for his confidence.
Lars had not just given them berry powder. He'd armed them. Not just with weapons but with information.
He'd told them of the strength of the Knight Commander at the outpost they'd destroyed. He'd told them of the strength of the soldiers and their placements.
Bellamy had used that information, attacking during the day, instead of at night or evenings, their usual time for raids. They'd caught the outpost off guard and it had worked.
Lars had also told them of the barrier. Of the protection over the Ross castle. He'd sought to attack, to catch them off guard in the same way he'd done for the castle, and instead, he'd suffered huge losses.
Half of the aerial forces he'd brought, wiped out by who the barbarians were now calling the Sky God.
But at least, it wasn't a total loss. He was confident that the Ross Lord couldn't bring his lightning rain again. According to Lars, he'd need to shed a ton of blood and absorb them in order to do it again.
He glanced back at the giant wagons behind him, making sure they were safe. Inside were the most valuable items in the entire army. He'd give his very life to protect what was in the wagons and it'd be worth it.
After all, those were the weapons Lars had given them. Weapons that could be used to break open the Ross barriers.
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"Look, Darius." Ren said from where he leaned against the balcony, staring out into the fields, where the soldiers were setting up tents. "You don't have to give up the barony for us to survive this. Give father some credit. I'm sure he'll be able to come up with something."
"Look, Ren. I appreciate the fact that you gave me the barony but if you were in my shoes, won't you do the same thing?" Darius asked from where he paced behind Ren.
Ren said nothing. There was no need to answer. Even without the threat of loss of lives like this one, he'd given the barony to his brother.
"I do need to give up the barony." Darius said. "What other option do we have?"
"Father said it himself. The attack by the wyverns and dragons today cannot be the extent of the barbarian army." Darius scoffed. "We all know that they have more animals at their disposal than just wyverns and dragons. We've all been to the border. We've all fought their bear Druids."
"And their bear Druids are not here yet." Felix said from where he sat, in the chair in the room leading out to the balcony. "So, we have time. Time to find something else."
"And look at what's happening!" Darius pointed outside to the growing crowd of tents. "They got to us. We had to activate the defenses! They breached the fucking border!" He waved vaguely to the north. "There's nothing stopping them from bringing their whole damned tribe to our doorstep!"
"Rosefield won't let the kingdom help us, we can't hire mercenaries. It'll take too long to bring them here from the other side of the Arondale mountains to the east, and they're too expensive anyways."
"So, I'll ask again. What other options do we have?"
No one said anything, knowing that Darius was right. There was no other option but this. The only good news was that their barrier would hold for long enough to give them time to find something else they could use.
"Do you know what still puzzles me?" Felix asked. "Why come here immediately?"
"What do you mean?" Darius asked.
"Think about it." Felix sat up, his expression serious. "If they were conquerors, looking to expand their territory, they would take their time, burning villages behind them to leave no one at their backs. But they came straight here. Why?"
"That's true." Darius nodded in agreement. "We all know the stories about barbarians. They can't leave their Green Trees. It's the source of their powers. And power granting trees take at least a hundred years to mature. So, why did they come here? Were they after something specific?"
"I think…" Felix trailed off before speaking again. "I think Lord Rosefield is right. I think this might be a House Ross problem. I think the barbarians are after us, not Albion."
"You're right." Ren's eyes widened and his head snapped to the door of the room, where their mother stood. "The barbarians are here for something."
"Mother?" Felix stood as their mother walked into the room. "What do you mean?"
"The barbarians are not here for just anything." Maria smiled sadly at her sons. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"They're here for me."