The South

The smell of smoke aroused Bard. He stirred, sitting, and his ears picked up the sounds of wind and hail. He jumped to his feet and looked at the window. Sen also roused and he grabbed his instruments. He chided himself. He shouldn’t have thought about them. Storm shades on the third night, it was already bad enough they had fought for two nights straight. Of the one thousand five hundred they had started with, about half were injured, and one hundred had passed on. The injured Seraphos hadn’t made it through the night, and two others had become injured right before the dawn. Kihana had stayed up, healing them all with the power of the suns. Jamil mentioned she was a chosen one of Healer, so these abilities were unique to her.

However, it meant that she would likely be asleep now, since she had stayed up instead of retiring early.

“Storm shades,” Sen hissed, and the two made it to the door. Kai wasn’t nearby, so they ran through the streets. Hail began again, and Bard kept his instruments safe as they hid under a ledge. Tonight would be a different challenge. His eyes widened as a beam of light struck nearby, the sound crashing. Lightning. They would have to be careful. At least the winds seemed more tame in comparison. But that could change.

As they made it to the walls, the damage was apparent. Hail stones about the size of the sun coins littered the ground. Branches were scattered, damaged, and some people were nursing bruises and injuries. The main force of the shades were still a way off, The storm shades were already circling, high above them.

“Chief!” someone shouted before one of the Seraphos landed next to him. “What are those things above us?” he asked.

Bard wondered why this Seraphos would start calling him chief? Was it just a reflex because so many around him did so?

“A storm shade. They can hide under storm clouds and can attack in the day. They untouchable as of now,” Sen answered. The Seraphos took the information in and then signaled to the others in flight.

“We’ll see what we can do against them. Focus on fighting the incoming horde,” he said.

“Stay safe,” Bard said in passing. The Seraphos nodded once before taking off and heading straight up.

Bard turned his attention to the approaching horde. Keeping an eye on the weather would make things more complicated, but they just had to hold out.

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Bard kept his fingers moving, his flute’s melody carrying across the battlefield. His fingers ached. He had never played so much over such a long time. And fighting the biting cold made his movements more sluggish. Sen stayed nearby, keeping any shades from entangling him. He kept his mind off the battlefield as much as he could, ignoring the cries as the warriors were injured, the sounds of the desperation and grief.

Sen got in between him and a shade, clashing with it and singing to a tree to have it help her drive the monster away. Amir charged after a fleeing shade, but was hindered when a flock of the things blocked his way, forcing him to retreat. Jamil protected his other side. The storm shades had released a torrent of water when the Seraphos had attacked, making the land slick and the wall impossible to climb. Even some shades struggled. When the gusts of wind blew, it froze everyone through their wet clothes, making the fighting more brutal. Kihana rejoined, but she was high in the sky.

There was a high shriek above, and the storm shades began to flee. Bard cast a curious glance up, and spotted the first signs of sunlight peeking through. Had they really gone into the day now? Was it finally going to end?

Kihana’s wings shone through as she descended through them. Had she been forcing the weather on faster, making the clouds break sooner?

The shades continued on the ground, avoiding the pockets of light. Their retreating visages made even Bard shudder. He relaxed a bit as the sun shone on him, a welcome bit of protection. The warmth of its light already reaching him. He closed his eyes briefly and then heard Sen groan.

Eye’s flying open, he turned in her direction. She didn’t seem injured, but he trod over to her, a bit of worry forming. Her face was pale, and her expression was only filled with exhaustion.

“Well done,” he said, moving to scoop her into his arms. She held out her hand to impede him, and with her other hand clutched at her stomach.

“Sorry. I think I was too nervous. Give me a sec,” she pled. Bard paused and relaxed his hands, waiting for her to calm down. “Those shades… they are getting more dangerous.”

“Everyone alright?” Jamil asked, coming over. Bard rose with a weary smile.

“We’re good over here,” he answered. Jamil nodded and started running around, checking on anyone he could. Others also began to do clean up. The storm clouds began to retreat more and more, allowing Bard to see what he couldn’t in the darkness. Fires where lightning struck were scattered around the village. Residents were hastily putting them out. Bard noticed Kai was helping with transporting the water from the lake. Hail stones were being moved aside and off the main walkways and roads. People began to gather, those who had been dragged out by the shades. Elvira’s tasks would only grow.

As he surveyed the scene, Sen rose and looked out where he looked. Bard gripped his flute and reached for her hand. She rested against her head against his arm.

“When do you think it will stop?” she asked.

“I don’t know…” Bard answered.

“You’re supposed to say ‘soon’,” Sen retorted, and he let out a surprised laugh.

“Really? I’ve never heard that rule before,” he remarked. She pouted a bit, and he ruffled her hair before pulling her in close.

“We’ll make it, somehow. Imagine, if we hadn’t gathered everyone together, we would be in much worse straits now.”

Before she could respond, someone called for them.

Bard followed up on many reports after that. Damage count both to structures and the fighters, supplies, and more. Kihana had her own report. The storm shades could be dealt with more easily from above. She would keep at least some of her elite Seraphos warriors to keep this place safe, but she needed to head back and let the temples know about this. Jamil was not happy about that and decided to head back with her, promising to get more supplies.

The catfolk left shortly after, wanting to take advantage of the sunlight. Bard wished them safety on their travels. A few with tokens joined them, in a bid to keep them a bit safer.

As the end of the day began to come, Bard watched for any signs of clouds. When none were forthcoming, he searched the horizon for signs of the shades. Night came, and all was still, putting him into a state of unease. Where had they gone? Why had they stopped? Had they pursued the catfolk caravans instead, since they were out in the open?

He tried to rest, but found himself unable to with all the questions racing in his mind.

As the next day came, he still had hardly rested. The sounds of a horn drew his attention, along with many others in the village. He raced to the source and was directed to look to the south. Flags appeared from across the fields.

Amir joined him and growled, hands clenched.

“Them.”

“You mean the southern tribes?” Bard clarified and Amir confirmed it. He hastily began to direct the people, getting women and children into the forest, having the dryads fashion the trees into transports if it came down to it. The flurry of activity surprised Bard. He noticed the birds that flew out from the mountains and headed towards the flags. There were still spies in their midsts.

Bard called on Kai and had him begin hunting for them in the mountains, while he helped where he could. Ultimately, he settled into the medical area with Elvira, feeling a bit defeated since dealing with human foes was outside his realm of understanding. The main concern was moving the injured towards the woods, instead of the field hospital near the wall. As he assisted, Amir took full charge and helped get rifflemen and archers ready, along with hiding the trees from prying eyes.

Bard hoped that Kai would find the spies soon, as they didn’t need any more troubles. Different birds flew out from the mountain towards the approaching armies, and Bard wondered what the significance was of them. Their appearance reminded him of Elder communication, and he clutched at his tokens, hoping she and the others were doing all right.

As the fighting started, the area inside the edge of the wall was struck with fire arrows. When Bard saw the rising smoke, he was grateful they had moved the injured to where it was more safe. However, that only lasted for a while as they heard horses on the sides. The southern tribes were trying to get around the walls. Bard and the Dryads had the forest move, scaring the riders. The horses however didn’t seem bothered by it, likely because they had grown accustomed to this sort of warfare. Bard organized the dryads and had them keep the trees moving, but creating a living barricade so that the people inside would be safe. It felt strange seeing the battlefield from the side of the forest. It both felt safe and not, and the trees would provide some sense of security that was foreign to Bard.

Kai came charging through with several unconscious people in his possession. Bard had them bound and imprisoned. Eventually, Amir and his warriors were able to come and handle the rest, leaving Bard relieved. This wasn’t his area of expertise.

As the fighters fled, Bard could see the destruction and gritted his teeth, however Elvira clamped her hand on his shoulder.

“You did well, taking charge back there. And your instructions are getting better,” she complimented. Bard wasn’t so sure about that. All this constant fighting was wearing him down. Amir gave a rallying cheer and had some pursue the fleeing tribes, while the rest were allowed to rest. More injured were brought in. Their injuries were far different, and Bard found himself tending to them with Elvira and some of the others.

Many thanked him as he came and treated their loved ones. Some passed on, leaving behind loved ones. Others only had light injuries and refused treatment until the others were taken care of.

When they were done, Bard didn’t bother with getting the reports. He and Sen returned to their home and flopped onto their bed, exhausted but relieved.