The Great Defeat (Part 3)

When Leonard woke up, they were still in a glade deep within the woods. The fire was burning, although its flame was now pale in comparison with the sun's rays coming through. Leonard sat up and looked around.

Kasian was missing, but Mira was still sleeping near the fire, her lips slightly open. A quiet snoring was carried through the air. Leonard had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from laughing.

They did not have much firewood left. Kasian was probably up the whole night and burned it, so Leonard decided to get up and find some more. Apart from that, he needed to wash himself a bit, and he remembered the small lake hidden in the forest.

Once he washed himself and returned with firewood, he sat down next to the fire. The air in the woods was still cool, but he could bet that once they leave the shade of the trees, it will be too hot. It was the middle of summer, after all.

Sitting only with the pants on, he put on his tunic he had washed in the lake before, near the fire to dry. Having nothing to do, he looked at his sword Sanguis lying in the grass next to him. He was now without any scabbard. It got lost when they took his sword, and once he called it, it returned to him without it. He caught the handle and looked at its blade. It was dirty and unpolished. He took a small wet rug and started cleaning it, lost in his thoughts.

Kasian's words from yesterday haunted him in his head. They never talked about these things. Their banters usually consisted of everyday things that happened to them. It has been a long time since they talked about something too personal or too important. Thinking about yesterday, he realized that Kasian was right. That was the thing that stung the most. Leonard never dared to say something to him. Although his friends never said anything about his low income, he himself started feeling insecure, resenting them just because they were luckier. He was just a big coward.

Do you want to show him that you are stronger than he is?

Leonard blinked. Those thoughts definitely weren't his, even though they echoed in his own mind. He looked down at the blade he was wiping with the wet cloth. Was it Sanguis talking to him?

Let me help you. I told you I would make you a proud warrior.

“Yeah, and what would you like in return?” Leonard asked.

A few drops of my master's blood will suffice.

“If I lose blood, I will grow weaker. That does not make any sense.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Leonard snapped. Mira woke up, sitting in the grass, looking at him. Her red eyes slowly glided over the glistening blade with a glowing crimson gemstone.

“You were talking to Sanguis,” she guessed.

“He asked for my blood.”

“Such a bloodthirsty weapon,” she laughed. “On the other hand, it is a sword, it could be expected.”

“Do all swords ask for the blood of their masters?”

“Not all of them,” she replied, rubbing her eyes. “It depends on their origin and life. I can imagine some sword of a knight who never went to any war, only used his weapon for protecting someone, would be more noble than the crude weapons that took many lives and were bathed in blood.”

“So it depends on their usage,” Leonard said. “And I found this sword on the battlefield, in the middle of corpses.”

“Sanguis is more sentient than other weapons I saw during my life. Or which I do remember. It looks like a very unique weapon. I wonder who was able to forge it. Maybe it was a normal broadsword, but it became conscious during the war?”

“Is that possible?”

“Many countries have legends of old items being revived after certain conditions are met. Sometimes, it is the longevity of that item, sometimes a powerful magic touches such…”

“Powerful magic,” Leonard said. “This sword was in the same place where the armies of Silgorod and Lunaria met.”

“Right,” she agreed with him. “Silgorod soldiers did not use mana, but Lunaria is notoriously known for its powerful priests wielding the holy magic. Maybe the sword absorbed their magic.”

“So the result of their holy magic is a bloodthirsty weapon? That does not sound holy at all. On the other hand, you did tell me that the magic in Lunaria is the same as forbidden magic here.”

“Yes, that’s right. From what I remember, Silgorod never had many people with enough mana pool and the ability to use it. Only a few could feel it or craft some spells, but over time, those people were more feared than relied upon. In the end, they decided to ban the magic and punish people who use it. However, this was done more than a century ago.”

“I didn't know that. They never bothered with giving me any history lessons.”

Leonard was not familiar with Silgorod, but he remembered the witch hunts from history in his own world. He wondered if the history of Silgorod was as bloody and just as tragic.

Mira laughed. “Isn't it ironic that they banned magic in the whole kingdom, and then they wanted to invade Lunaria to get a hold of the greatest witch in history?”

“She is indeed the greatest,” Leonard said quietly.

“You saw her, right? You had to be there because of that prophecy. The summoned hero shall lead the siege, triumph in battle, and bring the Moon Princess.”

“Please, stop talking about that prophecy. Every time I hear it, I want to throw up.”

“But I want to–”

A rustling sound interrupted their conversation. They both went quiet and turned around, but there was no one to be seen.

Mira’s red eyes glowed softly. “Kasian is returning,” she announced to Leonard. “I told him to find the nearby village where we will stay tonight. I don’t want to sleep under the open sky anymore.”

A few moments later, Kasian turned up.

“Did you find something?” Mira asked him.

“Novobrod village is just a few kilometres away from us,” he said. “You can directly cross the border there, and you will arrive in the Lunaria kingdom.”

Leonard looked at him. “How were you able to go so far? You stayed here the whole night, and you departed in the morning. Were you running a marathon?”

Kasian did not respond. Instead, he came closer to them and sat down on the grass, farther from the fire.

“He did not go there,” Mira answered for him. “He just asked for the direction.”

“In the forest? Whom?”

“The dead.”

“The dead,” Leonard echoed. “Is he able to speak to the dead?”

“Of course he can,” Mira said smugly, “he is my servant, after all.”

Leonard turned his head to Kasian. He was not saying anything, only looking into the fire. Why did those two get amazing superpowers, and he was summoned as a weakling? He wanted to say his summoning was the reason, because Kasian was reincarnated. Maybe if he were reincarnated, too, he would also obtain some powers. Then he realized Mira was summoned just like him. So the catch was somewhere else.

“Anyway,” Mira turned back to him. “You were talking about the war, Leo. Continue, please. I love stories where many people die,” she laughed. “Especially when they had it coming. How did the war with the Lunaria go? I heard only some rumors while being in the dungeon. I want to hear the whole story.”

“What is there to say?” Leonard asked. “We were utterly defeated and humiliated.”

The thing is, he did not want to remember that day. He was sitting on the horse, his body sore. Next to him, Soren was sitting on the black horse, holding a big banner with the flag of the Silgorod kingdom – a golden crown with a cross on a red background. Their King was right behind them, surrounded by his guard and other soldiers.

Soren was constantly checking on Leonard, his brows furrowed. “Don’t you dare to run away,” he repeated for the thousandth time to him. “I know you want to, but I won't let you.”

“Why should I run, when I can just die here like a dog?” Leonard snapped.

He wasn’t himself, but he knew exactly why. They were going to a war, and he knew he was going to die. Terror got hold of him, refusing to let go. Each part of his body was strained, screaming for life. But there was no way to run. He was a worthless hero, so the least he could do was to at least die as a brave warrior, not like a cowardly deserter.

The war ended within a few blinks. The men's screams and the ringing of weapons were replaced by cries and terrified neighs of their horses. Something dripped on his face. He looked up and saw bloody rain falling. The mighty banner of the Silgorod kingdom wobbled in the air and then fell down. He saw, as Soren slipped down his horse, hitting the ground.

Shrieks and cries echoed in the night.

Someone pulled the king of Silgorod away, trying to protect him. People who were still alive started running away. The war has ended. Leonard turned, wanting to do the same, when something hit him in his stomach. That was the last thing he remembered.

“Have you seen the Moon Princess?” Mira asked him. “She should have been there, somewhere in the army.”

Leonard shook his head. “I did not see her clearly. I saw the head priest of Lunaria. At least I think it was their head priest. He is ruling over their kingdom, right? There was one man dressed in very flashy colors in the middle. And next to him, there was someone with a petite figure standing. I think it was a woman, but I did not see her face. She was dressed in a long cloak, sitting on a white horse.”

“Did they have any armor on?”

“The ones in the first row, yes. The others, I don’t think so.”

“So the ordinary soldiers were in front and the priests in the middle. They fought with their magic. That is how your sword was born.”

“Probably.”

“Well, what happened next?”

“I don’t know. I woke up wounded and took Sanguis with me. Then I lost consciousness again. Once I came to, I was locked in the dungeon, waiting for my execution because they labeled me as a deserter. Even though I was probably the only one alive who remained on the battlefield.”

“So you didn’t run away,” Mira said.

Leonard did not tell her that he wanted to run, but he lost too much blood to do so.

“So the whole Silgorod army was defeated, and only a few people survived the battle,” Kasian summarized the story. “Do you think the Moon Princess has already awakened her powers?”

“Of course, I do,” Mira said. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to defeat the Silgorod army so quickly. They can use magic, but they cannot use strong spells.”

“Why?” Leonard asked him.

“Because for strong spells, you need to give some kind of compensation, or a sacrifice, you could say.”

“But you said they are probably drawing their powers from the moon itself.”

“Yes, but that takes too much time. You do not have a space for moonbathing if you are in the middle of a war. However, with awakened Moon Princess on their side, that is a completely different story.”

“Why should she be the most powerful?” Leonard asked.

“The legend says she was sent from heaven to the priests of Lunaria. Other priests are sons of humans. They cannot link their bodies with the spiritual energy of the moon because they were born here. But what if there is an entity that comes directly from the heavens? That would make it closer to the moon and probably closer to its energy.”

“So you think,” Kasian spoke up, “that the Moon Princess is some kind of moon catalyst?”

“It is just a theory of mine.”

“But wait,” Leonard interrupted them, “if she is enabling the moon magic to others, how should the people of Silgorod use her, if they cannot use the magic itself?”

“That is a good question, indeed,” Mira said. “So, it looks like the war was completely futile.”

“That sounds like you are quite sure about your theory,” Kasian said quietly.

“You know me,” she laughed, “I am never wrong.”