The Last Night

An uneasy calm fell over the village. Everyone was waiting for the Prince to react to what they had done. However much time was left, Kyle knew they would need every moment of it.

Thankfully, Kyle had been restored to his male form after a good night’s sleep. Apart from the women asking Meredith some very pointed and leading questions, that was the end of that experiment.

Seated around the dining table at Kyle’s cottage, a miniature war council had assembled. In addition to the usual crowd, Benny and York joined the discussions. Various objects littered the table help them understand what was happening.

“The Prince can come at us from two directions,” said Kyle, putting salt and pepper shakers down on the table. “To the southeast is the main road. It winds through the hills and we’d be able to do what the mountain ogres did to us – block the roads and roll boulders down on them. It’ll stall them or take some out early.”

He rolled a small piece of cotton past one of the shakers.

“If they get close to town, then they’ll be downhill the rest of the way. Great for a cavalry charge, but we can prepare a defensive formation there.” A string of forks were strewn in front of the shaker. “Pitchforks and spears will help us knock the knights off their horses.”

Benny pointed to the other shaker. “What about the shortcut through the forest?”

“It’s a gamble,” Kyle admitted. “The shortcut’s an open secret between us and the locals. The Prince might know about it. If he does, he might send a part of his forces through to catch us off guard.”

He moved the shaker closer to the center of the table.

“We can’t block off the forest the same way as the main road,” he continued. “The best we can do is create another defensive formation in case they try to flank us.”

Another string of forks were laid across to block the second salt shaker.

Kyle wrapped up his plan. “Both formations get shields to protect them from arrows. We keep the bulk of our forces in reserve. Give ourselves some flexibility to react. Benny, you lead the force at the main road. Kari, back Benny up with magic barriers in case the mages show up. York, you’re at the shortcut. Abagail, Meredith, back York up in case the mages are there. Fiona, you’re leading the reserves. Once we know where the bulk of his forces are coming from, you move them in to reinforce.”

Benny raised an eyebrow. “What about the magical armors we saw in town?”

Abagail pulled out her wand and dotted the table with small, pink glass orbs. “They’re tough. And those rubies might let them fire magic at a distance. I don’t know how far – I’ve never seen them do it.”

“They can’t have too much charged mana,” Meredith pointed out. “If they’re being powered like anything Kyle’s built, they’ll empty their batteries quickly if they fire too much. If they’re brought in, they’re either wheeled to the front line as heavy support or they’re kept in the rear and raining down beams until they’re out of juice.”

Kyle grimaced. “I’ll have to handle the armors and the mages wherever they show up.” He put his sniper wand on the table. “I’m the only thing we’ve got that can match their range, and they don’t know we have this. Once the knights have charged, any way we can take the others down, do it.”

Fiona stared at a paper crown at the corner of the table. “And the Prince?”

“Assume he’s got a similar set up that I have. A ring of power and some other gift from the gods. If my amulet is aligned with what Metis stands for, then whatever Demerius has will be aligned with Midas. Something involving good fortune and wealth. Expect the unexpected and be careful.”

“Aye,” York mock-saluted. “We’ll get to werk.”

Benny rolled his eyes and joined York in the mock-salute. “Hail, our fearless leader.”

The two men had a good laugh and went out the front door.

Kyle looked at the women who remained. “I have an idea for one more thing we can throw at them. It’s a stupid idea but if we all work together we might build it in time. Fiona, I’m going to need your armor.”

“Aaaaw, but it took me forever to assemble that!”

“Abagail, Kari, Meredith. We need some build some batteries.”

----

Hours passed, with Abagail, Kari, and Meredith all taking instruction from Kyle on how to build a battery. It would have been easier to take the ones powering the water supply, but it saved too much time for everyone to go without.

The women filtered into and out of the house over time, taking breaks when they could. None of them fully understood how Kyle had gotten the idea for this, with Kyle only remarking that it was ‘from a different genre’.

Fiona was the odd one out, being the only one who couldn’t cast magic. She was trying to help out around town but there was a limit to what pure strength could do. At least, a limit that wouldn’t make things harder for everyone else.

So she sat alone in Kyle’s yard, staring up at the stars and drinking beer from her glass.

“Nice night.”

Fiona’s head whipped around, to see Kyle coming out to join her with his own filled glass. “It’s nicer now.”

Kyle smiled and took a seat next to her. “Gold piece for your thoughts?”

“I feel useless,” she told Kyle. Fiona guzzled down the rest of her drink. “Everyone else has magic or whatever, and I’m waiting for the chaos to start.”

“I get it.” Kyle started on his own drink. “To be honest, I’ve been sitting at the table thinking the same.”

Fiona put down her glass and looked up at the sky. “I was so scared the day the Prince came, so angry. I told myself if I even saw him, I’d kill him. I’d slam his body into the ground until he was dead. And then when I saw him, when I finally had my chance? I blinked. I didn’t do a thing. No avenging my parents’ loss, or all the time we lost together, just stood there like I was a little kid again. I hated myself for it.”

Kyle rubbed her back. He wasn’t good with emotional beats. All he could do was speak to what he knew. “You know, I think all of us felt the same way at one point.”

“You think so?” Fiona wiggled her big toes, continuing to stare at the stars.

“I do.” Kyle watched Fiona’s glass fill itself back up on its own as everyone else started filing out with their own drinks of choice. He quietly explained what he meant to Fiona, putting an arm around her shoulder.

Kari sipped her ale from a plain chalice. She had been ripped from her home and sent to a far off land, all in the name of satisfying a political arrangement to a man she’d never met. And when that man turned out to be a monster, she was forced to live with the knowledge that it was for nothing.

Meredith lifted a glass that was twice as big as Fiona’s and sipped it through a straw. She had a well-to-do job serving the nobility, and was the one person Demerius owed his life to more than any other. And yet when push came to shove, she was thrown aside like garbage. Like everyone else.

Abagail scooted next to Kyle, taking a swig from her flask. She’d had to live with the consequences of Meredith losing that royal position, reduced in prestige to living in a quiet little town and remaining at his beck and call.

And Kyle? His grievance was far more recent. He’d been promised peace but only offered poison.

The five sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company and drinking to their heart’s content. No words needed to be said. No fights to be had. They had each other and for one night that was enough.