Forty

I let out the happiest sigh of my life, hearing that Selene wasn't upset. I paused for a moment, then decided to press my luck. I gently pulled my arm from Selene's grasp and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her close. She let out a surprised squeal and, to my pleasure, didn't try to resist. At first, Selene was extremely stiff against my body, but slowly relaxed as she leaned against me.

I stared at her for a moment, then began to chuckle. Selene looked up at me, with her cheeks still slightly flushed, and asked, "What's so funny?" Turning to the battle raging in front of us, I replied, "This whole situation. I finally had my first 'moment' with someone. That someone happens to be a demon. A war is raging on in front of us. And honestly, I can't remember ever being this happy."

Selene was quiet for a moment, then replied, "I feel the same way. It's nice to be able to relax with someone who knows what I've been through." I nodded my head in agreement and pulled Selene tighter into my side.

The two of us sat in content silence, watching the war carry on in front of us, until I asked Selene, "Can you explain what is going on here? It looks like all the soldiers have died from the first attack." Selene nestled her head against my chest and happily replied, "Gladly. As you said, most of the soldiers from the first wave are dead. That means the real battle is about to begin. If you look towards the army we came with, you will see that the carts have been slowly advancing, now that they have a rough estimate of the archers' range."

Looking towards the carts, I noticed it was just as Selene had said. They seemed to have taken advantage of the first wave and were a lot closer to the castle than they were before.

Staring at the carts, I said, "You can clearly see where the arrows land on the ground. Why aren't the carts all the way up to that line?" Selene shifted herself against my body and replied, "I would assume because their whole plan revolves around those carts, they want to play it safe. There is always the possibility that the castle is hiding a plan, so again, they want to play it safe."

I looked towards Selene and said, "I have to say, listening to you narrate this war is a lot more exciting than watching it. You have a knack for painting a picture in my mind." Selene gave me a soft smile and said, "I appreciate your compliment. If you would like, you are welcome to relax, and I can do my best to let you know what is going on." I paused for a moment, then said, "I think I will take you up on that."

I laid back on the grass and watched as Selene laid next to me, with her head on my chest. Once she looked comfortable, I closed my eyes and listened to Selene's smooth voice.

"As we said, the carts are slowly moving forward, and they are pretty spread out. There are what look to be about twenty of them, and they seemed to be paired in two's. I can only assume that one is filled with explosives, while the other is some sort of decoy, or it has something in it to protect the other. The archers on the walls have all stopped firing while they wait for the carts to get into range. It looks as if half of the footsoldiers are now walking towards the carts. This is getting exciting."

I couldn't help but smile at her excitement. Not only could I hear it in her voice, but I could also feel the tension in her body. With a smile on my face, I remained quiet as she continued.

"The soldiers are removing the tarp from one of each of the pairs of carts. Ah, this makes more sense. Now they are taking out massive shields. Their plan is for the shielded soldiers to protect the remaining carts as they advance towards the castle walls. It will be harder for the archers to take them out by spreading out the carts like this. This plan isn't half bad. The soldiers have their shields situated, and they are slowly advancing. I have to say, I would hate to be the unfortunate ones sitting on top of the explosives. If things don't go as they hope, they will be the first to die. Ooh, now it looks like the archers have revealed their plan. A few have taken out what look to be crossbows, and the bolts are on fire. How can you just relax while all of this is going on?!"

With my eyes still closed, I asked, "Well would you like me to move so I can watch?" Selene quickly shot that down, saying, "I am very comfortable right now, so don't move." With a smile, I replied, "Yes ma'am," and waited for her to continue.

"The first volley of fire bolts are about to be released." Suddenly there was a massive explosion, and Selene let out a squeal of delight. In a high-pitched voice, she practically yelled, "One bolt managed to hit a cart, and the fire set off the explosives! The carnage is amazing, and you can tell it terrified the soldiers pushing the other carts. They are moving a lot faster, but leaving themselves more open to attacks."

As soon as she finished her sentence, another massive explosion shook the battlefield. I heard Selene clap her hands together, giddy with excitement. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the smile on Selene's face as she continued.

"So we are down to eight carts, and it looks like they are a quarter of the way. This is going to be close. Now the other half of the soldiers are beginning to move. Gosh, this is the best day ever. I'm having so much fun. It appears as if the footsoldiers are getting ready to do something else, but I can't quite tell what. Ooo, I think they have smaller versions of the explosives. Now the archers have to try and stop the carts and the soldiers before they get the explosives to the castle walls."

With my eyes still closed, I asked, "What good is a soldier holding an explosive?" With a laugh, Selene replied, "I was about to tell you, so if you are done interrupting, I will continue. Now, as I was saying, the remaining soldiers have small versions of the explosives and are going to place them at the castle's walls and try to make it back." Simultaneous explosions interrupted Selene, signaling that only six carts remained.

I could feel Selene's excitement as she said, "Come on! I want to get closer." I opened my eyes and asked, "Didn't you just tell me not to move and to be quiet?" With a big smile, she replied, "Yes, and I have changed my mind. Come on! You have to keep up." Selene dragged me to my feet, smiling the whole time.

I hesitated for a moment, not wanting Selene too close to the battlefield. Before I could voice my concern, Selene cut me off and said, "Please don't try to tell me that this is too dangerous. We both know I will not listen to what you say, and you will give in. So why don't we just skip all that?"

Selene stared at me with big eyes, waiting for me to cave, and it didn't take long. I let out a defeated sigh and replied, "Fine! Just stay close to me, please." Happy that she had gotten her way, Selene began to skip towards the battle, which was in full swing.