Only in case you need it.”


    Revenge. The word vibrated in Gabriel’s veins like a war drum.


    Will the same happen to me?


    The numbers are on our side, he thought, clinging to this small comfort as a sailor might clutch a raft in a stormy sea.


    You’ll only get in the way. Yet another voice, raw and unfiltered, broke through: I have to help. They need to pay for what they did. No more running.


    Fire," and the archers unleashed a torrential volley of arrows. The air reverberated with the harmonic twang of bowstrings. A deadly rain of arrows soared in a graceful arc across the field. The display of skill and unity was nothing short of awe-inspiring.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    How is that possible? he wondered.


    What is this strange sorcery? With a flick of his wrist, another sphere of fire shot through the air, landing amid the Balatian infantry this time. More cries and death followed. Damn, Ash. Damn the Paresh and damn this forsaken sorcerer.


    No more watching, no more running. He sprinted, charging down the hill, his armor clinking like a forlorn bell tolling for the brave and the damned. Today, he would join the fray, facing whatever god or monsters stood in his way. He would either find victory or meet his fate, but he would do so standing with his comrades, sword in hand. For Balatia. For us all.