The last report they were able to acquire without betraying their intent to the Scelus Cadi army was yesterday early afternoon. It placed the army a day off to the south moving steadily north along the main road in a giant swath like a swarm of locusts. They would be here by nightfall so everything had to be in place.
Sabin got up and came round the table to sit beside Giselle. He looked more serious than she'd seen him in a while.
"What is it little warrior?" Giselle asked.
The boy shook his head and leaned quietly against her side. Giselle ate and offered bits and pieces that the boy took. She was glad since his plate across the table looked picked over.
"I'm scared." The boy finally whispered into her ear, his lip trembling.
"Me too." Giselle whispered back as she hugged him close.
Sabin's eyes widened. "But you are almost like a warrior, ink and all." The boy said in shocked hushed tones.
"Perhaps but bravery and being a good warrior does not mean absence of fear in a serious situation. It means we do not let our fear get the best of us as we do what we must." Giselle rubbed the child's back.
Giselle sat with Sabin in her lap and Kagan at her side debating just that. She was afraid, but they had to move forward. That was their only option.
Kagan quo Rordan
Kagan stood beside Giselle at the top of the wall recalling the quiet encouraging words she spoke to Sabin at first meal. The entire table had heard her sage advice and had been galvanized by it. Giselle had no clue of the affect her bravery and wisdom had on his warriors. They rallied beneath her attitude and encouragement. If a small female could muster such determination in the face of danger, then none of the men dared to be daunted by the coming odds. His warriors refused to let his bonded down, they refused to let each other down. Even the females were moved to help, preparing food and supplies rather than fearing what approached.
Kagan looked out as the sun moved past its zenith descending in the sky. The Toufik had long since left melting stealthily into the forest. Not even a wayward bird betrayed their location by fleeing the trees.
"I can hear them approach." Giselle said as she looked out into the tree'd landscape.
Kagan looked at her in surprise then glanced back out at the road hidden by the forest, nestled amongst the hills. He could not see Vigdis' army as he cast a questioning glance back at Giselle.
"They've got that infernal cloaking pulse turned on. I'd know that obnoxious whine anywhere." She shrugged.
"Then it is time for the rest of us to take our positions." Kagan said.
Giselle nodded quietly, her jaw set to keep her chin from quivering.
"If you or any of the woman are afraid then you don't have to do this." Kagan insisted.
Giselle had devised a ruse. A part the woman and the few warriors who would guard them could play should an enemy spy exit the forest to get a good look at the city and surrounding walls.
"That is not what I'm worried about." Giselle turned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't you go being too brave." She insisted as she kissed his chest.
"I would say the same for you." Kagan lifted her chin and kissed Giselle passionately. "You get your sweet little tail behind these walls by the time that sun sets. You hear me." Kagan insisted when they parted.
He thought her plan was well thought out, brilliant and unexpected. But it was still dangerous and required actual people putting their lives on the line. The fact that Giselle was one of those lives tore at his soul. He wanted to lock her up till all this madness had passed.
Kagan took a last long look at Giselle before he made his way through the city walls, Cyprian on one side and Tytus, his engineer, on the other. He sent up a prayer that Dagaa was successfully hidden and in position with the Toufik among the trees. Kagan was ready to end this charade with Vigdis quo Carnager.
Giselle
Giselle turned and blinked away her tears. It was time to pull it together. This is what they'd planned for.
"Let's do this!" Giselle said to Ismat as she steeled her emotions and went to work.
Giselle helped Ismat along with the other warriors as they loaded several bundles onto a transport. Giselle suddenly grimaced as she realized she held the feet of an actual body.
"Ismat!" She exclaimed. "I thought we put all the victims on the funeral pyre already!"
Giselle looked at the monk in confusion. They were supposed to add more false bodies to the still burning pyre so that it appeared they city was still inundated with disposing of the massive number of dead. But these shrouded mummified remains were very real. Why hadn't all the dead been seen to for the funeral?
"And what happens when the Scelus spy sees the shroud go up in flames but there's nothing inside?" Ismat's asked his logic sound.