Only the Bold by Morgan Rice

Author:Morgan Rice [Rice, Morgan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan Rice
Published: 2019-07-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Royce saw the sun creeping over the horizon and knew that the time had come. This was the day when, for better or worse, it would be decided. Around him, he could already hear the sounds of the camp rising, the people strapping on armor and readying weapons.

Royce strapped on his armor and slung the obsidian sword at his side, before walking out into the camp. Gwylim was waiting for him outside, moving in to step by his side, while Ember took flight from her perch atop a stack of spears. He could see the different groups starting to form up, ready to move to the battlefield, and he went toward his father’s tent, ready to help in any way he could.

When he got there, his father was already making plans, looking down at maps and moving blocks about. He looked up as Royce entered.

“I’m trying to decide the best ways to divide up our forces,” he said. “With the threat we know is coming from the north, we will have to send substantial forces to meet it. But only if it is actually coming.”

“I can check,” Royce said. “Although it probably won’t be easy.”

He sent Ember out, looking through her eyes. Always before, he’d kept her fairly close to him, close enough to swoop back in a minute or two. Now, he pushed her to fly north and east, to the coast, and beyond it. It was an effort, maintaining his connection to her at that distance, and Royce could feel his body shaking with it, the trembling itself a distraction as she flew high above the waves.

At first, he saw nothing but the waves, thought that maybe Genevieve’s message was wrong, or that the whole thing was a deception. Then, just on the edge of sight, he saw the ships. There were dozens of them, enough to disgorge a whole army onto land. They were coming in from past the horizon, heading straight for the shore. Unable to push Ember any further out, he pulled her back, and soon found the spot where they were likely to land: a long beach with a wood hiding it from view, and a road leading straight down toward the battle site. The enemies could land there and be in the battle in perhaps ten or twenty minutes, able to strike at his forces from behind.

“They’re coming,” Royce said. He pointed down at the map. “So many ships… I think they’ll land here.”

“Then we need to send people to stop them,” his father said.

“King Carris will abdicate,” Royce said. “That will sap the heart from them.”

“I know you have reasons for feeling that certain, but we still have to treat the battle seriously. We both know that the future isn’t fixed. Who would you send to counter this threat, and where?”

“Some of the Picti,” Royce said, gesturing again to the map. “There is a wooded area in front of the beach. They can fight in woods better than anyone alive. I would send some knights too, in case the fighting gets heavier.

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