Aide Me

Chapter Twenty-Six - Prepare Me

"We attack from the north. It makes sense!"

"Are ye' crazy?! That's exactly what they'll be expecting us to do!"

"Exactly, so that's why they think we won't do it! It's so obvious, it's stupid!"

"Exactly, it's stupid!"

"Alright, calm down," Kai intervened between Hanke and Dashel. "Let's start over. We need to plan our battle strategy properly."

Emaia was trying to participate, but she couldn't focus. Things between her and Aide had become somewhat silent after their last talk, and she could barely manage to be around him. Even looking at him hurt. She had said the one word that ended whatever it was they had; She had pushed him away.

It was like admitting defeat—admitting that it was over. She had given up on giving him love, and he knew that, too. Nothing had ever hurt her more than that in her entire life. Knowing it was never going to happen. Because it couldn't. He couldn't.

The tension between them was thick in the air, even if the others had no idea. As always, Aide had morphed back into his calm, collected self the moment she had walked out that door. It was killing her to see how easy he could go back to the way it was. It just showed how little emotion he had left.

"I still can't believe they managed to find us," Hanke growled. "No one bloody knows ye' are up here!"

"Someone obviously did," Dashel snorted. "My money is on the King. I bet he knew they were alive all along, but was too lazy to do anything. I mean, he already got the throne, why care?"

"Actually, I think it's my fault," Aide spoke up. "That night by Lake Monahoe, when we got attacked, I let that one thug run. He saw me. He must've alarmed the King, and Ragnar must have started a search. There's only so many places you can hide up here."

"Bloody fool," Hanke bit out. "Why couldn't ye' just have killed him?!"

"I told you, I don't kill for pleasure," Aide coldly replied. "Which is why I didn't kill the guards that attacked us yesterday."

"That's right, you just scared them off with your little trick," Hanke scowled. It was obvious he was mad about the fact that Aide had kept his magic a secret.

"Guys, focus on the war," Kai cut in again. "Any ideas?"

"How about this," Aide begun and bent over the map of Senwarth Kingdom they had laid out on a wooden table. He was still a little pale from yesterday, but he was slowly regaining strength. He had to be a part of planning their battle strategies, especially now when they knew what he could do. "We got the support from both Daleon and The Western Coast. Both of which are producing armor and weapons as we speak. If the Daleon's attack from the southwestern angle, and The Western Coast comes in from the west, we'll make sure to come from north, right by Lake Monahoe, here," He pointed to the map. "Your men, plus us elves, will block their passage from here while the Southern Elves spread out and close the final gaps. We'll have Senwatross Capitol surrounded."

"With both the cities, plus the Southern Elves and us up here, that puts us on a total of what, one thousand?" Dashel summarized.

"Roughly. Maybe a little more," Kai affirmed. "I think Hero's plan could work. Ragnar won't have a chance to escape."

"That's assuming he'll actually participate on the battlefield," Hanke barked. "That fat old bastard wouldn't fight, even if it was to save his firstborn. Good thing he never had any kids!"