December 6th

“Okay, so, according to our reports, they should be here in two days.”

“That’s if we trust Blake,” Lorelie interjected.

I shot a sidelong glance at her. “Yes. Why would we not trust Blake?”

My throat became a little dry.

Lorelie obviously didn’t have a good enough answer for me so she shrugged, her hazel hair rippling on her shoulders.

“You were saying, Leventri?” Davies asked dryly.

Davies, Lorelie, Buckley and I were stood in a circle, sunk into the crisp ivory snow that lay in the clearing. The weather had calmed slightly so the trees were swaying not quite as violently, but the wind still managed to whip up our hair. Annoyingly, Lorelie’s did not seem to be affected whatsoever.

“Yeah,” I said absently.

Davies and Buckley were looking at me, eyebrows raised.

“Sorry, I was wondering whether we should get Blake here. I mean, if we’re going to do this, he’ll need to know what’s going on,” I said, recovering quickly.

“I suppose,” answered Davies, a little sceptically.

“We could send him a ‘gram,” Buckley suggested tentatively, “Instead of dragging him all the way from the Basin. He don’t like walking, remember?”

I shrugged.

“And anyway, we’ll need him for lookout.” interrupted Lorelie. “Without him, we’re blind. We won’t know what’s coming.”

“If there is anything,” I reminded her. She scowled.

“I thought you were trusting him?” she snapped, evidently annoyed I had seemed to switch sides.

“I am. But we’ll keep in mind some possibilities.”

“The possibility that the merchants are lying bastards, you mean,” Lorelie nodded approvingly.

Davies threw a look at Lorelie. “Back to the point?”

I shivered, my breath whirling like smoke in the icy air. “Seen as though Kobel isn’t here, there’s not much point doing training-“

“Aw come on, we won’t stand a chance against the Guard!” Lorelie said angrily. She waved a hand at Buckley. “He doesn’t even know how to swing a sword. We’re going to die.”

My eyes met Buckley’s. He looked terrified, and I was suddenly reminded of how much younger he was compared to us.

Lorelie’s right. He shouldn’t be here, let alone preparing to give his life for his country.

“Die, do you know what that word means?” Lorelie was evidently taking our silence as a prompt for her to continue. “Forget our families, forget our homes, everything. Never see-“

“Alright,” Davies interrupted loudly. “That’s enough, Lorelie. We know what we’re in for.”

The look of fury on her face resembled the look on a wolves’ features when her prey has escaped.

“Problem?” I asked through gritted teeth, glaring at her. Buckley was shaking in his boots, appearing like he was about to cry.

She remained stonily silent, still glaring. Eyes flaming.

“I’m just saying,” her words were now slow and deliberate, “that we need to be prepared. The Guard are the elite. The elite of the elite. If we’re going to have a chance, we need to know what we’re doing.”

Silence.

“Agreed,” Buckley suddenly piped up. “I’m good with a bow, but no use with a sword.” He looked meaningfully at each of us. “If they get here tomorrow, I’d have no chance,” he said solemnly, echoing Lorelie’s words.

Another pause.

“Alright then. Buckley, you go and get your bow, we’ll still need it,” I ordered, feeling in charge again. “Davies, can you get your blade too? More the better.”

The two boys nodded and immediately left the clearing.

“Lorelie, you-“

I was cut off as she suddenly threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. I wasn’t quite sure what to do.

“Er-“

“Leventri, I’m sorry,” she whispered hoarsely. I was acutely aware of her body pressed against mine. “I shouldn’t have said it.”

I knew what she meant; even so, I was surprised by her apology. Lorelie was not one for apologising for anything, let alone saying something.

“He looked so scared,” she murmured, her face buried in my shoulder. My vision was filled by her thick amber hair.

Don’t do anything stupid. Remember what you said to Davies. You don’t know if you do.

“Lorelie, I’m sure he didn’t take offence. He knows what he’s in for.” I chose my words carefully. “We all do.”

There was a pause.

“I’m scared,” Lorelie whispered.

“Of what?”

“Dying.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Heck, we were all scared of that. Who wasn’t? It was death, and death was it, the end, finished. It wasn’t like some other mistake where you can correct it or continue on like nothing’s happened.

Death just happens and that’s it.

“You’re not going to die, Lorelie, you’re the best fighter we’ve got,” I gave a shaky laugh.

“No, you are, you’ve been in the army and everything!” she replied sceptically.

I was beginning to get a bit scared- Lorelie never admitted someone else was better than her. She must be ill or something.

“Yeah but they don’t really teach you much,” I answered seriously. I couldn’t help notice that she was still hugging me.

Suddenly she broke away and I looked carefully at her expression. She was back to normal, a half scowl on her face and a couldn’t-care-less-about-you look in her auburn eyes.

For a few moments I wondered what I’d said, but then the cause of her abrupt break off was revealed. Buckley and Davies came jogging back through the snow, weapons in hand.

“Lorelie, up for a challenge?” Davies twirled his silver blade at his side, giving her a quick grin.

“Bring it on,” she bared her teeth, stepping even further away from me and drawing her own sword from the sheath at her side with a screech of metal.

So life went on as normal.