Page 2 of The Last of the Dark Lords

“But Commander—”

“No.” Although Gyles had voiced their fears, my words had broken through the cloud of dread that dampened the spirits of many of the Archers.

“Greatfalls is different from the rest of Fyr.” I scanned the faces of the soldiers as I spoke. “It is our great strength, and why we must keep ourselves separate. Our commitment is to Family, and theirs is to their shadowy figurehead. It is why we do not suffer from the drought, and why our walls will always hold. The ties of family hold us together, each of you with your own unbreakable bonds forming the foundation of our lives.”

Resolve crept into the faces of many of my Archers. I continued. “They do not have the same commitment to family, to each other, to human life. That is why they will always fall.”

My eyes found Gyles once again. His face had softened, although the worry still lurked underneath. That was fine. This was only a beginning. The other Archers would rally the most fearful among them.

“Shall I continue?” Seeing the nods and raised fists, pride burst in my chest. They may have been untested in combat, but they were still the legendary Archers.

“We do not know the intentions of the Dark Lord of Ashfuror, but his troops are traveling in our direction. Our scouts are out there now, infiltrating the battalions. Soon we will know more.”

Some flickers of fear returned at the mention of the Dark Lord, but I had laid the foundation. They might have arrived as individuals, but they would leave as a single unit.

“But I will tell you this.” I unstrapped my bow from across my back and hoisted it above my head. The sun glinted off the polished silver embellishments.

“For hundreds of years, the Archers have protected Greatfalls from the assault of the Dark Lords. We have kept our families safe. We will continue to do so.”

Jelenna’s hand squeezed my shoulder. The strength of her certainty energized me.

“But if the Last of the Dark Lords thinks that he can take us, he will discover the knowledge his forebears gained with their lives. The Archers of Greatfalls will hold the line.”

“Hold the line!” Jelenna’s voice pierced through the cold morning air. Some of the soldiers started at the sound.

“The Archers of Greatfalls will push them back!”

“Push them back!” Now Jelenna’s voice was not alone. The oldest veteran Archers had added their voice to hers. The growing energy thrummed through the crowd.

“The Archers of Greatfalls will show our strength!”

“Show our strength!” It was more than half of them now. These were my people. We would always protect our home.

“The Archers of Greatfalls will keep us whole!”

“Keep us whole! Keep Greatfalls whole!” To a person, my Archers held their bows aloft. I saw the tears running down the faces of a couple of the old timers who were nearing retirement. They had twenty years on Gyles even, and it wasn’t a story to them. They were children during the last conflict, and could remember the fear and desperation, and the triumph.

“And so we will. Stay vigilant, Archers. If we are needed, we will be ready. Now to your posts.”

Determination shone on the faces of the Archers. And then Erik, the youngest of them, just eighteen and newly joined, cried out with youthful exuberance.

“For Greatfalls!”

The cries echoed as I turned to leave. Jelenna followed behind me.

“I hope that was enough,” I said, not looking back as we walked.

“It was more than enough. They trust you.”

“I hope so.” Doubt still flickered inside me, the very thing that I’d been trying to eradicate in my Archers. “I sometimes feel a strange distance from them.”

“They respect you.” Jelenna said, then paused before continuing. “But they don’t love you. Yet. You could fix that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Spend time with them. Drink with them. They’ve been asking you for years.”

My jaw clenched. People kept hounding me about socializing. “That’s not what a military commander does. I have to keep a clear head.”

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