Page 79 of Red Queen

My blade arcs down, finding the gap in his armor, and I end him.

But even as he falls, I know this is only the beginning. The horde presses closer, their eyes bright with malicious glee. I stand my ground, fighting not just for the right to claim this land as ours, for the love that binds me to Eleanna, and for the world we dream of building together, but also for survival.

With each fallen adversary, I push down the rising dread—the knowledge that this is a battle we cannot win. We can battle Catarina’s army, but I don’t have enough troops to defeat my home. There are far too many of them. Even with Eleanna’s enhanced vampire prowess, she can’t hold back the enemy. Yet, I’m not quite ready to give up.

“Alexandru!” Eleanna’s voice cuts through the din of clashing steel and guttural roars.

Her eyes, bright as sapphire flames, meet mine across the battlefield. She moves with superiority, a grim reaper among the invaders, her red hair a fiery banner in the gray winter light.

I fight my way to her side, my blade cutting down everything in my path. “We can’t hold them,” I say between strikes, the words tasting of ash in my mouth.

Her laughter is a chilling sound, devoid of mirth. “Then we shall make them pay for every inch they dare take from us.”

As one, we carve a path through Catarina’s minions, our combined might an expression of our bond. But even as we fight, I see it—the relentless current that crashes against our resolve. Our warriors are falling, their blood bathing the snow.

Eleanna takes a precious second to look up at me. “You have to lead them to safety. We will live to fight another day.”

“Retreat!” The command rips from me, raw and agonized.

It’s a word I’ve never thought to utter, yet now it rings out, sealing our fate.

“To the bastion, then.” Eleanna says. “We’ll make our stand there.”

My men and women don’t need to be told twice. We fall back, buying precious moments for our wounded to escape.

The cold bite of defeat sinks deep, a sharp variance to the heat of battle that still courses through my veins. My home, a fortress of memories and hope, fades into the distance, soon to be just another casualty in this endless war.

Suddenly, Ivan, Nicolai, and Marianne appear on horseback, returning home. With confused expressions, they fall in line with us. The ground trembles under the thunderous retreat, hooves pounding against the frozen earth as we flee.

Eleanna rides beside me. She’s not even weak from the battle. Her eyes are ablaze with undiminished spirit, glowing like twin sapphires.

“General Amanar,” Nicolai says, his voice strained over the clamor of combat. “We’ve arrived too late.”

“Keep moving.” My heart hammers against my ribcage as the taste blood from a split lip fills my mouth

“Damn you, Catarina,” I curse under my breath, my fury a living thing that gnaws at my insides.

It’s not just the walls and battlements we leave behind—it’s our legacy, our history.

“General, on your flank.” Marianne’s warning slices through the tumult.

Instinctively, I pivot on my steed as a vampire assailant lunges toward me with feral hunger etched into its grotesque features. I dispatch the creature with a swift, decisive stroke of my blade. The body crumples to the snow, staining it black.

“Thank you,” I say, acknowledging Marianne’s vigilance.

We push on, the night swallowing us whole. The arctic winds seep through our armor. My home, once a bastion of power and pride, is now just a fading silhouette against the horizon.

Eleanna gallops up alongside me. “Alexandru. We will have vengeance.”

“Yes.” I swallow hard, the word feeling hollow.

My army—what’s left of it—and their families trail behind, walking, riding in wagons, or on horseback. Everyone is somber, quiet, grieving.

Vengeance. Loss. Survival. They blend collectively, indistinguishable in the face of such failure.

As the distance between us and our pursuers grows, the sounds of Catarina’s army withdraw, and they don’t, thank the gods, follow. We’ve escaped, but at what cost? At the forefront lies uncertainty, a future uncharted and fraught with peril. Behind us lies a home that’s no longer ours, a place where my family’s legacy will be trampled under the boots of our adversaries.

My resolve hardens. They may have overwhelmed us today, but I swear on the blood of my fallen comrades—this is not the end. We will return. We will reclaim what is ours.

---