Page 20 of The Dark Elf's Surprise Baby

“We need to retreat!” I yell to Sunzas. “Now!”

“If we leave now, we can’t get any of the rest of the supplies to the main camp!” Sunzas yells back. “We have to take the rest to them!”

“If we don’t leave, we’re all going to be slaughtered!” I counter, shoving my sword through another orc and dodging an axe hit.

While we’re arguing, another soldier in our squadron is hit. He goes down but he’s not fatally injured, just sliced through on his shoulder.

“See?” I tell Sunzas. “We’re all going to die and then it won’t matter if we bring the camp the rest of the supplies!”

We’re at a major disadvantage and every moment spent arguing is another chance for the orcs to slaughter us whole-worg.

Just before the next orc can pick me off, I manage to stab it in the gut, making it double over. “What we need to do is drive them off hard enough to escape, then take our hoqins and retreat!” I tell Sunzas. “If we can retreat, we can stay alive. Staying alive means we can come back to get the supplies later.”

“If they haven’t burned the camp to the ground,” Sunzas argues. “Which they will do the instant we retreat. They’ll raze it to the ground to make sure there’s nothing left to come back to.”

“The supplies aren’t worth our lives!” I tell him. “You have a wife at home, Sunzas. What would happen to her if you died in battle?”

“She would be fine,” Sunzas insists. “She knows what I signed up for!”

I’m tired of arguing with him. He’s stubborn and sees his job as a position of pride. I’m better off appealing to Rharodo to help me lead the men in a retreat.

“Rharodo!” I rush towards him, fighting off several orcs who try to ambush me. “We’re losing this fight. We’ve already lost Rhilgess and one of our other men is already injured. We can’t keep fighting.”

“Agreed,” Rharodo yells, hurtling his throwing disc at an incoming orc. “We need to retreat!”

At least someone agrees with me, I think with no small amount of relief. “We should drive these bastards back hard enough so we can gather the hoqin and get out of here,” I tell him.

“Sounds like a plan,” Rharodo agrees. “Now let’s show these bastards what we’re made of!”

I cover for him while Rharodo rushes to the weapons tent and quickly gathers a handful of exploding powder.

He stealthily sneaks through the grass undetected while the fighting goes on all around us until he gets closer to the orcs side. While he’s working, I rush around like lightning to tell the others about our plan. Everyone but Sunzas is in agreement.

Once ignited, we have about thirty seconds to pull out of here before we get blown up ourselves. We only have one shot at this.

Rharodo glances around and I nod, giving him the signal. Everyone is now in place, having fought our way to where our hoqin are tied up.

“NOW!” I yell and Rharodo lights it up, the powder beginning to whistle ominously. We throw ourselves on our hoqin and begin to beat a hasty retreat.

We’ve barely made it past the danger zone when the explosions start going off behind us. We don’t even stop to make sure that the orcs are dead, we have to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible.

Just as I think we’re going to be safe, I feel something hit me square in the chest and force me to tumble off my hoqin, down to the grassy plains below.

“Shit!” I hear Rharodo curse. Warmth spreads through my chest and I look down, seeing the arrow piercing through my heart.

No.

This can’t be happening.

I fought so hard to get back to you, my love, I think as my vision begins to go fuzzy, the world blackening around the edges.

“Harper...” I call out, losing consciousness.

10

HARPER

Aweek passes without word from Master Demethys. He’s likely busy but that doesn’t assuage my worry. If he’s engaged in combat, he might be in danger of his life. I hate not knowing where he is or what he’s doing.

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