The forest troll stopped breathing when it sprouted enough arrows. The entire creature’s body convulsed and tried to rise. When it couldn’t, black smoke poured from its mouth. The smoke formed into an approximation of a troll with glowing eyes before breaking into five smaller humanoid shapes.

  Immediately, the second forest troll burst out onto the road on the left, bum rushing us. This one held a large, crude shield made of bark. It bellowed as it charged. I shot firebolt after firebolt at it, causing the shield to burst into flames. It dropped the ignited shield and its middle was met with the massive sharp edge of Twinkle Toe’s axe. The sergeant had jumped off his horse and charged the troll, letting out his own yell. The axe chopped through in one swing and the troll fell into two pieces. Twinkle Toes staggered to his knees, breathing hard. Jeb helped him up and practically carried him to his horse.

  Smoke poured out of the troll halves, forming into the smaller humanoid shapes. The murmuring became yelling, like from another room. I couldn’t quite understand what they were saying. If I listened a little closer, maybe. I focused on the voices, and the shadowy shapes drifted closer. Just a little nearer and it would all become clear to me.

  I felt a painful grip on my arm and heard a voice hissing in my ear.

  “No, Finn. These sad remnants do not have the power you seek. Don’t listen to them. They want to use your body, to use your power. Listen to me, I am your friend. I won’t let them hurt you. Stay here and ignore them. Listen to me.”

  It was Jerseil. Again, saving me. I glanced at him and away from the shadows. There was anger in his eyes, a possessiveness that was gone so fast I wasn’t sure that I had actually seen it.

  “You keep saving me like this, and I’m going to have to buy you dinner,” I joked.

  “I’ll hold you to that. Just… just don’t try to listen to them again.”

  I looked at the things, and they were staring at me intensely. “Are those the spirits? Can we harm them?”

  Jerseil pursed his lips, clearly irritated by my question. “Yes, those are the spirits. Yes, we can attack them, but if your mind isn’t strong enough, the counterattack would knock you senseless. So you can’t, but everyone else here should be able to.”

  Very few things are more difficult than doing nothing. I felt powerless, and not for the first time. I wished I could do more! If only I was stronger. But I hadn’t been when my dad got sick. Oh, I tried to be, but I just fell apart. If it weren’t for my dad, his strength and acceptance in the face of the insurmountable, I wouldn’t have been able to go back to school. I would have probably turned to drinking or other escapist activities to fill the void for years before I hit rock bottom. Instead, I got a part-time job to help pay for my transportation to school and books. I was there for my little brother, Sean, and did what I could around the house to reduce my mom’s stress.

  I couldn’t help my dad. But I could strive to make him proud.

  Still, I couldn’t shake the feelings of helplessness, watching these eighteen other people put their lives on the line to protect me. And I knew they were getting me through this area so that I could get them home. We all had our tasks, things that we had to do. They couldn’t complete the Voice’s quest. I couldn’t make it through this area alive, or worse, without getting possessed.

  We dispersed or frightened away the spirits in short order and continued on our way down the stone road. There were different types of light spells active to keep the dark at bay, and I wished I had something that I could cast my light spell on that wasn’t me. So I cast Light on GB, catching me some odd looks from some of the soldiers.

  In the light, the stones looked yellow, and I laughed. “Sorry, but this is all a bit fucked up.”

  “I don’t know what about it is not,” Jerseil replied. “What’s so funny about it?”

  “The road is yellow. And brick-like.”

  *******************************************

  Juan watched the forest, an arrow ready. He heard Finn’s laughter and then the laughter of soldiers around him. It was a relief. There was no madness in Finn’s merriment, meaning no spirits had got him. A very real worry in this place.

  The clopping of horseshoes on the stone reminded him of the last time he had come through here, scouting it to see if it was a useful path. That was years ago, back when he was still an active participant in the world. He had already started thinking about becoming a trainer for new arrivals.

  It had been simpler back then. Before everything crashed down on him. Before he had lost Nalloth to the Empire’s agents. And his beloved Alliana, the queen of Nalloth. His rose. His heart.

  The pain was still fresh, always there. But he had a job to do. His newest trainee, Finn, needed him. And now everyone needed him. So again, he pushed the pain down deep.

  A rustling sounded in the woods to the left. Leaves on the trees. A scraping against stone. Juan knew that noise, and he had feared it once. “Sylva’Athar! Ancient tree guardian spirits!”

  Magic lights brightened, expanding the illumination further into the forest. Several ancient, scarred trees came into view, moving on multiple root-like legs. Their several branch-arms easing aside the branches of trees tenderly as they passed by their trunks. Smoldering green eyes focused on the group.

  Juan couldn’t harm them without taking out one of the Bows of Harmon, but he didn’t want to waste them while there were other ways. I can deal with the Leaf Runners in their branches, he thought. “Fire and edged weapons! Burn and chop off their limbs!” He called out orders as he sniped at the small creatures riding their master’s branches.

  The twang of his bow was still thrilling music. Satisfaction filled him as the arboreal rodents fell to his arrows, dropping to the ground. Fire engulfed the mobile trees, causing a psychic screaming. He kept releasing arrows into the little squirrel-like humanoids, decimating them as they leaped to nearby trees to fire seeds, small rocks, and throw their darts at those attacking the Sylva’Athar.

  The 303rd ended the battle and quickly distributed the loot. They needed to keep moving. The sooner they got Finn over the bridge, the better. Juan knew from experience that the spirits would not cross the bridge. He didn’t know why, and had never taken the time to find out. After his harrowing scout of this area, it was ruled out as a viable route, so it didn’t really matter.

  It was unfortunate, but they couldn’t camp safely within the city limits.

  When the first weak sunbeams broke through the thinning canopy, they neared the city center. Juan counted them lucky that the spirits hadn’t forced a mass attack against them. This was where it could get tricky. He remembered some massive stone and wood golems that patrolled the various streets and pathways. They would be an issue. Either way, they would still have to get through the rest of the city, though it wouldn’t take as long. Two, maybe three hours at tops.

  He didn’t dare send any scouts back to see if they were being followed. This was not an easy place to traverse alone. Juan knew firsthand how hard it could be by yourself. And he knew that the best way to go was forward in this case. He could not afford to put Finn, and the first hope of a way home in decades, in unnecessary danger.

  “Rebecca, can you have someone mine the road here? I need an alarm if the Steel Falcons get close,” he said to the captain.

  “We can do that. Give us ten minutes,” she replied.

  “Good. Let’s do another set in 15 minutes away from here.”

  “Of course, general, I was going to suggest the same thing.”

  The ‘alarms’ in place, Juan and the remaining soldiers protecting Finn rode on to the city center. It looked just like he remembered it to be. Ruins though the city was, its civilization gone, the once mighty stone buildings and ziggurats had no signs of fallen rubble blocking the surrounding streets. The lack of even one misplaced stone still made him uneasy.

  The yellowish stone that made up the majority of the building materials was not native to this valley, adding yet another mystery to the place. The lack of sound outside of the clop-clop of horseshoes didn’t help either. Juan looked over the buildings and the main intersection of the ancient city, seeking any sign of threat. If they had not split the 303rd into two units, he would have had Rebecca send out scouts. If it had not seemed necessary.

  So much of this is not ideal. If only the council had listened. In the end, he had to do what he was good at: doing more with less. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have decent back up, but this was not a place for lesser measures.

  “General? Why is there nothing here?” Rebecca asked.

  “When I was here before, the spirits avoided the light and the trolls fare poorly in so much light. The only thing we have to worry about is the Golems,” Juan said. “They walk the streets no matter the time. I count us lucky that the canopy opens up here. And it stays open the rest of the way to the bridge.”

  “Well, that is excellent news! We might complete our mission after all!” she said with a grin. “I guess I’ll be buying—”

  Explosions rocked the silent streets to the north of us, startling some of the horses.

  Rebecca looked to Juan, eyes wide. “Fuck! We just set those a half an hour ago.”

  “Then we ride!” Juan bellowed.

  Keeping Finn in the center of the galloping clump of soldiers, they rode quickly through the ruins. They heard another explosion behind them as they passed out of the city center. It was reckless to gallop through the city, even during the day.

  Farther south, they saw a golem exit a side street and turn towards them. A sound like boulders grinding against each other, almost too low to hear, hit them. Juan reined his horse in, quickly followed by the rest.

  Juan watched the Golem start toward them, slowly at first. He knew it would move fast enough to keep up with the horses soon. “Rebecca. I need you to do something for me.”

  “Name it, Juan. You know I’d die for you. We all would.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  He laughed, “No, Rebecca. I want you to live. I want you to give those assholes behind hell. Can you do that?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. I need you to lead our new friend there to the mercenaries. I know you can disappear, so ghost them. Harry the fucks until they fear the night and the day. Whittle them down.”

  “Yes General,” she replied. But then she frowned. “General… Juan. Don’t go dying on us, we need you. We can’t fight the kind of war needed to win with the council calling the shots.”

  Juan watched her give quick orders to her soldiers. Finn, Harper, and Jerseil joined him.

  “What’s the plan, old man?” Harper asked.

  “We’re going to split off and go west, circling back to this road. The Golem should follow the bigger group.”

  Jerseil chuckled, “Right into the Steel Falcons? That’s rich, General.”

  Finn was oddly quiet, watching the buildings. Watching the shadows.

  “We’re ready, General Venegas!” cried Rebecca. She and the entire unit saluted him smartly.

  “Right. Good hunting!” he bellowed back, returning the salute. “Let’s go,” Juan turned his horse west, down a side street. They hastened toward the next intersection.

  Boom, Boom, Boom!

  The running golem passed the side street without looking or pausing and Juan felt better about the plan. It was going to work. Harper went ahead to the end of the block and peaked around the corner. Juan watched as she pulled back and trotted back to them.

  “There’s another golem coming west down that boulevard. It didn’t see me, but we can’t go that way.”

  “And we can’t fucking hide in one of these buildings,” muttered Finn. “They’re filled with those spirit shitheads.”

  Juan shook his head. “Then we have no choice but to get back on the main road quietly and head to the bridge. The last thing we need is to get the attention of another golem.”

  When they got back on the main road, they could just see the golem in the distance fighting what could only be the mercenaries.

  “Wait, aren’t those the guys chasing us?” Jerseil asked. “How the hells are they catching up so fast?”

  “They must be not stopping to deal with the wounded. So much for stealth. We have no choice but to ride hard to the bridge. Hurry!” Juan said quickly, riding off.

  In the ruined buildings, the spirits noted the sound of their passing. Their allies and minions also noticed, but none of them left the safety of the darkness.

  The sound of a loud, harsh crack echoed from behind them, causing Harper to look back. “They got the golem. They’ll be after us now, old man!”

  “We can beat them to the bridge.” Juan replied.

  “But how are they catching up so fast? There’s no way their horses can out run ours, is there?” the supply and support soldier asked.

  “Yes, but it’s not good for the horses. In Nalloth, there is an herb that works like speed to horses. Fortunately, it only grows there. But I didn’t think they would waste the horseflesh like this.” Juan’s jaw tightened. “We are going to have to fight. All of us.”

  The horseman of the Steel Falcons, no longer 500 strong, were eating up the distance between them and their quarry.

  “I wish I had grabbed a bag of those caltrops,” complained Harper. “They really would have come in handy here!”

  “Focus on what we can do,” replied Juan. Just a little closer…

  Jerseil pulled out a stringed instrument and began playing and singing a song of a quick and clever fox, running from a pack of dogs. By the time he was done, Juan felt quickened in mind and body.

  “Whoa! What was that?” Finn asked.

  “Bard magic! Too far away to do anything to our pursuers, but at least I can give us a few buffs,” Jerseil replied before bursting into song.

  Juan noticed Harper looking at Jerseil with newfound admiration. It worried him, but it wasn’t going to matter if they couldn’t get across the bridge. Jerseil went through several songs, providing more buffs of strength and intelligence, as well as increasing their stamina and defense. Though the effects were not as great for Juan, he knew every little increase would make the difference.

  He glanced at the mounted mercenaries chasing them. They were still gaining. And behind them are cartloads of men being pulled by draft horses. Even if they could whittle down the numbers of horseman, they would still be outnumbered 50 to 1.

  “There’s the bridge!” cried Harper.

  “Be ready to leave the horses!” replied Juan. Summoning his bow, he notched an arrow. Though he hadn’t needed them in years, he wished he had stocked up on the different arrow types. Such as the exploding arrows. Those would have been extremely useful.

  He decided to take out their horses. Each one would cause a domino effect if he could kill them in one shot. He aimed high and started losing arrow after arrow. Not all of them hit their marks, hitting tack and saddle, and even the riders. There were a lot of targets, but I have several arrows.

  Finn started firing off those poison bolts of his and they sought out their targets. He could shoot so many more of those things than before. Not to significant effect yet.

  The roar of anger and bloodlust, as well as the crash and cries of the horses, rolled over them as men and horses fell to Juan’s deadly arrows. He actually saw a couple fall off their horses and assumed it was from the poison buildup in their system. Horses tripped and reared, slowing down entire sections of the crowded formation. Carts swerved and tipped, the screams of the soldiers riding them reaching his ears. A grim smile graced Juan’s face at the devastation he had wrought. But still they came.

  Juan’s thoughts became dark as he continued to twist and fire with increasing accuracy the more the enemy caught up to them. Even if they could get over the bridge, without the horses, they would be constantly fighting and retreating. They couldn’t cut or even burn the bridge. Despite the age of the structure, the layered enchantments of the Ankana’Zuul residents’ on the bridge remained effective. They had no choice but to fight.

  No. I have no choice. The thought made him sad. He had fought for so long. His entire life from the point of waking up here had been of conflict. There were moments, though, that were pure. Moments with Allianna. The thrill of stolen kisses in the garden, away from her ladies-in-waiting, her chaperones. The sweetness of her laugh.

  He had found joy even in the training of hundreds of people newly come to this world. The bitterness of watching or hearing how they died. They were the closest thing to being his children as he would ever have. Rage filled him at those who refused his help, only to die within weeks, if not hours.

  As he watched the confusion and pain of those he had caused injury and death to, he knew what he had to do.

  He had to hold the bridge.

  They were at the bridge before he was ready for it. Juan quickly dismounted and slapped his horse’s rump to send it on its way. Poor thing didn’t need to die. Finn hugged his mare, which the boy had affectionately called GB after Harper’s little joke. Finn then turned and unleashed a massive stream of chain lightning against the approaching horde. He must have surged, because it was devastating as it jumped from mercenary to mercenary.

  “Go, go, go!” Juan yelled at him. Harper was throwing daggers as quickly as she could as Jerseil grabbed his saddlebags. Finn ran onto the bridge drinking a mana potion. “No time! We must go!”

  Juan was the last on the bridge. The angry yells and jeers of the mercenaries coming after them were almost deafening. Harper ran backwards, throwing daggers over Juan’s shoulder at the first mercenaries on the bridge. Juan stopped, switching to the Seeking Bow of Harmon. It had a full set of charges.

  “What the hell are you doing, old man?” Harper asked.

  “Not all of us are going to make it if we don’t stop them here.”

  A look of horror and then anger overcame her face. “The fuck you are! Don’t you fucking do this to me!”

  “Harper,” he said quietly.

  “You can’t do this. I need you. We need you.”

  He smiled sadly and turned to face the oncoming threat. “I’m sorry, child. I’m proud of you, you know. And I’m counting on you to watch over Finn. Help him get everyone home,” he called over his shoulder.

  “Juan. Please don’t do this! We can figure something else out. I know it!”

  Juan calmly released arrow after arrow into each of the oncoming soldiers, their bodies falling off the bridge or were kicked off by their living comrades. He knew eventually he’d have to step back several times to keep the needed distance. His arrows would eventually run out, too.

  “We don’t have time, daughter. If you stay, you die. If you die, Finn won’t make it and no one goes home,” Juan said in a voice calmer than it had any right to be. “That, my child, is something I will give my everything for. But I won’t sacrifice you. Do what I cannot. Finish the quest. Please. Go.”

  Harper let out a sob. She held the rest of her grief in, though. “I wish… damn it. No. You, more than anyone know… you raised me. I’m going to miss you, old man,” her voice broke, and she fled.

  “I love you too, daughter,” Juan whispered. He took his first step back. He’d killed what, 40? 45? There wasn’t enough room at this rate. I’ll just have to kill them faster. He switched to the Elemental Bow of Harmon. Its area of effect was greater than one man, and would do the most damage per shot. He only had twenty pulls left on it before it had to be repaired. Not that he’d have to worry about that.

  Two with fire. Three with lightning. The wind got six.

  Juan took a step forward. A wild joy filled him. With nothing to lose, it was just him against the horde of men and women of various races. Some of whom he likely knew from when Nalloth still was a proper country. They would recognize that quality in him that made him the Hero of the Dew-kissed Rose. He would not back down.

  He heard someone on the bridge behind him. Spears of ice flew past him to impale several soldiers, causing some of them to fall off the bridge alive. Juan didn’t turn around as he heard another potion being swigged. 60 poisonous bolts flew around him and hit with enough force to push the oncoming mercenaries back. Another potion drank.

  “Finn, you’ll kill yourself doing this! What did I tell you about drinking too many?”

  “Fuck you, Juan. I’m not going to let you commit suicide like this. We can stop them together!” Finn said coldly.

  “How many mana potions was that? Three? Four?”

  Finn fired off more green bolts, pushing more mercenaries back and drinking another mana potion. “That’s six. And I don’t care. My head hurts and soon my stomach will, too. But sacrificing yourself is worse.”

  Juan switched to the Negative Bow of Harmon. He had only used it once in the past. The first arrow went through several of the men coming at him before stopping. “Oh, it ignores all the armor. Huh. That would have been nice to know.”

  “Juan, come with me! We can win this,” Finn pleaded. He stopped abruptly, groaning. “Oh god.”

  The sound of Finn throwing up behind him made Juan shake his head. “I warned you, boy. You should go before you poison yourself.”

  He was firing arrow after arrow when one flew past him. “Finn, you need to go NOW! This is too dangerous for you!”

  Finn groaned behind him. “Finn!” Jerseil cried out as he ran up.

  “Get him out of here, Sergeant. Then all three of you need to run.”

  “Yes, general! Do you need more arrows? A sword?”

  Juan mentally counted how many arrows he had used, and nodded. “How many can you give me?”

  “I’ve got only 15 bundles of ten, sir. But it’s better than nothing,” Jerseil replied.

  “True, that’s at least 150 more of them I can prevent from getting over this bridge,” Juan said. “Quick, hand them over.”

  Jerseil placed each bundle in his hands and he popped them away to his inventory. “Thank you, Jerseil. Now take the boy and run. He’s used too many mana potions, so you’re going to need to carry him.”

  Juan blew out his mustache and began taking out more of the enemy. He had only 200 arrows left. For over 400 men, women and god knew what else they had. He heard the male cambion grunt while picking up a groaning Finn. Godspeed.

  An arrow narrowly missed his leg, and he stepped back. Thoughts of each of his trainees accompanied each arrow. Seeing their quarry get away, the mercenaries changed their tactics and came forward with shields protecting most of their bodies. As long as he was using the Negative Bow, it didn’t matter.

  More archers fired back, and he had to retreat further. Juan risked a quick look back, and no longer saw his charges. Thank God. Now I can give them the time they need.

  But looking back was a mistake. An arrow hit his thigh, glancing off his femur and damaging the muscles there before poking out near his kneecap. “Fuck!” he said. The pain was great, but he took a moment to push the arrow the rest of the way out and drink down a health potion before limping back and returned fire. He didn’t have many health potions left. No matter.

  Juan knew the ache in his leg would fade, but he did not care. He had a job to do. He couldn’t do anything for his trainees, his children, who had died before. But he could die to protect those who remained. This was how he was going to get them home.

  His arrows weren’t doing as much damage. The mercenaries coming at him were much higher level than the first ones to attempt crossing the bridge. Much better equipment, too. He was going to run out of arrows. Another enemy arrow barely missed him as he leaned a little to avoid it. I might be old, but I’m still better than these poor excuses for soldiers.

  But then the members of the Steel Falcon company retreated. And he saw why. An ogre. They had a god forsaken ogre. The massive creature was four times his size, and somehow, they had been able to outfit it in armor. That’s how they dealt with the golems, he thought. I wonder if my prayers will reach the god I was raised with.

  The thing roared at him, spittle flying from its mouth. Juan had no idea how to tell the sex of the monster in the armor it was wearing and only cared clinically. The damn thing was near in level to him, which did not bode well for his chances. Behind it, they had moved up several archers, and they released a volley of arrows at him.

  Juan grinned. They are giving me a resupply! He danced back before the arrows struck and began shooting at the ogre, ignoring his armor. But the Bow of Harmon was out of charges, causing the arrows to be deflected by the ogre’s thick armor.

  The ogre laughed harshly and stepped onto the bridge.