"Okay," I said, in a voice sharp and precise. "Go there. You might be aware of the dug-out hollow, concealed beside a large stone. Enter it and crawl for about a hundred meters that will lead you to the base. Patrols are stationed there."
"No" the soldier began furrowing. "It would be better if we all went. Our men are keeping the attackers busy; it was the plan to hide you there before they caught up with us."
That made sense, at least on the surface. That's what I'd guessed given the situation, but he didn't mention the darker part I'd already figured out. From the plot detail I remember of the dug-out, only one person can safely pass through at a time. And a ill-trained person like I, would at-least take 10 minutes. The plan wasn't really to get everyone through; it was to use them all to distract and bait, so that the princess could be slipped through the passage unnoticed. Even as NPC attendant in my own head, I couldn't abide that.
"No," I said, cutting him off. "Only you will go."
He glanced at a fellow soldier, as if to signal an improvised plan, then met my eyes.
"Okay, Princess I'll bring them," he said, already reaching to move.
"Wait." I stopped him abruptly. "They're too few. We can't win with just two or three more men with horses. Use their supplies if you must, but go to Callisto in there fastest steed. He's closer and has adequate men. He's our only realistic hope."
"But princess, this plan is far too dangerous for your safety. I can't leave you here," he protested. "Among us all, only I know these woods. Others are busy fighting… not everyone can be sa-" He broke off mid-word, the rest of the sentence dying in his throat as if the thought itself was too harsh to finish. "These trees are planted to get lost-"
"I trust you'd noticed from the directions I've given that I'm hardly unfamiliar with this forest." I snapped, my voice harsh, cutting through his hesitation. "I give you a royal command—go!"
Shocked by my tone, the soldier's resolve stiffened. I added one final order:
"We will be safe. Send word to my brother. Tell him to come to Orchard Creek Bed—HURRY!"
For a moment the soldier looked stunned by the new detail, but then he nodded as hope flickered in his eyes at the positive possibility, and sprinted through the trees, disappearing into the shadows as fast as his legs could carry him.
A few meters ahead, our remaining soldiers on foot were still locked in chaos, clashing steel against attackers on horseback. Almost all our mounts had been slain during the ambush on the open road. I turned again and tried to hide in the chaos. Honestly, I had never been in these forests; all these paths were guesses from chapters I had read in the story.
They're too many.
More riders emerged from the trees. Cloaked, masked, efficient. They were not bandits or amateurs. From the hideout I counted ten, eleven. Maybe more are hiding in the shadows. Slowly the increasing noises gave us the fact that they were coming near us.
"They're going to take us all," I whispered.
"Ohhh, what should we do?" Renna, a young maid crouched beside us, started to tear up.
"It's getting dark, we can barely see in these woods now." she added
I held her hand tightly, giving her strength.
"Do not fret, Renna. Callisto will save us, and you still have me. Haven't you heard? This forest is a maze and I know this place. The dark will be our advantage, not our despair."
My words gave the girl some hope, and she held back her tears.
"Over here! Form a line! " a guard roared, though his voice was already fraying with panic, bringing us all to present.
Not in reality, but I knew this forest from the texts. Maybe it was the panic, or maybe sheer desperation, but a half-forgotten side episode had suddenly clicked in my mind moments ago like a door swinging open.
I knew its terrain, its traps. All thanks to a single para in a forgotten side story, where Callisto once chased an assassin to the orchard ridge, here, just one km away east from the lake. We were roughly two hundred meters east of Mirral Lake, which was hidden from sight because of the enormous trees, which meant Orchard Ridge lay about eight hundred meters farther east, to our left.
We all rose up to run as enemy drew nearer. And now it was time to execute part two of my plan. I scanned the treelined and shouted loud enough only for the nearest royal guard to hear,
"Force them left! Don't let them ride the central forest, it's open and fast!"
He blinked in confusion at me. "Left? That leads into—"
"The ridge forks in two just ahead," I barked. "Left is a dried creek bed which is sunken, full of holes. It rained yesterday. Their heavy horses will have to slow and sink and struck! The dark will hide the creek until they're chest-deep in mud!"
The guard's eyes widened, but he nodded and bellowed, "You heard her! Drive them left!"
I turned toward Talia and the other women crouched in the shadows with us.
"We also have to run again, haa....ha...into the creek," I said quickly. "Once they enter the creek and we've slowed them down, don't cross the creek. Instead, turn right and climb the light slope. Once we're hidden from their sight behind the trees, run ahead in the opposite direction of east. There's a large ruin there....I know it. We can hide until help arrives. Help the others, don't leave anyone behind."
They all nodded and we all moved as per my instructions.
Two guards peeled left with me, circling wide toward the creek bed; a dried-up ravine hidden beneath a curtain of trees, vines and loose soil. It was narrow, uneven, and notoriously hard to ride through. The pour yesterday will further help us. Perfect for slowing them down. Perfect for stalling them until helps arrives.
Then I ran straight, ducking behind trees, shouting nonsense orders in a perfect imitation of palace command:
"Squad four -- FLANK FROM THE RIDGE!"
"Archers, NOW!"
The enemy riders jerked, startled. At least two of them hesitated, scanning the treetops.
Good. Make them think they're outnumbered. Follow me. Just a little closer.
We reached the creek and moved into it, the ground started sucking at our steps with damp resistance.
And then one of the horses hit the soft earth wrong and slipped, its legs tangling in the uneven dip.
"Yes—gotcha!" I hissed with a shaky grin breaking through my fear.
The rider cursed, struggling to stay upright, and a few behind him, unable to rein in their speed, collided with the fallen horse. They toppled like dominoes, one crash setting off another, until the narrow creek was a mess of thrashing limbs and hoarse shouts.
The creek was less dense than the forest, and a sliver of moonlight that night helped us see our surroundings clearly.
I believed hardly anyone would have escaped without a fatal injury from that fall, and those few who did were swiftly finished off by our handful of soldiers, hidden in the shadows and taking full advantage of the darkness.
"This sh*thole'll be your grave!" a rider still standing roared in fury at the chaos.
The one still standing had to stop their reins and redirect their paths to avoid the same fate as their mates. This amount of confusion gave us enough time to go for the hide.
As my plan was working we all turned and bolted up the slope. Our heart thundering and lungs burning. I didn't need to win. I just needed to keep them tangled long enough.
But just as I thought it was going well,
"Renna!" Talia gasped.
I turned mid way from the slope and saw her too.
Our youngest maid, delicate and kind, had fallen behind. Her foot was caught in the creek as well, and she was trying to crawl free.
"Renna, get up! Come on!" I screamed.
But she didn't get the chance. One of the masked rider grabbed her.
"AAH…! Leave me, you ****!" she screamed, thrashing wildly.
He swung Renna up onto his horse like she was a sack of grain, her screams got muffled by the leathered hand over her mouth. The rider turned his steed sharply, ready to bolt into the trees. Maybe due to his sheer luck, he was circling toward the left trail, the fastest route out of the forest.
No. I can't let him reach the clearing. If he gets out, she's gone, maybe forever.
My mind didn't think, but my body moved back bolting toward the creek. I seized a heavy, uneven boulder and threw it downslope, not at the rider, but at the horse's face. It hit the desired target. The steed reared in panic, whinnying violently. Already struggling in the creek's soft earth, the startled beast started to lose its balance. The man cursed, lurching as his grip began to slip.
"Now!" I screamed. "Talia—NOW!"