—⁂—
By the second day after Corven announced the migration, bags were packed and families prepared to leave the camp behind for what they hoped would be a better life across the border.
Edith and I, along with a few of Corven's soldiers, went around the camp making sure the belongings people intended to carry wouldn't slow down our march. We helped reduce luggage—a process that wasn't as easy as it sounded.
"No! That's my great-grandmother's ashes!" a woman yelled, throwing a fit and slowing down our work.
"Those ornaments were passed down to me by my father!" another man argued.
"These clothes are for our babies in the future!" a young couple shouted.
One man even lunged at Edith, choosing her because she was small and frail.
I stepped in before he could reach her and knocked him out.
People cried and cursed at being forced to part with items they were attached to.
But as difficult as it was, we finished by nightfall.
Tents were taken down, some families choosing to sleep together under a single shelter to ensure they would begin the journey side by side.
Corven's army had grown significantly after many of the camp's young and old men volunteered to join the Wanderers. People who were formerly farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and hunters now confidently wielded swords with only two days' worth of training.
As bad as they were at swinging them, all they needed was one good stab to the chest—or a chance to sever the head of an elf. Beings with significantly tougher skin and uncontested physical abilities.
Realistically, either a handful of us would make it across the border and still be chased down… or this would become the capital city all over again.
I could already picture the massacre.
…
"We leave by sunset tomorrow. The elves who patrol the forests return to their camp at the city wall by then," Corven said, his voice as grim as always.
He sat at one end of the long table, his good eye fixed on a large map of the terrain between the camp and the border. It looked like it had been drawn in a rush by a scout struggling to recall the landscapes and paths he had seen.
Triangles sketched with clumsy brushstrokes represented mountains. Serpentine lines represented roads.
Was he escaping the elves while drawing this? I wondered.
Corven's lieutenants and I sat along the sides of the table. Khristen sat to my right with her arms folded across her chest, while one man sat to my left. The other three sat across from us, listening to the captain.
My eyes kept shifting from one lieutenant to the next. I could see them. I could hear them.
But I was far from present.
The thought of being alone again, surrounded by the blood of all these people, plagued my mind.
"Taking all our soldiers and civilians directly to the border would be delivering ourselves straight to the elves," Corven continued. "That's why I've come up with a way to cross the border undetected—and have most of us still alive on the other side."
My eyes dropped to the lantern on the table.
The flame flickered as the memory of the invasion flashed in my mind.
"Amelia…"
My lips moved, but only air escaped my lungs.
"Let's hear it," Khristen said, leaning forward as a faint smile curved her lips.
Corven drew a breath and nodded subtly at her.
"As far as trade between the capital and the outer reaches of Tetarum is concerned, there are only four paths at least a day's walk from here. Each path is guarded by about a hundred elves, according to our scout."
Corven turned to the man seated between the three lieutenants across from us.
He nodded.
"The plan is to split our soldiers into three troops. A troop of fifty will travel with the civilians between these trade routes. There are forests and high grasslands there, so they should remain hidden if they keep their heads low."
Corven dragged his finger through the empty space between two lines that ran from the capital to the border.
My gaze snapped up. Only fifty soldiers?
"What about the other two troops?" Khristen asked.
"The second troop—about a hundred men—will attack the blockade on this route." Corven pointed to the end of the black line on the right. "Their purpose is to draw as many elves as possible away from the blockade and toward the third troop—another hundred men waiting for them a good distance away."
My eyes widened as his plan assembled itself in my mind.
"It would allow the civilians to re-enter the route once they've crossed the border," one of the men across from us said. He sat to the right of the scout.
"Yeah," Khristen said, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes," Corven continued. "And since we have more soldiers than the elves stationed at the blockade, defeating them should be easy."
"But…" I said finally.
All heads turned toward me.
"The border has two layers of security. If we lose most of our soldiers in the first layer, what happens at the second?"
My eyes shifted from Corven to Khristen, then to the others. Their gazes dropped to the table as they considered it.
"The path I've chosen only has one blockade," Corven said quietly. "It's the least used among the four, which means it's the least guarded. The elves haven't had time to build a system of their own. They're using the humans'."
"Even if there are more elves beyond that blockade, most of them will be called to reinforce the fight against us," the scout said. "Those who remain will be dealt with by the fifty soldiers traveling with you."
"So we're basing all of this on assumptions?" I said, my brows drawing together.
"This would have been a lot easier if you had agreed to fight for us," Corven snapped, anger threading through his voice.
I fell silent.
"You're as strong as they are. Many lives would have been saved," he added.
He reclined, his eye darkening.
"You chose your role. Stick to it."
I exhaled slowly as I stared at him.
Khristen watched me, concern bending her brows.
My own tightened. My lips pressed together as tears filled my eyes.
"You're going to get all these people killed!" I snapped.
I shot to my feet and stormed out of the tent.
As the flaps fell closed, Khristen rushed out after me.
"Aurelia, wait!" she called, quickening her pace until she was beside me. "The meeting isn't finished. We still need to figure out how to ration our food supplies before we reach the towns."
"None of that matters if we're all going to get killed!" I snapped, my fists tightening as I sped up.
"Do you really think that?" Khristen asked.
"Yes, I do," I replied. "The elves are superior to humans in every way. Nothing can stop them from murdering every last one of us."
"Except you," Khristen said.
I froze.
"They can't harm you, remember?"
My eyes widened with dread as memories replayed in my mind.
There had been nothing but red and heat that night.
Nothing but chaos and panic.
Nothing but the smell of blood and smoke, and the creeping loneliness I had been running from all my life.
Even after centuries, after witnessing countless deaths, I could never grow used to it.
The destruction that clung to me like a shadow.
Moonlight spilled across the ground, the pale rays catching in my hair as it stirred in a soft gust of wind.
My jaw tightened as my chest constricted.
"I can't stop thinking about the city," I whispered.
A lump rose in my throat.
"I'm tired," I said, my voice smoky.
Khristen stepped closer.
"I'm tired of being the only one left," I said, turning to face her. "I'm tired of feeling like I'm responsible for everything."
Khristen sighed and closed the distance between us, wrapping her arms around me.
"I… don't know what it feels like to be a centuries-old demigod," she said quietly. "But I've lived a pretty rough life myself."
"I know what it's like to feel guilty for the deaths of many."
I buried my face in her shoulder.
"But humans can only do so much," she continued. "There are things we've learned to ignore. Things we can't control. Things we couldn't have prevented. That's how we've survived this long."
She held me tighter, her fingers gripping the fabric of my dress.
"I believe we will make it, Aurelia," she said. "Some will be lost, but… we will survive."
"We will reach Vel'soleth."
…
Edith and I curled up together in my tent, snug beneath a thin blanket. My left arm wrapped around her midsection, holding her close as I stared out toward the camp beyond the tent curtains.
It was empty this time—quiet, filled only with the whistling wind and heavy with the dread of what awaited us at the border.
No one stayed up late burning campfires, singing songs, or playing around.
Even if for different reasons, everyone was just as terrified as I was.
"Are you an angel?" Edith suddenly asked.
My eyes dropped to her. "You're awake."
"Yes," she said. "I'm not tired."
I sighed. "Alright. You can stay awake for a little longer. Then you have to go to sleep."
"Okay."
I stroked her hair gently with my right hand.
"Are you an angel?" she asked again.
I froze.
I'd hoped we'd moved past that.
I stayed silent for a moment.
"Where did you hear that?" I asked.
"I heard some of the soldiers talking about it," Edith said. "They say you can kill an elf with a single blow. The women say you're an angel because you have white hair and pretty eyes."
"They… they're just saying that," I replied nervously, trying to end the conversation.
"So… it's not true?" Her voice softened.
I hated it, but I had to lie to her. No one besides Corven and his lieutenants could know what I truly was. He had promised to hurt anyone who found out.
To him, I was nothing more than a weapon he needed to keep hidden.
"No, it's not," I said. "Did you hope I was?"
"Yes. It would mean the gods are with us. You could protect all of us from the elves," Edith replied. "We could cross the border and reach Vel'soleth without anyone getting hurt."
"I can still protect you," I said, pulling her closer.
"I know," she murmured.
"I won't let anyone hurt you," I whispered. "I promise."
Edith let out a slow breath.
She took my hand from her stomach and placed it against her chest.
I could feel her heartbeat.
Calm. Steady. Unafraid.
She felt safe here… with me.
My eyes widened.
How was I supposed to protect her—and all these people—if I was too afraid to raise a sword against the enemy?
How was I supposed to save them from certain death if I was terrified of my own power?
What had I gotten myself into?