David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

and they again retired for the night exhausted, waking early with the sun the next morning to continue their training.

She found that she really enjoyed the training sessions with her men. They brought her a sense of purpose and order in the chaotic world that had almost a week before swept through her life, uprooting everything she had ever known.

She found a routine with these men that she could rely on, at least for the time being, and it was something she found herself looking forward to each day. As anticipated, she had the men move on to real weapons training, and they proved to be up for the challenge. Only a few minor cuts and bruises had been sustained since the start of the training, something she had certainly accounted for, but the men had seemed eager to continue, despite the potential hazards.

After another day of training she felt confident that her men were as prepared as they could be in such a short time and told them all that was left was years of endless practice and dedication, to which they all chuckled.

She had spent the entire morning refining their techniques with their swords and axes before dedicating the rest of the day to long range combat with bows, slingshots, crossbows, and throwing spears.

The men seemed to enjoy these lessons better. She guessed they felt that they were safer from harm’s way if they were using long range weapons. She quickly disarmed the men of these dangerous thoughts, explaining that in battle there is no safety until the enemy is eliminated. She didn’t want to entertain false hopes of safety that may prevent the men from maintaining their highest state of readiness.

She knew that even a single moment of hesitation on the battlefield could be all it took to get killed by an unexpected threat and she wanted to make sure her men knew this and were prepared at all times.

As she settled down for the night after eating a hearty portion of rabbit stew and bread, she felt her confidence rising for the first time.

She felt that they really had a shot at taking back their home. With the two hundred men she had trained along with the soldiers who were already battle hardened, they had a sizeable force of around five hundred.

She knew that in a direct assault they wouldn’t stand a chance, but if they could create a diversion with the main part of their force at the front gates and then have a smaller party sneak in through the side to take on General Krauss and recapture the city, then they could have a shot at winning.

As she was lying on her bedroll trying to fall asleep, she heard footsteps rushing to her tent. She quickly jumped up when Captain Ryan came rushing through her tent flap, wide-eyed and fully alert. He said one thing before he rushed back out of her tent, “They’ve found us!”

Chapter XX

Erin jumped up and, after grabbing her sword and putting on her boots, quickly ran through the flap in her tent. The cool night air was filled with the sound of men yelling and soldiers shouting orders. The entire camp was alive with men rushing here and there trying to prepare their defenses. She could see an endless line of torches marching through the thick woods, slowly making its way toward their camp.

Captain Ryan came rushing past her and grabbed her hand, forcing her to follow behind him as they ran through the camp. They were nearly knocked over, chaos breaking out everywhere as swords and other weapons were piled up for men to grab as they ran past. She could see men to her left and right gearing up and getting ready for combat. Some of those men she recognized from her training. She prayed they were ready for the battle that they were about to face. Training was one thing – actual combat was something entirely different.

As they rushed through the camp, dodging benches, rocks, trees, and other people running back and forth, she could see a company of soldiers ahead waiting for their captains.

They were clad in armor and had their weapons drawn and at the ready. They were the frontline and Captain Ryan was leading them… with Erin by his side! She felt a sudden wave of pride mixed with the horror of being on the frontline. She had never been in a full-scale battle like this before; she was terrified.

She could feel her heart nearly jumping out of her chest but did her best to calm herself through practiced breathing techniques she had been taught years before. Panicking now would do her no good, she had to focus her fear into anger and her anger into a resolve to kill and survive.

As they waited for the approaching army to draw close enough to charge, groups of soldiers, mingled with Erin’s militia of volunteers, joined in line after line behind them. They were all silently awaiting the battle that was only moments away from breaking the once quiet night into pure chaos and mayhem.

Captain Ryan slowly walked forward and turned back towards the lines of men behind him, mist hanging lightly in the air between the trees behind him. He began addressing the soldiers with a loud voice that echoed throughout the lines.

“Men, this is our moment! We stand here tonight ready to defend our freedom, our families, and our very lives. Let this night be a night that the enemy never forgets! Let it be the night that the cry for freedom rings through the valleys below and up to the highest peak of the mountains, a cry that strikes fear into the heart of all who will oppose what is good and true. Let us never forget this night – the night that freedom’s fire ignited from a spark into a roaring flame! Bring us victory! Bring us victory!” he screamed as he thrust his sword