Maeve's Daughter ~ Throne of Glass

Chapter 14- Battle at Anielle

Elide wasn't even on the battlements, and she already wished to never endure war again.

The soldiers who were hauled in, their injuries, gods she didn't know how the healers were so calm, as they pinned down thrashing men, rushing quickly to get bandages, hot water , whatever salves or herbs they needed. That's where Elide could help.

But Freya and Yrene. She'd never seen anything quite like it , a whirlwind of bright light, reeling orders calmly away to the healers around them.
Yrene was a High Torre healer and carried the known authority with an air of grace, even with the circumstances.

Nobody questioned Freya's orders. Not when she steadily saved countles soldiers lives, who's injuries had been so grotesque and impossible that Yrene had even been queasy to see them when they were dragged in.
Elide didn't even know the human body could do that.

None of the healers ever shouted, simply raising their voices, magic glowing brightly around them, if a soldier was shrieking too loudly.

A huge boom shook the keep, and Elide was grateful she didn't know what that meant.
Freya however, knew exactly what the sound meant, and stilled for a second, putting the poor soldier she'd been working on into a peaceful dark oblivion, as she imagined one of Morath's dark siege towers jutting against the keep, hoards of black Valg foot soldiers pouring up and over into the battlements.

There was hope singing in her blood though, thrumming in her veins.
Hope, that only grew as more and more soldiers whispered Aelin Galathynius' name, as they told her
about the young queen who'd appeared in bright golden armour, leading the charge against Morath.

~

The khagan's army took no prisoners.
A few of Morath's soldiers tried to escape the city.
Standing beside Aelin on the keep battlements, Rowan watched the ruks pick them off with lethal efficiency.

Across the plain, stretching towards the horizon, the khagan's army made sure their kills stayed down; swords and spears flashed in the afternoon light as they rose and fell, severing heads.

They'd lost so many of their own, healers already made their way of the battlefield, their white banners stark against the sea of black and gold.  Rowan could see Freya then, walking along the blood slicked plain, healing those she could, offering dark sleep to those suffering in vain. He'd already begun to hear whispers of the kind dark Fae healer, who offered the kiss of death as a kindness for the dying.
He wondered if she was so kind on the battlefield.

Two shapes took form in the sky. Kadara and Salkhi, soaring for the keep at an almost unchecked speed.

"We have a a problem," Nesryn said, her tanned face ashen. Indeed, Sartaq's lips were bloodless, both of their scents drenched in fear.

The wheel of Chaol's chair splashed through puddled blood, "What is it?"
Aelin straightened, Gavriel and Fenrys going still.

Nesryn pointed across the city "We intercepted a group of Morath soldiers, trying to bring the dam down."

Rowan swore, and Chaol echoed it.

"After we arrived too much damage had already been done." Sartaq continued, telling them all they need to know. They needed to evacuate the army off the plain right now.

"It's going to break?" Chaol's father demanded.
"At any moment." Sartaq concluded.
"There's no where for them to go, the water will roar for miles and my keep cannot hold all of your forces." the lord said simply.

"Summon the ruks," Chaol said, "have them gather up and fly out as many as they can to the peak behind us." He gestured.

"What if they don't make it to the ruks," Hasar snapped, something like panic cracking her fierce stony face.

Aelin's face was grave, she scanned the plain, "Tell them to run, if they cannot get to a ruk, just run, if they make it to Oakwald's edge they might stand a chance climbing into a tree," Rowan knew it was an unlikely hope, but said nothing.

There was no truth or lie that could save the army on the plain.

~
Elide found her companions and allies stood on the battlements, surrounded by bodies and gore.
She'd been sent by Yrene to see how Chaol fared, and had see. The unspoken plea in Freya's eyes, asking after Fenrys. So she was pleased to see them alive, pleased to see all of them. But something was wrong, she noted their pale faces and tense words.

She reached their side just as Nesryn leaped stop her beautiful ruk, launching in a sharp dive for the other ruks and army below.

Simultaneously, a familiar enormous white owl swept up past her, meeting the party atop the walls. Shifting, Freya took the words right out of her mouth, "What's wrong?"

"The dam is going to break." the queen replied hoarsely, "And wipe away anyone on the plain."

Oh gods. Oh gods.

They could do nothing.

"Has anyone warned the healers?" Elide pointed down to white banners waving too far out into the plain, "The Healer on the High?" Hafiza was down there.

Silence, then Freya growled, fury in her eyes,
"No. No one has warned them."
She shifted in a flash, without thought, and was racing away to do what, Elide didn't know, but she spotted the guilty faces around her.
Sartaq swore and followed her quickly on his ruk.

Elide was not surprised to see the great beast swooping down again and again. Healers, grabbing as many of them as he could.
What did surprise her, surprised all of them was the large owl, only a third of its size, sweeping across the plain doing the same thing, three or four healers at a time.

Fenrys swore, and she noticed he hadn't taken his eyes of that white speck as it moved a furious speeds, dropping healers unceremoniously atop the battlements before going straight back, without a pause.

As she looked at him, she realised something that made her blood run cold.

"Where is Lorcan?" She said quietly, panic coursing across her features.
None of them turned.
"Where is Lorcan?!" She shouted.

They whirled around and Gavriel replied, confusion dancing in his eyes, "He...he, I saw him there, just before the khagan's troops reached him."

"Where is he" and her voice broke as she realised none of them knew, their stunned silence told them they hadn't even wondered. Gavriel still pointing to where he'd seen him last.

They began arguing, Rowan yelling at Fenrys to minnow onto the field to find him.

But Fenrys couldn't, not wouldn't- he'd forgiven Lorcan like his queen had asked him too. But the fear was clear in his eyes.

When they looked up, Elide was gone.