Urnyras Jael tumbled over a confused onthox spearman; and taking advantage of his situation, she stabbed him on his back, through the intestines. She twisted the blades until he eventually stopped screaming, finishing him slitting on his throat. She tossed away the corpse.
"That was the last one," she said. "I do not understand this. They keep sending small troops through the Valley. Where is the damn army?"
"I do not know, but this is indeed awkward," Eoria approved. "We were supposed to give the southern cities time, not meddle here doing nothing - oh well, other than consuming these pawns." She spit on a nearby, headless corpse.
"This can be a bait," Urnyras Jael rubbed her chin. "These bodies, these onthox - they don't even fight back. Haven't you felt their senses, at least some of them who do not know how to hide them? They were afraid, surrendered - some of them knew they would die here. I suspect they are distracting us. They might have found another way to south. They are-"
"Lady, my Lady!" said Faerach, a spy scout, running towards them, in kind of a panic.
"Halt, Faerach, catch your breath!" said Eoria, "What is going on?"
"Speak up," said Urnyras Jael cold-bloodedly, unlike Eoria, she wasn't one bit interested in him resting or catching his breath. "What is it?"
"An Onth-ahem-Onthox Army," he said. "They, Onthox, ruined and burned down all the villages on their way, they dodged us, they are- my Lady, that is horrible, they've slain the kids, the elderly, everyone, they do not show mercy, they-" Then, he fainted.
"Take him to the medical tent," Urnyras Jael said. "Physicians will take care of him. Raulin!"
"Yes, my Lady," said Raulin, another scout.
"Gather up the Second Division and head to south," said Urnyras Jael. "Faus, too, tell him to take the lead of the Third Division and assist you. We will meet nearby the fields north of Freunbragh. Do not leave Galdwin, no matter what happens. Stick to the orders from N'ya."
"My Lady," said Raulin, he then bowed before leaving. Now it was only her and Eoria.
"What really happened that day?" Eoria asked, rather hesitantly.
"What day?" Urnyras Jael asked, without looking at her. She was busy sharpening the edge of her daggers and applying liquified poison.
"You know, the day you blacked out and got wounded," she said. "We were worried."
"I did not black out," she said harshly, she was sharpening the edge faster now. "And please, Eoria, stop worrying about me. I do not need the pity of anyone. I am fine, it was a moment I could not avoid, I don't even know what happened to me. I was just there, standing silent."
"Noone told you, then?" Eoria asked, rather surprised.
"Told me what?" Urnyras Jael turned around. "What ar you talking about?"
"You called for someone, a name," she said. "Einuchar, if I'm not mistaken. You were crying. I cannot believe noone told you that."
"Noone did," Urnyras Jael said, successfully avoiding to give away any surprised or sad expressions and immediately getting herself together. "I do not care. I told you, I do not even remember it now. If you excuse me-" She headed towards her own tent, Eoria stopped her with her shortsword, holding it to Jael's chest.
"Don't be an idiot, woman," Eoria said. "You are one of my closest friends and sisters-in-arms, if not the closest. I know and sense when you are troubled. Stop trying to hide things from me, will you?"
"I do not wish to discuss this any further, Eoria," Urnyras Jael said, with no expressions on her face or her voice. "Let me go. We can't waste any more time."
Eoria lowered her shortsword, and Urnyras Jael started to run towards her tent, with a few subtle tears in her eyes that Eoria has never seen before or after - merely a lousy illustration of how much she was crying inside, ironically.
...
She lifted her hand. Raulin lifted his too, over behind a farmstead. Three Divisions, Two and Three under command of Raulin and Faus; and the First Division under command of Urnyras Jael, quickly merged at the entrance of the town called Freunbragh. There were no lights, even if it was nighttime, as if it was abandoned.
It was one of the oldest towns in the province; and ancient settlement, a grand city before some destructions it had experienced. It was a small town now, but the townsfolk did not abandon the "city", "-bragh"; as a remembrance of these glorious days.
"I sense death," Urnyras Jael frowned. "This can't be good. This stench... Death is in the air. Raulin, cover the northern entrance and report back."
...
"You have to see it for yourself, Urnyras Jael," Raulin said. His face was terrified, shocked. Demoralized.
As Merged Divisions entered the town, they have been surrendered by the darkest shade of black. The main street to the town square from the northern entrance was covered with corpses. Disfigured, half eaten, torn apart bodies. Corpses were hanging on the trees, some were nailed to building walls - all of the corpses shared one more similarity other than the brutality they were subject to: their expression, at least the ones with intact faces, were terrified.
Urnyras Jael felt sick. She started to inhale and exhale faster. She held her tummy. She was dizzy, she-
...was now in Syera.
Her dizziness faded away, as she looked around. A sunny day, atop one of the hills of Syera City, windy, familiar. She could see the entire city, the docks, the Watch Tower - the pride of her nation. All the gulf was under her feet now. She was in peace.
"Beautiful, no?" said a woman behind her back. She was too numb to react, even if it was a threat; she'd be dead by now. She had a feeling - it was no threat. She was peaceful. She's felt no tension. She slowly turned around.
"It is, Einuchar," she said.
The woman she called Einuchar was a grown-up fylla in a white, transparent dress; with flowers and leaves all over her long, red hair.
"Do you fear me?" she said.
"I do not, sister," Urnyras Jael replied. "I do not fear."
"Watch, now," Einuchar touched Jael's shoulder.
All of a sudden, she started hearing screams of sorrow from below, from the city. Everyone was in panic, mourning and shouting in despair; for their death. She remembered.
"What is it, sister?" she asked, nonetheless.
"The sound of death," Einuchar replied. "The disease. Wiping out our homeland."
Urnyras Jael bowed her head, still forcing herself not to cry.
"This is a catastophe, sister," Einuchar continued. "Will you let death lurk in our towns, wipe away everyone? Will you let the death prevail? Will you not fight against it? You have to stay strong, Dheinach, for you are my hope. You are the hope for your people. A hope for the Empire. You are chosen, my sweet sister; yet too early for you to realize it. Stand up, now."
...
"Stand up!" said Eoria, shaking Urnyras Jael on her shoulder. "What the hell in Gosto's name happened to her again?"
"We do not know, Lady Eoria," replied Raulin, rather confused. "We stepped into the ghost town and she faded into a... trance, or whatever you may call it. Not long before you arrived here."
Urnyras Jael was in a kneeling position, looking at a random spot on the ground, without moving or even blinking.
"Clear the city, burn everything down, after you conduct a full scale investigation. Search every home for possible living. Search every hole. I'll write the report to N'ya and to Rolinbragh City. We have to warn southern regions - onthox have found another way around us. Jael was right."
"Yes, my Lady," said Raulin, giving instructions to the rest of the Intelligence Corps.
"My sweet Raven," said Eoria, kneeling next to her. "What has happened to you? What troubles you? We will learn soon, dear friend. I will help you."
Urnyras Jael let one tear fall down.
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