Kaleh had warned me last night that he was going to go “set things up.” Him having a plan scares me, but he’d been bouncing off his heels thinking about a militia. He’d gone through the motions, so I’ll put my trust in him — the same trust he uses to call me “leader.”

  Light gleamed off the pommel of my... needle, as the townsfolk say. Morning had just begun.

  “Agnes? You up?” I half-whispered across the room.

  She rolled to get off her front side — straight off the bed and onto the floorboards.

  “Ow.... yeah. I am now,” she cried, still wrapped in what could generously be called a “blanket.”

  I tip-toed over, reaching an arm out to help. She took it after rubbing the base of her neck with a wince.

  “I feel like sleeping on the floor would’ve been better. A nice spot near the burner...”

  I tilted my head, “is it really that bad?”

  “A little, but I’m tired so...”

  She walked over to our mound of supplies. I flinched as she reached toward the ration pouch, but all she pulled out was one person’s worth of hardtack. I glanced at Marie, still unresponsive.

  Usually she’d be up if she heard anything. One time during my watch, I stepped on a twig —pacing out of boredom — and she’d jumped awake like I was there to kill her.

  The bracing, the wall-leaning, the quiet stares... she’d never let herself sag like that unless something’s wrong.

  I crouched down in front of the bed, grabbing her shoulder with just enough pressure to be there.

  “Marie?” No response, she kept on snoring like I didn’t exist.

  “Hello...? You messing with me?”

  I sat there still for a beat, wondering whether she was breathing at all.

  My eyes found Agnes again, who mimed a shaking motion.

  Should I? We could always come back later to get her... Without thinking I already found myself jostling her awake.

  “Hey, Marie are you alive-”

  She shot up, grasping at her chest like she’d been skewered by a bodkin. I jumped back as well, stunned by the reaction.

  “...Sorry, I’m up.” She whispered through her clenched teeth.

  She insisted she was fine, and I will not question her. Marie would be ok... Regardless, we have to start gathering people to train up. I’d promised to help, and everyone’s showing up to back my decision. I better be damn sure I follow through.

  We left the cozy inn, nothing but the essentials as we left our travel packs in our room. Agnes lugged her heavy medicine bag, the sheer amount of notes and remedies pulling her shoulder down. Marie was walking behind me, hood pulled as far down as it would go. I saw a familiar face in the distance.

  “Hey, Halvin! What wakes you so early?”

  He walked toward us, heavy wool coat flowing in the frostbitten wind.

  “Well y’see, Kaleh came by earlier requesting my help to find the able bodies. Figured I’d know where to look.”

  I’m glad Kaleh thought of that, I was ready to go door-to-door.

  “Of course...” he continued,

  “many of the unable bodies are showing up as well. They don’t want to miss their chance to meet the Needle-devil.”

  I grimaced, “its not a needle.”

  Halvin shrugged, “legends don’t choose their names, kid.”

  I highly doubt my one act of bravery is legend-worthy. Not when I contend the “almighty” Merric. It seemed he’d made all the stops he intended to, so we were off to the place Kaleh picked out.

  A couple of sturdy stakes sat upright, poking out of the rocky soil like watchtowers to a fort. A rather sizable portion of this town already stood in a crowd. Heavy-handed miners who’d swung pickaxes their whole lives. Women who wanted to make a difference for this town they called home. Other tradesmen here to pitch in what they could. Frost already caked the dying brown grass, creating a window to show what lay ahead were they unprepared.

  “That’s the needle-devil!” Shouted a kid from the mass, causing many to turn in my direction.

  I quelled the shaking in my hands by gripping the pommel of my weapon. A miner shot an approving nod my way, a couple women gave me looks like I’d been made of silver, children ogled at my supposed “magnificence.” I’ll have to make a speech, then.

  What to say...

  Fear gripped me like a vice. Part of me wanted to run — that part was my quaking legs — but I’m too far to turn.

  I reject this fear. I’m stronger than this fear.

  I stepped forward.

  “Alright. First, stop calling me that,” I muttered, which only made a few people laugh.

  I cleared my throat, breath fogging in the morning cold.

  “I’m not a devil, and this isn’t a needle.”

  I slapped the pommel a couple of times to let them know what I meant.

  “Yesterday wasn’t some storybook fable. A man was getting beaten and I stepped in to help. Anyone with a spine would’ve.”

  Their faces shifted —some utterly embarassed, others hopeful.

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  “We’re not here because of a name. We’re here today because riders from across the border think they can mess with you.”

  My face tensed up, unsure whether they were going to like hearing this.

  “The worst part? You’ve taught them they can. If nobody is going to come and help, those nobles on high, then I suggest you stand and fight.”

  I looked across the crowd. Miners, mothers, old men and tired apprentices. They’d made a life here, quaint and simple as it may be, and they’d never thought they could defend it themselves. Those that had, well they’d sent for someone else to do it for them.

  “You all have survived winters that would’ve put half of Arnier in the grave. You work harder than anyone else in the kingdom. You think a couple horses, and the scoundrels on top of them, can best you?”

  I scoffed, starting to march back and forth as I found my next words easy.

  “We cant fight for you. No, we’re travellers and we’ll be gone soon after this is over. What we can do... is teach you.”

  I rested a hand on my hilt once more, not as a crutch, but to show them the strength they were capable of.

  “If you’re willing to fight for your homes, even if your hands never wrap around the shaft of a spear. If you push through the fear, the sweat, the bruises... then and only then will Ferhom see tomorrow.”

  Like that, a hush fell across the crowd. Glances exchanged carried words unspoken. One by one, I saw their eyes widen as the bitter cold lit a fire in them.

  Gods... they’re listening.

  The furrowed brows told me they were ready, and my heart raced for the first time since yesterday.

  Murmurs sounded from the group, boots shifted underfoot. Kaleh cleared his throat, gathering power as his chest rose.

  “You heard him! I want the able bodied of you to grab a stick and line up! We’re gonna learn how to fight the horse, not the rider!”

  Miners, tanners, cobblers, and many more grabbed a long stick from Kaleh’s stockpile. They lined up in rows and colums as he directed. A sizable crowd stood to the side, the ones who’d be responsible for everything else.

  “Come on! Tighten these rows! No not that much — half an arms-lenth people!”

  I turned to my group. Halvin was beaming ear-to-ear, proof that most, if not all the people found something in my words.

  Agnes piped up,

  “That speech was honestly terrific. You’ve got them all fired up! I’ll go grab some people from the crowd and start working on medicine.”

  She was already halfway to the gathering by the time she finished.

  Marie grabbed my shoulder, grip lighter than usual.

  “You did good, Ley. I’ll teach them snares and scouting. Join me later?”

  I tilted my head, “how could I not?”

  She didn’t move yet. Turned away before I could say anything more, but she observed from a distance. Only when Agnes stepped away with her selection did Marie start walking. I have to trust her...

  Marie slipped into the treeline with her group, already gesturing at their surroundings as she indicated what to look for. Her cloak brushed over the dead grass as she disappeared behind a ridge. I watched her go longer than I meant to, as her voice disappeared in the foliage.

  Kaleh clapped twice, loud enough to rattle my skull.

  “Brace it properly! You —yes you right there — hold the pole lower or you’ll get trampled!”

  I suppose there was no easing into it. I walked over to Kaleh’s group, in the midst of learning how to form a passable pike wall. It seemed like the trick was to kneel down, bracing the shaft inbetween the body and the ground. Half the line still braced like they were holding walking sticks.

  He looked over at me,

  “it’s impossible to watch every single one of them. Can’t be one bad link or we’ll fall apart like loose chainmail.”

  I nodded, “yeah. There’s no way the Ervyans havn’t encountered this technique at least a dozen times. They’ll know how to break it if it’s not strong enough.”

  Kaleh smiled, “they use the horse for the momentum, the slice, the follow-through. Take it out and they’ll be like fish on land-”

  his sentence dropped off as he witnessed one of the miners nearly skewering his own boot. After a while, the line began to look more like a formation than disorganized nonsense.

  Shaky, but it’s progress.

  Kaleh began to train combat with these practice pikes, the ends of which slammed haphazardly into his planted stakes. A couple in the back line were discussing the morality of hurting a horse, but Kaleh stepped in to correct them: They’ve no choice.

  The sun was high over this small gorge, early morning cold shooed away by the light beaming down. Agnes desperately needed a test dummy for everyone to practice on, so I sat motionless on a stump. I could smell the fresh mixed herbs on the wind.

  “See, you want to tie a bandage like this. If you wrap this around here...”

  she crossed the end under the rest of the bandage wrap,

  “pull it tight and...”

  I winced as Agnes wrenched the bandage as hard as she could. It felt like a boulder had just been dropped on my bicep.

  “Got it?”

  She asked, taking as long as possible to undo the wrap before my arm died.

  “Ok. Leonn, die.”

  This was the fun part. I get to put on my acting skills as one-by-one our medics in training try to copy Agnes’ work. I keeled over, dropping to one knee with a gasp, and gripping my arm in agony.

  “My arm! My arm! Gods, they got me!”

  I didn’t have to pretend I was in pain — she tightened it that hard for realism, I think.

  “He’s good at dying...” muttered a kid in the back.

  The last of our trainees finished up right as I heard a snap from the treeline. It looked like they had it under control here, so I took my leave and started toward the commotion.

  On the other side of the ridge, people gathered around a leather sack. Inside were phenomenal heaps of rope. Marie was standing off to the side, looking up at someone dangling by their foot.

  “So... what did you learn?”

  The distressed woman yelled out in response, gripping at her dress and pulling it down.

  “I... step once but think twice before I do it, Miss!”

  She nodded, turning to me.

  “Leonn, can you help me out?”

  She pointed to the rope suspending them.

  “Apple” was all she said, but I knew exactly what she wanted me to do.

  A grin stretched across my face. I looked at the palm of my hand, “gentle, alright? One good clean cut.”

  My arm glowed as the scrawl pooled in spirals along my skin. I held it up, vortex swirling around my arm. Suddenly, it shot in a clean wave, cutting the rope clean in two.

  I caught the woman as she fell to the ground, dropping into a deep squat as I absorbed the impact.

  She gripped my arm for a moment as she steadied herself. “Th-thank you...”

  Marie gave a sidelong glare as she thanked me and returned to grab more rope.

  “So... how’s it going?” I asked.

  “They’re doing passable work. I’ve shown them what to look for, how to set traps, now it’s their job to apply it.”

  She replied, voice startlingly thin for someone standing around.

  I stifled a small laugh, finding similarity in how she taught them.

  “What?”

  “You teach like Eligor.”

  “Shut it” she jabbed at my already pulsating arm.

  Evening finally settled in. The fighters were rubbing their raw shoulders from pike training, talking about what they did well and what they can improve. Agnes was giving a speech about how important it is to recognize who you can save from who you can’t save — to the horror of her students. Marie was gathered with her group, a slight rasp in her voice as she delegated watch routines. They still did look terrified, waiting in the dark is a whole lot different than in the afternoon, but they seemed determined.

  Halvin stepped up onto a stump as if it were a stage,

  “my countrymen, all of you put your best foot forward today. Don’t lose hope, nor that spark in your eyes. We do it again tomorrow — and the day after.”

  He raised his fist,

  “Ferhom lives!”

  A dozen scattered voices answered

  “With us!”

  Ferhom settled into the evening with hope in its heart, fear under its bones... and training enough to just maybe repel an invasion. Kaleh, Agnes, and Marie eventually joined me, all worn thin and ready for our shared room at the inn. Let’s see what tomorrow holds.