Ember Sword Chapter 5: A Fighting Chance

A week passed since Mara and Edward's arrival to Solarwood and the academy. After speaking with the headmaster and interviewing some of the professors, they had finally found a lead. While in the library of the academy they came across old yearbooks of the different fraternities and sororities. Edward and Mara were alumni and they didn't even notice these groups when they were students. It seemed that these groups were banished from the school long ago. While interviewing other professors, they knew that these groups would have different rituals such as branding or tattoos. This caught the eye of Mara and Edward as one of the acolytes they took down in the sewers branded the tattoo of Solarwood. The more they dug, they found a former student that was part of that same fraternity that lived in a village not too far from the academy.

Mara and Edward were packing up at the same time other students were leaving the academy for the summer. Many students were to travel back to their own nation. Students in the same nation would travel in packs usually escorted by warriors or soldiers of that nation. The roads could be a dangerous place for outlaws or other strange creatures of Thanabus. Mara and Edward were getting their hover wagon packed outside the academy while others were hugging friends goodbye. Through the crowd, professor Iliana approached them. "I heard you were going deeper into the Solarwood forest to the villages in the north woods." Mara gave a smirk, "guess words travel fast." Illiana tilted her head, "one of our students is heading back that way and his escort has not arrived yet." Edward rolled his eyes. Iliana fixed her glasses, "perhaps you two could make some extra coins. You will be going down the path and you may run into the escort team." Mara shrugged, "sure why not." Edward stared at Mara shocked that she would agree. Mara grinned, "we are just investigating some leads, whats the harm in bringing a kid with us?" Edward exhaled, "we're not babysitters." Iliana perked up, "excellent, let me introduce you two to one of our best students!" Iliana gave a wave through the crowd and a student with blue eyes and blonde hair stepped forward. Iliana placed a hand on his shoulder and faced Mara and Edward, "this is young Felix."

While Edward was strapping the flower ox to the hover wagon, Mara grabbed more bags before noticing Felix talking to another student. He saw them hugged and then kissed as if they would not see each other for a while. She noticed that he was saying goodbye to a sevrendi girl. That was surprising to Mara and Edward noticed, "a solarwoodling with a sevrendi, what is this world coming to Mara?" Mara laughed, "I heard from some other professors that you were quite the charmer yourself. Something about you and a dusker sneaking out at nights back in the day." Edward gave a half-smile, "I rather not open that book right now, I would have to relearn how to walk after a night out with her." They both laughed. Mara and Edward were both alumni but Edward attended the academy almost a decade before Mara. They had just let duskers attend the academy when he came in, and sevrendi were still enemies of the state even when Mara was enrolled. Allowing sevrendi into the academy was a step forward and perhaps what she saw from Felix and that girl was a testimony to progress. Many of these students didn't have the prejudice that divided the four nations. Mara admired this change but knew it would be a slow process before harmony could be among the nations. She would long be gone before then. 

Soon after Mara, Edward, and Felix were off. Edward was driving the wagon with Mara and Edward sitting in the back. The morning sun was still bright shimmering among the trees and fields. They passed the nearby villages and were off into the forest. They would soon reach Glenton village and then would need to travel the farmlands before reaching Felix's village. The trio hit it off while traveling down the dirt path through Solarwoods. Felix asked many questions about the two agents and life in the republic. He asked about the capital of Skyder and if they have ever met Arch Cladius. "That's a bit above our paygrade young Felix, but we see him give grand speeches outside of his palace." Felix's eyes widen, "I have always wanted to meet him! My friends don't think too highly of him but I think he wants law and order." Mara tilted her head, "friends, as in your little sevrendi girlfriend?" Felix blushed, "well, yes, my other friend doesn't like him either. She's a dusker." Edward laughed, "I wouldn't be a big fan of him either if I was a sevrendi and dusker." Mara saw Felix was getting uncomfortable, thinking of what to say, so she changed the topic, "what's that lucky girl's name you said goodbye to this morning?" Felix looked down and smiled, "her name is Lisbeth, she's just so wonderful." Edward laughed, "she got a love spell on you huh?" Felix shook his head, "she's incredible! She is so tough, she whooped the school bully in the proving grounds! That good for nothing Edisean had what was coming to him." Felix realized what he just said and gave an awkward grin. Edward and Mara both staring at him. Felix gave a nervous laugh, "not like you all I mean...I'm sorry I like Ediseau!" Mara and Edward laughed. "No no, you're right, we Edisean can be difficult," Mara said while laughing. Edward remarked back, "speak for yourself, but don't get me started on Solarwoodlings!" At this moment all three were laughing. Felix noticed the laughing stop of his two companions when he felt the wagon come to a halt. Before Felix could ask why they had stopped he faced forward on the path. He felt his heart drop.

They were on the outskirts of Glenton when they noticed the smoke from the buildings. Someone had raided the town. Mara stood on the wagon and unsheathed her short sword. Edward was on the edge of the village now. Edward looked at Felix, "I want you to stay on the wagon." If you see trouble, you steer this flower ox away and we will catch up with you, Mara and I are going to check the village." When Mara and Edward entered the village it seemed they were late. Many of the town buildings were collapsing from the fires and others were smoldering heaps. Mara gulped as she noticed the slain guards and townsfolks among the ground. It was a massacre. She wondered who could have done this. Her questions were soon revealed when she noticed many different hoove prints on the ground. She shouted to Edward, "I think we have ogres!"

Felix eventually steered the wagon into the middle of the destroyed village, trying to cast any hydro energy to douse the fires but it was useless. Felix looked down and started to cry, "I had friends here. Glenton was a good village." Edward glared at the ground, "we need to move, if they aren't here they may be attacking other towns. We should inform the academy." Felix faced Edward, "I have to go to my village, the ogre tracks led that way!" Mara sheathed her sword, "what are ogres even doing this deep into Solarwood?" Ogres were a nomadic group of humanoid warthogs who scavenged Thanabus. They were a savage group usually fighting for power among their different tribes. When they weren't fighting themselves, they could rampage through many villages and towns. Ogres were usually among the desert lands but have been spotted raiding other nations. Mara had taken on some ogres years ago as her first duty after the academy as an Edisean guardsman, but she had a platoon with her, here she had a student and her partner. Mara knew she couldn't convince Felix to turn around. "We should help Felix's town," Mara said to Edward. "Even if we just make sure they are safe we could get supplies there to better prepare to go back to the academy." Edward sighed, "this is a terrible idea, but I would want the same if I was Felix." 

Going through the farmlands, the trio could see the ogre's wartorn path. Felix noticed the first group of them raiding the barns for food. There was a good two dozen of them all wearing their banners as clothes, clubs, spikes shapen, and tusks even sharper. The trio laid in the field Mara using her binoculars to see out. "What do you see?" Felix asked. Mara took a deep breath. "They have a chieftain." Mara had faced off with chieftains in the past. Ogres hierarchy came from size and power. Chieftans were usually double the size of regular ogres. They also double in speed and cunningness. Mara watched a squad of her men be cut down by a single chieftain with ease when she fought on the front. Chieftains were ruthless usually flaunting skulls of fallen enemies as belts and bandoliers of beasts, humans, robots, or even other ogres. As Mara focused on the chieftain, she noticed his grey mohawk as he was giving out his victory cry to the ogres. She noticed they were setting up camp in the barns. At that moment the trio heard something coming from behind them. They all got in a fighting position. "Be quiet, they haven't spotted you all yet" said a voice from the other crops. The voice sounded human. "stay very still, I will come to you all," whispered the voice. Shortly after, a hooded man quietly snuck to the crops the trio was hiding. Once the man arrived at them, Edward noticed Felix's face light up but he was still quiet. Edward could read the words Felix mouthed as he embraced the man, "father". 

Felix's father, Bryon was a huntsman and an excellent archer. He led the group through the different crops back to the main path where the hover wagon and flower ox were left. Felix's father escorted Mara, Edward, and Felix back to the village. The town was empty but the three noticed the eyes looking from the homes. It was nightfall now, Felix was greeted by his mother who embraced him very tightly. After a much-needed meal. Byron had Mara and Edward come to the tavern to discuss the issues that were happening. Felix was told to stay with his mother

The tavern was dark with only a few candles lit. Many people sat at one table. Mara and Edward were able to realize that this was not a social gathering but a war room. Bryon, Mara, and Edward sat at a table to the side. "Thank you for escorting my boy, didn't know he would have the republic on his side." Mara lit a cigarette with her hand, "not a problem, his escorts never arrived." Bryon nodded, "it appears that his escort guards were the first taken down by the ogres." Edward crossed his arms, "what exactly are ogres doing all the way out here? They are usually in Ediseau and Duskeron." Bryon shrugged,  "they appear desperate, perhaps someone or something pushed them from their lands." Someone from the main table waved for the three to head over. Everyone was circled around the table and many of the townspeople were forming a crowd around them. "So what are we looking at?" Bryon asked. "roughly over 20 ogres and a chieftain," Mara said to the crowd. People started talking among themselves. Mara could hear the fear in the townspeople's voices. "We need to get help from the academy," one person shouted. "They can't help us," another rebuttal. "We need to get out of town," another person stated. "The boulder wolves or ogres will outrun us! Chaos started to rise among the crowd around the table. Among the crowd, a young voice shouted, "We should fight!" The crowd went silent. Mara noticed that Felix had come into the tavern unnoticed. 

An elder man leaned over the table looking at Felix, "I admire your bravery young Felix, we are merely farmers and lumberjacks in this town. Ogres are bred for war." Felix looked down, all the eyes were on him. "We have two republic agents with us here right now, can't they help us?" Edward was about to speak, most likely to talk Felix out of fighting but was interrupted by Mara, "I know what we are up against. I fought ogres before." The chatter went among the crowd. "I know we don't have much of a chance, but the ogres are camping in the farmlands which give us time to prepare. We can build a defense in the town throughout the night." Mara looked at Felix, "the republic is with you young Felix, we will fight by your side." The crowd began nodding their heads as a shout was heard, "let's take on those ogres!" Another shouted, "for Glenton!" Bryon raised a tanker, "it's going to be a long night ahead of us!" The crowd uproared in cheer, chanting "for Glenton, for Solarwood, for the republic!". Edward leaned into Mara, "you think this will work." Mara saw Felix being lifted up by the townspeople. "I think we have a chance." Mara knew the chances were slim against a chieftain, but she could not leave these people to fight on their own. With her and Edward. They may have a fighting chance.