"Brace yourselves," Cullen advised, leaning against one of the walls in his temporary room. "What we're about to discuss is not for the faint at heart."

At his last statement, I noticed his dark eyes flicker in Sparrow's direction.

"I'm sure we can handle it," I said, my tone suggesting he hasten to share whatever information he held.

"Montgomery," he called, causing the older, dark-skinned male to look his way. "You actually witnessed what happened. Do you want to tell them?"

"No man would ever want to tell another soul the things I've seen" he corrected, his stare haunting as it passed over each one of us.

I'd seen many things in my life—things that would make a person want to end themself just to ensure they never see it again—and yet, the emptiness leaking out of Montgomery made me uneasy.

"Of course not," Cullen agreed respectfully.

Nodding his head, Montgomery's leg shook, causing the old ricketing bed he sat on to creak. Lifting his eyes, they stilled on Sparrow, and then turned to me.

"You sure you want the lady to hear this?" he asked.

No doubt, Sparrow was seething at the way he asked for my approval on her behalf. My mind, however, went to just a moment ago, when we were following Cullen here. She didn't realize it, but she kept fidgeting as we walked, and her eyes darted left and right, restlessly. She was afraid, whether she'd admit it or not, and a part of me feared that Montgomery's report would send her over the edge. But, whether she heard it was not my call to make.

"She's a grown woman," I reminded him. "Why don't we ask her?"

When he made no moves to do so, I did.

"Sparrow?"

"Yeah?" she responded, her guard clearly up, as always.

"What do you think? Think you can handle Montgomery's tale?" I asked, locking eyes with her stormy grey ones.

A pleased smirk formed on her pale, pink lips at my question, catching my attention, considering I'd only really seen her frown. "You'd be surprised by how much I can handle."

Letting my gaze stay on her, I began to wonder just how much this woman could take. She wasn't much when it came to combat, but she certainly was not built for the domestic life. She'd most likely die before succumbing to the life of a simple village maiden. No, she was made for greater things.

The longer I stared, the more her answer replayed in my head, my body stiffening when they began to sound like that of a rebellious temptress.

"I don't think you understand," the brown-toned man sighed. "This is not something a lady should hear."

I could see Sparrow's temple pulsating as her mouth closed tight in disatisfaction. Clearing my mind of any dishonorable thoughts, I focused back on the conversation, feeling the tension thickening.

"Let's get one thing straight," she said coldly, taking a confident stepped toward Montgomery. "I've seen more than my fair share of tragedy and death, so, my capacity to hear your story is not affected by what's between my legs."

Taking one final step, she stood rather close to the man, and although her small build posed little threat to him, Montgomery seemed to prefer her when she was brooding and silent, as opposed to confrontational.

"Now, how about you stop wasting time and get on with it already?" she passive-aggressively suggested.

Wide-eyed, Montgomery looked at me for some kind of help, but I had no urge to give him any. Time was ticking, and he was already testing my patience with his incessant stalling. Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "You heard her. Get on with it."

"Okay...well...I was with my unit, guarding the north side of camp because of your warning about the forsaken ones invading our territory," he began, holding eye-contact with me. "Not long after we were in position, we started hearing screams. I wanted to run to them, to help them...to protect them, our people, but, Riggs, the head of our unit," he clarified for Sparrow's sake. "He was dead set on us staying where assigned. I know he was just following protocol, General's orders and whatnot, but not even a leaf was ruffling at our station. I couldn't just stay there, watching the snow turn to ice while those bastards killed our men.

"Turns out, I should have stayed with my unit. Maybe then, I wouldn't have these images burned in my memory for the rest of my life. These things...I can never unsee them. Makes me wish I could go back in time and save myself the torment, but it's too late for me now."

With that conclusion, Montgomery's presence began to fade away. He was still here, physically, but mentally he was in a whole other universe.

"Montgomery," I called, trying to get his attention.

"Aye, Gomery?" Cullen joined in, taking a step toward the middle-aged man. When he reached out and tapped his shoulder with his bony finger, Montgomery seemed to blink away his daze. "You alright?"

"No," he answered honestly. "No, I'm not."

"Uh, perhaps we should continue this at supper?" Cullen suggested, to which I shook my head impatiently.

"Impossible. I have to get Sparrow to Camp Genesis. Delaying for all those hours would be utterly unnecessary. If he can't tell us what happened, that is fine. I'm sure you'll do an adequate job, Cullen," I said, my patronizing tone showing I was growing tired of the wait.

"I would, Avery," he responded. "But, Yates' instructed for Gomery to tell you."

"Clearly, he's not able to at the moment, so—"

"Bodies." The word hung in the air like a whispered vex, sucking the fire out of the room and causing a dark chill to settle. All eyes were back on Montgomery, as his dry lips moved again. "They...were everywhere, littered on the snow. I thought the screams were unbearable, but the closer I got to the south side of camp, the stronger the smell of burning flesh grew."

My whole body froze, constricting in unspoken devastation as the truth continued to flow out of him. 

People are dead.

"I thought the attack would have been solely on us—the soldiers, the lynks and their shadoes. But..."

No.

"The forsaken didn't just hit us. They hit the village, too, at a far greater level. Tell me, Avery...have you ever seen the charred body of a toddler?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sparrow stiffen, but I held in my reaction well. Not well enough for Beau not to pick up on my emotions; pain, despair, sorrow, grief, rage. All those things swarmed inside of me, insatiable for revenge, but I knew that couldn't come. Not yet. 

Swallowing to make sure my voice came through clearly, I answered, "No, Montgomery. I can't say I have."

"What about women hung from their own homes? Or young men with their head's ripped off by that cursed magic they call their gifts!? Have you seen anything like that?!"

"No," I said through a sharp inhale, my mind imagining the wreckage, but unable to see even a glimpse of what he must have. He was shouting, unable to control his emotions, and I could see them eating away at him. "But, I wish that you hadn't."

"I don't need your pity!" he barked, standing up abruptly from the bed. The forceful movement cause the wood to scrape against the floor and the headboard to thud against the dingy wall. "What I need is for you to make sure we don't lose the war this time! I can't take it anymore! Not again! Not after this."

Hitting his head, as if to try and knock the memories from it, Montgomery stumbled out of the room, mumbling to himself and leaving us to soak in the short description he gave of what had happened. 

"It's even worse than that, if you can believe it," Cullen said, closing the door his comrade left wide open. "Almost nothing is left standing. They've never attacked like this before."

Those devils will pay for this.

"What about the camp?" I asked, trying not to focus on what stained the streets of the village. "How did it make out?"

"Some of the tents were burned in the fires, but our casualty count isn't as bad. It seems they liked going after the unarmed," he answered, the bitterness evident on his tongue. 

"Is Lydia okay?" Sparrow asked, speaking for the first time after hearing the news.

"Uh," Cullen hesitated, causing my eyes to widen. "She will be."

"What does that mean?" she questioned further, locking her jaw in dissatisfaction. "She either is or she isn't."

"She was stabbed during the invasion," he said, looking to the ground. "But, with her grace of healing, she's recovering well." Making eye contact with me, the ginger added, "Heath is by her side."

Nodding my head, I saw Sparrow let out a breath of relief, puzzling me for a moment at her obvious concern for a woman she barely knew. It wasn't something I thought her capable of, but perhaps I was wrong. Either way, it was time to go. Beau had successfully cleared the perimeter, but we couldn't wait for long. 

"Let General Yates know we are continuing the course of action as planned. Of course, we'll take caution, in light of the recent attack, and send word when we arrive," I stated assertively, crossing my arms. Then, lifting my head in the direction of the door, I motioned for Sparrow to follow me. "We're leaving."

When we were back outside, the cold air seemed to hit her hard, but she made no moves to voice that. 

"Before we leave, we'll get some rations for the road," I said, leading us to the simple market not far from the inn. "While we're here, look for another coat. The one you have is ruined."

"It's fine," she argued, back to the difficult woman I knew her to be.

"It's not. Not only does it have a permanent layer of frost on it," I pointed out impatiently, tugging on one of her sleeves. "But, it also has claw marks from that wolf. It'd be a shame if you let the weather kill you after surviving that."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, she rolled her eyes, but I ignored it and lightly pushed her in the direction the clothes were. "Find something and wait for me there. I'll meet you after I get what we need. Understood?"

For a brief second, something flashed in her eyes. It wasn't a challenge, or a tether, of that I was sure, but it certainly was something. Shaking it off, she met my gaze, lifted her chin up slightly, and replied, "Understood." 

As I watched her leave, I couldn't help but feel like I needed to hurry and get us back on the road. The sooner we got away and back to just us, the better.

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Author's Note:

Hey, guys! So sorry for the delay! I've been busy lately due to family tragedies and haven't had time for writing. The majority of this chapter was already written, so I worked hard to finish it for you today. I also edited and proof-read it, but I might come back to it later.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I hope you enjoyed it!

What do you think about Montgomery's tale?

I originally had it more graphic and gory, but changed it because realistically, I don't think he would have given all that detail.

Also, what do you think Avery saw flash in Sparrow's eyes? 🤔😌

-Mac