The Last Stand (The Eleven Years War: Book One)
Chapter Three

Elise!Olrick’s panicked voice pulled her out of her sleep. She could feel him shakingher shoulder gently. Please, just wakeup, already!

Elise’seyes slowly fluttered opened to the sound of rain dancing on the roof. Eventhough her room was still dark, she could see Olrick standing at her bedside,already dressed despite the morning hour. He was staring at the door, tense, asif he was expecting something – or someone – to come barging through it.

“Whatis it?” she asked as she slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Olricklooked over at her.

Herskin turned ice cold when she saw the look on his face. She’d never seensomeone look so terrified, before.

“TheGiskens are here,” he said. “We need to leave, now.”

Theblood drained from Elise’s face as terror took her in its icy grip. The war hadfinally managed to make its way there; they would end up just like every othercountry the Giskens had invaded.

Withoutanother word, Elise hopped out of bed and ran over to her trunk, where her clotheswere. Olrick left the room as she threw it open and yanked out a dark reddress, shutting the door behind him. She put it on as fast as she possiblycould, yanked a pair of old, leather shoes onto her feet, and left her room.

Whenshe reached the tavern, she saw that Pa was already up. He was shoving foodinto a canvas sack as fast as he could, his blue eyes wide with fear, thin lipsfrowning and bushy, gray eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Olrick was standingnext to the door with his back against the wall, waiting for the Giskens tocome in. Someone had propped a chair under the doorknob to keep anyone fromcoming in.

“Arethey really here?” Elise asked. Pa looked up at her with his shoulders sagged,defeated.

“Theyare,” he said. “They came in from the other side of town, though; if we hurry,we might be able to escape-“ Everyone froze asthey heard men begin to shout in a harsh, guttural language outside. TheGiskens had come.

Olrickcursed as he pulled his short sword out of its sheath. He looked over at them,his face grim.

“Getout of here,” he said. “I’ll hold them back for as long as I can.” Elise’sheart sank. He’d barely been able to fight off Bram the previous day; what madehim think that he could fight off an entire army of Giskens long enough for sheand Pa to escape?

Pawas, she thought, thinking along the same lines as she was. He opened his mouthto protest, but he didn’t get the chance; there was a loud bang on the door,nearly taking it right off its hinges. There was more shouting in what theyassumed was Gisken.

“Please,just go,” Olrick pleaded. Without another word, Pa grabbed the sack, took Eliseby the arm, and began running towards the back door.

Theystepped outside to pure chaos.

Theentire town was flipped on its head. There were soldiers fighting on thestreets, trying to keep the Giskens from taking the town over, but it wasn’tworking. Dead Caithians covered the ground with only a few Giskens to avenge itas many of the people she’d grown up with tried to run. Many of the Caithians lyingon the ground weren’t even dead, yet; they simply lay on the ground, waiting tobleed out and die or for a Gisken soldier to show some mercy, and it made hersick.

“Elise,we have to go,” Papa’s voice brought her out of her own thoughts.

Shelooked over at him, a lump beginning to form in her throat. She couldn’t leave,not while there were people that she could help dying in Thaos. This could bethe last time she would get to see her father.

“Papa,I can’t leave yet,” Elise said. “If I do, a lot of soldiers are going to die,and I don’t think I can live with that on my conscience.”

Fora few seconds, Papa stood there, trying to think of something to tell her tochange her mind. Then, he sighed, running a hand through his graying hair.

“Alright,he finally said. “I guess we can replace another time to get out of here.”

Eliseforced herself to smile. What was he thinking, staying with her here? She’dhoped that one of them would survive this day.

Shepushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she rushed over to the closestinjured soldier. She couldn’t have that kind of thinking distracting her, notwhile she was trying to save people’s lives.

Thefirst soldier she got to was a boy around her age, with a massive gash acrosshis chest. His eyes were wide with shock and he was really still, as if he werealready dead. She probably would have thought that he was, if his chest hadn’tbeen rising and falling steadily and tears hadn’t been streaming down his face.

Eliseset her bag down next to her and pressed a rag down against the wound. Thesecond she saw it, she knew that she would have to stitch it up, something shemight not have the time to do. “Hang in there; you’re going to be okay.”

Theboy began to shake his head as Papa knelt down next to him. “No I’m not.They’ll kill us all.”

Shelet go of the rag and began digging through her bag. Papa began pressing downon the wound the second she did. “Don’t say that. The Giskens aren’t as cruelas the stories say, I’m sure of it.” She found her needle and thread in the bagand began stitching up the gash in his chest as fast as she could.

“Elise,you may want to hurry up with that,” Papa said quickly once she was almosthalfway done with stitching up the boy. His voice was getting panicky, now thatthe sounds of battle were changing to that of swords clanging and crashing tothat of people screaming as Giskens yelled at them. “I don’t think they’d takethis too well.”

“I’malmost done,” she said, her needle beginning to go faster through the boy’sskin. “I just need a little more time-“

Herneck turned cold as someone pressed a metal blade against her neck.

“Putthat needle down.” The man who said it was eerily calm, one that spoke Caithicwith a hard Abunaki accent. Pa turned around to face the owner of the voice,and his face turned white in terror.

“Whatare you going to do to her?” he asked as Elise put the needle down and put herhands up. A Gisken soldier grabbed him by the forearms and pulled him to hisfeet. He was a little younger than her, with a shaved head and olive skin. Thesword in his other hand was covered in crimson blood.

“Idon’t know,” the one behind Elise said. A tanned hand grabbed her by theforearm and yanked her to her feet. She could feel tears beginning to brew inher eyes, but she managed to blink them back. “It all depends on how mercifulI’m feeling after all this is over.” The Abunaki and the Gisken led Elise andPapa back to the tavern.

Whenthey got back inside, they saw that Olrick had been busy while they’d beengone. Four Gisken soldiers lay on the floor, bleeding, and a fifth was leaningagainst the wall with a gash in his side. Olrick looked relatively unscathed,though he did have a few cuts and scrapes, himself. The door had been knockedoff of its hinges and was laying in the doorway, broken.

“Why,if it isn’t everyone’s favorite Watchman?” The man behind Elise said mockingly.“I guess crossbows just aren’t like they used to be, are they?”

Olrick turned to facethem. The defiant look on his face turned into one of fear.

“Leave them alone,Blair,” he pleaded. “They didn’t do anything!”

“They didn’t doanything,” Blair repeated. “If they really didn’tdo anything, you wouldn’t be so keen on saving their miserable asses.” Olrick’sgrip on his sword tightened, and Blair put the blade of his sword againstElise’s neck. Now that it was extended out in front of her, she could see thatthe sword had a waved blade, like a long, silver flame. It was unlike any swordshe’d seen come out of the blacksmith’s shop.

“I would drop thatsword of yours, boy,” Blair growled. He pressed the blade against her neckharder, and Elise found herself recoiling. “It would really be a shame if thesetwo were to die because of your stubbornness, wouldn’t it?”

For a few seconds,Olrick simply stared at them, unsure of what to do. His grip tightened a littleon his sword, then he sighed and dropped his sword in surrender.

Elise’s heart sank asshe watched one of the uninjured Giskens grab Olrick by the forearms. Thiscouldn’t really be happening, could it? Any second now, she was going to wakeup from this nightmare and carry on with her life, one that didn’t involveGiskens or wars. She knew she wouldn’t, though. This hell was going to continueuntil they managed to kick the Giskens out of Caitha, something that probablywouldn’t happen for a long time.

Before Blair hadOlrick dragged off to some unknown fate, he pulled Olrick’s other short swordfrom his belt and began inspecting its shining, new-looking blade. After a fewseconds, his face lit up in recognition.

“Is this that whelp’ssword?” he asked. Elise could see Olrick tense up in anger. “I didn’t expect aWatchman like yourself to be so sentimental.”

Blair tossed thesword over in their direction. She couldn’t help but think that it looked a lotlike her brother’s, but that was impossible. Milo was safe in Asfalis, awayfrom all this.

“Don’t call himthat,” Olrick growled. Blair looked at him in mock surprise.

“Then what should I call him?” he asked. “Acoward?” Olrick furrowed his brows in anger.

“He wasn’t a coward,”he said. “Milo had more guts than any of you!”

Elise’s heartstopped. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen to her knees until the Giskenwith the shaved head began to help her back to her feet. Her brother couldn’tbe dead; he was too young!

Once she was back onher feet, Pa wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She could feelhim shaking as he tried to keep his emotions inside.

“It’s alright,” hekept saying. It didn’t comfort her; he sounded like he was still trying toconvince himself that it was okay that his son – her brother – was dead beforehe even had the chance to live.

Elise looked over atOlrick. He had a sad, pained look on his face. Why hadn’t he told them what happenedto her brother when he found out they were related? Why had he waited until theissue smacked them in the face?

“Keep them here and getthis place cleaned up,” Blair ordered the Gisken with the shaved head. “I’ll gosee what General Raul wants to do with them.” With that, he took Olrick away,leaving Elise and Pa to mourn for Milo.