The Last Stand (The Eleven Years War: Book One)
Chapter Forty-Eight

“Everyone needs to get out of here!”Elise looked up from the soldier that was about to lose his leg to see that onewas standing in the doorway, panting. Since they’d set up shop in the tavern,they’d gotten quite a few messengers like this one from the wall. Most of themsimply told them to prepare for even more injuries, but from the moment he setfoot in the tavern, Elise knew that this one was different: he was covered invarious cuts and bruises, and his eyes were wide with a combination of shockand sheer terror. “The Giskens have taken the outer wall; they’re coming thisway!”

Elisecould feel the blood drain from her face. How could they have taken the wall soquickly? They were all as good as dead, now; nothing was keeping them fromstorming the city and killing every single person in it.

Shestood up and grabbed her bow; it looked like they might have to fight their wayout of this mess.

“Whatdo want us to do?” Elise asked as she turned toward Mathis. He was quicklyputting a tourniquet on the hand of a man who’d lost it to a Giskenglaciomancer.

“Weneed to get these soldiers somewhere safe,” he said as he finished tying thetourniquet. He looked up at her, a serious look on his face. “Get some of theless injured men and head north for the castle; there might be room there forus to set up another field hospital.” Elise nodded and took one of the men – aprivate who had a minor injury on his head – out of the tavern to head forCastle Matisse.

Almostthe second she left the makeshift hospital, she saw that the Giskens had, infact, made their way from the wall and were heading for the castle,blood-covered swords in their hands. They seemed focused on chasing theretreating Caithian, enough so that Elise managed to duck into a back alleywith the soldier before any of them saw her.

Shetook her bow off of her back and prayed to the gods that she wouldn’t end uphaving to use it. She had a nasty feeling that things were about to get evenworse than they already were, but she couldn’t see how that was even possible.

“Lookout!” The soldier grabbed her by the back of her dress and pulled her to theside, before a bolt of lightning hit the ground right where she’d been standingjust a few seconds earlier.

Eliselooked to the side. Standing at the end of the back alley was Bram, with twometal batons in his hand.

Shegrabbed an arrow from her quiver, knocked it, and pulled the string to hercheek. The soldier took off down the street, where his fellow soldiers were. Itlooked like things had just gotten much worse.

“Don’tget any closer!” Elise couldn’t seem to keep her hand from shaking as she heldthe bowstring by her cheek. Bram simply laughed, sending a chill down herspine.

“Andwhat are you going to do about it?” he asked. “Are you going to shoot me? Youdon’t have enough of a spine to do something like that.” Bram slowly began towalk towards her and held his arms out.

“Goon, shoot me!” he said. “I’d love to see you try-“

Eliselet the arrow loose.

Itflew towards Bram, but it didn’t meet its mark: it grazed his arm, making himcurse in pain. He put a hand to his bleeding arm and smiled.

Elisefroze up in terror. Gods, what had she done?

Lightningbegan to crack up and down Bram’s batons. “You shouldn’t have done that, Elise.I was really thinking I was going to keep you alive after all this.”

Elisedidn’t think she had time to reload her bow. She slung it back over hershoulder and shot flames at Bram.

Hegot out of their way fairly quickly, but she didn’t care; she just wanted toget out of there, and fast. While he was occupied with the flames, Elise ranpast him and down the back alley-

Andright into a dead end.

Bramlaughed as he followed her into the closed-off back alley. “Oh, Elise; alwaystrying to run away from your problems.” She turned around and let flames lickat her fingers, her heart pounding in fear. Gods, why was this happening toher? “When are you going to learn that that isn’t going to get you anywhere?”He began to walk towards her, again.

“S-stayaway from me!” she stuttered as she backed away with her hands in front of her.Her back bumped against the wall; she didn’t have anywhere else to run.

“Isuppose I should be afraid, now, shouldn’t I?” Bram asked as he folded his armsover his chest. The monster had a smug look on his face, as if he knewsomething she didn’t. “After all, that threat with the bow wasn’t empty; Iguess this one won’t be, either.”

“Shutup, Bram!” Elise could feel tears beginning to brew in her eyes. Please, gods,could you hurry and help her? She really didn’t want to die. “Please, justleave me alone.” Once again, Bram just laughed at her.

“Why,look at you,” he said. “I never knew you could give someone orders like that.”Once again, sparks began to fly up and down his batons. “I really wish I couldstay for a little longer, but I’m afraid that I’ve got a country to burn to theground-“

“Bram,what’s going on, here?”

Elise’sstomach twisted into knots. It was Finn.

Run! Elise kept thinking. Please, Finn, run!

Bramturned around to face him, annoyed. “I was just about to kill an enemycombatant before you interrupted me.” Finn looked behind Bram at her. Thesecond he saw her, his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.

“She’snot a soldier,” Finn said quickly. “She’s a medic; she has a red band on herarm, for the gods’ sakes-“

Bramshot a bolt of lightning at Finn’s feet. Thank the gods, it was just a warningshot; it missed Finn by about a foot. “She’s an enemy soldier, captain; she hasa weapon and tried to kill me.” He turned back around to face Elise, with oneof his batons pointed at her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do-“

“No,you don’t,” Finn said. “I’m not going to let you hurt a civilian.” Bram pointeda baton at him, as well.

“Iwas being patient with you, before, but now you’re starting to get on mynerves,” he growled. “Now, you can get your sorry ass out of here and we canpretend this conversation never happened, or you can face a court marshal foraiding the enemy; you’re choice.”

Fora few agonizing seconds, Finn just stared at them, trying to figure out what hewas going to do. He looked back and forth between Bram and Elise, then held hissword up, ready to fight.

Bramsighed, annoyed, as he turned his attention completely on Finn. “You reallyshouldn’t have done that.” He swung his batons at him, ready to kill him.

Elisedidn’t stay long enough to know if they met their mark. She ran past them andback down the alley, praying to the gods that Finn hadn’t just gotten himselfkilled for her.

“Youreally are an idiot, aren’t you?” Finn’s grip on his sword tightened at Bram’swords, but he didn’t say anything. Now that he was standing there, facing downan oraniomancer whose sadistic tendencies rivaled only Blair, he was startingto wonder what he’d been thinking when he did this. “You really should havepicked a better time to turn traitor. Doing this now isn’t exactly profitable.”

Deargods; he really had gone traitor,hadn’t he? For a few seconds, Finn’s thoughts went back to his family in Gishk.What would they do to them once news of his defection reached home? Would theysend them to Kurzh to die because he made a rash decision? However, it was toolate to be thinking about that, now; even if he were to claim his allegiancesstill laid with Gishk, they would probably still do awful things to them.

“Isuppose you would know a lot about profitable treason, wouldn’t you?” Finnasked in an attempt to stall. He scanned Bram up and down in an attempt to replacesome sort of hole in his defense, but he couldn’t seem to replace one that didn’tinvolve getting hit with one of the batons.

“Oh,don’t have such a holier-than-thou attitude,” Bram said as the sparks thatzipped down his baton grew larger. “After all, I’m the one in the position tomake your life a living hell.”

Afterthat, there wasn’t any more conversation: there was only fighting. Bram continuedto swing his batons at Finn, aiming for every exposed part of his body. Finndid his best to dodge them: he duck and wove through the blows, until he losthis footing on a loose cobblestone and fell on his back.

Finndidn’t have tie to dodge the next blow. He raised his sword over his head tokeep the batons from hitting his head-

Andfelt the shock of lightning going through his body the second his sword and thebatons met.

Finn’sbody went limp the second Bram pulled back his lightning. He stared up at Bramas he put his batons back on his belt, confused. How had he been able to shockhim? The batons hadn’t touched him, and the lightning hadn’t launched fromthem; he shouldn’t have been able to get hit.

“Thisis why you should have paid a little close attention while they were trainingme,” Bram said. Finn could hear quick, heavy footsteps coming towards them.“You would’ve known that all types of metals can take lightning in them if youhad.” Hands grabbed Finn by his forearms and pulled him to his paralyzed,useless feet.

“Takehim away,” Bram ordered the men that were holding Finn. “He needs to pay theprice for treason.” The soldiers began to drag Finn away, leaving Bram to chaseafter Elise, again.