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

Marion ran down the hallway, her bloodboiling. She could hear the Giskens storming the castle from her position onthe third floor, and from the sound of it, things weren’t going very well. Shecould hear people begging for their lives in Caithian before swords were rammedthrough them and orders being shouted in Gisken. Both of the sounds reallypissed her off; it meant that they were losing this battle, something thatMarion didn’t want to accept. She knew what had happened to every other place thathad put up much of a fight against the Giskens; she didn’t have to look anyfurther than Eza for a reminder. The thought that the very thing that hadhappened in Kurzh was about to happen in Caitha didn’t so much frighten her asit angered her. She would rather die than give up the country her father haddied for.

Asshe reached the stairwell and began going down it, she saw a sight she’d waitedfor ten years to see: General Raul, himself, had arrived in the castle, withhis sword in hand, backed by tens of hundreds of Giskens.

Marionstopped going down the stairs, drew her sword, and got into the stance she’drehearsed for years, ready to fight. It looked like her moment had finallyarrived.

TheGiskens began to head towards her, swords raised, until Raul held his hand up.His cold, steely glance remained fixed on Marion. “I can handle this one. Youmake sure that there aren’t any more Caithians running amuck in this castle.”The soldiers nodded, turned around, and ran off to other parts of the castle toobey their general’s orders.

Fora few seconds, Marion and Raul just stared at each other in silence as he drewhis massive broadsword from his back. She hated him, more than she’d ever hatedanything or anyone in her life. Every part of her just wanted to run down the stairs,slit his throat, and watch in satisfaction as he drew his last breaths in apool of his own blood, but she managed to restrain herself; she had to figureout any weaknesses he had before going full out.

“Ihate you,” Marion said bitterly through clenched teeth. Her grip on herfather’s sword grew even tighter. “I swear on all that’s holy, I’ll kill you!”

“Iknow how you feel about me,” Raul said as he slowly drew his sword. “But I’mafraid that I won’t be dying, tonight. No, that will be for you and thatpathetic excuse of a man that passes for a general in this country.”

Marioncouldn’t restrain herself that time. She ran forward and swung her sword atRaul’s head. He easily parried and swung his sword, a blow that Marion managedto block. It took all of her strength to keep from dropping the sword with howhard they collided.

Raulalmost seemed surprised as they went up the stairs, Marion facing him. “I mustsay, you’re much better at handling a sword than I thought you would be.” Theyreached the top of the stairs, and the two held their swords up, ready tofight. Marion couldn’t help but be excited; she couldn’t wait to see him dead.

“However,there’s still much for you to learn.” Raul swung his sword at her.

Marionblocked the blow easily, as he did with her own swing. Both soon fell into therhythm of their fight: parrying blows, swinging their swords at each other,using textbook footwork; with how well she was holding up, Marion couldn’t helpbut feel pride swelling up in her. If she could hold her own against Raul thiswell, she had no doubt in her mind that she could kill him and a good number ofhis men, too. And to think, Olrick had been so worried about how“underprepared” she was.

“Theyreally haven’t put you through very intensive training, have they?” Raul askedas he swung his sword at Marion. Like the others, she parried it. Her arms werebeginning to get tired from the repetitive blows; she would have to end himpretty soon.

“Whydo you ask?” Marion swung her sword at Raul, but he parried. The two paused fora few moments to catch their breath. They began to circle each other, likeboxers looking for an opening in their opponent’s defenses.

Raulanswered with a combination of attacks that Marion was barely able to parry. Theyshook her tired limbs to the point that she dropped her sword.

Terror grippedMarion’s heart with its icy fist as her father’s sword skidded across the flooraway from her. She was hopeless without a sword against Raul.

“You’re too much likeyour father for your own good, girl,” Raul said as he raised his sword to herthroat, the metal chilling Marion’s skin. His voice was eerily calm. “Being sostubborn and headstrong is what got him killed, too.” He got ready to chop herhead, cocking his arms back. “It seems that the apple didn’t fall too far fromthe tree-“

“General Raul!”

Marion looked pastRaul, at the stairway. Standing at the top was Polain, his robes and his swordstained red with blood.

Raul turned his backon Marion to face the aging, Jotiese general. “It’s an honor to see you again,General Polain. I must say, the sword training you’ve given Marion is rather appalling;have the teachers gone easy on her all these years?”

“Leave the princessalone,” Polain said sternly, holding his sword up at Raul.

Raul began to walktowards Polain slowly, leaving Marion behind. She didn’t run; she couldn’t seemto move, she was so scared. “Oh, Polain; always sticking your nose where itdoesn’t belong.” He swung his sword at Polain. He tried to block it, but his swordwas much too small to stand a chance against Raul. Not only did the blade ofPolain’s sword snap, but the force of the blow sent it flying down the stairs,too.

The next thing Marionknew, Raul’s sword was impaling Polain through the chest.

For a few seconds,Marion simply stood there, watching as Raul twisted his sword in Polain. Howcould this have happened? Polain couldn’t be dying, not now!

Marion didn’t feellike she was in her body as she ran and picked up her sword; it was as if shewas watching someone else do it.

She ran her swordthrough Raul’s chest.

Raul made a loudgasping sound as the sword went through. He turned his head slowly to look ather.

That look in hiseyes… Marion knew the second she saw it she wouldn’t forget it. They were fiery,like the eyes of a demon straight from hell.

She pulled the swordout of him with a sickening squelch. He collapsed to the ground, dying.

For ten years, Marionhad imagined what the moment she killed Raul would be like. She’d alwaysthought that it would be her finest hour, the moment she snatched her place inhistory as the person who killed the tyrant usurper; it would make her one ofthe greatest rulers of Caitha, one that the people would be talking about forgenerations to come. In those seconds when she was staring at Raul and Polain’scorpses, she didn’t feel any of that. She just felt… numb. Numb and sick to herstomach.

Was this how it feltto kill someone? No wonder the Giskens acted like monsters; that was exactlyhow she felt.

Polain began to moansoftly.

Marion dropped thesword and sat at his side. He was still alive.

She picked him up inher arms. Blood was coming out of his fatal wound, making his skin paler andpaler. She began to press her hand against the wound to try and stop thebleeding, but the second she did, she knew it wouldn’t help: he would die, andthere wasn’t a thing she could do to stop it.

“I’m proud of you.”In the few minutes he’d laid there, Polain’s voice had grown weak, with blooddribbling out of his mouth.

Marion looked down astears began to well up in her eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She justcouldn’t look at him, not now; she didn’t want to remember Polain as he was inhis final moments, like her mother. She wanted to remember him for how he waswhen he was alive and well.

“Please don’t go,”Marion whispered. “I can’t do this without you, please!”

Polain took her bythe hand to try and comfort her, but all it did was remind her that he didn’thave much longer: his grip had grown weaker.

“It’s like Raulsaid,” Polain said. He was starting to run out of breath, now. “You’re justlike your father. You’ll make a great queen.”

Polain took in onelast breath, and his body went limp.

Marion opened hereyes and looked up. His dead eyes stared up at her. He wouldn’t have likedthat; it wasn’t very dignified. She reached up and closed her eyes. After that,it almost looked like he was just sleeping.

She grabbed Polain’ssword from where it had landed, positioned his hands over his chest with hissword under them, and stood up. He looked a lot better, now. She knew that heappreciated it, wherever he was.

Someone came runningup the stairs. When Marion looked to the side, she saw Blair running up thestairs, a bloodstained sword in hand.

“General Raul, we-“His sentence was cut short by the gory site at the top of the stairs. Hestopped and stared at the fallen general, his face fallen with shock. Then, helooked up at her, his face turned from being shocked to being furious

Marion didn’t wait tosee what he was going to do. She turned around and started running for herlife.