WAR PASS – AN ADVENTURE STORY TO MAKE YOUR MIND SPIN
Amidst the chaos of battle, my mind reeled. The enemy’s witch had cast a dark spell decimating my forces.
“Deborah!” General Thaddeus called, “Our men are falling!”
I stood frozen, witnessing the carnage inflicted upon my bravest soldiers.
“They’re afflicted with the witch’s blindness,” General Elijah added, grim-faced.
“What do we do?” he pleaded but I sought a reprieve to gather my thoughts.
I retreated immediately, fleeing the blood-soaked battlefield like a coward.
“Lemuel!” I spotted my younger brother, sitting steadfast on his horse. “You’re in command until I return.”
He nodded, a confident smirk on his face. His fearlessness was almost unnerving even with his unrefined magical abilities.
“What does the young mage know of war?” some soldiers whispered, kneeling in despair but I shut my eyes abandoning the battlefield’s chaos.
Seeking solace, I implored the spirits of my ancestors for guidance.
“How can I save my men?” I cried, clasping my hands.
The witch’s cackling laughter echoed, boasting of her multiplied barbarian forces.
“Oh honored fathers, don’t forsake me,” I prayed beneath an ancient tree’s bough. “Though my enemies believe they’ve triumphed but only you can turn the tide.”
“Turn the tide?” a melodic voice mocked, mimicking my inner turmoil. “You’ve failed Deborah. Your father’s legacy deserved better than a fearful coward who abandons her people in battle.”
I sat cross-legged with my head bowed in defeat. “Wait,” I moaned, seeking its guidance still. “Don’t leave, I don’t know what to do.”
“Kill the witch,” the voice replied as its owner materialized before me.
I opened my eyes to behold an ethereal being with an elf’s elegant ears and piercing turquoise gaze.
“You are afraid Commander,” she stated, gliding effortlessly among the shorter trees. “Fear is the thief of beauty.”
I rose stuttering, “But…but—”
“Be quiet”, her slender fingers silenced me, pressing gently against my lips. “The witch senses your every doubt. Speak like the commander you are not a pauper who just had her first battle.”
“Okay”, I nodded but as screams from the battlefield intensified, I took deep breaths calming myself.
“Come child”, the elf’s gaze held pride, reflecting on the ash and blood smudged on my cheeks.
“It ends or it doesn’t,” she said, her other hand on my shoulders. “That’s how you survive every war.”
Her words infused me with courage, stirring a lion’s heart within.
“Say it again,” I implored, locking eyes with hers.
“You will kill the witch,” she declared with unwavering conviction. “And I will stand by you.”
“Commander!” General Thaddeus groaned from the bushes, crawling toward me with a maimed hand. “It’s your brother!”
I spun around seeking the elf’s guidance but she had vanished.
“Fetch me Khan’s bow!”, a surge of anger ignited within.
Thaddeus’s face suddenly lit up with a mixture of joy and incredulity.
“Khan’s bow?”, he hastened to obey, charging forward with the warrior’s fervor.
General Elijah, kneeling amidst the battle’s chaos, looked up with a triumphant grin when he saw me on the tallest rock.
“Finally!” he exclaimed, his laughter tinged with madness.
I stood vicious, pride etched on my face as I was ready to take aim. The barbarians however, mocked me, spitting and stomping their feet.
“The bow has lain dormant for centuries,” the witch cackled from her mountainous vantage. “Let’s see her try,” she taunted, surrounded by her brutish minions.
“Great one, can she?” a slow-witted barbarian inquired, inching closer.
“Never,” the witch sneered as the sky darkened ominously. “Let’s witness her shoot what she cannot see.”
