Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: The Fire Horn

Aria stared at the letters written by the prisoner. They looked genuine, not like something meant to fool her. But they didn't match the strange symbols she had seen in her uncle's notes. She closed the book, feeling like all of this had been a waste of time. She had searched through every language book in the library and still couldn't find anything that looked like what she had seen on those notes. She shook her head, trying to push away the uneasy feeling growing inside her. What was going on, and why? She loved her uncle. She trusted him. She didn't want to doubt him. He was the only family she had left. Suddenly, a horn sounded in the distance. That signal meant one thing, a werewolf attack nearby. She rushed to her room and met Elda in the hallway, who had come to help, knowing exactly what the horn meant. Together, they changed quickly, Elda helping Aria into her armor. "Be careful, my lady," Elda said with worry in her voice. Aria gave her a firm nod, then hurried downstairs to the armory. Soldiers were already gathering, and commanders were giving orders to keep everything organized. Pushing through the crowd, Aria stepped up to help. "Take your fire shields," she ordered. "Put your helmets on. She looked around and made sure that all the inventions were ready and secured and that soldiers marched out in the right order with the right weapons first. "Your Highness, I thought you wouldn't come with us anymore?" Commander Finnley asked. Her uncle would probably not approve of it but…, "there are many changes made to the weapons. I want to be there if something happens." He nodded and they went outside where her uncle and Ares helped things get in order together with the rest of the commanders. There were a few men, dressed differently standing beside Ares. They carried unique armor weaponry. She guessed that it must be Ares's own invention. "Aria!" Her uncle came to her. "What are you doing here?" "Your Majesty. There are many changes made to the weapons. I need to be here to guide the soldiers. May I speak with them before we leave?" He sighed, but since they were in a hurry he knew fighting with her now wouldn't solve anything. "Alright. Go ahead." Aria walked through the queue of soldiers and went to stand at the front, facing them. She looked over at the commander and he gave her a nod. She looked ahead at the army in front of her. She wasn't going to give them a trumpet call. Words of encouragement and yelling weren't her thing. She was only going to explain the best way and order to use the weapons. "We shield first and then we use the clamps. If the fire is gone, the rest will be easier and safer. Shielders will shield the clampers while they execute their mission. Gravitons will then set on a mission to bring the werewolves closer and the terrorists will be ready with their weapons." She told them. "We are also going to test the developed crucifier if possible. Crucifiers can start attacking at once. If the weapon is potent then we can end things faster. With the crucifier, the wings should be the main target but it needs to be shot from the side or from the back. If you shoot from the front, the wind from the wings could affect the force of the spear." She continued to explain. She didn't have an opening or an end to her speech. When she felt done, she just looked over at the commander and cleared the way for him with a nod. After the commander made his trumpet call they marched out to save the people of their kingdom. Aria always felt her heart beat fast whenever she went on those missions. She knew she would have nightmares at night and be affected several days after this but she was not going to let them get away with killing and burning. The courage she gathered quickly vanished when she heard screams and smelled burned wood from a distance. Looking up at the sky, she spotted three werewolves from afar. Black werewolves. King Marcus's people. She put her helmet on ready to take on the fight then continued to march. They divided themselves according to the commander's plan. "Aria, you should remain here. It doesn't look good today." Her uncle said but she refused. She needed to see this to wake up and focus on her mission again. She needed to know what was happening to her people. How they were suffering at the hands of the enemy. She accompanied the crucifiers on their march to assist with instructions, but when they entered the town, she was devastated by what she saw. Burned-out houses, wailing families with young children in a corner, and others lamenting the loss of a home or a loved one. Again, all of this triggered past memories and she froze for a moment, remembering clearly the day she witnessed her parent's death. One right after the other. As she looked at the wailing families, she saw herself in them as she walked by. She couldn't even bring herself to tell them to evacuate the place. They had just lost everything. She merely watched as the soldiers urged them to hurry up and escape. One woman, escaping with her son, locked eyes with her. Aria saw hope in them and silent words of encouragement. "They are coming here. Shield!" She heard a yell behind her. Aria looked up quickly. The werewolves had changed direction now, coming toward them. The place was still not evacuated and Aria quickly turned to the mother and her son. She rushed over, ignoring the commander's call to stand behind protection. "Be ready to attack!" She called as she grabbed the mother's wrist and began to run away with her. "Shield! Aim!"She could hear the commander's yell get muted by the screams of the citizens as they ran for their lives. Why did the werewolves take this way suddenly? From what she could see, they had already been here and destroyed the place. "Where is the underground area?" Aria asked. Her father had come up with the solution to make several underground areas in every town, where people could hide in safety if they got attacked. "Rocks covered the entrance. We couldn't get inside." The woman explained. "There must be another one." "It is in the other direction." Aria cursed. They couldn't get back. Suddenly a large shadow covered them and Aria knew exactly what was going to happen next. Her heart trembled in her chest. She stopped the mother pulling her close to her son and pulled her shield open. Pushing at the lock, the shield doubled in size and she held it to stand like a wall in front of them. To her surprise, this werewolf did something she had never experienced before. He flew by very close, something dangerous to do but it seemed to be willing to take that risk. If she wasn't taken by surprise she could have shot him with the apostle but since it never happened to her before, she was unprepared as it snatched the shield out of her hands leaving her defenseless. Taken by surprise, she fumbled to pull her weapon and the werewolf already made a turn ready to burn them alive. Aria knew she was too late, even if she pulled her weapon. Yes. She was too late. The fire was spreading too fast—faster than she could raise her weapon. Her heart sank, and memories of her mother burning alive flashed through her mind. Was this how she was going to die too?