Not All Heroes Are Guiltless

Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Aela’s POV

“General, the Bellarns will be in location within two hours.” A scout reports, salutes, and quickly returns back to his formation.

I still don’t like this plan, but it was a good compromise. We arranged for me to take out the cargo wagons on the route while Andrew and Ethan took out the guard post in Nevar to limit the number of reinforcements. Ideally, this should make the Bellarn’s realize we won’t leave without a fight. They should acknowledge that the loss isn’t worth holding.

I can’t keep from the itchy nervous and anxious intuition feelings, which keep overcoming my fears. I try to keep myself steady while I wait hidden in the brush with the other men. I’ve never been like this before a battle. Why am I so nervous? The reports have no indication of any officer higher than a captain. We should be able to retake this village without issue. They will have to run back to get a more formidable opponent for us.

The wait has always made me edgy in all these confrontations. It's even worse now since this was my plan. We are going to disrupt the route for any possible reinforcements as we strike at the village and their defense. Should protect the people and give them an opportunity to flee while we chase down the intruders.

The sun is starting to set lower, and the caravan must have been delayed. I see everyone is restless, just like I’m feeling. Concealing my own agreement, I remind them all to stay calm. Fighting in the village should have already started, but we are too far to see any sign. The slow creep of wagons come down the road. Rousing the men, I mark for everyone to prepare.

I listen to the sound, and something sounds off. I really wish I had my wolf abilities to be able to discern the discrepancy by sound and smell instead of relying on my instinct. It's gnawing at me, but I push it off to the side and signal an attack. With a fluid motion, all the men with me exit the pushes and go for the nearest Bellarn guard. The clatter of metal stings my ears as I got into a rush to destroy as many of the intruders as possible.

The wagons open, and more men jump out of the wagon. They weren’t transporting goods they were transporting about three times more men. I cry out a war cry to have my men continue to push through and stop the Bellarn’s.

I manage to take out what looks like an officer, but six men jump me with a ferocity I’ve never seen before. I fight to defend myself as they push me back into the forest. Their speed, strength, and tactics of fighting as a team have me risking my limbs too greatly. I almost want to scream at myself for feeling cowardly by anyone’s basic men overpowering me. I haven’t felt like that since my mate saved me from the Hou Ndours on the horse path so many years ago.

I see my men falling back, trying to help me back to the safety of the trees. I managed to trip my last assailant and before I could make the kill. I turned and flat-out ran through the forest away from the failed attempt. My men are scattered around me, but some obviously read my intentions and are in front of me running to the village. We will have to give a bit of a warning about the oncoming reinforcements.

A small creek is just past the halfway mark, and something is dreadfully wrong. I stop and listen, and a hollow eerie breeze drifts past me. I smell burning wood and death. I’m instantly alert. The closer we get, I have waves and ripples of comfort over the stale smell of tinge of blood and bile. It’s him. I scream out and call my men back. Several look at me confused and lost, but I shake my head.

“Travel to Dobson. We haven’t secured the village. Get everyone to go back to camp now!” I turn tail and run for miles and miles. I'm praying and hoping my mate will not follow in pursuit. I never stop to rest. Several of my men stopped to rest in the dense forest, but I had to get back to Andrew and Ethan. I needed to know how we failed so badly.