CHAPTER 108: SURVIVE OR DIE

King Rollo had called everyone once again to the war room. Aeron was there, standing near Devic. Two of Rollo’s trusted generals stood on either side of the table, and Ronan also stood quietly, listening. Nyella was not there yet, for she was still with her father, but the king decided they could not wait for her.

He began, with a heavy voice. "As you all have heard by now, our general is no longer with us. We just hope that he is still alive. But even at that we must continue. We have no choice. The war is coming, and it will be here very soon, sooner than we may wish. So I gathered you all here to continue where the general left off, to finish the planning for our battle with the Hydra."

General Kasim, one of the commanders under Amber, stepped forward. "Of course, Your Majesty. We will continue with what General Amber laid down, and if we can, we will make it even better. To throw it away and come up with a new plan entirely would be foolish. We have little time."

He spread a map on the table, pointing to the marked walls. "The general’s plan was to hold the wall with the strategy of numbers. Now, since the journey to the South did not give us the men we hoped for, we will still hold the wall with the few thousand we have. And with some luck, we can endure until dawn."

Aeron leaned forward, frowning. "Isn’t that suicide? Holding the wall with a few thousand against the Hydra’s endless horde? Thousands of creatures against us?"

General Kasim looked at him and shook his head slowly. "We do not have many options left. That is the only chance we have."

A voice broke in before he could say more. "It is not the only chance."

All eyes turned. Nyella had just entered the chamber. She walked closer to the table, her voice steady though her hands trembled slightly. "There is another way. A more difficult way. But it still works with the strategy of numbers that we all speak about."

Kasim narrowed his eyes. "And what is that, Princess?"

Nyella stood straight, her eyes moving across every face in the room. "The strategy of numbers remains the same. But the numbers do not come from soldiers alone. They come from what we already have, the people."

The room went silent. For a moment, no one spoke, until King Rollo himself broke the silence. "The people... you mean my people?"

"Yes," Nyella answered firmly. "Your people. If we gather everyone, men and women alike, and place them where they can fight, or help, or build, or carry, everyone doing something, then perhaps, just perhaps, we may have a real chance of holding off the Hydra."

King Rollo slammed his fist against the table. "Definitely not! Not an option! I will not risk my people like that. I will not throw them into danger, into the jaws of such evil. I cannot. I will not!"

Nyella’s voice trembled as she stepped forward, her eyes glistening with tears. "I am afraid that is the last option left to us, Your Majesty. If we fall, then they fall too. If we are destroyed, they will be destroyed with us. Better to give them a chance to fight, to live, than to let them be slaughtered helplessly."

Then Ser Devic spoke with a respectful tone. "But my princess, about a year ago when we fought the Sandborns and you were in charge of the council, such a situation came upon us. And you strongly disagreed with it. You said it would never happen, that the people would not be risked. Yet here you stand, bringing the same idea, using the people to fight."

Nyella turned to him and spoke in a calm voice. "It is not using the people to fight, Ser. It is fighting with the people. Those are two very different things. Back then, it was men we were fighting, humans. If they had won, they would have captured our people and made them slaves."

"But this time..." she paused, her voice trembling slightly, "this time we face death itself. The Hydra brings only one choice. Survive, or die. If our army fails to hold the wall, every man, woman, and child will fall as well."

The room became silent. Devic lowered his gaze, and no one answered.

Then Aeron spoke suddenly. "What if perhaps the people do not have to join in holding the wall? What if there is still a way to gather enough armies to hold it without them?"

Nyella turned her head quickly. "And where would such an army come from? With how the journey to the South failed, there is no hope of reinforcements. No army will march to join us."

But Aeron did not back down. His eyes narrowed, his voice lower now. "What if there is?"

The room froze. The generals looked at each other uneasily. Even King Rollo leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Aeron. "Do you know of an army that could join us? Is there something you are holding back?"

Aeron hesitated, then looked at the king. "I think I do. But..." he sighed, "you may not like it."

He shifted his eyes toward Nyella. She stared at him, reading his face, and her eyes widened in sudden understanding. "No," she said at once. "Definitely not. You cannot mean that. You cannot expect them to join us. Not those barbarians."

King Rollo looked between them, confused. "Barbarians? What is she speaking of, boy? Who are you referring to?"

Aeron straightened, his face solemn. "I am sorry to suggest this, Your Majesty. But it is for the sake of your people, for the sake of this kingdom. For in truth, they want the same thing we all want," he looked around the table, "to survive."

Aeron drew in a long breath and then said it. "We should ask the nomads to join us."

"..."