We alighted on the tower, a hundred fifty feet above the courtyards, where soldiers scurried around like tiny ants. I could see them carrying each other, arms slung over shoulders, leaving trails of blood on the hard-packed earth. Arrows fell with increasing frequency, claiming the lives of the men and women who had sworn to protect me. I clenched my hands into fists, my heart heavy. Not for the first time, I yearned for Luke. To feel his warmth and his strength. I wouldn't have to hide if he were here. I wouldn't have to watch so many suffer.
But he wasn't here, and he wouldn't be fighting this war for me. I couldn't even fight this war for me.
Rolling thunder crashed across the valley as a thick thunderhead swelled over the enemy position. Tendrils of swirling clouds and wind dropped down, forming thin tornadoes that lashed the earth, targeting the old forts and walls. Bolts of lightning lashed out, causing explosions that tossed archers and mages from their hiding places.
