The night air was thick with smoke, screams, and the clash of steel. Red Fern Hollow shook under the assault, but the villagers held their ground as best they could. Lydia's vision blurred from the pain in her side, but she refused to collapse. Her bow felt heavy in her hands, yet it was the only weapon keeping the shadows at bay. Every arrow she loosed cut through the darkness, finding the enemy with precision she had honed for years.
Kiran ran beside her, cutting down attackers who came too close, shouting warnings to the retreating villagers. "Lydia! The ridge!" he yelled. "They're pushing through!"
Lydia staggered slightly but steadied herself. Her mind raced, calculating routes, considering traps, remembering the choke points they had prepared. She could not let the enemy reach the heart of the village. Not tonight. Not while her people still fought.
Her father, Eliah, was everywhere at once blocking pathways, directing the youth warriors, and bellowing orders. His presence was a shield for the villagers, giving them courage. "Push them back!" he roared, swinging his staff with practiced strength, sending attackers sprawling.
Despite her wound, Lydia's eyes caught a flash near the ridge a group of enemies attempting to flank the village from behind. She signaled Kiran. "Cover the children near the path leading to the caves! I'll take them!"
Together, they moved toward the back of the village. Mothers and elders shuffled hurriedly along the paths Lydia had shown them, guided by youth warriors. The children's eyes were wide with fear, but when they saw Lydia, their trust steadied them. She was their anchor.
Arrows flew overhead as Lydia released her own, striking down the enemy leader's men. Pain flared across her side with every movement, but adrenaline carried her forward. The forest seemed alive with shadows and sound, the night screaming with the fury of battle.
Suddenly, a massive invader lunged from the shadows toward her. Lydia stumbled, trying to dodge, but the pain slowed her reflexes. Kiran shouted and intercepted the attacker, their clash ringing out like a hammer on stone.
"Go! Get them safe!" Lydia gasped, forcing herself upright again. She could hear her father rallying fighters on the other side, his voice cutting through the chaos. The villagers were holding, inch by inch, refusing to give ground.
Through the clash and screams, Lydia noticed the enemy leader himself moving toward the village's center. Every arrow in her quiver seemed crucial. Her fingers trembled, but her aim did not waver. She loosed an arrow directly at him it grazed his armor, slowing his charge, but he pressed on, snarling behind his mask.
The barricades creaked under repeated blows, but the logs that Joren and the other youth had pushed over the ridge held, buying precious time. Red Fern Hollow was not collapsing yet. Not while its defenders still had breath in their lungs.
Lydia's side burned sharply now, her movements slower, her breathing ragged. She clenched her teeth and pressed forward. The children and elders were almost at the safety of the caves, guided by Kiran and other youth warriors. She could see the fear in their eyes but also the hope.
A deafening crash echoed as part of the barricade splintered. One of the invaders broke through, running toward the retreating villagers. Lydia stepped in front of him, raising her bow. She let her final arrow fly, striking true. The man fell with a grunt. Her head swam with pain, but she didn't falter. The villagers were almost safe.
Her father's voice reached her over the chaos. "Lydia! Stay strong!"
The enemy leader had regrouped, gathering his remaining men. He was larger than any she had faced before, moving like a predator through the flames and shadows. Her chest tightened, but she remembered her training every lesson her parents had taught her, every patrol, every observation, every silent hour in the forest.
"You won't take this village!" Lydia shouted, planting her staff and drawing a deep breath. She moved to intercept the leader, dodging his strikes and countering with precise hits. The two clashed repeatedly, the sound of their fight cutting through the night.
Finally, the leader stumbled from an arrow to the leg, sending him sprawling. Lydia pressed forward, striking his weapon aside and forcing him to retreat. Around her, the villagers roared as the remaining invaders began to fall back.
Red Fern Hollow was bleeding, battered, but it was still standing. The dawn began to break, washing the village in pale light. Smoke rose from fires and torches, mingling with the morning mist. Lydia sank to her knees, exhausted and bruised, but alive.
Her wound throbbed, but she could see the villagers emerging from hiding, weary but unbroken. Eliah came to her side, concern etched into his face. "Lydia! You've done it… you've kept them alive!", She forced a smile through the pain. "We all did… together."
The chief appeared from the shadowed huts, surveying the aftermath. Red Fern Hollow bore scars, but the heart of the village its people remained. He placed a hand on Lydia's shoulder. "You've led with courage, wisdom, and strength. The Hollow will remember this day."
Lydia breathed in the morning air, watching the sun rise over the misty highlands. The battle was over for now but the forest and the mountains whispered warnings of more dangers to come. Still, she felt a surge of hope. Red Fern Hollow had survived, and its people had lived to fight another day.
Her mother appeared, eyes shining with relief. "You are hurt, Lydia," she said softly, pulling her daughter into a hug. "But you are alive. That is what matters."
Lydia's gaze swept over the village the wounded, the brave, the exhausted warriors and she realized something profound. The Hollow would endure. Not because the land was safe, or because the invaders had retreated, but because its people, led by courage and unity, would always stand. And Lydia, the Savage Daughter, had proven herself not just a warrior, but a guardian of all she loved.
The morning light had barely touched the treetops when Lydia heard it a distant horn echoing from the forest ridge. It wasn't a victory call. It wasn't a retreat either. It was a signal. Her eyes widened. "No… they're regrouping."
Kiran, panting heavily and stained with dirt and blood, looked toward the forest. "They didn't come to flee, Lydia. They came to weaken us first."
Her father, Eliah, turned sharply at the sound. "Everyone, remain alert! The battle is not over!"
Villagers who had begun to relax stiffened again. Mothers gripped their children. The wounded groaned as they tried to sit up. Even the chief's expression tightened.
Lydia steadied herself on her staff. Her wound throbbed, warm and sharp. She had lost too much blood already, but she would not fall. Not yet.
From behind her, her mother grabbed her arm. "Lydia, you cannot fight like this. Your wound"
"I'm still standing," Lydia whispered. "And they need me."
Before anyone could argue further, movement stirred at the forest's edge. Dark silhouettes emerged slow, deliberate, more organized than the night before. The enemy leader stepped forward again, limping slightly from the arrow Lydia had shot into his leg. His mask glinted in the new light, more terrifying in the calm dawn than it had been in the chaos of the night.
He raised his hand. Another horn answered from a different direction.
Lydia felt her chest tighten. "They're surrounding us."
Kiran's voice dropped. "Lydia… this is the real attack."
Her father moved to Lydia's side, gripping his staff. "Listen carefully," he said in a low tone. "They used the night to test our strength. This" he gestured toward the approaching shadows "is their true formation."
Lydia swallowed, pushing down the fear rising in her throat. "Then we end it here."
Villagers formed a defensive circle. Every warrior who could still stand took position. Even the elders held spears, though their hands trembled.
The leader barked a command. Dozens of invaders charged. They hit the village like a thunderstorm.
Lydia braced herself as one attacker rushed toward her. Her wound screamed in protest as she dodged, striking his knee with her staff. He fell with a grunt, and Kiran finished him with a swift strike.
"Stay close!" Kiran shouted.
Lydia nodded, but another enemy was already upon her. She barely blocked his blade, sparks flying as steel clashed against her staff. The impact jolted her entire arm.
Everything blurred the shouts, the clang of weapons, the pounding of feet. The world narrowed to survival, instinct, and the burning determination inside her.
A heavy strike knocked her backward. She stumbled, gasping, vision dimming for a moment. The enemy raised his sword to finish her but Eliah slammed into him from the side, sending him crashing onto the ground.
"Focus!" he barked, without looking back. "Don't let the wound defeat you!"
"I'm trying!" Lydia gritted out, pushing herself up.
The enemy leader was moving through his men now, directing them toward the village