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‘Your longbow and cavalry skills are excellent,’ Kipp commented, as he chose a lightweight shield for himself. ‘That’s where I’d put you at the start of a battle, before things get messy.’

Thea nodded her thanks and grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows, strapping them to her back. If the commanders and Warswords were going to watch, then she was going to show them exactly what she was capable of.

‘We should work as our own unit,’ Kipp said as they walked through the Bloodwoods towards the Plains of Orax, fully armed.

‘Well, yeah…’ Cal replied. ‘Isn’t that the idea of a mock skirmish?’

‘He means a team within a team, you dolt,’ Thea told him. ‘Right Kipp?’

‘Exactly. We follow the orders of the commander, but we stick together, we have each other’s backs. Cal can cover us from long range, Thea, you take the lead in cavalry, and I’ll do what I can while assessing the lay of the land.’

Thea waited for Cal to make a sarcastic comment, but his face was serious when he nodded. ‘Sounds good.’

Though she knew it was only a mock skirmish, it feltrightgoing into battle with her friends at her sides. When they reached the fields with the rest of their unit, Madden and Evander were there with a unit of horses already saddled and waiting.

Evander tried to catch her eye, but Thea turned away – she had more important things to worry about.

‘Gather round, gather round,’ Esyllt shouted. ‘You’ve been assigned a Warsword to help guide your unit through the skirmish, but you’ll be going in alone. We want no dirty fighting,no broken bones or unnecessary blood. But this is a test, this is to show you how chaotic a battleground can be.’

How in the realms are they going to pull this off?But before Thea could think more on it, some of the younger warriors emerged carrying buckets of paint.

‘Half of you will be red,’ Esyllt called. ‘Half of you will be blue. You’re to coat your weapons with your colour and you are to mark your enemy as much as possible… Archers, special blunt arrowheads have been created by some clever ladies back at the fortress —’

Thea exchanged a grin with Cal. They had been there when Wren had come up with the idea to cover the points of the heads with a hard sea sponge she’d discovered only a few weeks back. If secured properly, the impact would bruise an opponent, but no arrow would pierce flesh and would mark them with paint.

The cohort was divided in half and Thea was pleased to find Torj at the head of their force; she was even more pleased to discover that Seb and his lackeys were on the enemy team, with Vernich at their helm.

Where’s Hawthorne?The thought flashed across her mind like a star streaking across the night’s sky and then it was gone.

Torj’s voice projected across their group. ‘Forget that this is a practice battle,’ he commanded, his voice deep and serious. ‘Imagine beyond that field is an army of monsters from beyond the Veil, or an army of cursed civilians.Youare what stands between them and our world, so remember this: being a true Guardian of the midrealms is not about hating the evil before you, but loving the lands and its people behind you. Remember that glory will not be found in failing to fall, but in rising from the chaos when you do.Do notlet me down.’

A shiver washed over Thea at those words as Torj the Bear Slayer made quick work of splitting them into various units.

‘We’ll be trying a few standard formations first, and we need a frontline. Who’s got the balls to look death straight in the eye?’

Thea was first to step forward. ‘I don’t have the balls,’ she said. ‘But I’m always keen to test the fates.’

Teeth flashed in a quick grin. ‘Good, you’re front and centre, Althea. They won’t expect that. Now, who’s directing this attack?’

Everyone blinked at Torj for a moment before Cal shouted, ‘Kipp!’

Thea shoved their friend forward. ‘Yes, Kipp should strategise!’

The Warsword turned to Kipp, who was blushing furiously. ‘Are you up to the task then, Snowden?’

‘Yes, Sir. Absolutely,’ Kipp blurted.

‘Then talk to me. What do you see?’

Kipp didn’t hesitate. ‘The terrain,’ he said. ‘It may look flat enough, but there are dips and crests in the plains as much as anywhere else. We need our force to take advantage of these.’

Thea scanned the field before them. He was right, at a glance, the grassy plain looked almost level, but when she focused, she could see exactly what the warrior referred to.

‘Exactly,’ Torj agreed. ‘That’s your first tactic.’

True to their word, the trio stuck together, the anticipation buzzing between them as they gathered in their first formation. Kipp spoke in hurried tones about how they could use the terrain against their opponents. Thea could only imagine how the feeling compared to being on the precipice of a real battle.

‘Remember,’ Torj called. ‘This is the first of several attacks, fight smart and do not let me down!’ He turned to Kipp. ‘It’s all yours, Kipp.’