Battle Plans

---Indigo---

The rumors reached our rendezvous point before we arrived near sunset several days after. Rachel yanked me aside as soon as I appeared to confirm. "You and Lionel are a thing now? When did this happen? How did it happen?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't hide the blush that was creeping onto my cheeks. "No, we're not a thing. Geez, Rachel, I thought you'd know better."

"Are you sure?" Rachel looked at me suspiciously. "I heard people saying they saw you sleeping in his arms one night by the campfire. Some say he stayed up all night and didn't move from that one position so as to not disturb you."

My face heated up. "I was not in his arms! I was only leaning against his shoulder, and eventually he brought me back to my own tent..."

Rachel smirked. "Ah, Indigo, fess up already. How long have you liked him?"

"I—" To be honest, I didn't know. Did I like Lionel, or was it merely an infatuation? Was it only because he reminded me of Aaron? "Well, he confessed first..."

"Indigo, Rachel, where are you?" Lucian's voice carried out over the camp. "We're going to eat dinner!"

"You better tell me all the details later." Rachel winked at me. "I can't believe you're dating someone! And a cute one too!"

My mouth dropped as Rachel dashed away, giggling. "Good heavens, no! Don't go around spreading rumors!" I rushed after her, but Rachel turned a corner and disappeared. I increased my speed, zoomed around the corner, and smacked straight into someone's firm chest.

"Ow!" I rubbed my forehead where I had collided with the unknown person. "Who has such hard pectorals?!"

"...That would be me." I looked up to see Lionel, who was struggling to keep in his laughter. "Thanks for complimenting my muscles, Indy. I've been working out."

A little ways behind him, Rachel and Lucian were standing together and clearly laughing at me. My face turned red. "Watch where you're going next time," I muttered.

"You were the one who bumped into me." Lionel looked incredulous. I ignored his comment and walked around him, to join Rachel and Lucian.

I suffered through an entire dinner of people casting curious glances towards Lionel and me, who, surprise! were sitting together (it was arranged seating, so I bet someone planned this). There were about three hundred people here, and more was supposed to arrive in the next couple of days. Lionel stood up and went over plans with the captains and generals who sat with us.

"Starting from tomorrow, we will begin a short week of training. The Destined Three—Indigo, Lucian, and Rachel—will be teaching you all how to fight and kill Evils, battle formations, and the like. We need everyone to pay attention and learn, because this approaching battle is crucial to the survival of Crystallea. I need you all to spread this announcement to your men, and be responsible for keeping them in line."

"Yes sir!" The captains and generals, many of them decades older than Lionel, saluted him.

"You will treat the Destined Three how you treat me—as commanders of this army." Lionel continued, radiating authority. Sitting beside him, I gazed at his profile and wished that I could be as authoritative as he was. Lionel was a real leader. I was not. "We have ladies in our camp, so we must all act like civilized men. If anyone disrespects them, they will personally answer to me!"

Everyone saluted Lionel once more, and the meal continued. I smiled at Lionel as he sat down, whispering a thanks for looking out for us. He shrugged, replying that he knew how rowdy these people could become, and that maintaining order was vital to the success of our mission.

The next day was spent welcoming and integrating more soldiers into our camp. Our numbers expanded exponentially as reinforcements arrived. I shook hands with captains and generals from across Crystallea, some barely older than me, some old enough to be my grandfather. Lionel and I made rounds throughout our growing campsite, checking in with people, talking to soldiers, and making sure everything was running smoothly. Lucian and Rachel, along with several of Lionel's handpicked generals, taught the first lesson: basic battle formations and tactics.

Several nights later, Lionel called a meeting after dinner with all the major leaders, Lucian, Rachel, and I included. We discussed battle plans for the attack on Lord Victor's stronghold, carrying on late into the night in the gigantic tent that served as our meeting location.

"I marked out the paths towards Lord Victor's stronghold," one captain said, handing over a map. "If we are splitting into groups, then I think paths A, C, and F can be for our main travels." He pointed at the labeled paths on the map.

Another captain leaned over the table, examining the map. "According to my information, path A is highly susceptible to avalanches," he said. "I think path B would be a better choice, even if we have to go a little farther."

"Since we have over two thousand people right now, with more projected to arrive in the next several days, we can send out four well-prepared groups while leaving enough people to guard the campsite." Rachel spoke up. All eyes turned to her. "We can attack Lord Victor's stronghold from four directions, or split into more groups if necessary. Indigo, Lionel, what do you think?"

The lanterns flickered in the large tent, casting shadows onto the cloth. Dxcluding Lionel, Rachel, Lucian, and me, there were ten others were present. We were all gathered around one large oak table that was covered with parchment, documents, and maps. I was going to speak, but Lionel beat me to it. "I think that is a good plan," he approved. "However, we need to figure out the logistics if we want everything to proceed smoothly, including the tiniest of details."

"We have to decide how to divide the groups—should we put our best and strongest at the front, or spread them evenly across all four groups? How much equipment should we bring? How long of a mission are we planning for?" I voiced several critical aspects we needed to discuss. "All of these factors—and more—are vital to the success of our mission."

Lionel and the others debated over these subjects. Often, several people would speak up at once, or interject while someone else was speaking. I resorted to listening to the discussion instead. The meeting dragged on, and I found myself slowly nodding off. I knew that this mission was highly dangerous and very important, but without chances to speak, it was quickly getting boring. I definitely had to talk to Lionel later about efficiency.

I felt a small draft in the tent and shivered. Who didn't close the tent flap entirely? I stood on my tiptoes and tried to see if the entrance to the tent was left ajar. However, several people stood in my way and blocked my line of sight, so I moved to the right end of the table to get a better view.

As I walked, some of the leaders shifted to get better looks at the map Lucian was gesturing at, which allowed me an unblocked view of the tent entrance. 'Funny, the tent flap appears to be closed.' I shrugged, attributing the draft to a leak in the seams of the tent; Lionel did say they were kind of old.

I turned back to face the table, slowly walking back towards my spot next to Lionel. Several people were arguing about the best approach to attacking, their voices steadily rising in volume. Rachel looked irritated. Lionel looked up from the document he was studying, probably to tell the people to be quiet. Just then, I heard shouts from outside. Everyone stopped talking and turned around to pinpoint the source of the shouting.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused. The next second, a hole was ripped into the side of the tent and something came flying in, headed straight towards me.

Before I could react, strong arms spun me out of harm's way. The weapon embedded itself into the fabric of the tent right where my throat was. A small throwing knife. The tent burst into commotion.