Chapter 30

The report of Amri's plan resulted in subtle outrage throughout the camp. They convened a small band of rebel leaders and instructed all to the plan to converge on the castle before she had a true chance to attack. Four bands would remain to engage the armies sent by Amri. Three bands would pan the forest ahead of Lily, Toame and the rest of the rebels. They traveled together as quickly and as quietly as they could to meet with Amri in the castle by the midday.

Once the lead bands were dispatched Lily gathered together her father, the old elf, Amidal, Toame, Sevren, Philip and the rebels that were to accompany them. "We must be on our way," she began, "Guard your comrades well." The entered the forest with the wolves, skunks, deer and hawks flanking them to help protect them from attack. They walked along the rivers and through the dense paths of the deepest parts of the forest. A low whistle was heard and Lily turned to see her father fall to the ground. She ran to him. "Defend yourselves!!" she ordered. More whistling was heard as arrows flew the air felling three rebels. The old Elf took an arrow in his left leg. Toame shot several arrows in the direction the hits came from and heard two elves fall.

"They're in the trees!! They're in the trees!! Archers fire!!" Amidal screamed as she hurled several of her own arrows to the tree tops falling three more soldiers.

Lily held her father in her arms. "Papa, don't leave me. I can't do this without you. Please Papa, stay with me." Her tear fells upon his face.

"Let me go, baby. I can see your mother waiting for me." He gasped.

"But I need you, Papa please!!" She hugged him close as he breathed his last breath against her breast. "NO!!!" She sobbed over him for a moment as the others fought around her. Amidal shot two soldiers as they charged them through the trees. Toame took his club and knocked out a soldier that had raised a sword to Lily. Anger filled Lily as she arose from her father's body. She spun around to face her attackers. "Enimit!" she yelled and the enemy's arrows fell before her. She was able to block every arrow of the enemy with her magic causing the soldiers to retreat from the battle. Several rebels pursued the soldiers as Lily and others regrouped.

She was able to heal many of the wounded with her magic while Amidal and Toame retrieved arrows and checked for survivors. Lily made her way through the mass to the old elf. "It appears to be just a leg wound, please allow me to heal it."

"Nay my lady," he rasped through gurgled breaths. "I have been injured too badly." He moved his hand from his chest to reveal an arrow that had pierce his heart and lung. "You cannot heal this kind of wound."

"Please you must let me try." She put her hand over the arrow in his chest. "I have to try." She was trying to fight the tears that threatened to come.

"He pulled her hand away and said "No, my dear. Please. I'm old. I have lived to see you and that is more than I ever dared to dream. I can die in peace knowing you are alive and well." He failed to catch his next breath. He died in her arms just as her father had a few moments before. She could barely breathe passed the lump in her throat. Toame camp up behind her and held her close to him. She allowed herself to grieve their deaths.

"Excuse me, my Queen," interrupted Amidal, "but all are not accounted for."

"What do you mean?" asked Toame.

"The Medicine man's son is missing."

"And what of the old man?" queried Lily.

"Dead," replied Amidal. "His throat has been cut."

"Cut?" Lily was surprised as the rest of those killed were killed by either arrow or sword piercing. She noticed the blood upon Amidal's blade but refused to believe she could have been the one to do the deed.

"We should bury our dead before continuing, my lady," offered Amidal. Toame had noticed the blood on Amidal's blade as Lily had but he had accepted her responsibility for the deed making him more leery of her. "Don't you agree, young King?" she directed to Toame.

"I agree," interjected Tokint. "The dead must be laid to rest. I will keep a team of elves with me and I will see to it the dead get their proper burials."

"I don't know Father, may be we should wait until the battle is done before we continue with the burial," noted Toame.

"No. Tokint is right. I will stay with him and bury the dead. I wish to lay my father to rest before I continue on," stated Lily with a resolve no one dared counter.

"I shall stay with the Queen and help," said Amidal.

"And so shall we all." Toame had decided he didn't trust Amidal and was not about to leave his young bride alone with her.

Most of the dead were buried where they had fallen, but the farmer was carried to the rose garden. Toame and Lily took her father into the garden as no one else dare enter. They laid him to rest near his bride in the center near the lily. They noticed the buds of the roses were slightly larger than they were a few weeks ago though they still hadn't bloomed. She offered a blessing over his body and exited the garden to rejoin her troops and to reengage the pursuit upon the castle.