Just when Aurora thought they would continue to torment her, she was dragged back into the wooden hut along with everyone else.
A charcoal fire had been lit inside the wooden hut, providing a bit of warmth amidst the drafts. They all crawled towards the fire, seeking to fend off the cold and the pain.
Aurora’s pants had been torn off, and the wound on her thigh prevented her from closing her legs. With the warmth in the room, the blood continued to flow slowly and pooled beneath her. Everyone was in such agony that no one paid attention to her. The hut was filled with nothing but the sound of pained groans.
Someone entered, and forced a bowl of medicine down her throat. The mixture of the medicine and the lingering stench of urine nearly made her vomit again.
She didn’t vomit, fearing they would urinate on her again. She felt that there was no chance of survival, since she was in Liam’s hands. If they gave her poison, it would at least grant her a quick death. She would accept that fate.
After Aurora drank the medicine, Edmund entered and began beating her. He kicked and punched her, leaving her face and body covered in bruises and cuts. He didn’t use a knife, except on her face.
She didn’t know what words they had carved into her face. But since she was going to die anyway,
she didn’t care.
Lying on the ground, any movement sent waves of terrible pain through her body. She felt as though her internal organs were shifting. She thought about how Barrett wouldn’t come to save her, and that she was going to die here.
To think that the first female general of Starhaven would die here like this–it was just too frustrating! Thinking about how Carissa would soon bask in glory, Aurora felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. Didn’t Carissa just have a better birth and a more privileged life? Well, Aurora would have achieved great deeds long ago if she had such a background!
Meanwhile, on Rafael’s orders, Carissa led the Mystic Army and followed the retreating forces of Westhaven and Sandoria from a distance.
Barrett followed closely behind her, and observed her on horseback. Hep upright and graceful silhouette, though slender, exuded an impressive energy.
For a moment, he was lost in thought.
Violet and others also rode alongside Carissa. After the battle, they had returned to retrieve their horses and had brought Carissa’s mount, Lightning, as well.
They didn’t need to chase after their enemies. They simply needed to keep watch from afar to ensure that the retreating forces didn’t raid the nearby villages or slaughter civilians.
Meanwhile, Barrett was searching for Aurora. He was a little panicked, as Aurora had gone after the enemy and hadn’t returned. He feared she had likely fallen into the hands of the Westhaven troops.
+15 BONUS
Among the large group of retreating Westhaven troops, neither Aurora nor the other prisoners of war
were seen.
As night fell and the last of the soldiers had withdrawn from Simonton City, Carissa and the others trailed the retreating forces for a while longer. Once they confirmed the enemy troops didn’t hide in the nearby mountains but were truly heading back to Sandoria, she ordered them to stop tracking.
Violet was still worried. “I’m afraid they might turn around and attack us.”
Carissa shook her head. “They won’t.”
If that were the case, Rafael wouldn’t have allowed her to monitor their retreat with the Mystic Army.
“Why v
wouldn’t they?” Violet asked, pulling on the reins. “We have only twenty thousand men, while they have hundreds of thousands. They could easily overwhelm us if they wanted to.”
Carissa merely smiled, offering no answer to the question.
In reality, Carissa was right–there was no need to worry. Sandoria had lost their fighting spirit, and Westhaven was indifferent to their plight. Westhaven had achieved its objective, and Victor wouldn’t naively think that Westhaven would lend a hand if they decided to retaliate.
Since Westhaven had met its goals, they wouldn’t risk their own soldiers.
Moreover, this was war. If Liam truly wanted to intervene, he wouldn’t be disguising
an invasion
himself as a Westhaven soldier. Though such disguises might fool no one, their denial meant there was no party with a vested interest to investigate further.
To other kingdoms, Westhaven’s reputation remained untarnished.
As Carissa and the others watched the last of the Sandoria and Westhaven troops withdraw from Simonton City and head towards Sandoria, Carissa received orders from Rafael to halt their advance and wait in the surrounding field.
The temperature was frigid, and piles of campfires blazed to provide warmth. The generals and soldiers huddled around the fires.
Barrett, noticing that the group had stopped advancing, approached Carissa.
“Aurora’s missing! We can’t stop here. We must continue forward!”
